Before I begin my review, I wanted to share some of my favorite parts of the book. These aren’t the huge, swoony moments. They’re the little ones that made Dan and Jane begin to matter to each other, and I love how they were written.

Some favorite parts:

Dan turns all the way toward me, as if I've just appeared. He scans my face again in that unnerving way he has of taking in every single detail.

====

Dan doesn't ask why I can recite a line from a movie I hate. Instead he laughs a real laugh and locks his eyes on mine like he did the first day. I like the sound of his laugh and the way his eyes dance around my face before settling on my eyes.

====

I turn my head toward him, and he's rolled onto his stomach, chin on folded hands, a clump of hair resting like a single parenthesis over his forehead. We are very close, and I can see each of his black eyelashes, a dusting of white sand on the ridge of his left cheekbone. I want to wipe it away with my thumb. I have the sense that we are in a small space now, that the sound of the waves and the kids has been muted. He's looking at me like I'm something he's unsure of. His eyes run along my hairline, my jaw. They land on my eyes. My body feels hot and loose like lava. Anyone lying this close to shirtless Dan would feel this way, but it's neither convenient nor appropriate for me at this particular time. One thing that's abundantly clear as I scan the slope of his shoulder and the way it flows into the ridges of his back: Dan needs to put his shirt back on.

====

Through all of it, I clock the nearness of Dan. When I laugh, he leans in, not away. When he leans back in his chair, he places a hand on the back of mine. I try on the feeling, just for a second, of what it would be like to belong to him.

====

(I love their friendship!)

"Hot?" she asks before I've even said hello. “Dan, who you hate, is hot at home?"
“I have a feeling he's hot everywhere," I whisper into the phone. "But maybe I just notice it more when he's not also dashing my dreams.”
"What's the family like? Are you in a big mansion on the water? Like in Revenge?"
"Small house on a potato field," I whisper. “I love it. And we're sharing a room and he takes his shirt off and it's just like nothing I’ve seen before. I want to lick him? Is that a thing people do?"
Clem is laughing so hard that I need to pull the phone away from my ear. "People, yes. You, no."
“That's what I thought. Maybe deep down I’m people."
“Yeah, Jane, I think you are." We're quiet for a beat.

====

“But I don't know, Janey. Dan keeps claiming you're not dating. Sounds like you're fair game."
He's kidding and he's not kidding. There's SO much ribbing that goes on in this family that I'm not sure where the threads of truth lie. He's either flirting with me or trying to annoy Dan. Or both.
"I’m neither fair, nor game,” I say, and Dan laughs. He glves me a sideways smile that says million things, and I can feel in my body how much I like making Dan laugh. It's incongruous, really. I like making him laugh while I also want to run my hands over his chest. The wind picks up, and we sail parallel to Long Island. There are long stretches of waterfront homes and then a patch of trees where there's been no development. Beyond the trees, the beach is rocky and a huge bluff looms overhead.
"That's Queens Park Bluff,” Brian shouts over the wind.
"It's beautiful,"' I say.
"I'Il take you later if you want," says Brian.
"Okay, stop it," says Dan.
"Oh?" Brian is challenging him and I can picture the two of them as kids, fists up.
"Yes, stop it," he says again.
The wind dies down a bit and we slow. It's as if someone's turned the volume down on the TV. Dan turns to me and rests his forearms on his knees. His hair is wild, swirls of black around his head in every direction. He looks like an ad for soap. Rugged soap that removes a day's worth of sweat and leaves you smelling exactly like you. His eyes are asking me a question. I don't know what it is, but I want to say yes.

====

Dan's on the phone. "No, that's a nightmare," he's saying. "She'll hate it. Okay, fine, I'll hate it. No. Fine."
Brian drops us off in the Finnegans' driveway. "Call me if you get bored later, Jane." He gives me a teasing look through the open car window. He is equally as handsome as Dan-the chiseled features and full lips but I'm not attracted to Brian like I am to Dan. The pull is specific to him, the way he moves in the world.
"Fuck off, Brian,” Dan says without looking up from his phone. Brian laughs and drives away.
"What am I going to hate? Or am I not the she?" I ask.
He looks up at me and holds my gaze for a second. "You're the she.”

