With a pub date of May 27, 2025, It’s a Love Story is going to be an easy grab and read at the airport and heading to the beach. Highly recommended whether you’ve read Annabel Monaghan’s other books or not.
We know how this story is going to end before it even starts. But that’s the joy in reading romance novels! What we don’t know is the journey Jane and Dan are going on to get to that ending.
You know that feeling you get that makes you squeeze your eyes shut and breathe in all the feels? Expect lots of those.
Many thanks to the author, Annabel Monaghan, the publishers, Penguin Publishing and Putnam, and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy.

Loved getting an ARC of this book! Super cute, easy read! One of my favorite from Annabel! Thanks NetGalley for this copy! Definitely recommend!

Love, love, loved it!! Read this is one day! Jane is such a sweet, tenderhearted main character who you constantly are rooting for to see her amazing-ness. Dan is so loveable and patient, the perfect match for Jane. This is a wonderful story that I will be recommending to everyone!

Jane used to be a teenage actress and now works for a studio trying to get a movie made. Now she must work with her enemy Dan over a week to get her movie made. Another great romance by Annabel Monaghan!

Thank you NetGalley, Putnam Books and Annabel for the chance to read this ARC!

My Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice Rating: 2/5 🌶️ (fades to black scenes)

This book. THIS book. I loved it. I loved Jane’s character growth. I loved the scenes in Long Island. I loved the quirkiness of Dan’s family. I loved it all. And I wish I could throw a cup of water in Jack’s face because how dare he?

The entirety of the book I felt like Jane’s character—especially her TV role—was reminiscent of Jennette’s role on iCarly, only to realize in the acknowledgments that that’s exactly what inspired Annabel after reading I’m Glad My Mom Died. I love that the inspiration transferred so well onto paper and into Jane’s character. The amount of things Jane seemed to overcome from her childhood was so beautifully done and in such a realistic way. I also deeply appreciated Dan and his family’s no need to sugar coat things.

I feel like I can barely organize my train of thoughts when it comes to this book because it was just so good. Seriously the best one yet, Annabel. I also was not a The Notebook girlie before this book but I have a new found appreciation thanks to Jane and Dan.

This is going to be the perfect summer read.

Absolutely LOVED this one!! You know that bantery fun tension filled feeling of watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when they’re visiting his family? That’s the feeling I got through this whole book! The characters were so fun and relatable and SEXY. Omg. I always love AM books but this might take my top spot! Definitely add this to your summer TBR!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book! I love Annabel Monaghan's narrative voice and really enjoyed reading this next story - I felt so much for these characters and found it immensely satisfying. I can't wait to recommend this to our local book clubs!

Jane meets Dan, they have an immediate connection, and then Dan becomes Jane's work nemisis. As a former child actor on a successful TV show, Jane is familiar with the demands of the industry and how hard you have to work to get what you want. She read a script that just speaks to her in such a way, she knows this is the next big thing. Standing in her way to getting this movie made is Dan and a promise of securing a popular singer from her past to write a song for the movie. Can she make it happen? We get to go on this journey with Jane of self acceptance and finding the confidence to finally be herself and it's well worth your time.

This is part meet cute, part workplace romance, and part enemies to lovers story that will have you wanting to give Jane a hug, protect Dan (and his family) at all costs, and send gifts of appreciation to Jane's bestie and biggest cheerleader.

What an absolutely beautiful love story! The characters were not perfect, but they were perfect for each other. A lot happens during the short period of time this novel takes place, but under the author’s deft writing it all feels earned.

The emotional heaviness of our protagonist’s personal journey is balanced with humor and plenty of sweet moments. This novel is a hug in all the best ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

monaghan is gonna do it EVERY TIME. hooked from the start, she always delivers on a story you just want to binge in one sitting while also providing a deep, engaging romance and these two are no exception!! while the famous trope is something i’m always a bit iffy on, i did enjoy how it was handled and this was fairly cute at the end of the day

It's a Love Story is a more emotional romance from Annabel Monaghan. This book is about Jane and Dan and finding a way to be your true self despite what the world/people around you want you to be. I feel like Annabel's books have deeper themes, but I think that this one takes the cake. Jane is trying to not let the fact that her father abandoned her define her and Dan is trying to be an individual while still loving his family. It took me a while to get into a rhythm with this book, but once Dan and Jane were with his family in Long Island I was hooked. I love the tender moments between Dan and Jane and how momentous they are for each of them. Dan's family is also a huge part of this story and I loved how they accepted Jane with open arms and healed parts of her by just accepting her. I loved the themes about love in this book!

I recommend this book if you are looking for something a little deeper than a typical beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin group Putnam for this ARC!

