This romance was a fun, light read with enjoyable dialogue that kept things flowing. Though it starts off slow, it quickly picks up and becomes an adorable romance. It was a great binge read. Also, the spice is very minimal for those who want little to no spice, but the romance is fun and sweet.

Thank you so much to Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC!!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the Arc!

5 ⭐️


Annabel Monaghan has done it again! She is officially a must read author for me. This had me kicking my feet giddy and my heart racing with anticipation.

Jane is a former teenage star, still trying to make it in Hollywood but behind the scenes as a movie producer. She has yet to find THE movie that will make her feel confident in her career. Enter Dan, a cinematographer who crushed her dreams on one of the previous scripts she wrote as pushing. Jane has a script that she thinks is “the one” and it so happens, her boss wants Dan on the project as well. Jane, trying to give more reason for the movie to made, offers up her friendship with a pop star…. That doesn’t actually exist. She hasn’t actually talked to the guy since she was a teenager. This leads the book on a roller coaster week long trip to the east coast and staying with Dans family, trying to track down the pop star.

This was such a beautiful story. Jane had so many insecurities and getting the bottom of those, with the help of Dan was just so perfect. It was so clear these two characters were meant to be together and only he could make her see how great she was. I love an enemies to lovers story, and it was obvious from the instant we find out of their meet cute, he fell first and hard. My heart feels so gooey from this one!

"Love happens over breakfast."

Annabel Monaghan knows how to write the perfect summer romance. This book has so many fun tropes. Enemies to lovers, second chance romance, one room trope and small town. It was so much fun. I absolutely loved Jane and Dan, they were the perfect main characters. They each had their own problems they needed to work through but they were able to help each other through it. Dan’s family was my favorite thing about the book. They were so welcoming and just your normal family who love each other but also still pick on each other. how can you go wrong with a group of good looking brothers? you can't! This is the perfect read for the summer, maybe by the pool or the beach. All her books deal with real life problems but also makes her books so bingable. Highly recommend this book for everyone to read.

This was the first book I have read by Annabel Monaghan, and I really enjoyed it! The characters were fun, the writing was witty, and it was easy to get invested. I loved seeing Jane’s growth throughout the story. She was an easy and relatable character to connect with. I will definitely be reading more stories by Annabel!

Second Annabel Monaghan book I’ve read, I love her relatable female main characters and their perspective as the heartfelt love story unfolds. Unique and sweet, great beach read!

As usual, I really enjoyed this Annabel Monaghan book! There’s just something about her writing that makes everything feel so fun and giddy, especially the romance. Even though her books tend to be short and sweet, she does a great job of adding in challenges that the main characters face outside of their love story. It makes the book feel more real and gives it some depth.

This was a 3.5/5 stars for me. It was a delightful story and I love meeting all Dan’s brothers but something just felt off with the actual love story between Dan and Jane. It didn’t full feel the connection they are supposed to have in the book, but I don’t know if I could peg why.

I think my favorite book of this author is still Nora Goes Off Script, but overall, I still enjoyed this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Storyline, pacing, character arc, all great. I laughed so much, highlighted a ton of hilarious one-liners. The commitment to Dan’s perceived pretentiousness was my favorite part of the story. “You totally listen to folk music on a gramophone.” Lol.

I thought about Jennette McCurdy’s memoir a lot throughout this, and discovered in the author’s note that it was an inspiration for the book.

**3.5 Stars – A Rom-Com Writer Who Knows Love and Romance**

This charming rom-com delivers plenty of humor, heart, and second chances. Jane Jackson, a former child star turned Hollywood executive, is desperate to prove herself. In a moment of overconfidence, she claims she can land popstar Jack Quinlan—her first kiss and biggest humiliation—to write a song for her film. The problem? She hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years.

Enter Dan Finnegan, a talented but irritating cinematographer who just happens to have the connections Jane needs. Forced into a road trip to track down Jack, Jane and Dan’s dynamic shifts from playful rivalry to unexpected sparks. While the romance and witty banter shine, some moments drag, and Jane’s character can be hard to root for at times. Still, fans of smart, snappy rom-coms will enjoy this fun, heartfelt story about facing the past and finding love where you least expect it.

I absolutely love anything from Annabel Monaghan, and this book was no exception! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. This is the perfect escapist read for a cold winter day. Ms. Monaghan's writing style is brilliant and weaves different narratives in effortlessly - movie production, workplace drama, and will-they or won't-they romance. I was fortunate to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Ms. Monaghan, in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoyed this book, be sure to read several of her others - my personal favorites, "Nora Goes Off Script" and "Summer Romance."