====

"Sure”, I say. He scoots closer to me and our knees touch. Our knees press together as he reaches between my legs to paint, his arm on my thigh. That delicious hug in the alley has broken the seal between us. We`re allowed to touch now, and at every point of contact, my skin tingles like it's waking up. I steady my breath and watch him add vague, watery trees behind the pond. The bottom of the greenery blends into the edges of the pond, and instead of looking like a hot mess, it looks like we're seeing it from a distance. He rinses his brush and dips it in red, a dotting the field with poppies while his forearm rests on my thigh. I watch his face as he paints, just inches from mine, his eyebrows knitted together and his lashes in profile.
I feel like he's let me into his private world, the one where he is entirely in his senses. He turns and catches me watching. His eyes smile and mine dip to his mouth. He notices and leans in a breath closer.
"It's your turn," he says.
"What?" I think I'm holding my breath.
He releases my eyes and looks down at the painting "Fill in the bottom, make it sort of earthy."
"I don't know how," I say.
The two inches beyond Dan's lips are like a vortex pulling me in.

====

How easy it was to love this book! I’m already a huge Annabel Monaghan fan. Summer Romance was a book club pick last year. I was on the waitlist to check it out from the library, and while I waited, I saw Nora Goes Off Script was available, so I checked it out. I was not even halfway through that book before I knew I would not have to wait to get off the waitlist to read Summer Romance; I was wholly willing to just pay for it. Reading and finishing Summer Romance confirmed it for me: Annabel Monaghan was now one of my blind-buy authors. If she’s selling a book, I am pre-ordering that book. In fact, before I ever had the chance to request It’s A Love Story on Netgalley, I had already pre-ordered my physical and e-book copies. I am not a big-time influencer/book reviewer, so I did not have high hopes to get approved to read her newest on NetGalley. When I got the email that I had been approved for “It’s a Love Story”, I was ELATED! I inhaled it in a day, I loved it so much, and I feel incredibly privileged to get to tell you why 5 months before the book is released.

I don’t break down the synopsis of the entire story in my reviews. My apologies if you are not one of those people who read the official synopsis before using reviews to dip your toe in the water to see if you want to bother with reading the book. But believe me: you want to bother to read this book. Before I get all heavy, because this book deals with deeply psychological issues, I need to first say that the sense of humor that Annabel Monaghan writes with is delightful. She is hilarious, and it lends a quirkiness to her characters that makes it so easy to not only humanize them, but to adore them. You begin to feel protective of them. You are rooting for them, and because you are rooting for them, you feel it when they’re hurt or when they fail. This permits an immersion that deeply connects you to the story. The slow burn and build up of Jane and Dan was MASTERFUL! *I* felt butterflies! One of my absolute favorite things about this book was how Dan looked at Jane and saw all of the good and beautiful things she was unable to believe about herself. His family was also so funny, and the way they loved each other was so obvious. They were a cathartic part of the book for me. I already know this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2025.

