Annabel Monaghan has become an auto read author for me. It’s a Love Story is no exception. This book had me giggling, tearing up, and just feeling all of the emotions. I really liked reading about a character who has a tumultuous relationship with a father who is no longer around. Especially as someone who was no contact with theirs for a long period of time. I felt like I related to Jane in that regard. I really enjoyed watching her come out of her shell, and see her transform throughout the book. I also really loved Dan, and how patient he was (I did keep picturing Dan Humphries for some reason but I’m not mad about it. Maybe Penn Badgely is our real life Dan) his artistic edge, his introverted nature and just overall character was very calming to see. I loved seeing him come from a quirky family and just how different he was from them. The family itself was so fun to follow, and seeing Jane open up to them was so amazing. You could truly see how wonderful these people are.

5 stars ⭐️

Wow… this book, I don’t know how I’m going to put into words how good it was. The characters were so likable and easy to connect with it was hard not to fall in love! This book is a must read!

I really liked the vibe of this one but I personally had a hard time with the romance. It’s forced proximity which I really liked but idk they went from cold to super hot so quickly. I did like the other story of her being a child star a lot though.

Jane Jackson is a movie studio exec trying to get her script, a romcom with no "commercial appeal", made. Dan Finnegan the cinematographer who killed her last project agrees to help her. So they go to Long Island and stay with Dan's family during a music festival to hunt down the headlining talent to get him to write an original song for the movie. The twist? Jane is Janey Jakes a former child actor, the musician they're trying to track down was her first kiss, and Dan isn't as bad as Jane originally thought.

As a staunch Annabel Monaghan reader It's a Love Story hits her favorite tropes: enemies-to-loves, summertime shenanigans, and Hollywood. In between idyllic scene of a Long Island summer, Jane and Dan come back to questions about their personhood. Monaghan builds in these ideas of what it takes to carve out a space to find out who you are and what it means to protect that self when you're falling in love. The best thing about reading romance is know that the characters will figure it out, Jane and Dan will end up together but the journey to get there pokes at real life implications that very much resonated with this reader.

Jane Jackson is a movie studio exec trying to get her script, a romcom with no "commercial appeal", made. Dan Finnegan the cinematographer who killed her last project agrees to help her. So they go to Long Island and stay with Dan's family during a music festival to hunt down the headlining talent to get him to write an original song for the movie. The twist? Jane is Janey Jakes a former child actor, the musician they're trying to track down was her first kiss, and Dan isn't as bad as Jane originally thought.

As a staunch Annabel Monaghan reader It's a Love Story hits her favorite tropes: enemies-to-loves, summertime shenanigans, and Hollywood. In between idyllic scene of a Long Island summer, Jane and Dan come back to questions about their personhood. Monaghan builds in these ideas of what it takes to carve out a space to find out who you are and what it means to protect that self when you're falling in love. The best thing about reading romance is know that the characters will figure it out, Jane and Dan will end up together but the journey to get there pokes at real life implications that very much resonated with this reader.

Did I stay up late weeping to finish this book last night? 1000% @annabelmonaghan has a way of drawing readers in with what seems is a lighthearted story only to then completely shatter your heart (in somehow the best way).

Jane was such a relatable character, and you cannot help but cheer for her. A child actor now trying to find herself as an adult, Jane is loveable and a little lost. a touch of enemies to lovers, only one bed(room), found family, this book had so many of my favorite things. Definitely my new favorite of Annabel’s books!!!

a huge thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the arc- highly recommend you put this one on the top of your must read books this summer!!!

I absolutely loved this book. I though this would be a light, fluffy, summertime beachy read. It was all those things while also packing an emotional punch that had me thinking. It made me think about how I define love, what a love story actually looks like, and the stories I tell myself/others. Best line of the book, "Love happens over breakfast".

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Let me tell you I ate this UP!!! I love Annabel's writing and the concepts of her books - and this was such a fun one. Solid 4.25-4.5 stars from me!!

I really enjoyed the qualities of both Jane and Dan, and the surrounding cast of characters. This book contained some of my FAVORITE tropes!!! Found family, second chance romance, forced proximity... it was just fun flirty and fantastic. The way that Jane surprised herself throughout this book, whether it was in liking Dan, in being her true self, in easily connecting to his family, really made me so happy for her and made me smile so much while reading. It was like her heart was going in one direction, and her brain was trying to stop it, but to no avail. Her thoughts on the page were so tender and funny to read, and overall I felt that the arc of her character was just incredibly well written. Her baggage was present and described, but it didn't hinder her or feel like it was overpowering everything else in her narrative. Again, just SO fleshed out!! While I don't necessarily have a preference between solo POV and changing POV, I would have really enjoyed some things from Dan's POV, specifically their almost date and first disastrous work run-in. It would have been so fun to get both sides!! Dan is SUCH A cinnamon roll!! I adore him!!

The banter in this book was so great because we knew it was Jane being the most true version of herself. It went against the pretenses she had set up for herself and for potential romances, but I loved seeing her come out of her shell. ALSO, Clem is SUCH A GIRL'S GIRL!!! What a bestie!! Thank you Annabel for writing in this amazing friend - who was real and honest and fiercely protective. That is a girl I would want in my corner.

There were 2 things that I didn't absolutely love in this book. The first was the way Jane's mom was written. I felt taken out of the story a bit with her dialogue and the way she reacted when Jane confronted her - and I wasn't sure if we were supposed to feel for her or be upset with her for why she did what she did. I also felt the third act breakup was too easily resolved/too quickly fleshed out. The time that passed until they were able to speak again was good, but I wanted Dan to almost make Jane wait after coming over and apologizing before they would patch things up. I thought she would leave and it would be a little more time passing before the resolution, so it was a little choppy for me. Overall, I loved this read!