I got the ARC of this and read it in one day! Her books unfold so quietly, but I find myself smiling like such a geek the whole time. The build up to the romance is lovely. I wish we had both character point of views! The inevitable third act problem was a little much for me, but I powered through.

I am a big fan of Annabel Monaghan's books, since I read Nora Goes Off Script! It's a Love Story does not disappoint. This is more than a rom-com. The main characters, Jane and Dan, are flawed and insecure, but when their walls come down......they realize that are not only ready for love, but they deserve to share their lives with a partner. I loved the MCs and was rooting for their love story from page one. A big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC! Ms. Monaghan keep writing!

I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers and I was enjoying the book, not loving it but enjoying it enough to where I didn’t have the desire to stop reading.

I did however have a hard time connecting or enjoying the MC, she was a bit unbearable a lot of the time with her low self esteem and her deprecating comments towards herself. Very immature and made me roll my eyes at her actions more than once

SEMI- SPOILERS// WARNING
I was enjoying this book until the end, the ending of this book really killed the whole thing for me , I really really hate when authors put in a huge fight between main love interests just to stir up drama and then to pretty much instantly have one forgive the other when what the other did was honestly pretty terrible it truly killed the whole mood of the book for me.

Thank you Netgalley PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the arc

i loved this one! the first half started off a bit slow
for me but caught up around 40-50% in and i loved the family relationships on the background - it added onto the already cute main characters and their relationship!

This was a book I was really excited to read, and I'm happy to say it delivered. While I do enjoy a good romance, I don't often find myself completely pulled in. This was really good. I started it last night and couldn't put it down. Easy recommendation.

It's a Love Story was such a fun read. I loved Jane and found her relatable and hilarious. The Finnegan family left this introvert dreaming of large, loud family gatherings. I absolutely adored the familial relationships in this book. After 4 hits with me, I think it's safe to say that Annabel Monaghan is one of my favorite authors. Also, there's debate about the movie The Notebook in this book that I found so funny. It made me love this book even more.

Dang it! It started off so strong!! I love a kind of grumpy misunderstood male hero and it was there! I flew through the first fifty percent. But that last fifty percent totally devolved for me. I was thinking wow this is a solid 4.5 and then I was like okay maybe it’s more of a 4 star and then by the end it was a 3 star. One reviewer said that the last conflict felt very contrived and I have to agree. It didn’t make sense at all with how the rest of the book went and with the characters.

What I did love was this family of five brothers and all of the extended family. That was very charming and sweet and fun!

Also, her other books have been pretty closed door but this one definitely felt more sexy to me. I skipped a few pages. So beware haha!

It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan is a delightful and witty romantic comedy that blends humor with heartfelt moments. The story follows Jane, who unexpectedly finds herself with feelings for her colleague Dan, that defies expectations and first impressions. Monaghan’s writing is sharp and engaging, filled with quirky characters and charming dialogue. The book skillfully explores themes of love, self-discovery, and taking chances, all while keeping things light and fun. While this enemies to lovers plot may be familiar to fans of the romance genre, the author's unique voice and relatable characters make this a heartwarming and enjoyable read.

I just finished this book last night and it was such a great book. It has great banter between the main characters, emotional growth, romance without the cringe and just a hint of spice (fade to black scenes).

Jane used to be a teenage tv show star and now she’s a creative executive at a Movie studio. She is trying to get a movie script that she loves green-lit, but there’s one catch the studio wants something big for the movie. She tells the studio that she is close with pop star, Jack Quinlan. They have a past when she was on the show, Pop Rocks, and it is the movies cinematographer, one time crush who she now hates, Dan Finnegan who helps her with her.

The banter between Jane and Dan was just perfect and felt so real. All of the emotions that Jane was going through in the book really hit home for me and made me tear up at parts. I only rated it 4/5 stars because I was left wanting more in a good way. I wanted to keep reading about Jane and Dans relationship maybe even some chapters in Dans POV.

Favorite quote: 🫶🏼 “Love happens over breakfast.” “But at breakfast everything’s just as it is, in the light of day. No one wears lipstick to breakfast. And this is where you talk about your day and the part of the roof that might leak this fall. You bring your real self to breakfast.”

This is a perfect summer read for any lover of romances.
▪️enemies to lovers
▪️forced proximity
▪️relatable characters
▪️Hollywood romance
▪️second chance

I am so lucky that I was given the opportunity to read this book early. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

I love this author and all of her books are the ideal beach read because they always feature a summer romance! This book had charming characters and the tension between the two leads had me begging for them to kiss! Highly recommend this one!