3 stars out of 5.

I have loved all of Annabel Monaghan books so I was excited to get this ARC but the book fell flat for me. The story was dragging on for the first 60-70% of the book before it really even picked up. I did like Jane and Dan and thought they were a great match. Dan's family was so perfect and I really enjoyed reading the scenes with them in it. Overall, this book was just OK but it seems some people really liked it.

In It's a Love Story, Jane, who was a childhood tv star, is trying to get a script made into a movie. She has not had much success in her adult life but she finds the perfect script but her boss needs something big to get it made. Dan, a cinematographer who shot down her other script, was the only one on her side to get the movie made. Jane tells her boss she is in touch and good friends with Jack Quinlan, a popular singer, and she can get him to make them a song for the movie. It was a lie but Dan finds out his brother might be able to get them in touch with Jack. So Dan and Jane travel to Dan's hometown to find Jack and get him to make a song for the movie.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book fell flat for my sadly, I love Annabel Monaghan writing style so I’m not sure if it was just my mood or the tropes but I diddnt enjoy as much.

4.5 ⭐️’s !!!

Annabel Monaghan has done it again for me! this story follows Jane, a creative executive, (ex-child actor) in LA, and Dan, a cinematographer who Jane happens to very much dislike. They both fall in love with a script and want it to be green lit however, their boss has a vision for the movie that will involve some traveling, groveling, and collaborating on Jane and Dan’s end. This experience leads Jane to hard realizations, including her past trauma, and that Dan maayyy not be that bad…

Firstly, this book had me hooked! I could not put it down after the 40% mark and completely devoured the last 60% in a single day. The way Annabel Monaghan describes falling in love with someone had me feeling all of the emotions and smiley like a weirdo to myself. But, the depth of the characters is really what got me, besides the romance. Both Jane and Dan had so much to give, and I really enjoyed diving into their personal lives as it helped explain why they are the way they are today.

So, not a five-star because I dislike third act breakups a lot. I understood Jane’s hurt and discomfort, but more often than not, there is a better solution than breaking up and running off imo. (I know it’s a fictional book and she had things to work through, just frustrating). Overall though, everything else was chefs kiss for me! Character growth, fun banter, not cringey, cute family, and not annoying children! Woohoo!!

It's a Love Story was truly enjoyable. . The main characters have depth and also witty banter that was fun to read. The secondary characters were well developed. This was a beautiful rom-com with main character self-discovery. I have loved every Annabel Monaghan book and It's a Love Stlry is no exception

✨ Okay, let me just gush for a second because wow, this book is everything. Like, seriously, why didn’t anyone warn me I’d be crying, laughing, and falling in love all in one sitting? Picture this: childhood nostalgia meets romcom magic with a sprinkle of “oops, I lied, now what?” chaos. Our girl Jane? She’s a total vibe. She’s witty, messy in the best way, and so relatable with her fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude. I mean, haven’t we all been there?

And let’s talk about Dan. Like, ugh, who gave him the right to be this perfect mix of frustrating and swoon-worthy? Watching their banter evolve into something more had me giggling and kicking my feet. Plus, the whole Long Island adventure? Absolute gold. It’s got family feels, awkward first kisses coming back to haunt you, and just the right amount of enemies-to-lovers tension.

This book is pure serotonin, a must-read for anyone who loves romance with heart and humor. Five stars, no question.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! 💕📚

This book was fantastic. I just loved it! Annabel is no doubt one of the top writers out there. I look forward to her books every year and will be recommending this highly.

I love Annabel! She has become a must read author for me. This book was so sweet. I couldn’t put it down and read it in less than a day. Highly recommended.

Annabel Monaghan is one of those booktok buzz authors. Her book "Same Time Next Summer" has been on my amazon wish list for years. So when I saw "It's a Love Story" on Netgalley , I took this as my chance to read her work. Am I glad I was given the opportunity to read this? Of Course. It is my favorite book of the year? Unfortunately no. It not a bad book by any means. The romance is wonderful, and Annabel Monaghan has a great writing style. However, I am not a romance movie person that's why I read romance books. I find romance movies too cringy. This book reads like a movie, as in "it's a Love Story", duh. I've never read or seen "The notebook" but I know the basics about it in the American zeitgeist. I felt like throughout the story I was just running through different romance movies. So if you love Romance movies this book will thrill you as Jane and Dan run all along Dan's childhood home of Long Island in search of Jack for Jack to write a song that Jane promised to get her movie greenlit. I appreciated that it was closed door romance. As much as I prefer romance books over romance movies, I dislike when romance books have chapter long spicy scenes. So this book was perfect in that aspect. The tropes in this book sans the romance movie ones I also enjoyed including, enemies to lovers and forced proximity. That being said I didn't enjoy the set up for the story, it is very slow burn and the first 20 precent or so was a bit of a slog. Once you get past that the book picks up and is easy to read.