I have never ever identified more with a character more than I have with Jane Jackson. Let me tell you: daddy issues can take down the best of us. Our fathers are supposed to be the first reliable man along a long line of men who will enter our lives who are supposed to protect us, help build up our worth, and who are supposed to set the example for the kind of man we deserve in our lives. This perception is not meant to overshadow the role and impact our mothers can have. They are just as important, and they are just as capable of supplying those same things and even more. But even if you have that from one parent, the psychological impact of knowing your father is out in the world and wants nothing to do with you can cause a very huge dent in a person’s self-esteem, whether they mean it to or not. Our female heroine, Jane Jackson, is one of those people. So am I. I have never met my father in person, nor seen him, not even in a photo. I spoke to him once on the phone the same day I found out that the man I believed was my father was not. My mom began dating a man when I was an infant, and they got married. I always believed that man was my father. They had my sister and my brother, and we were all under that belief, until one day when I was 8 or 9 years old. My mom closed my bedroom door, sat me down, and told me my dad was not my dad. I remember how confused I felt. At first, I thought he also wasn’t my brother or sister's father, either, but she corrected me and said he was theirs, just not mine. Even though I was very young, there were very distinct things I noticed during that conversation. He was not sitting there with her sharing this information with me, even though he was at home. And I heard all of the things that were NOT being said: “None of that matters; he still loves you.” “Love is bigger than blood. He thinks of you as his daughter, so you are his daughter.” No variation of that was shared, and I was very cognitive of it. My mom, apparently unaware of the effect the bomb she’d just dropped on me was having, then called my real father and put me on the phone with him without asking me how I was doing or even if I wanted to speak to this person. It was a very short conversation, and we never spoke again after that. I would find out my senior year in college that he died from a heart attack. I began to notice things after that day. My stepfather would come home with gifts, but not for me. I distinctly remember him coming home with records one day. We were in awe, and we were so excited to see them. The first album he pulled out of the bag was Whitney Houston’s album, the one where she looks super cute in her white tank top. He handed that one to my sister and said that was hers. Then he pulled out the soundtrack to La Bamba, and he gave that one to my little brother. And that was it. All that was left was the empty plastic bag he balled up in his hands. I remember standing there in the middle of the living room, beginning to feel small, as my brother and sister revered their new gifts. It wasn’t the absence of the gift that made me feel less empty than I had before he’d shown up with that plastic bag of records. Later I would realize it was that he either had not considered what it would feel like to be the only one not to receive a gift or worse, that he did not care what it would feel like to be the only one to not receive a gift. There was not an explanation for why I did not get anything, and he made sure to make it a point to tell them those were THEIR records. There was a very clear line I felt was drawn that day. The “real” children were the important ones, and I was not one of the “real” children. My sister and brother were so happy, and we were so young, that I do not think they even noticed. There was zero malicious intent on their part. My brother was 5 years old at the time, and my sister was 7. I didn’t cry, the same way I did not cry when my mom first told me that this man I loved was not my father, nor when I realized that he did not care to be. These are my first memories of learning to internalize my sad feelings. It felt like they shouldn’t be verbalized since no one had asked me what they were. So not only did I have a man out in the world who was my biological father, who knew I existed and made zero attempt to get to know me, there was also a second man in the world who had raised me and had the chance to be my father and decided that he did not want to be. It is incredibly difficult to not assume you did something wrong, that there is something wrong with you, or that you're not special enough, especially when you are a child. And similar to Jane’s story, my stepfather died 3 years after I found out the truth, so with his death went the chance to ever ask him why; what had I done wrong? And with his death came a very complicated grief I struggled to understand and get through. Okay, I know this isn’t my diary, but there is a point to sharing all of that.

Annabel Monaghan skillfully portrays the profound internal insecurities that the character grapples with in the wake of her father's abandonment. There were legitimate parallels in Jane’s thought processes when compared to my own. Through subtle nuances in the character's thoughts, actions, and relationships, the narrative captures the complex emotional landscape of someone torn between self-doubt and the desperate longing for resolution - and not just resolution: for proof that they are worthy, that they are capable of being loved, and more importantly, of not being left. Annabel Monaghan’s masterful exploration of these struggles allows the reader to deeply empathize with the character's journey toward confronting and ultimately attempting to overcome these haunting insecurities. Jane is so damaged by the purposeful absence of her father that she finds it difficult to deal with everyday difficulties. When she has a difficult phone call to make, or she is having a very difficult time, she hides under her desk or in her closet. I HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. (It took me a long time to realize how sad that was.) There is a scene where Janey is humiliated by an older boy. She is 14 and he is 16. This also happened to me in high school. I was a 14 year old freshman and he was a 17/18 year old senior. I thought because he wanted my phone number and we talked on the phone that that meant we were “talking”. He made it clear in front of the football team that we were not. It was horrible. (I wish I had the wherewithal to have asked him why someone as old as him was even getting phone numbers from 14 year old girls.) Jane Jackson felt like she was my fictional counterpart, and so she has become the character I have loved the most of all of the characters I have read over my entire lifetime. I fear people may not get her reasoning when the inevitable break-up occurs in the book. (For anyone who reads romance, we know the likelihood of a break-up is 99.9%, so this is not a spoiler.) I felt like Monaghan wrote the reason for all of the dents in Jane’s armor incredibly well, and I feel like it was written well enough to make the break up make sense. But I know it’s possible that some readers still won’t get how damaging that kind of abandoment can be because while Jane did not have her father, she had a very committed mother, but I know that that sometimes still is not enough. I did not have an overly committed mother, but I had an overly committed aunt and grandmother who helped raise me after my mom and stepfather divorced. It took me a very long time to realize that for people of their caliber to love me, that I was much more special than I ever realized. These are not things that are easy to realize right away, so for me, the break up made sense. (I do think that the person who had to grovel should have had to grovel just a teensy bit more. lol)

Dan Finnegan and his family were just what Jane Jackson needed. The family’s ability to love each other deeply enough to share difficult truths—truths that others might shy away from—without allowing these revelations to damage their bond is truly beautiful. Their openness and support was a welcome contrast to Jane’s upbringing. She was an only child and only had her mother. Dan’s family gave her a sense of connection and belonging I think she had been missing. I know it is not just girls who are unloved by their fathers/father figures who experience insecurities that impact their worthiness, a worthiness that when missing can allow a person to accept undeserved mistreatment and allow them to think less of themselves. There are a multitude of things that can happen in a person’s life that allows them to accept less than they deserve. This book is for all of those people. It won’t fix everything, but it will help you see that you can start to.

