I loved Dan. He was such a wonderful man, proving men can be sensitive and strong. He deserved everything he worked for. Jane. Jane was just not for me. She was so stuck in this loop of pretending and not knowing who she was. It felt so exhausting to read and I can’t imagine how exhausting it would be to live that way. With that said though, I just found her unlikeable. I absolutely loved all of the Finnegan’s.

The book was really up and down for me. The entire middle when they were in Long Island was so perfect. It felt like magic. Truly the rest of the book was kind of a mess for me. Her role at her company was never really clear and the way she would sit under her desk or hide in the closet, just didn’t work. I really wanted more from the beginning and the end. The last 20% felt so rushed and gave me whiplash. The third act break up was just so abrupt and immature.

Overall this is a 3 star read for me because I loved the Finnegan’s, the love story, and the setting.

super excited to have gotten an ARC of this book!! I love Annabel’s writing, and she always brings a great balance of romance with deeper themes that hit you in the feels. I really liked dan’s character as well as his family. jane’s growth as a character was awesome, and seeing how dan played into that (and her in his) was really sweet. I will say this isn’t my fave book my this author ( i LOVED summer romance!), and I think a big factor was that I didn’t totally vibe with the FMC. that being said, this book was well written and I loved the beach vibes, the family aspects, and how the romance piece came together! 3.75 🌟

“This feels like wealth, I think. This is the thing you save up for. You live your whole life so that you can be surrounded by too many people in too small of a room and tell the story of how it all happened.”

Loved this read!! It was a bit of a slow start but once this took off I was obsessed! Such fantastic characters. The family dynamic made me so happy. By the end of the book I truly had all the feels.

4.5/5 Stars

Loved the Finnegan family and Clem. Didn’t love the third act break up. I felt bad for Dan; Jane was BRUTAL to him after talking to Jack. But when they were together, I loved every second.

I’ll read anything Annabel Monaghan writes!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Annabel for the eARC! Per usual, my review and opinions are 100% my own.

This book was the cozy romcom I didn’t know I needed. There was some sort of magic in here that gave it the perfect balance of relatable, emotional, sweet, chaos, and adventure.

I’ve read romance novels in the past where the FMC is portrayed as the doesn’t have her life together, I’m a mess, my life is breaking apart, but somehow trying to be relatable character and most times I actually find those FMC’s annoying. Jane Jackson is not that. Is her life a bit of a mess? Yes. Is her life (love and career) kind of falling apart? Also yes. Is she as a result, pathetic and annoying? Absolutely not. She was lovable in the best ways and really was flawed to just the right level.

And Dan oh Dan. My heart goes out for him. The introverted, creative, supportive MMC we all deserve. I think I almost related to him more than Jane. The black sheep of the family, from a family that is the best definition of organized chaos overflowing with love. There was one part where his parents are describing love to Jane and my heart shattered it was so PERFECT. “Romance happens over dinner” “Love happens over breakfast” 🤎🤎🤎🤎

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book. For starters, Annabel Monaghan is always on time with her delivery of humor and banter in her stories. She does not miss and this book was another fantastic example of that. The characters were engaging and funny; not just the main characters, but the supporting cast as well! This was a good time in the form of a book.

Not only were the characters ones you want to know in real life, but the setting of most of the story was a place I could easily envision. It was a place that made you want to go there, just for the small town feel. The plot was also interesting and kept me pulled into the story. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next and how it all came to a head in the end.

Overall, the story was well written and very entertaining. I enjoyed the progression of Jane and Dan’s relationship from work enemies to co-conspirators to friends and then lovers throughout the book. I felt like everything flowed effortlessly and it was a super cozy read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to review this book.

It's a Love Story is everything I could have hoped for a warm, funny, deeply romantic, and full of heart book. From the very first page, I was completely swept up. Our main character Jane is a child actress who played the comedic relief "Janey Jakes" in a hit TV show. This led to her feeling insecure and as if she wasn't enough. So to prove herself she wants to make a movie that's going to launch her career as a producer to another level. And coincidentally for her new project she is going to be working with the guy she cannot stand, Dan. The only catch is to get her movie green-lit she needs a star that going to make if commercial enough to make money. So she needs the guy who broke her heart when she was 14, Jack Quinlan who is a famous a pop-star, to write a song for her movie,

The romance was both sweet and swoon-worthy, filled with those little moments that make your heart race. Monaghan’s writing was effortlessly engaging, blending humor and emotion in a way that made me smile and
laugh. Although what I loved most was how the story explored love in all its forms, not just romance, but also family, self-discovery, and the idea of finding home in another person.

If you love heartfelt romances with depth but also very sweet, funny moments, It’s a Love Story is an absolute must-read. I adored every second of it, and I already know it’s a book I’ll be thinking about (and rereading) for a long time.

IT’S A LOVE STORY AND IT WAS PERFECT!

I’ve read a few of Monaghan’s previous books and this is the first one I’m giving 5 stars. It was a breath of fresh summer air and I truly enjoyed every moment.

This was the perfect representation of a realistic slow burn. Sometimes slow burn is so slow it feels rushed when they get together at the end, but this was so intentional and emotional it felt real. I felt like I was falling in love with the characters as they were falling in love, and I desperately loved Dan and Jane. Like, I really loved them both.

The found family trope was well done here and I loved that Jane growing close to Dan’s family also led to her becoming closer to hers. Dan’s family was so fun, but I did like that we got to see why they weren’t necessarily perfect; just a family with a lot of love. That’s exactly what Jane needed and was a good environment for the spark of their relationship to grow.

Jane and Dan found their sense of self through one another not for one another and I think that distinction is really important. There was a lot of growth here and their character development was top tier. It never felt forced, only necessary for them to be together as their whole selves at the end.

Honestly, I can’t wait to get my physical copy to read this again and mark up the book. There were so many swoony and sweet lines I want to highlight and keep close to my heart forever!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam- G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read this in 2 couch rots. Big shout out to Penguin and NetGalley for the joy of being able to read this ARC early!

Annabel Monaghan has such a beautiful way with words,This book is definitely for a rom com lover who enjoys a good laugh, lover of language, a complex but not complicated love story and/or needs to be transported to summer asap.

Feel like it could have been a little bit shorter but with her writing the extra pages don’t feel like too much of a burden.

Though the first 25% dragged a bit, the rest flew by! I’ve read all of Annabel Monaghan’s books and her vivid portrayal of Long Island’s beaches make for an immersive, quick read. Perfect for summer🌞🌊

This was my favorite Annabel Monoghan book! I have read them all and they just get better and better. I love the storyline and the message that love isn’t always only a grand fireworks explosion. Love shows up faithfully, and “love happens over breakfast!” This will be the big book of summer. I have been looking so forward to it and I appreciate the arc!

Classic Annabel Monaghan! Delightful dialogue, down to earth characters, pitch-perfect build to romance.

This one started out a little bit slow for me and I didn’t love the main character but once the setting switched , the book picked up and I loved where it went! The perfect summer read filled with a chaotic and fun family, celebrity stalking and really sweet characters. I loved this one!

I really enjoyed this read, it took me a while to warm up to the main character. Loved Dan, great male protagonist. I thought the complexity of the characters & situations was believable. It wasn’t completely a delusional book. I love to hate a second act breakup, I can see why she included it though.

At the end of the day I would recommend this book.

Some of the scenes were a little spicy for me, but skippable.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

If you've read Annabel Monaghan before, It's a Love Story contains her distinctive writing style and storytelling. It's slow, deep, thoughtful, and emotional.

It's a Love Story takes Jane and Dan on a journey to get a script they both love turned into a movie, and it's a bit of a second chance for them. Most of the events in It's a Love Story happen in about a week, but a lot happens. I adored meeting Dan's family (I could read a whole series on them haha), and they gave Jane that contrast to her own family. Jane is someone who has almost always pretended and Dan never pretends to be anything other than who he is. He allows Jane the space to be who she is, and she gives him the acceptance that even his family has trouble giving. It was very enjoyable, watching them grow and explore themselves and each other in an opposites attract romance.

There are some really great quotes I wish I could add here, such great reflections.

Overall I enjoyed this book and watching Dan and Jane fall in love.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. I really love the characters. all except for Jack, I couldn't stand him. I felt like I could relate to Jane in some ways. This book was so interesting that I finished it in less than a day. I look forward to reading the next book that Annabel writes. I'm, grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s a cute love story. Unique storyline. The main character bugged me a little bit but it was sweet overall. The hometown part was very sweet and I could totally picture myself in the little town. Felt like somewhere I would want to visit. And I loved dans family. It felt like a down to earth rowdy family and felt totally relatable. Overall a really cute romcom with some deeper themes!

Did I miss it? I turned the page and suddenly Dan and Jane are gooey for each other. I also wondered where quirky Jane went because she seemed to vanish a quarter of the way into the book.

I sadly didn’t connect with these characters or their love story. I found myself quickly turning the pages to be done.

This was my first Annabel Monaghan novel, but I’m going to give her another try with Nora Goes Off Script.

Loved Dan’s favorite sandwich and highlighted it to make. I was really glad I had some pop tarts stashed away.

3.5 stars.

Annabel Monaghan cannot write a bad book! I loved this story, and her characters are always so compelling and deep, and this book was no different. I flew through it, and eagerly await her next story!

Oh wow! Absolutely loved this one. Technically enemies to lovers, but they really don’t get to know each very well before butting heads, so it’s mostly strangers to friends to lovers. Both mc’s have internal drama to deal with and face. I love books that force characters to take a deep look inside themselves before they commit to a relationship. Forced proximity and a lovely family of side characters round out this. love story that made my heart pitter patter. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.