I love Monaghan's books and this was no different! While I felt the beginning was a tad slow to start (hence the 4.5 stars), about 1/4 way I was hooked by the story and the characters and couldn't put it down,. I absolutely loved Dan as the MMC, showing the world how truly ok he was in being his authentic self, when everywhere around him pushed him to be 'othered'. I also liked Jane's evolution as someone who met every elses expectations and learned to become her own self. I found the ending of the story truly touching. As a rom-com you know there will be a HEA, but it was a delight to follow Jane & Dan's story. I adored Dan's family and 'the mob'. 4.5 Heartwarming stars. A definite must read for romance and Monaghan fans. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute, fun read. Jane, a once-child star turned creative executive, has found a heartfelt script she wants to produce. Problem is that her studio wants a big blockbuster and in an aim to get the studio on board she pitches her first-kiss, once-duet partner, and now mega superstar singer, Jack, to write and sing a song for the album. Problem is that she hasn’t spoken to him since their 24 hour romance when she was fourteen. She has found one ally in the quest, who also happens to be her most recent failed meet-cute/rival, Dan. With a leap of faith, Jane agrees to travel with Dan to his hometown where he is going to celebrate his parent’s 40th anniversary where Jack is coincidentally playing at a local festival the next day. This book was exactly as Jane described the script, quiet and warm. It was subtle and the romance was quick considering the bulk of the book takes place over roughly 10 days.

This was such a treat! I gobbled this up in two days and that’s only because I was really trying to savor it and didn’t want it to end. As per usual, this author knocks out of the park. She has easily become an auto read for me. Fans of her previous book will notice the setting takes place at the owl barn, which was from a previous book of hers. I loved all of the characters and felt she did such just a great job describing them and making you feel like you really know them. It’s hard not to fall in love with the main characters! This was also a story that hasn’t really been done before so that made it extra fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Annabel Monaghan is a super mixed bag author for me. Some of her books I love and some are just ok. Sadly this was just ok. This story is a convoluted. A former child star is no longer a child star but a producer. She wants the music rights for a song, and used to work with the artist. The love story is between someone she currently works with but doesn’t like. It takes forever for the story to go anywhere, but when it finally does it’s enjoyable. 2,5 stars rounded up.

A former child star tries to make a life for herself as a Hollywood producer. Jane finds a great script, only to have annoying cinematographer Dan kill the project in a meeting with her boss. A few months later, an even better script arrives and Jane and Dan are yet again thrown together on the project. This time around, it is something they both want to see succeed. A whirlwind week of family, confronting the past and opening up to the future throws Jane and Dan together and tears them apart. Can we ever move past our former lives, mistakes and doubts or are we bound to be driven by the past? This book confronts that question while providing meet-cute and funny family moments and examples of great and not-so-great friendships. We all need a best friend like Clem and probably a stash of mini candy bars inside our closet! My one negative on this book- I feel like if you know the movie The Notebook like the back of your hand, you will enjoy this book more than someone like me who has only seen it once. I feel sorry for readers who haven't seen it at all. There are several references to specific scenes and plot points in the movie. I understood some but not others!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishers for giving me a free ARC ebook to read and review!

Annabel Monaghan! You have outdone yourself. Oh my god! What a book. My heart is literally dancing. It's A Love Story is one of the best romances I have read this year. To summarize this review...it's absolutely spectacular! Add it to your TBR, preorder it, show it some love on social media, do all the things because this WILL be the book of the summer. Okay, so for my in depth thoughts, keep reading.

