I have so far loved everything Annabel Monaghan has written, and this is no different. The book takes a few chapters to find it's footing, but by the time our leads make their way to Long Island, it has kicked into gear. On the surface, the story is about a creative executive and a cinematographer trying to get a pop star to agree to write an original song for a film they are desperate to get made. But it's really about two people learning to love themselves, and each other, and especially about our female lead trying to discover who she really is when she's not trying to be someone else.

There's miscommunication (ish) which I don't always love, but the way it played out here felt authentic and organic and it broke my heart in the right way. The ending was sweet and not over the top, which is funny considering how it plays out but also worked so well for these characters.

I love spending my summer nights reading the new Annabel Monaghan release each year, and this is another great one!

4.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

first things first, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons, and most of all, the author, Annabel Monaghan, for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

i first discovered annabel monaghan last year, when reading summer romance, or so i thought, because it turns out i'd previously tried reading nora goes off script, which i ended up soft dnf-ing. little did i know, this last one would become one of my all time favourite books.

so when i was browsing through netgalley and i saw this book was up for grabs, i told myself, well what's the worst thing that can happen. you get denied? so imagine my surprise yeaterday when it said i got it.

i want everyone to know i stayed the night awake just so i could read this book, because i was so excited i couldn't wait.

in true annabel fashion, this is a masterpiece.

i have to be honest here and inform everyone that the first 10 chapters are a bit slow, and it might make you want to stop reading it, but my advice, just push through, because once the main character arrive arrive to Long Island, everything is just a trip.

monaghan has a way of writing that has you relating to the main character in ten seconds flat, so it was no different when i got to meet jane. her situation, they way she approaches relationships in her life is something a lot of readers might relate to, and that makes the reading experience a raw one. needles to say, the characters, all of them, are incredible.

in true annabel monaghan fashion, this book has a slight third act breakup, which, as it has happened in her previous books, helps the fmc realise the way she's approching love is not a healthy one, and she has to do something if she wants to move forward, be happy and possibly keep the guy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of the plot:
Jane Jackson needs to get her film project approved, but Dan Finnegan, a cinematographer, is pulled into the meeting to analyze her script and basically calls it boring. So she claims that she knows a famous singer, Jack Quinlan, and can get him to write a song for the film. Jane knows Jack from decades ago when she was a child film star and co-acted with Jack on a show. But it's been years since she has talked to Jack, so she knows the chances of him getting to write her a song is very slim. Dan proposes an idea: there's a festival near his hometown where Jack will be playing. Go to it, try to walk around and find Jack, confront him them. Jane, seeing no other better choice, goes with Dan to his hometown and meets his family, and romance starts to build.

Thoughts on the plot:
My number one thing about romance is when the characters build connections with each other, not just sex and kissing and making out. Jane and Dan did a lot of activities together, and I loved seeing Jane come out of her comfort zone when meeting his very chaotic, loud family. You as the reader spend a lot of time seeing how Jane and Dan fall in love with each other, and it's amazing because the romance makes sense. It's a much deeper connection than "hey I think you're cute, let's become a couple now".

My few minor issues with the book were:
1) not having enough context related to film and cinematography. Considering that this is their livelihoods, I thought we'd get a little more in that field. Super minor, so not a big deal.
2) I actually thought that Jack was going to be the love interest for a hot second. Or that there would be a love triangle of sorts. Maybe I was the only one confused, but that was something that caught me off guard a little bit.
3) I didn't like how Jane exploded on Jack during the third act break up scene (sorry, a bit of a spoiler). It seemed very unlike her character. And I couldn't quite understand why she acted the way she did. I sort of understood it, but it was a little lost on me.

Overall, I thought this was an awesome book! Would recommend it to people.