So many quotes stuck out to me in this book - but here's one of my favorites: "There's something about the way he's looking at me that makes me think an impossible thing: I am interesting and true and beautiful." EEEEP

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books/Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read this eARC!

I was not expecting this book to make me feel so many emotions, but I definitely felt about every single one of them. This is a beautiful story with beautiful writing. Annabel Monaghan is definitely on my radar now!

Jane Jackson was once a child actor in a well-known television comedy series. Now, as an adult, she is trying to make it as a producer. So when she gets an amazing script she believes in, she'll do just about anything to get it produced, including maybe telling a slightly misleading lie about being able to get a famous musician (her co-star on the childhood series) to write the title song. Unfortunately, she hasn't been in touch with him in years. She teams up with Dan, a frenemy who is slotted to be the cinematographer of her production and he has a plan to help her. This turns into a fun, lighthearted romance that will definitely appeal to readers who also enjoy Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry.

Annabel Monaghan delivers once again with It’s A Love Story. In a journey to discover self-worth and self-love, I loved following along with Jane and Dan. A reminder that going after what you want isn’t always the easiest action or decision to make, but the reward often outweighs the risk, It’s A Love Story had me hopeful and hooked.

ARC via NetGalley

Goodreads review

Umm yesssss please!!! This has been a highly anticipated read for me this year and it did not disappoint! For anyone who absolutely loves a good enemies to lovers, forced proximity and workplace/co-worker love story, this one is for you. The MMC, Dan’s family is also equally as amazing as Dan and Jane together. They helped Jane heal and find herself in the crazy world after childhood stardom and I absolutely loved that. The dynamics were truly great throughout the whole story and that’s what made this book so bingeable and full of heart. It’s not very often that I pick up a romance novel and leave feeling more feelings than just love and warmth. I’ll say it time and time again, this book is going to be an amazing summer reread each time! I cannot wait for it to be officially out in the world. And it doesn’t hurt that the title is a nod to all the Swifties lol

light and easy read, not my favourite and maybe too unrealistic?
The romance more so the chemistry didn’t give many feels.
Potential for a lot of readers to love this one though so would recommend adding to the never ending TBR

Thank you for the arc!

"Love isn't a helicopter ride to Catalina; it's everyday care and treating the other person like they're your house keys"

5 Stars!!!

Annabel Monaghan does it again! This book had me gripped from the start and made me feel things deeper than any story has in a long time. If you want a story that has you crying and then kicking your feet in the same chapter, It's a Love Story is the perfect read for you.

Jane Jackson is an aspiring producer on the brink of getting her first script -True Story- greenlighted, When she promises that a child hood acquaintance turned superstar will write/sing a song for the movie track, Jane is swept on an adventure to the hometown of Dan Finnegan, her enemy and cinematographer for True Story, where she learns that her true self might be worth loving.

Jane Jackson went through a journey of finding herself and learning that the perfect appearance is not nearly as wonderful as love happening over breakfast.

"I'd like to be the person who could take all of your sad things and make them happy. Like I'd hunt them down each one and turn it over."

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!! Annabel Monaghan does it again. This story was so quick and easy to read while at the same time being so beautifully and poetically written. I'm not much of a highlighter when I read books but I have over 20 (!!!) from this book. Annabel Monaghan is such a master at creating real stories, relatable characters, and laugh out loud moments.

P.S. - we know I love a Taylor Swift comparison and this It's a Love Story is the book equivalent of the song The Bolter

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced readers copy! It's a love story debuts on May 27, 2025

My review is also posted on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7079699881

I have posted about this on my instagram story (3/23/25) and plan to post on my feed about it close to release day when I can purchase a physical copy.

I ADORED this book. Jane and Dan are a couple I never doubted for a second, and seeing them get their HEA had me giggling and kicking my feet. Each moment of them together was a perfect bubble of romance and I savored every page. This book is truly the perfect summer read!

Super cute romance! I loved the banter between Jane & Dan and the entire Finnegan family dynamic. They had some pretty good one-timers! I'd definitely recommend Annabel Monaghan's books to anyone looking for a summer romance with a beach-y setting.

I think Katherine centers new book & this book should switch titles. This was very readable and quick but I had a hard time connecting to it. Towards the end I did start understanding Jane’s character more and I understand why the reveal was done later but I think for empathy purposes it needed to be earlier and then maybe develop Dan later. I don’t know. lol. I’m a hater of romance books lately so it’s not the book ITS ME! This one did have some more depth than most. The watercolor painting scene did have me swooning!!

This book made me laugh, it made me teary-eyed, it made me swoon, it made me rush home after social events so I could keep reading.

Oftentimes in romance books, the miscommunication that inevitably leads to the conflict could be fixed by having one potentially awkward but simple conversation.

In It’s a Love Story, I like how the conflict isn’t (completely) about miscommunication between Jane and Dan, but rather about all of the baggage they bring with them from their lives up until the point they get to know each other.

Which is how every relationship works, but I love how Annabel Monaghan weaves that baggage into the storyline and we get to see Jane and Dan interact with that over the course of the book, as they also fall in love.

Basically, Monaghan writes romance for adults, and I’m here for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Annabel Monaghan has yet to let me down, but this was my favorite of hers by far. The emotional range of the characters went deeper this time. The story felt real. The FMCs quirks really shined through. I wish we got a little more depth from the MMC, but through his family and home we learned where he came from and that was enough for the plot to develop. I loved the Notebook references. I loved the sloppy happy ever after without everything turning out exactly the way you want. Easy five stars!