This is the kind of story that can leave you subconsciously raising your hand over your heart. (When you read it, you’ll get it. And I think you’ll agree.)

This was a really good lighter romance! I was expecting a bit more from it. I have loved her other books because they are great romance reads with some deeper emotions. But this one kind of lacked that. Overall, I really did like it though.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was thrilled to have the chance to read another book by Annabel Monaghan. I initially found it hard to connect with Jane, but I loved that we gradually get to know her over the course of the book as she gets to know herself. The banter and setting made the book for me.

I squealed when I got the ARC for this as I will read anything she writes. I’ll be honest I didn’t even read the description. I saw her name and was like I can’t wait to feel warm and fuzzy. So it pains me to give this review as Annabel is a trusted 5 star read for me. I just couldn’t connect with this one. I saw another review that said there will be an audience for this and I fully agree with that statement. It just wasn’t me.

The story for me I had zero interest in. I didn’t really care for the MC or if that damn movie was made or not and I especially hated the third act break up. Checked me out of the book so fast.

Things I did enjoy: the Finnegan family, the witty banter, and sweet romance that AM has always given us readers. I love how she can deliver a romance that doesn’t go over the top or too into the details but gives us a touch more than closed door. It’s that balance that I always look forward to in her stories. While this wasn’t the one for me, I’ll be back for more stories from this author. I do recommend checking out all of her works.

I will literally read anything Annabel Monaghan writes. I love that she writes believable stories about characters who are a bit older than the average romcom character. These characters feel like real people and it’s just so easy to root for them.

It’s a Love Story follows Jane, a movie producer, who has found the next great screenplay and is determined to see it made. While in the pitch meeting for the screen play, Jane realizes that her screenplay doesn’t stand a chance of being made when its only action and Marvel movies bringing in the big bucks. Desperate to see this film made, Jane blurts out that she knows Jake Quinlan, a extremely famous musician (who Jane briefly knew as a kid when she was a child actress) and says that she thinks she can get him to write an original song for the movie. This piques her boss’s interest. Lucky for Jane, Jake is performing at a music festival in Long Island. Unlucky for Jane, Dan, a cinematographer/coworker and Jane’s nemesis, is expected back in Long Island for his parents 40th anniversary which is also the same time as the music festival. Together, Jane and Dan head to Long Island and stay with Dan’s family while trying to convince Jake to write a new original song.

My favorite aspect of the book was Dan’s family. Dan is one of five boys, so there were a lot of jokes being thrown around. I truly loved reading the scenes when they were all together and wish there was more of them in the book. Even though Dan feels like he is the black sheep in his family, you can still feel the love his family has for each other.

Overall, this was a really cute enemies to lovers book. Jane and Dan make a really cute couple - especially in the way they support each other. The way that they are able to just be themselves when they are together is really sweet. I also liked that there is a lot of growth for Jane. By the end of the book, she is a stronger person who has learned how to be herself.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of the new Annabel Monaghan book! This is one of my most anticipated for 2025, so I am thrilled to have gotten to start off my year with it. I read this in two sittings and I have to say it's my favorite yet form Monaghan. Something I always appreciate about Monaghan's books is that her characters are always a little older (in their 30's at least), the story lines are always believable, and the characters always feel like real people. This book keeps that trend up.

It's a Love Story focuses on Jane, a former child actor, who now works in the movie industry and who is trying to find the right project to finally prove something to herself and those around her. When an option for a movie comes up to produce a movie that she really believes in, Jane does everything she can to make it commercial enough to sell. This involves teaming up with a coworker, Dan, who Jane believes previously ruined her changes of making another film, and flying out to Long Island to spend a week tracking down a famous singer she knew as a teenager to write a song for the film's soundtrack. In the week Jane spends with Dan and his family, she explores what it means t be vulnerable and transparent with herself and others. While heart-hitting emotionally, this book is also so funny. I loved Jane's voice in this book and I'd argue this is one of Monaghan's funniest leads in any of her books.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and it gets 5 stars from me (which is not that common!). I thought Jane's growth throughout the book was moving and included some interesting explorations of what worth is, both to self and others. I appreciated the warmth, acceptance, and tough love demonstrated by the supporting cast of characters. I also really liked that this storyline was believable and realistic in variety of ways. The end didn't tie up easily like a lot of romances do. Overall, such a solid, solid book.

