A romance novel within a romance novel? Sounds a bit meta!

'Love Story' follows Sophie's rise to fame as a romance author. Except the problem is that no one knows that the author is actually her. Sophie's job as a teacher and her well-known literary critic parents holds her back from revealing that she is in fact the best seller of a very popular romance book. While at a meeting with her publisher, she runs into joe who is the hot shot art/marketing director at her publishing company. From there it's simultaneously insta-love and insta-hate.

The premise of the book is what caught my attention. In some ways, I enjoyed Sophie as a character and appreciated a lot of her internal struggles with confidence and seeking validation from others. For the most part, I liked Sophie and Joe together too. Insta-love isn't my favorite. while they were instantly attracted to each other, I did enjoy the buildup of their relationship throughout the book.

While I did like Sophie, I didn't care for many of the side characters, especially her mom and little sister Charlotte. Her mom has either rude opinions on teachers or is flippant about hating romance novels if a man wrote it. Charlotte was straight up annoying. Her obsession with finding out and publicly revealing an anonymous author is not the move. The only side characters I did like were William and Sarah because they didn't annoy me.

Admittedly, I don't like excessive pop-culture mentions in books. I read for escapism and not to be reminded of TikTok. This book had its fair share of pop culture to the point where I feel like most of it won't age well. Speaking of things not aging well, there were a few "dark humor" comments about Slyvia Plath (I'm not going to repeat them but I'm sure you can guess what they would be). For a book that is supposed to be a lighthearted romcom, these comments felt so out of place.

2.75 stars.

Thank you net galley for the arc.

Sophie is a brilliantly funny FMC that wants to keep her success quiet, mainly because she doesn’t think her work is good enough for her parents. You see, they are giants in the literary world and Sophie knows that if they ever found out that she wrote an internationally best-selling “smut" book, they’ll be terribly disappointed.

What Sophie doesn’t count on is a pain-in-the-arse marketing director who’s hot–literally–on her trail! Joe knows that something is up with Sophie and he’s up for the challenge in discovering what it is. When the pair are thrust together for a family weekend event, it’ll take all Sophie’s willpower to keep her secret under wraps, and… to keep her thoughts to herself while sharing close quarters with Smokeshow Joe. Cue the hijinks, and the blazing chemistry!

Love Story is a fun read that had me laughing, swooning, and tearing up right alongside the characters. The storyline is brilliantly written, the characters are quirky and relatable, and the journey Sophie takes is an endearing and heartfelt one.

Love Story is also a great defender of the romance genre as a whole. Why we constantly have to defend why we love romance is ridiculous. It’s a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want to get lost in a book where a character (that’s easily relatable) finds their confidence and the courage to become their authentic self and accept that they are worthy of the gifts they’ve been given, that they are worthy of love, and of being treated with respect. That their thoughts and opinions matter. The romance genre gives strength, encouragement, and inspiration. It gives us permission to dream our impossible dreams and to love freely and without apology.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Love Story and highly recommend it. This is my first read by Lindsey Kelk and she’s definitely made a new fan.

Well.... I love the cover, the synopsis, and the various bits of humor in this book. It had all the makings of a cute rom com but I felt like the writing style was just not for me. It fell flat for me unfortunately.

It’s obvious that Kelk is a student of romcoms. This book is her black belt test and she nailed it! It references classics like Bridget Jones to modern authors like Christina Lauren, Emily Henry, Elena Armas and more. This had funny scenes a la Bridget Jones that had me cracking up. The secondary characters were fun and even though this was closed door, the tension and chemistry were there. This British romcom is worth the read.

Thank you Harper 360 for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Oh dear.

What even.

This book felt more like satire than a rom-com. It was absolutely painful to get through. The pop-culture references, the critiques about romance that male lead makes are arguments that have been made many times before and everything was too *ripped from IRL* that very quickly, barely 10% into the book, got deep into cringe town and it was absolutely painful to work through.

Everything was too much and couldn't really enjoy anything about it. Also, instead of it feeling like an insightful look at the industry, it all came on too strong and with the fem lead being a Nepo Baby doesn't help.

Also, male lead's big secret? NO. Nope.

<spoiler>He's MARRIED?!</spoiler>

Browsing Netgalley I saw the cover for Love Story and I thought that’s cute; I'll shoot my shot for an ARC Copy and I’m so glad I did! So Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Lindsey Kelk for the ARC!

Lindsey wrote the cutest romance ever! I loved how all the characters, even the side ones really made the story what it was and that it was set in the literary world. This is my first read by Lindsey but I am definitely going to be reading some of her other books.

The characters are both so relatable and their development as a couple is grand! I loved the enemies to lovers, along with all the laughs. I found myself still thinking about this book when I would have to put it down. I also loved all the pop culture references– even if I’m a Swiftie (Please don’t kill me.) It felt very real and relatable with references to BookTok, and real authors we read and interact with on Bookstgram. I truly just loved the RomCom feel good vibes this book brought!

