I don’t know why I’m surprised this is another 5 star read, but here I am. I loved every second of this book boyfriend packed novel. So many tight white tshirts. Someone turn on the air conditioning 🤌🏻😅.

But for real, the characters are lovable yet REAL, the scenarios they find themselves in warm your soul and/or break your heart… and the end is magic. This should 100% be on your summer reading list.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it!

(Will post review on socials closer to publication date)

I just want to thank NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for our honest review! Annabel Monaghan has out done herself AGAIN. Each book I read from her causes me to fall more in love with her writing. Any book she puts out, I will automatically buy because I know it will be amazing. While reading I literally couldn’t put this book down, and I fell in love with both Jane & Dan because they were such relatable characters. I had gone through so many emotions while reading from crying to giggling and kicking my feet, as well as placing my hand over my heart (iykyk). I desperately want to travel to Oak Shore and go to the Owl Barn, and was so happy to see these places mentioned again in her work!! I cannot wait to see what other work Annabel Monaghan puts out!!! It’s a Love Story comes out on May 27th, so be sure to pick up your copy!

Jane is a former child star turned producer. She is trying to get a touching movie, True Love, into production.

Dan is a cinematographer and also wants to get the movie produced. He and Jane had a meet cute but then he ruined it by calling the previous film she wanted to make stupid.

Dan and Jane embark on an adventure to chase down a pop star. She knew him previously and wants to get him to write a song so the movie gets green lit.

This is such a sweet and moving story. I enjoyed the journey so much.

Thank you PENGUIN Group Putnam NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of the book.

Annabel Monaghan has become one of my favorite authors and an auto buy for me. This book had the perfect amount of romance, as well as our main character going through her past and learning to love herself. I love Annabel Monaghan’s writing style because it always feels like more than a romance and has so much depth to it. I loved our characters so much and found myself crying and laughing with them. I cannot wait to see what Annabel Monaghan writes next because I know I will love it! Also the setting for this book was to die for and made me want to be experiencing life with our characters.

It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
Writing: A-
Story: B
Characters: B
Setting: B+
Best Aspect: Loved all the references to The Notebook. This is a fun romance overall.
Worst Aspect: I didn’t feel the love between the characters and that is the main reason this isn’t a 5 star read.
Recommend: Yes.

I finished this book in one day. It was more than just fluff and I really liked both the characters. I read Nora Goes Off Script a few years ago and just hadn't gotten around to her other books yet.

I'm definitely going to go back and read her other books now. The slow romance really got me and the thing I loved most? REAL CONVERSATION.

The thing I hate MOST in romance and women's fiction is a ridiculous miscommunication and people just refuse to talk about it. While there obviously had to be some of that for conflict purposes, I really felt like Monaghan made this believable.

Pros: A couple of characters that you actually like. The anticipation!
Cons: Sometimes a little repetitive and obvious when talking about themselves.

Overall, I really liked it and it was five stars. It had heart, believable characters even if the premise still has that little-bit-of-outlandish premise. Would definitely recommend.

I love how this book modeled Jane's feelings for True Story. It was quiet, every day but powerful. I also loved the 90s nostalgia of those Nickelodeon type teen shows! I loved Dan's family and can picture the chaos so well. I hope there might be a sequel (or prequel) featuring some of the brother's love stories.

I LOVE ANNABEL AND HER WRITING! This book is an absolute do not put down perfect beach read rom-com, as all of Annabel’s books tend to be for me. After reading the blurb, I wasn’t sure what I expected in terms of emotional depth but this book blew all my expectations out of the water. I love love love the way the writing was so human and the character development was internal without insane changes!

Thank you to the publishing team for the ARC! This is a perfect read for this summer!

3.5⭐️
A cute rom com filled with big family love and unexpected attraction. I really loved Dan in this story ( thank you for giving him a normal name) and Jane was just so relatable. Super cute romance that had me rooting for them.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy

Unfortunately I didn’t love this book. I didn’t like the main characters except I loved the dynamics of Dan’s family. I loved Nora Goes Off Script and Summer Romance by this author.

I devoured It’s a Love Story, which was the perfect book to read over Valentine’s day weekend.

It is funny and emotional and real - any book that has me laughing out loud during the first half and bawling my eyes out at the end deserves five stars.

