Synopsis: Former child star Jane Jackson has worked hard to become a creative executive at a film studio, and she has finally found the script she thinks will be her big break. Unfortunately, the cinematographer on the project is none other than her nemesis, Dan Finnegan. After telling a bit of a fib about her connection to a huge rockstar, Jane finds herself traveling across the country with Dan to track down the singer.

Thoughts: This book doesn’t come out until May, but you’re going to want to preorder it ASAP! Dare I say this is the perfect romcom?! Definitely my favorite of Annabel’s books so far, and an easy five stars. Jane and Dan are so adorable, and I loved their organic relationship progression and off the charts chemistry. Jane is so relatable, and the way she is written makes you feel like you’re inside her head feeling all her feelings with her. And Dan has just raised the bar for book boyfriends everywhere. I could gush about them all day, their romance is the kind that had me giddy and cheesing like a fool the whole time I was reading. Shout out to Dan’s huge, boisterous family as well for being full of so much heart and fun. Hopefully I’ve convinced you to add this book to your TBR, it’s going to be the beach read of the summer!

Read this if you like:
⛱️ rivals to lovers
⛱️ opposites attract
⛱️ forced proximity
⛱️ workplace romance
⛱️ quirky characters
⛱️ family/found family
⛱️ Hollywood
⛱️ fade to black romance

I love Annabel Monaghan's stories. Janie Jakes wouldn't let anyone in until she was forced to let everyone in. Very heartfelt story about finding love and discovering yourself
Intense 3rd act break up with everyone boyfriend, friends, family
Drama way to get back together
But happily ever after

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

I was so happy to get access to this ARC. I love Annabel Monaghan books and this was another good one!

Janey is a former child actress trying to make it as a movie studio exec and get the green light on a love story that speaks to her. Unfortunately Jane finds out that Dan, a cinematographer that totally shot down her last script, is also set to work on the project. Jane promises she can get Jack Quinlan, who she worked with on her prior sitcom and who is now a famous popstar, to write a song for the movie. Unfortunately Jane has not kept in touch with Jack and she has significantly overinflated their history with each other.

I loved Janey’s lovable awkwardness and Dan’s introvertedness as they went from enemies to more as they travel to Long Island to stalk Jack and see if he will write the song.

I didn’t love this as much as her other books but it was still a fun read!

I was so excited for this book since I have loved this author’s previous books. I really struggled to finish this one. The writing was well done. I did not connect to the characters or the storyline. The MFC drove me crazy—always hiding under her desk. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I think this just might be my favorite Annabel Monaghan book so far!

It’s A Love Story was written in the same signature writing style as all of Monaghan’s other books so if you have read her other stories and enjoy her writing it’s safe to say you are probably going to love this book as well. It starts out on the slower side but once the story picked up I was sucked in. The storyline was heartfelt and will leave you feeling a wide range of emotions. I think what really made the story for me was spending time at Dan’s parent’s house at the beach. Everyone’s characters were so well developed that I felt as if I was right there in the story hanging out with them. The setting was immersive and made me feel all the beach vibes while reading. It’ is definitely a book you will want to add to your summer TBR.

A big shoutout to Penguin Group Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an advanced readers copy of It’s A Love Story. I loved this book so much and I look forward to recommending it to everyone I know.

Another absolute hitter from Annabel. I’m not sure what she puts in these books but all I want to do is run to the east coast for the summer. This was very different than the previous books she read but still magical.

Bee: Another banger from Annabel. this was a bit different than what she’s written before but I was still enamored with it. I loved that while it was a brief (and mortifying) history, it really set them a part from other annabel characters. The back and forth to get to Jack and then his actions really wrecked me and wish it happened a little bit earlier in the book. regardless, the ending and conflict resolution was exactly what I needed. while jane was a flawed character, she owned it at the end and made things right.
Nik: This one was jam packed with emotion, plot and character growth. It felt like an epic adventure where dan and Jane team up to get a movie rights bought and made. I didn’t expect there to be so much insight into janey and Dans childhoods and how that affected them but it felt so raw and beautiful. You could really see how they both became better with each other. Not perfect in any way but real. It was a cute read!

This is for the lovers of banter between quick witted enemies, reclaiming your childhood heart, coming home to yourself. Thank you to Annabel for giving us the opportunity to arc this!

True to form this was another slow burn, enemies to lovers, quite lovely story by Annabel Monaghan. And yes, "It's a Love Story"! I loved how relatable Jane was, we all have quirks and skeletons, she shows us that that's ok. Be who you are and chase your dreams even if it overwhelms you. The book made me laugh and it made me feel frustrated and it gave me so many emotions. A great closed door romance with a great flow. Definitely recommend!

I absolutely loved everything about this book. Like Annabel’s other novels, there was equal parts depth and lightness to the story. Romance, combined with self discovery. Laughter and tears. Jane and Dan were easy to fall in love with both as a couple and as individuals. I spent most of the book smiling but definitely shed a few tears too! Love the references to a modern day novel/movie and how that thread continued throughout the book too! Thank you NetGalley for this eARC

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and Putnam Books in exchange for my honest review. This author writes banter so well! I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. I loved all of the characters in this book and the enemies to lovers storyline was very cute. The timeline for “falling in love” was extremely short but honestly it pretty much always is unrealistically fast in romance novels.