For my first ever Lindsey Kelk book I sadly have to say I was disappointed. I had heard such good things about her writing that when I saw this available to request on NetGalley I knew I had to give it a shot. Now I feel like I should mention I really did try to love this book. I mean come on the cover is gorgeous, the synopsis immediately hooked me. However, the execution just fell flat for me.

Some of my biggest issues definitely have to be our characters. For starters our leading lady Sophie. I found her so unbelievably frustrating. Like ma’am you are a best selling author will you grow a pair and stick up for yourself. The amount of times I was screaming at my kindle for Sophie to speak up was quite literally in every chapter. I think the only thing I found relatable in Sophie was our mutual love for Taylor Swift.

Next we have our love interest, Joe. This man was quite literally one of the most unlikable and condescending love interests I’ve read in a book in a while. Plus I just didn’t feel the chemistry between him and Sophie. Now I know I might sound harsh but Joe does some redeeming things later on. But not enough to save him in my eyes especially with that end twist.

I think the only thing I really enjoyed about this book was the side characters. I loved Williams, Rachel and Charlotte. But unfortunately the side characters weren’t enough to save it for me. Now even with all that said and it’s obvious this book wasn’t for me. I would still recommend it, because I’m sure others will enjoy it much more.

Big thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to read and review.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to, it felt like it took me a little while to get into but once I was became a quick read. I liked the idea of a romance about a romance book and enjoyed most the side characters though some could be a bit much. It was well written and while I think the third act breakup could've been cleared up a little easier I did enjoy the story. I would rate it 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Harper 360 for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Lindsey Kelk, she’s an autobuy author for me so I was so excited to try her newest. While it is a romcom, this one read a bit different from some of her others in that it had the added element of being a romance book about a romance writer.

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers - so I was loving that element of the story. Sophie and Joe had a great enemies arc with some slow building tension and fun banter.

I always love the characters in Lindsey Kelk’s books because they are multifaceted. Whether her mains or secondary they make me reevaluate as I read, they have bits I like and things that make me want to shake them (which feels authentic and true to life).

While I enjoyed the story and it was a fun quick read. I will say I had some nitpicks of personal preference that didn’t work as well for me. My two mains that come to mind would be the slightly spicier tinge to this one and the pop culture references (while they fit in the storyline, just not a face for me).

Overall, as with any Lindsey Kelk read I enjoyed it. The pace is quick, it’s a great way to escape for an afternoon. Not my favorite of hers to date, but if she writes it I’ll buy it.

3.5 ⭐️

4.5 ✨

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for my ARC.

This was so FUN and a total delight. A romance book about a romance book, a fantastic ensemble cast that was a total hoot, Lindsay Kelk’s signature humor and wit, a somehow spicy but still closed door romance. How does she do it?!

If you are a Lindsay Kelk fan, you’ll love her newest! I really enjoyed this and will definitely add it to my personal collection once it’s released.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. Anything Lindsey Kelk writes is GOLD. Five stars.

There is something about Lindsey Kelk’s humor that just works for me. Some of the situations in this book are so “out there” but most of the time it made things all the more entertaining while reading.

Sophie finds herself at the center of nearly every single one of those aforementioned out there situations during her father’s birthday bash weekend celebrations, mainly because she’s hiding the secret of having written a romance novel that has taken the world by storm from her literary snob parents. Enter Joe, the handsome creative for her publisher who she’s undeniably attracted to but infuriates her at the same time and the drama kicks up even more. Add in her terrible ex and all bets are off. Mix in a whole mess of secondary characters of family and publishing rivals and who knows what’s coming.

Chaos. Chaos is what ensues. However, at its heart, this book is a love letter to the romance genre and a commentary on the ridicule and condescension it routinely faces despite its popularity. Sophie’s younger sister, Charlotte, for all her bratty entitlement has some of the best monologues on the subject direct toward their parents. One of my favorite things about the book were the strong convictions and evolving opinions that came through in the face of those statements.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Too much real life/pop culture references for me :( I really wanted to love this book bc the premise is good and the cover is gorgeous but it didn't take me long to realize that the writing wasn't for me. The miscommunication was one of the things that also bothered me a lot, especially in the 3rd act breakup.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

A new to me author. I enjoyed this book it was just a little too wordy for me. There were some parts that dragged but overall it was an entertaining read. Sophie has a secret and Joe Walsh ends up knowing it. He definitely rubs Sophie the wrong way but in the end….the secrets come out and a love is born.

This is a romance for romance readers, especially those who've ever felt defensive about their love of the genre.