I’ve been reading Annabel Monaghan’s books since she wrote Nora Goes Off Script, which is probably my favorite modern romance book. I’ve loved everything else she’s written, but It’s a Love Story gives me the same vibes as Nora - with the chemistry, the humor, and the hearts of the two main characters.

Jane is a former child actor and works in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Dan, a cinematographer and her nemesis at work, is interested in the current project she’s trying to get picked up. He suggests a way for her to get Jack, a big music star now who was also involved in her show when she was a kid, to agree to create a song for her new movie.
She unexpectedly ends up in the middle of Dan’s big family reunion for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, and she falls as much in love with his family as she does with him.

This is a romance yes but it also has a lot of depth and it's about being true to yourself, the stories we tell ourselves that may or may not be true and how that can affect our self-worth.

I absolutely adored this one.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. It’s a Love Story publishes on May 27th.

First and foremost, I *loved* the Finnegans. I love a big happy family, and I really like that we got to see them razz Dan a little bit, but it all came from a good place. I like how most of his family was very practical and couldn’t quite understand his artistic temperament.

Jane’s quirks made me smile. She was such a unique character and showed a lot of growth over the course of the book. There were a few setbacks along the way, but that made her feel more real. No one is perfect!

This will be another great summer read from Annabel, and readers will enjoy the journey!

This was my first Annabel Monaghan book and I will definitely be picking up her other books soon! I really enjoyed this story, it was not your typical enemies to lovers concept. I felt both characters were very relatable based on their circumstances and that their story lines flowed well with all of the additional character! Highly recommend!

Ohhhhhh…..this was a warm, wonderful, lovely read. Monaghan always creates characters that are so believable. They are messy and ridiculous and sometimes exhausting, but so very real. I pretty much always cry during her books and not always where I expect to…..her family stories are as beautiful as her romances. I also love that her settings come so alive with her writing. I felt relocated to LA and then to a potato field on Long Island. I really really loved it and I read it in a single day - almost a single sitting. So good. 💜💜💜📚

As expected, I devoured this. Annabel’s books are like a warm hug. This one had me crying, giggling and yes, clutching my hand over my heart (iykyk). The scenery in this one was so good too.. I feel like I’ve visited Long Island in the summer myself.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Annabel Monaghan is an auto-read for me, and my opinion hasn't changed. Her books always suck me in the same way...at first it seems like another romance, but shortly into the book, I'm hooked and can't stop reading. My only complaint about her books is that they're over too quickly - mostly because I'm binging them! If you need me, I'll be hunting down the Finnegan family and asking them to adopt me!

When you want to read romance, you have to pick up an Annabel Monaghan book because she always hits. I am always swoon every time I read her books. It’s a Love Story is no exception to this. It has the perfect amount of bickering, flirting, and romance. She really has the perfect formula for this book. Jane and Dan were not exactly grumpy and sunshine nor were rivals but it felt like it. Dan comes from a tight-knit big family. His whole family may not be the same as his introvert self but they seem to all be his wingmen and wingwomen. They’re the kind of family I’d like to meet. Jane is a single child with a single parent. Once they were together though, they were inseparable. I found both of them lovable. Neither are perfect but they were just so perfect for each other, the chemistry felt tangible.

I can see why so many people love Annabel Monaghan, but unfortunately her writing style is not for me. I found the main character Janie to be so insufferable that I struggled to get through this book. It just didn’t do it for me, but I can appreciate why some people love her writing style.

This book scratches every itch in my brain. It has EVERYTHING. It’s about romance while also being about family and celebrity and truth and how to allow yourself to be someone who is worthy of happiness despite being flawed human beings. It is compelling and fully captivating. There’s no way I’m not reading everything Annabel Monaghan has ever written after this.

I really struggled with this ARC. I don’t know if it was just because I struggled with the MFC that threw my mood off for the book or if it’s just me. I just felt that she was dealing with a lot of childhood trauma that she should’ve seen a therapist for before diving into a lot of the things brought up in the book. really like the MMC and that is what made me push through this book. I have a lot more that I wasn’t the biggest fan of but I don’t like putting down books that could’ve just been a personal preference. It just wasn’t for me 2/5 ⭐️.

Thank you NetGalley for this Advance Reader Copy for my honest review.