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.

4.75⭐️ Firstly, I would like to thank Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I am always on the lookout for new reads that fit specific seasons, and this one is perfect for summer! The story was heartbreaking and beautifully written. Jane’s personal growth was my favorite story arc; her journey to discover her true self was depicted so well. Dan was also a standout character for me. He felt so authentic and was absolutely perfect for Jane. The way their relationship formed and developed was beautiful to witness. The whole story felt incredibly realistic, which is something I always appreciate in an Annabel Monaghan novel. Although the beginning was a bit slow for me, once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down; I just had to find out what would happen next. I love this book so much and will definitely read it again later this year!

Thank you again for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I just want to hug this book. It's so sweet and cozy. Before I thought Annabel Monaghan wrote single moms better than singletons; but this one proved me wrong!

3.5 ⭐️’s

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. This was a sweet, no spice romance. It took too long to get into - about 50% in - but once I was hooked, I was hooked.

Jane has found a script that she NEEDS to
produce. There’s something in the way the love story is told that moves her and feels important. First problem, her boss is putting Dan Finnegan on the project as director of photography. Jane hates Dan and his arrogant demeanor. Second problem, Jane’s boss doesn’t think the movie is “commercial” enough to sell tickets, which leads Jane to lie and buy herself more time to come up with another plan to get the movie made. This lie brings Jane and Dan to his hometown for a week of loud chaos with his family and quiet moments with Dan.

I loved this. I read the book in one day. I do not have time to be reading books in one sitting. And yet, I could not. Stop. Reading. So sweet. So vulnerable. The tension between Jane and Dan was perfection, Jane’s insecurities gut-wrenching and Dan trying to be there for her completely heartwarming.

I literally cried twice from happiness while reading this, and that's beyond rare for me. I don't have emotional damage from Daddy issues, but somehow, I related to Jane throughout the entire book. I love her journey to self-discovery.

Dan. 🥰 He seemed like such an average guy but had so many moments that were completely swoon worthy. I loved his family so much, too.

"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."

Ok, but Finn Finnegan? There are plenty of other Irish boys' names 🤣

I would have liked to see more of Jane being there for Clem. It felt like Clem was being taken advantage of at times because we didn't get to see her asking for help, too. But. The bulk of the story takes place over 1 week, and that makes it feel much more believable that one friend might be more dependent on the other for a week.

“I have a quick thought that he looks like a bed you’d want to climb back into on a Sunday. Because it’s raining outside, and your body just wants to sink back into the warmth.”
Jane Jackson was a childhood actor: Janey Jakes, the funny girl in a Nickelodeon-type show, always the punch lines, the sidekick and the easy laugh. Sure, she had a golden voice that became a chart topper - but as far as the world is concerned, her costar was the voice behind the iconic song.
Now, decades later, Jane is a producer searching for the perfect script to bring to the big screen. When she finds it, she’s so inspired that she doesn’t even mind when the studio brings in her nemesis, Dan Finnegan, to help bring it to life. And she believes in it so much, she convinces the studio that she can get megastar Jack Quinlan (her secret duet partner from her childhood single) to write a song for the movie.
Sure, she may have exaggerated how close she and Jack are. So when Dan offers a chance to spend a week with his family in Long Island on a stakeout as Jack Quinlan plays the town’s annual festival, Jane has no choice but to accept. And if she gets to know Dan, his lovable family and the life she could have if she let herself believe in love off the pages of a script? Well, that can be managed too.
I adored this book. No one does likable, flawed characters like Annabel Monaghan. I’ve been fortunate to see her speak at author events, and her funny, hopeful personality comes through in every word of this book.
Her latest delivers on her swoon-worthy portfolio of smart, funny romances. Don’t miss this one when it comes out May 27, 2025. Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another perfect summer read from Annabel Monoghan!

For me, this book really started when Jane and Dan got to Long Island. That being said, I loved the way Annabel set up this story. We see Jane have a bad run in with Dan at work, but we don't know the backstory yet and for a minute there I wasn't sure if Dan or Jack was supposed to be the love interest. The more and more Jane and Dan interacted, the more and more I loved them!

I love all of the Finnegans and their chaos brought so much charm to the story - the way they and Dan were able to make Jane so comfortable that she acted like how she only acts around Clem was really special. While the work struggles and Jane's self-doubt loomed overhead, Dan's self-assurance and acceptance was the balance that held everything together.

The setting, the characters, the humor and emotions - I loved it all. This is another one where as soon as I finished reading, I immediately started it over again! Thank you to Putnam for the eARC!!