4.5 rounded up.

First read of 2025 in the books with this giant hug of a romcom! Annabel Monaghan has truly hit her stride with this book with her swooniest and banteriest (sure, those are words) couple to date. Our FMC, Jane works for a movie company and she is dedicated to getting a screenplay she fell in love with made into a movie. Getting it green-lit is more challenging than she hoped, so she told a little white lie, she could get famous musician Jake Quinlan to write and perform a hit song for the soundtrack which would boost the films success. See, Jane was once the goofy sidekick on a Nickelodeon-style teen show back in the day and she worked with Jack briefly but it ended traumatically, so she doesn't know, know him. Fortunately, our MMC Dan, the films cinematographer and Jane's nemesis (woohoooo! enemoies to lovers) is going back to Long Island for his parents 40th anniversary and Jack just happens to be having a show at the venue where Dan's brother does the lighting/tech at. Because Dan wants this film to be made, he convinces Jane to come with him and stay at his folks house and they can try to track Jack down.

So...this plot device was a little convoluted and I had a hard time keeping up with all the characters thrown my way, especially when we got to Jack's family and his four brothers and their families. But, I'm here for Dan and Jane and their really cute banter. Annabel Monaghan's writing style is brief but meaningful. For example. when Jane asks the writer of the rom com script if it was love at first sight when she met her husband, she says no way, and listed his faults. She only went out with him because her roommate blackmailed her. Jane then asks her, "And then what happened?" To which she responded, "Everything."

I mean...come on! Swoon.

Anyways, so excited for when this book launches. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC for my honest review.

For 90's kids raised on Nickelodeon and Disney - not quite enemies to lovers but an I misjudged him and found myself along the way romance

This book was so cute. I love a good enemies to lovers story. The small town setting really added to the story. The family dynamics also added an interesting backstory to the characters.


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this. It had such a cute enemies to lovers romance which is my favorite trope. It kept me entertained and I also loved that there was pseudo celebrities in it as well.

4.5 ⭐️

It was a cute story that was hate to instalove, even though the instalove was there from the beginning.

Jane and Dan are butting heads from the very beginning. The butting heads turns into more as we watch their own story develop.

I loved the dynamic with his family. I enjoyed reading about her finding her happy with Dan and his family. I didn't think the light drama with her mom/family was needed but added to her backstory.

The ending was a bit predictable and cheesy but it was cute.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the advance copy**

Annabel Monaghan is a must-read for me, and I jumped at the chance to read her 2025 novel. It's a Love Story is classic Monaghan: two people find each other despite obstacles and love blooms. The romance is true and authentic, and you'll be rooting for Jane and Dan from page one!

🌟 5-Star Review! 🌟

Annabel Monaghan has officially earned her spot as a "must-read" author for me, and her upcoming release It's A Love Story is pure proof of why. With her signature mix of vulnerability, inner growth, and a dash of heartache, Annabel delivers another touching story that’ll stay with you long after the last page.

🎬 Meet Jane Jackson, former childhood sitcom star turned film exec, who’s navigating her first big production. When paired with grumpy (but let’s be honest, swoony) art director Dan Finnegan, Jane finds herself in a bit of a bind—she’s promised the studio a hit song by her former co-star, Jake Quinlan, whom she hasn’t seen since a mortifying teenage moment. Cue a road trip to Dan’s charming hometown, complete with wild family dynamics, adorable toddlers, Dan’s sweet parents, and, of course, the one bedroom trope we all adore.

What makes this book shine? Annabel's characters. Dan is steady, true to himself, and unafraid to teach Jane what she needs most: how to trust her instincts, believe she’s worthy of love, and embrace who she really is. As a lifelong people-pleaser, I loved seeing Jane find her voice and be her best self. And the romance? Swoon-worthy. Annabel avoids insta-love, instead giving us a slow build that beautifully shows why Jane and Dan are perfect for each other.