Jane, a child actor best known as the funny awkward girl in her role on "pop rocks", is now a creative executive at a studio in LA. Her one goal: get her script green lit. Turns out, it's not so easy being the cinematographer AKA her arch nemesis, Dan, is ruining her pitch. He wants the script green lit but has a different vision for it. Their boss, has other ideas entirely and wants an action packed movie. In a last ditch effort, Jane lies and says she is BFF with a major pop star that will write an original track. She hasn't seen said pop star since she was 14 and may have had a wildly embarrassing moment with him ... OOF. One thing leads to another and off Jane & Dan go to Long Island for a week at his childhood home with his huge family while they search for the singer.

First of all, does the town of "Oak Shore" sound familiar? Well it should because it's the same setting from Monaghans book "Same Time Next Summer". This was a surprise treat! Nothing better than being back at Chippys diner and this quintessential beach town.

Based on the title alone, it's pretty obvious this is a love story but it's so much more. Jane and Dan are such complex characters, and the way they compliment each other is magic. Their chemistry is off the charts. I was absolutely giddy reading, smiling ear to ear. My favorite scene is when she gets caught in the rain and then he says what he says about her smile, pulling the hoodie move. I can't say more because I cannot spoil that for anyone but just know it was perfection. Perfection that will live in your head for an eternity and set a whole new bar for book boyfriends.

"And then what happened? Everything."
It is interesting and true and beautiful. All the small and quiet moments inviting us to a secret place where love happens over breakfast. It's everything. Jane, Dan, his family, her best friend Clem. They are the best kind of characters. If Clems story isn't in the works, it should be. I'd read it in a heartbeat.

Mark your calendars! This gem is out 5/27/25 and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Thank you Putnam Books & NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In typical Annabel Monaghan fashion, I could not put this down, and feel a part of me falling back into reality hours after reading its last words.

I’ve discovered that what I really love about Annabel Monaghan is that there is a point in the story, usually early on, when I can’t quite figure out what will happen… and that makes her pretty prose all the more likely to carry me through her stories. Though we know there will be romance and will be growth and will be flashbacks, her beats like to lead us on boldly before we can skip ahead.

As I kept reading, I found this book, compared to Monaghan’s others, much more romance-centric. But maybe that’s because her FMC’s backstory, though complex and heartbreaking, is simpler than some in the past. There’s more space here in the pages, and Monaghan chose to fill that mostly with the person who ushered in healing space for the FMC. It’s him. And it’s not him.

Okay, pardon me getting a little weepy at her healing around the word ‘dad’ and her little bond with Cormack 💜
Also “I do not like seeing a person diminished.” Girl, this whole book was walking therapy and it came fast, like the romance, but it was so so real to witness.

<i>I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads and their platform.

All the stars for this book! Anything Monaghan writes I read. She is one of my go-to authors for a guaranteed entertaining book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of It’s a Love Story. Annabel Monaghan has become one of my favorite authors over the past few years and this book did not disappoint. I could not put it down. I loved the storyline between Jane and Dan and could not get enough of his family and of Jane’s friendship with Clem. Dan’s dynamic family scenes were some of my favorites in the whole book. This will definitely be one of my favorites of the year!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group (Putnam) for this advanced copy.
I always enjoy Monaghan’s style each time because the story welcomes the reader on the sidelines and you are always in tune with the main character, Jane, while also finding ways to identify with the secondary characters, Dan and Clem, too..
This time I admired how the author crafted the storyline that brought them together so they would get to know one another slowly. A chance encounter sparks interest, but a business deal quells the chance for a first date. Yet, they find they both want the deal to go through and that is what provides them a chance to get to know one another. A trip to Dan’s family home and close proximity allows Jane and Dan to get to know one another and ignite the attraction again. No spoilers from me, I’d like the readers to discover this wonderful story on their own
(I Would have read this straight through except for obligations, so be warned you might be up late reading Monaghan’s latest!)

Another heartwarming read from Monaghan! I loved Dan and Jane and the witty banter and depth of both characters. I did find the beginning to get off to a fairly slow start, which is why I give it 4/5 stars. Thank you Penguin Group Putnman and NetGalley for the arc!

Annabel Monaghan delivers another sweet and funny rom-com with It’s a Love Story. Jane Jackson, a former child star, learns to embrace her messy past while navigating hilarious and heartfelt moments. It's another enemies-to-lovers trope, but I'm here for it.

This book has themes of family, forgiveness, and second chances and this story celebrates life’s little moments and having the courage to grow. If you've loved Annabel Monaghan's previous books, add this one to your list: she's developed her style and this one is certainly in the same vein.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an eARC!