Annabel Monaghan just one upped herself! I’ve enjoyed every book she’s written, they’ve all been 5 stars, but this one? This one is somehow even more special feeling and immediately became my favorite Monaghan!

Monaghan’s effortlessly beautiful and easy to read writing style, coupled with quirky Janey Jake’s and swoony Dan…my heart! I feel like my heart is a giant hot air balloon just floating high above on cloud 9…this story completely captivated me. I started and finished it in under 24 hours and that was me even trying to slow down and savor the special words.

I cannot recommend this more!

Took me a bit to get into it but once I did, I found the characters and their backgrounds, relationship and family dynamics to be enjoyable. Ending was predictable and wrapped up quickly. Not my favorite of her books (Nora Goes Off Script) but solid 4 stars.

Fun novel about a child actor trying to make it as a producer. Unfortunately one man keeps standing in the way of her projects.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC. Annabel Monaghan writes a nostalgic, quick read perfect for the beach. The female main character, Jane, a former childhood actress is working as a creative executive trying to green light her passion project. In order to get the green light, Jane and Dan travel to Long Island. Past meets present. If you are familiar with Annabel’s writing style, you will not want to miss this release. You will fall in love with the characters in this story.

It’s A Love Story - Jane is a former child star known for being the nerdy / geeky kid on the show. She is now looking to find that special script that will make a blockbuster movie and she thinks she has the one. Her boss doesn’t think so and so she tells a little lie about how she can make it what they want. She embarks on a trip with her nemesis (Dan), to his hometown, in search of a person from her past that she is hoping can help make that this movie happen. On the way she meets Dan’s family and falls in love with them all, and maybe changes her thoughts about Dan on the way. Will she be able to make this movie happen or will all of her effort be for nothing. 4/5 ***
Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Cute rom com! This is my second book by Annabel Monaghan. I finished Nora Goes Off Script the same day I received this ARC!! I love her type of writing w/ modern day references. It adds humor to her books and makes them very relatable! I look forward to reading more by her. Definitely check this one out when released! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Jane is a childhood tv star is now working as a creative executive at Clearwater studio with a dream of bringing her passion project to the big screen. When her crush and pompous cinematographer, Dan, challenges her on why her film will be different she tells a teeny tiny white lie about her old co-star aka the famous pop-star Jack Quinlan. . . that quickly snowballs.

Tropes in this novel include workplace romance, forced proximity and only one bed. Annabel Monaghan does an incredible job creating a novel that is captivating, light and breezy, perfect for a summer read on the beach this year. The dialogue flowed and was laugh out loud funny at times. I really enjoyed Jane & Dan, their characters were relatable and authentic.

If you enjoy superstar/Hollywood romances you will love this romance!

A former teen TV actress goes on a week long trip with the man she dislikes the most to track down a former costar to try and get his help with a movie she's trying to produce.

Annabel Monaghan is an auto read author for me. I'll read her grocery list at this point. I loved Jane and Dan and everyone else. The best part? They all felt so real. I've also felt like I needed to practice how to be human in some capacities. Or this is how you fake it 'till you make it.

It was beautifully written and just all around wonderful.

5 stars is a feeling and this gave me the feeling. I loved everything about this. The family lore. The relationships. The boy trauma. DAN! EVERYTHING the author wrote on these pages I devoured.

Annabel Monaghan also is a great writer??? None of this dialogue felt cringy or out of place… very real in my opinion. AND IT WAS CLOSED DOOR! All the tension was MAGNIFICENT!

Read this in May! I’m begging!

This is sure to be another summer hit from Annabel Monaghan.

Jane is a former child actress, known for being the dorky background character. After an embarrassing moment with the boy who gave her, her first kiss and a secret come to light, she becomes jaded to love and grows up not knowing who she truly is, putting on a mask for everyone around her. Jack has always followed his heart and lived happily in the quiet he makes for himself, making him the odd man out in very large, boisterous family.

Working together on a film project, forces these two rivals to realize that maybe they can be exactly who they were meant to be with each other.

Tropes
* Enemies to Lovers
* Forced Proximity
* Opposites Attract
* Slow Burn

I have been a big fan of all of Annabel Monaghan’s books so far and this is no exception. Even though it happened in the span of a week, I loved how gently the main characters fell in love. The author’s writing style was so beautiful that even though it was an insta-love type plot line, the way they came together and supported each other was so effortless it didn’t feel rushed like most insta-love storylines do.

My favorite line (and a perfect example of the coziness of the author’s prose) is:

“He walks out with coffee. His hair is wild and his sweatpants are low on his hips. 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.”



Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ms. Monaghan's novels - they're all equally fun, frolicky and written well. I know I'm in for a treat when I read one - this latest was such a delight and perfect little contemporary fiction escape.