3.75 maybe 4 stars?! Not a bad book by any means but just not my favorite from Annabel! I felt like the beginning was kinda rushed and I was trying to keep up with these characters. I didn’t really feel that invested till the 50% mark. It did pick up for me half way through and while I did think Dan & Jane were a cute couple they felt a bit insta lovey for me. I think I just wanted more tension and the story to be a bit longer? The whole plot of the book was finding Jack and that wasn’t really a focal point? I thought it was a little silly that Jack seemed to have so much power over her, but then we find out that’s not really the issue at all.

I do think the last 30% was where I felt the most invested. There were really beautiful quotes about love itself and how Jane was feeling about Dan. I did enjoy the setting once we were back on the east coast and Dan’s family was really fun. I did love Clem’s character!!

This one really crept up on me!!! I love an Annabel Monaghan story. She always writes the perfect summery story! I could not stop highlighting this one. Potentially my top out of all of her books?! Just so perfectly sunshiney & happy & fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: Another hit from Monaghan. She has a way of writing main characters that differ just enough to make things interesting and a little roller coaster-y. Jane doubts herself too much and Dan doesn't doubt himself at all, outwardly. His huge, immersive family welcomes her as his "friend from LA" and she starts to want more.

It's a rom-com. You know what's going to happen. But getting there can be up, down, fun, worrisome, and teary. I loved Jane's second guessing, impulsive tall tales, and fierce defenses. She deserved happiness. She broke my heart with her self doubt in the third act break up. Many laughs, some tears and several "ah ha"s kept me going in this story. I read it quickly so I could get to the part that Jane deserved all along. Great read for this summer! Coming out on May 27.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Oh, how I loved this beautiful romantic comedy! Jane and Dan’s chemistry is unparalleled and they compliment each other so nicely. Highly recommend this lovely read!

I was back and forth on this book between a 3-star review, then a 4-star and finally landed on 5-stars. I think this was such a beautiful book. It was a tender love story with a really damaged protagonist and her issues were dealt with very sensitively. I also loved how the relationships with the protagonist’s mom and best friend were developed so richly for such a short book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane was a former child star. She played a loveable but goofy character on a hit teen show. She had a catch phrase and is a meme. She currently work in the film industry buying scrips and getting them green lighted only she hasn’t made one yet. Each time she buys one she encounters a road block named Dan. Dan doesn’t alway agree that it is a great script. Jane thinks Dan is the worst and Dan thinks Jane is unhinged. The situation is made worse because the two almost dated. They met prior to learning they were working together and had a date planned but Jane cancelled it when Dan said the script she bought was horrible.

Now Jane has a new script she really wants to get green lit but Dan is once again an obstacle. Jane needs something to ensure the movie will be a hit so she lies and says she has a relationship with a singer who is currently on major rotation on all the music stations. He is a star and having him agree to being on the song track would make the movie a hit. The problem is they have no contact with each other and haven’t since the two sang a hit song for the show. They were both uncredited in the song. They had one good day together and then he told her she was ridiculous and made her feel unlovable. She attempted to contact his manager but gets nowhere. She tells Dan and he says he knows Jack is playing at a festival that his brother is working at and they will be able to get in. She has to go to New York with Dan and spend a eeek at his family’s house in order to attempt to get Jack to do the song

The book and its characters are incredibly endearing. I found it to be just a bit of a slow start for me personally but it didn’t take that long for me to become fully invested. I love the family in this book, the anticipation in the relationship, the growth of the FMC, the quiet and uniqueness of the MMC, and how the story unfolds. This is how great stories are written.

I would def recommend this book. It would be a great beach read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital Arc provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Immediately preordered. This book is such a beautiful and heartfelt look at the way our adolescent experiences affect who we become. An honest, patient love story that I will recommend again and again.

Just like all of Annabel's work, this is delightful and heartfelt. Her books always go down easy. While this one read a little clunky in some areas, some final editing will likely work that out.

I can't wait to recommend it to my followers on instagram at @stressiereads. Post in the coming week. I'll also review on Goodreads.

Thank you for the copy!

5 stars!!! This is my second book by Annabel Monaghan and I’m starting to believe that she doesn’t know the word disappoint. Both so far have been written with absolute perfection! It’s a Love Story gave me all the feels that I would want to experience with a rom com and so much more! I absolutely adore Jane and Dan by themselves, but man, when they are together! One thing I especially loved was that the book wasn’t filled with big declarations of love but instead smaller everyday actions that made you feel just as giddy. Jane learns that being funny is a good trait and I’m glad for both her sake and my own, as the humor in this book literally made me laugh out loud! All in all, definitely read this book (especially if you love the Notebook)!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review!