💖 This book is heartfelt, charming, and filled with all the joy and love we need. Get ready to laugh, cry, and root for Jane and Dan as they navigate their vulnerabilities and find something truly special. You will fall for them like I did (and maybe Dan’s entire family!)

📅 It’s A Love Story hits shelves May 27, 2025—don’t miss it!

✨ Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

📚 Read this if you love:
• Forced proximity
• Grumpy x Sunshine vibes
• Workplace romance
• Road trip hijinks
• Found families

Ex-childhood actor turned movie producer Jane is desperately trying to get her project greenlit. It’s a script for the most beautiful love story she’s ever read - even if she doesn’t believe in true love. She is annoyed to learn that the cinematographer assigned to the project is the pain-in-the-ass Dan. In her efforts to get the project the commercial appeal it needs, she lies to the studio and says she has a connection to the biggest name in pop music, Jack Quinlan, and that he’ll write a song for the movie. What she doesn’t tell anyone is that Jack once completely humiliated her adolescent heart, which - coupled with a deep lie about her father’s commitment to their family that she learned on the same day - she’s felt a deep sense of worthlessness ever since. So she goes on a wild goose chase to get in touch with Jack, which involves her traveling across the country with none other than obnoxious Dan and staying with his family so they can accost Jack at the music festival he’s playing there. Jane nor Dan are fully prepared for the deep journey of discovery they end up embarking on - about each other and about themselves.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🫑

Liked
* At its heart, this is a story about worthiness and what it means to love yourself. Jane has convinced herself she is not worthy of love because of a father that ran out on her, the shame of her mom lying about that, an older boy that humiliated her, and playing the goofy sidekick on TV. She convinced herself at an early age that she is forever to be a sidekick - laughed at, there to play a part, not worthy of being seen and loved for exactly who she is. I may have adored this book because it’s as though Annabel Monaghan wrote me into these pages.
* I loved how soft and quiet and yet so devastatingly earth shattering Jane and Dan’s love was.
* Annabel Monaghan could write a scientific dissertation and it would be breathtaking. Her writing is beyond exceptional. She has a magical way of taking a quiet narrative and turning out a loud love. She has cemented herself

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately, am DNF'ing it at 50%. The writing itself was okay, but I could not connect with the characters and did not like the plot of this book. This was a very disappointing read, and unfortunately, I am going to have to cancel my pre-order. Thank you for the opportunity. I hope the next book by this author is better, because I really enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script.

Cute rom-com that went down easy. I loved the backstory of Jane, a former TV child actress on a popular kids sitcom. The focus of the book is the slow burn love story made up of small acts rather than the fireworks explosive type. The only issue with that is the two main characters end up falling in love over a week, which was not as believable. I loved Dan’s parents love story, Dan’s family dynamics, and the focus on being yourself in a relationship rather than what the other person wants you to be. Overall this was an enjoyable lighthearted read that put a smile on my face.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy. Publication date: 5/27/25

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up

I love Annabel Monaghan's books! Although this wasn't my favorite of hers, I still enjoyed the writing, the story, and the little escape it provided.

Monaghan may be my new favorite romance writer - her characters are so full of life and flaws and are relatable. Jane is no different, a childhood star trying to make it on the other side of the camera all while burying deep the shame and trauma of her youth. Dan, a cinematographer who thwarted her last project and is running from his own past that doesn’t quite fit with his present. Together they find something beautiful and I had more tears of joy in this one!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of It’s a Love Story and it was truly amazing and hilarious. Annabel Monaghan knocked it out of the park, as expected because she always writes hits. Jane is absolutely unhinged and insane and I love her so much. She is such an imperfect character and that’s what makes her so likable to me. She does make poor decisions at times, and it made me want to scream, but also it made sense knowing what she had been through. When she was lashing out, it was a little difficult for me to read and I think it was because I see a lot of myself in Jane. Which is why I love her so much!! Moving on to the juicy stuff: Dan, the mmc, is a honest, funny, emotionally intelligent king and I also love him. He really is a perfect match for Jane!! It was a little bit of a slow burn between the two of them, I was literally dying for just a touch! But they’re so good together, and they complement each other so well. Love love love them!! I don’t want to share too much, even though it’s so hard not to because I just want to talk about this, but It’s a Love Story comes out May 27th and it is a must read!!!

I loved this book! For once I feel like the FMC had a strong character development within herself and not just in the romance. I fell in love with Dan’s whole family and loved how they took Jane in without hesitation. 10/10 would recommend, one of the best romances I’ve read.