I love how this book modeled Jane's feelings for True Story. It was quiet, every day but powerful. I also loved the 90s nostalgia of those Nickelodeon type teen shows! I loved Dan's family and can picture the chaos so well. I hope there might be a sequel (or prequel) featuring some of the brother's love stories.

I LOVE ANNABEL AND HER WRITING! This book is an absolute do not put down perfect beach read rom-com, as all of Annabel’s books tend to be for me. After reading the blurb, I wasn’t sure what I expected in terms of emotional depth but this book blew all my expectations out of the water. I love love love the way the writing was so human and the character development was internal without insane changes!

Thank you to the publishing team for the ARC! This is a perfect read for this summer!

3.5⭐️
A cute rom com filled with big family love and unexpected attraction. I really loved Dan in this story ( thank you for giving him a normal name) and Jane was just so relatable. Super cute romance that had me rooting for them.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy

Unfortunately I didn’t love this book. I didn’t like the main characters except I loved the dynamics of Dan’s family. I loved Nora Goes Off Script and Summer Romance by this author.

I devoured It’s a Love Story, which was the perfect book to read over Valentine’s day weekend.

It is funny and emotional and real - any book that has me laughing out loud during the first half and bawling my eyes out at the end deserves five stars.

I’ve been reading Annabel Monaghan’s books since she wrote Nora Goes Off Script, which is probably my favorite modern romance book. I’ve loved everything else she’s written, but It’s a Love Story gives me the same vibes as Nora - with the chemistry, the humor, and the hearts of the two main characters.

Jane is a former child actor and works in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Dan, a cinematographer and her nemesis at work, is interested in the current project she’s trying to get picked up. He suggests a way for her to get Jack, a big music star now who was also involved in her show when she was a kid, to agree to create a song for her new movie.
She unexpectedly ends up in the middle of Dan’s big family reunion for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, and she falls as much in love with his family as she does with him.

This is a romance yes but it also has a lot of depth and it's about being true to yourself, the stories we tell ourselves that may or may not be true and how that can affect our self-worth.

I absolutely adored this one.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. It’s a Love Story publishes on May 27th.

First and foremost, I *loved* the Finnegans. I love a big happy family, and I really like that we got to see them razz Dan a little bit, but it all came from a good place. I like how most of his family was very practical and couldn’t quite understand his artistic temperament.

Jane’s quirks made me smile. She was such a unique character and showed a lot of growth over the course of the book. There were a few setbacks along the way, but that made her feel more real. No one is perfect!

This will be another great summer read from Annabel, and readers will enjoy the journey!

This was my first Annabel Monaghan book and I will definitely be picking up her other books soon! I really enjoyed this story, it was not your typical enemies to lovers concept. I felt both characters were very relatable based on their circumstances and that their story lines flowed well with all of the additional character! Highly recommend!

Ohhhhhh…..this was a warm, wonderful, lovely read. Monaghan always creates characters that are so believable. They are messy and ridiculous and sometimes exhausting, but so very real. I pretty much always cry during her books and not always where I expect to…..her family stories are as beautiful as her romances. I also love that her settings come so alive with her writing. I felt relocated to LA and then to a potato field on Long Island. I really really loved it and I read it in a single day - almost a single sitting. So good. 💜💜💜📚

As expected, I devoured this. Annabel’s books are like a warm hug. This one had me crying, giggling and yes, clutching my hand over my heart (iykyk). The scenery in this one was so good too.. I feel like I’ve visited Long Island in the summer myself.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Annabel Monaghan is an auto-read for me, and my opinion hasn't changed. Her books always suck me in the same way...at first it seems like another romance, but shortly into the book, I'm hooked and can't stop reading. My only complaint about her books is that they're over too quickly - mostly because I'm binging them! If you need me, I'll be hunting down the Finnegan family and asking them to adopt me!

When you want to read romance, you have to pick up an Annabel Monaghan book because she always hits. I am always swoon every time I read her books. It’s a Love Story is no exception to this. It has the perfect amount of bickering, flirting, and romance. She really has the perfect formula for this book. Jane and Dan were not exactly grumpy and sunshine nor were rivals but it felt like it. Dan comes from a tight-knit big family. His whole family may not be the same as his introvert self but they seem to all be his wingmen and wingwomen. They’re the kind of family I’d like to meet. Jane is a single child with a single parent. Once they were together though, they were inseparable. I found both of them lovable. Neither are perfect but they were just so perfect for each other, the chemistry felt tangible.

I can see why so many people love Annabel Monaghan, but unfortunately her writing style is not for me. I found the main character Janie to be so insufferable that I struggled to get through this book. It just didn’t do it for me, but I can appreciate why some people love her writing style.

This book scratches every itch in my brain. It has EVERYTHING. It’s about romance while also being about family and celebrity and truth and how to allow yourself to be someone who is worthy of happiness despite being flawed human beings. It is compelling and fully captivating. There’s no way I’m not reading everything Annabel Monaghan has ever written after this.

I really struggled with this ARC. I don’t know if it was just because I struggled with the MFC that threw my mood off for the book or if it’s just me. I just felt that she was dealing with a lot of childhood trauma that she should’ve seen a therapist for before diving into a lot of the things brought up in the book. really like the MMC and that is what made me push through this book. I have a lot more that I wasn’t the biggest fan of but I don’t like putting down books that could’ve just been a personal preference. It just wasn’t for me 2/5 ⭐️.

Thank you NetGalley for this Advance Reader Copy for my honest review.

My face hurts from smiling through the last half of this book. Each and everyone one of AM's books could be a movie. Adorable and incredibly poignant at parts. Highlighted so many great lines. Will be sharing about this one a lot!

the first 15% of the book was rough, so much that I considered dnf-ing an Annabel Monaghan book for the first time ever. Jane came off very childish and superficial. it wasn't until later in that book that she felt more like a real character and became more like-able. for a book that criticizes insta-love so much, it sure does have insta-love. i loved the relationship between jane and dan but i wish that it had developed a bit more before they got together. they go from strangers sitting two rows from each other on an airplane to literally together the very next day. at least a day or so of lingering glances and sweet awkward moments would have helped the hate to lovers transition better.

all that aside, i really enjoyed so much of this book! after the first 20%, i was hooked and never wanted it to end. i love the family dynamics and the romance between jane and dan. i do wish we had a bit more book.

thank you to netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this gifted arc!

Annabel Monaghan is so great at novels that combine swoony romance and emotional journeys. Jane Jackson is a former child actress, now working as a creative executive trying to find and option film projects. She's found one she absolutely loves, but may be forced to work with a cinematographer she thinks is "the worst". If she can even convince her boss to greenlight it. But in a desperate bid to make it seem commercial, she namedrops a musician and embellishes her ties to him, saying she can get him to write a song for the soundtrack. This sends her on a journey to track him down at a Long Island music festival with the cinematographer, who has an in. She has to spill some secrets and face some hard truths, including the fact that "the worst" guy might just be the best. I fell in love with him and his family, and eventually with her too, once she worked her issues out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan has very quickly become one of my favorite books by this author. I found Jane to be an extremely quirky character, especially in the first few chapters of the book - after which she mellows out a bit more. I really loved the familial relationship between Dan’s family and how they treated Jane like one of their own! I had tears in my eyes multiple times from reading the interactions between Jane and the various family members. I thought the underlying connection between fictional Jane and real life Jennette McCurdy (iCarly) was very well done as I had made that parallel connection in my head already without reading the author’s note beforehand. If you’re a fan of haters to lovers tropes, forced proximity, childhood actors, and self-realization then this is a perfect book to read!

I LOVED Summer Romance last year and this book is just as fun and heartwarming. Jane Jackson and Dan Finnegan are such likable MCs who inadvertently end up on a work trip together that takes them both down memory lane...and into one bedroom. This book is magic 🪄 and it's the slow-burn romance that everyone needs this summer. Recommend if you like awkward, lovable FMCs and the small moments that make falling for someone worth it. 🥹 4.5 stars rounding to 5!

While this book was a cute take on the Hollywood/writer trope, it was a little flat as far as the romance goes. I wish there was more banter!