When Sophie meets Joe, it's lust and hate at first sight. He seems like a pompous, arrogant arse who raises her hackles about an area of great sensitivity--her secret identity as a blockbuster romance novelist. Of course, he doesn't know he's speaking to the author of the romance when he slags off the genre and the people who read romances, and when they part ways, Sophie wants to kill him as much as she wants to kiss him. She's certain she'll never run into him again, so imagine her surprise when he arrives at her parent's house the next morning as a guest at a birthday weekend for her father, a famous publisher. Over the course of the weekend, Sophie's secret is jeopardized and she has to decide whether she can trust Joe with the truth--and with her heart.

I read this in one go. Lindsey Kelk knows how to tell a fun, humorous story with sharp prose and lively characters. The plot cracked on at a good pace, if rushed at the end--catnip for fans of enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, and instalove stories. The way Joe was described...whew! I imagined him to be like that lumberjack who films himself chopping logs and I was there for it.

That said, this read was a rollercoaster for me. Sophie and Joe have good but confusing chemistry--I felt like I would have whiplash within a scene as the love and hate swapped places quickly at times. There were several characters that I was not keen on upon introduction--Joe and Sophie' sister Charlotte being two--that grew on me enormously by the end. Too often I wanted to shout at Sophie to stand up for herself; the little and big injustices she tolerated from her family and ex-boyfriend were maddening at times, although she grows over the course of the novel to be more assertive. Everyone seemed like a work in progress and I liked that, even if I want Sophie to work a little faster at times.

I'm on the fence about the self-referential nature of the book. It's a book that's very aware of the romance genre and all its tropes, which characters describing events in the plot according to the tropes they fulfill. For much of the novel, characters who've never read a romance novel in their lives debate the merits of the genre (often in disparaging terms) before becoming converts after reading Sophie's novel. It's the conversion narrative we all hope to see at romance readers, but in some ways it was the least believable part of the story.

Overall, I recommend this. It's a romance that values its readers, and it's a funny, sexy good time. 3.5 stars.

It's like the author said "surely throwing all of the worst tropes EVER into the same book is a fantastic idea!".

Rating: 1.5/5 ⭐️
Release Date: September 17 2024
Tropes:
- Insta Love
- Miscommunication
- He's married

My Opinion:

Okay. The writing is *not bad*. The banter and arguing between the main characters is good, the brother is great, the themes of women's writing being less valued because romance is "dirty" or "gross" or "not valuable" is genuinely smart and shows how disgustingly quickly people will change their opinion if it's a man that "wrote" it instead.

HOWEVER.

The tropes are unforgivable. No, I cannot be convinced they are in love after being in each other's presence (and fighting 99% of the time) for less than 48 hours. In those two days, they somehow manage to become soooo in love and feel like they can't live without the other? Yeah, sure. I get that this is a book, but seriously.

And then THREE MONTHS of nothing, only for Joe to show up to her first press event? Dude, now isn't the time. You work at the same place, you could have said something literally at any point in those months but okay 👍

I cannot in good conscience tell you to read this. Insta love I can kind of get over, but don't throw a "ohhhh and he is married" trope in there too. And I'm supposed to be rooting for them? Nah.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Smart, witty, a little over the top…but an absolutely hilarious love letter to romance books. This one is definitely for the booksta girlies!

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the ARC! Such a fun read.

I forget how much I love British humor until I start reading a new book by a Brit. They really lean into the comedy of misery..not in a second hand embarrassment way, but in the deeply relatable, “if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry” way.

I think I smiled through this whole book, and if it wasn’t because I was laughing, it’s because I was swooning. You know the tummy drop feeling when the tension is pulled taut?? Sooooo much of that here!

And of course we love the defense of the smut! But for a book about smut, there is a conspicuous lack of it. The spice here is tasteful, which I will admit balances nicely in its contrast with the described “filth” Sophie has written. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want just a teensy bit more!

Something else that I desperately wanted was an epilogue. I need to see a couple be happy for a little bit after we put them through it!

Sophie has a secret--she's the writer behind the best selling spicy romance, Butterflies. After she meets hotshot making executive Joe Walsh, she has to work double time to keep her identity secret from him and her family.

This book, man....it is one big love letter to romance novels and their readers and I adored it. Here's what I loved:

The humor: Kelk has an amazing sense of humor and this shines through in her new novel. I found myself laughing so hard at her one-liners that are slipping into every inch of this book. The sibling bickering was also top tier.

Sophie and Joe: These two were amazing. Joe was literally swoon worthy. I found myself highlighting all of his declarations of love because there were just perfect. And Sophie was hilarious.

The cast of characters: Everyone was so well developed in this. Sophie's family and friends, her delusional Ex, Joe's family...it was just perfect. I wanted to be in this book and at the weekend celebration.

All in all, this was an amazing romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy.