Jane Jackson used to play the dorky comedic relief on a sitcom. Now, all grown up, she’s trying to make movies. Enter Dan. Cinematographer who killed her first movie attempt. Aspiring cinematographer on her next movie attempt. All Jane has to do is get the leading pop star to record a song for her movie to get it green-lit. Cue Dan and Jane having a whimsical week on Long Island at his family’s home while trying to hunt down said pop star.

Annabel Monaghan is an instant must read for me, and this one lived up to her status. Absolutely enchanting and heartwarming, I was transported to beach bike rides and lobster boils. Her books feel like summer. Can’t recommend this one enough!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I adore pretty much everything Annabel writes and this was no exception. The way she humanizes her characters and immerses you in their inner thinking is what hooks me. It’s A Love Story was the perfect beach read.

I will say this did not capture me as much as Annabel’s previous books, however. It was a bit slower/not as much happening throughout and I didn’t feel overly connected to either character as I have in the past. Still a great, quick read and I absolutely loved the parents and family bonds that were a through line throughout.

Another Annabel Monaghan delight! She has a way of writing romances that are cozy and feel good, without being boring, and It’s a Love Story follows suit.

If you haven't read a book by Annabel Monaghan, seriously, what are you waiting for? She is a queen of the romance genre, and It's A Love Story stands in perfect evidence.

Jane has been trying to get her first movie made for years, but something always gets in the way. This time, she's determined to make it happen, even if it means fudging the truth about her past relationship with Jack Quinlan, one of the biggest music stars of the era. She might have promised she could get him to write an original song for the movie despite not having spoken to him in a decade or two, and now she has to make it happen. Confronting her past with Jack is about the last thing on planet Earth she wants to do, and her partner for the movie, Dan, is the last person she wants to work with (seeing as he was the one to sabotage her last project), but Jane will make this project work come hell or high water. That is how she finds herself bunked up with Dan and his family on Long Island for a week, at the end of which she will have to confront her painful past if she wants the future she's worked so hard for.

I die for this book. It took me to places I wish I could bathe in indefinitely. That good book feeling I wish I could weave into an oversized sweater and wear everyday for the rest of my life. It is everything - everything - I want in a romance novel.

Jane doesn't believe in love. It was practically indoctrinated into her by a single mother with bad luck in love. And it was only reinforced by the few times Jane had a 'moment' with someone she thought was something special that ended up going down in flames before the week was out. Both times. And now she has to confront both of them.

Oh, the drama.

Let's talk about Dan. And his family. Oh my gosh. He's lovely. And his family is beyond lovely. The kind of big boisterous family everyone wishes they had that gives you constant shit, pushes each other out of their comfort zones, but is also there for you when you crash and burn. Their week in Long Island was frigging paradise despite the difficulties and I live for it.

Jane and Dan are both complex characters. They have deep emotional wounds that they're working on and they compliment one another in the best ways. I've read a lot of great books already this year, but I have to say these two are one of my top three romance couples I've read in a long time.

Annabel Monaghan, you're a genius, and I can't wait to read literally every single word you ever write. If It's A Love Story is not already on your summer TBR, girl RUN and grab this exquisite work of fiction. Thank me later!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Annabel Monaghan does it again!!!! Can she do wrong? No, the answer is lost definitely no. I loved this story so much!!! The main character was so relatable. So great!!

4.5⭐️ This one is for the girlies who don’t think they’re enough or don’t think they deserve love. This one really hit home for me because it also talks about her dad leaving because he didn’t want her anymore and I heavily relate to that!! Annabel always has such hard hitting one or two liners as well that got me all in my feels.

"When you smile at me, I feel like I want to capture it. But it's not the regular way like when I see something beautiful and I want to photograph it. When you smile, it does something to me, I feel it in my chest, and I just want to figure out how to get you to do it again."

^^^^ THISSSS 😫🥰

I really loved this book. I really considered giving it five stars but it was just towards the end where Jane really put it off for me. I know it was part of the story and how it was intended to be written, but I really didn’t like that when things didn’t go as expected she shut Dan out and ended things with him. Like, I felt Dan’s heartache, it hurt. And her doing that to him really pissed me off. Apart from that I enjoyed this book, Jane and Dan’s story. How they met, their “hatred” towards each other, sort of like frenemies (a bit more towards the enemies part) but turned into them falling for each other. The banter between them, arguing over nothing and everything at the same time. The Notebook talk and references throughout the book was 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼. ALSO, the thing about her curls?!?!!! Where in many books/movies the girl gets or starts to wear her curly hair when she starts to fall in love. That was definitely one of my favorite things!!
Seriously enjoyed this book so much, I felt many emotions that I always want to feel when reading a book.

Can’t wait for others to read and hear their opinions, and hopefully they love this book as much as I did. Maybe even more. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC! Former child star turned Creative Executive Jane is working on her first major project for Clearwater Studios. She may have over promised on her connection to a pop star Jack Quinlan and will need her work enemy Dan to make a last ditch effort to get Jack on board. Their trip to Dan’s hometown and interactions with his family are so hysterical that I loved every minute. An awesome addition to your TBR and classic Annabel story! Love love loved.

I have loved all of Annabel Monaghan’s romance novels (Nora Goes Off Script, Same Time Next Summer, and Summer Romance) so I was really excited to read her newest one. It’s a Love Story went far beyond my expectations. I absolutely fell in love with this book and couldn’t put it down. I stayed up way too late reading because I just had to find out how it ended.

I could really relate to Jane and her insecurities. Jane was a lot like me when I was in middle school- braces, not a lot of friends, excited when I thought a boy liked me and jumping to very wrong conclusions.

I loved Dan and his need for quiet. I also loved his family. I also am from a family of 5 kids so the craziness of family gatherings were so relatable to me. They were much like the family gatherings I’m so used to with my own family. I could also appreciate Dan and his feeling like he’s different from the rest of his siblings and feeling like he doesn’t quite fit in.

This book gave me all the feels. I was so emotionally attached to the characters and not just the 2 main characters. I loved all of the characters. Annabel creates such a wide range of personalities in her characters and does a fabulous job of making me feel so attached to them by the end. I felt like I was right there throughout the story watching from the sidelines. I was so emotionally invested and was cheering them both on through the whole book. I wanted to keep reading so I could get to the happy ending that I knew would be coming BUT I also didn’t want the book to end!

This is my 4th book by Annabel Monaghan and it is by far my favorite!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book should be a movie. I could not put it down! This story was so real and funny and had me swooning. The dialogue was written so well. I felt like I was actually a part of their love story, which is why I’m giving it 5 stars!

3.75 stars
Sex: yes
Language: not that I remember?

This main character, Jane, is possibly the very worst. Petty, insecure, and spiteful. She is the epitome of self-destruction. She softens a bit in the middle and becomes tolerable but overall, she’s hard to root for. Dan, on the other hand, is easy to root for. And his family?! I want to live in that chaotic house (in book form, not reality 😂) for as long as possible. It’s so cozy and uncomplicated and loving. I don’t necessarily love his dynamic with his brothers, but the family and town as a whole are cozy. Unfortunately, the story and relationship moves a bit quick and choppy. There’s not enough build up and tension. There’s chemistry between Dan and Jane, but it isn’t developed well. It’s just suddenly there. There’s not enough true character development for Dan. It’s not a perfect book. In the end, it did make my heart ache a bit though so I still recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review!

Annabel Monaghan can do no wrong. Her books are like a warm bath and a cold glass of rosé. She never fails!

This book is coming out on 5/25, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy. Thanks @netgalley

This is not your typical romance book. It’s refreshing, honest, and I loved it.

Jane Jackson is a former TV child star. She played the dorky teen on a famous sitcom. Now, she’s a grown-up working in the creative field, desperately trying to get a movie made. She’s in love with this script and just needs to convince her team to get on board. HOWEVER, they aren’t into it and need a BIG Hollywood name to get the movie made. She lies and says she knows Jack Quinlan (a current hot music star) and that he’s agreed to make an original song for the film. BIG LIE, girl.

Jane is forced to trek to Long Island with her former crush, but now asshole cinematographer, Dan, to confront Jack and ask him to write her a song for the movie. Dan is attractive, and there was once a spark, but when he trashed a script she was pitching, she told him off.

However, the trip with Dan isn’t unfolding the way she thought it would, and maybe people can change?

This romance is new, refreshing, and the characters CAME ALIVE. It felt different to me.

Dan and Jane had a meet-cute that turned sour before they could finalize their first date. Now, they are co-workers and rivals who mostly dislike each other. Things change when Jane is desperate to get her project greenlit and Dan (and his family) may hold the key to her success.

When forced into close proximity for a week-long stay with Dan’s family in Long Island, Dan and Jane begin to once again see in each other what led to their initial attraction. Jane, an only child, full of insecurities stemming from her childhood trauma, and Dan, one of five brothers, who often feels overwhelmed by his large family, have more in common than either realized.

I loved watching Dan and Jane rediscover each other and allow themselves to be vulnerable in ways they couldn’t be even with their closest friends and family. I loved all the Finnegan family interactions and how much they meant to love-starved Jane. And even though I could see the third-act conflict coming, I didn't hate it. It pushed Jane to finally confront all that she has been holding back for years.

It’s a Love Story truly was charming and surprisingly emotional love story.

I absolutely ADORED this book! I love all of Annabel Monaghan's books, but this one is right up there with NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT. I will be heartily posting about this book and recommending it to all my friends. This is a perfect beach read with zero corniness; Monaghan nails it with genuine characters, witty dialogue, and a love story you can actually feel and believe. Like watching your favorite rom-com.

Annabel Monaghan has solidly placed herself in my "auto buy author" category--her books have all been a success for me! That being said, I do connect with some more than others (last year's Summer Romance was my favorite of hers). I did not connect to Jane, the FMC, as much as I would've liked, but I did fall in love with Dan, the MMC. His loveable family was the star of the show of this book for me. In fact, I would love one of those interconnected series about each of his siblings--his family had that vibe. If you're a fan of Annabel's previous books, you'll definitely enjoy this one. I think of her books as similar to Emily Henry's books, in that they're all good, but everyone has their favorite one. While this wasn't my favorite of hers, it will definitely be someone's favorite, as the writing and story are so well done!

3.5 rounding up. Most of these stars are for the Finnegan Family. I didn't love the FMC, Jane, and I didn't buy the 180 she did over a single week on Long Island. The long awaited meeting with Jack was so anticlimactic. Overall I think this book needed more tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

This book took me a HOT MINUTE to get into BUT it was worth it because there were moments that I loved. I LOVED Dan. Sweetie misunderstood golden retriever was the perfect MMC. You get to meet his family and they felt like coming home to your own crazy family reunion. Did the story seem super plausible? I mean, not really? I didn’t relate to Jane our FMC as much as I had hoped but truly their relationship kept me going. Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

This was my first Annabel Monaghan book and I absolutely adored it!

I love a good romance where the characters have real life traumas to work through. Sometimes they don’t realize they need something or someone until it smacks them in the face and they’re forced to work through everything.

This was cozy and had me feeling all the feelings! I laughed, I cried, I was in suspense. I can’t wait to read more of her books as this was just perfection!

I want to thank Penguin Group Putnam for my ARC copy. Make sure to grab yours May 27 2025!

I was given an ARC of It’s a Love Story because I have enjoyed all of Annabel Monaghan’s other books and this one was no exception, I loved it! Might’ve been my favorite yet. Monaghan writes a believable love story without any extra cheesiness. The FMC is likeable and relatable and the MMC was very well written. The story is swoonworthy and I will be recommending this one to friends!

3.5 stars I would say! I ended up really liking this however it took me a solid 50% to really be grabbed. It took me a very long time to become invested in the story and I think it really took getting to Dan’s family and getting to know them to actually want to see how the story continued. I love a family conflict or when it takes a family to really learn about a character to that was very helpful here! Thank you so much for the review copy!