Absolutely loved it! The plot, the humor, the characters are all the perfect combo. Fantastic read that gave me all the feels. The way Annabel describes love is beautiful and true. It's in the small, quiet moments and not always the big stuff. Loved Dan and Jane, and all the Finnegan brothers.

Another Annabel Monaghan winner who is becoming one of my favorite writers. Thank you Net Galley for this preview copy. I love Annabel’s writing style and how she develops her characters flaws and all. I was immediately invested in the characters and their story. The main characters are Jane, a former child actor, and Dan, a cinematographer, a person who disagrees with Jane on bringing a screenplay to film. To not give away this heartwarming storyline that is absolutely beautiful, funny, and captivating, this story definitely will tug at your heartstrings. I’ll be first in line buying a physical copy when released on May 27th. So didn’t want this story to end.

The introduction was so choppy I could barely get through it. The writing had no flow and I almost gave up. It picked up after the first chapter. Some little things- commas that should have been semicolons, repetitive sentence structure, predictable text. It's a beach read, but I think a lot of readers may give up if they can't get through Chapter 1. Each character feels formulaic. And Jane's meltdown is so, so childish. If the characters were a little bit more nuanced, it would add a depth to the book that, I believe, would give it the weight it needs. The work scratches the surface of major childhood traumas without giving those traumas the gravity they need- it comes off as inauthentic and exploitative. The work itself is so predictable. I understand that readers like predictability, but I felt like a psychic by the end of this.

5—Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons, for providing me early access to Monaghan's highly anticipated romance in exchange for my honest thoughts. Once again, Annabel Monaghan immerses me in her stories, making me feel like I'm right there alongside the characters.

In this book, we follow Jane Jackson, a former child actor who strives to shed her awkward past while navigating the chaos of Hollywood. The dialogue is light-hearted and fun. While you might expect a typical light romance, this book pulls at the heartstrings in the best way!

Overall, it was an engaging read, and I recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining story. Annabel Monaghan's writing is straightforward and comforting, making it a pleasure to dive into her world. I appreciate her ability to make readers feel seen and uplifted.

Once again I am blown away by Annabel Monaghan and her ability to make you feel a part of the family she creates. Dan and Jane are relatable in so many ways. I could not put this book down once I started!

I have heard such incredible things about Annabel Monaghan’s writing and was highly anticipating this book. Unfortunately it fell very flat for me. Jane, our main character is a child star who grows up and goes into the movie business as a producer. She has found this incredible script that she needs to bring to the big screen but runs into some trouble and needs the help of her work place nemesis to make it happen.

I found Jane to be mean and self-centered.
She has some depth but I found myself wanting more.

The writing was lack luster at the beginning, and became so much better after the 50% mark. The poetry of Monaghan’s writing was finally showing and I became excited to read her story. Once our third act breakup hit, the writing went right back down hill. This didn’t feel like a love story, it felt like a desperate attempt at enemies to lovers that just missed the mark.

I can’t wait to read what else Monaghan has in store but this one just fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annabel Monaghan, and Penguin Group Putnam for granting me an ARC copy of It’s a Love Story in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed everything that Annabel has written, and this is one’s no exception! While
Nora goes off script is still her very best for me, this one has the same warmth, good writing with some comedic elements that makes me enjoy all her books! You would think her books are light/summer reads but this one packs a punch, it has lots of emotional depth but not overtly heavy. Interestingly, i automatically thought of Sam from iCarly when the lead said she’s a child star and it’s the same actress the author mentioned in her acknowledgement!

There is so much to love about this story. My favorite was visiting Dan's family and all their adventures leading up to them falling in love. Dan's huge family was so fun to read about and how much Jane felt a part of it until she didn't. I thought the break-up and her internal struggle was a bit much and could have been toned down, it fell a bit flat for me. Overall, I thought it was a wonderful book and definitely worth the read. Thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC of this book!

Thank you so much for the arc for this book! It was so fun getting to read an early copy.

This was a great contemporary romance read. It is enemies to lovers/ workplace rival. It is small town with a big family. A band of brothers that give each other crap in a lot of ways but love each other immensely. It's family trauma and unpacking the hurt and emotional pain it leaves after years of negative self talk and skirting around truths. It's a slow burn romance of unveiling what it is like to truly fall in love and let yourself be exactly who you are. It's a story but it's also a banner of reminding yourself that you matter and what you love matters too. You can unequivocally be yourself and not have to tone down for any job or person. You can let yourself live and enjoy the life you have.

What a wonderful read that makes you want to think about love a little bit more and go watch The Notebook. 📖✨

4.5 ⭐️

Annabel Monaghan is the middle-age book club author of my dreams. This one was a slow start for me but once we got thrown into the loud family of five sons, I was IN.

I always really like her characters and was thrilled the protagonist was not a divorcee this time around. As someone who doesn’t create mind pictures while I read, I particularly liked the representation of artist types through more personality traits and not specific descriptions of photos and videos they take.

Anyway, I love love. I was excited for all the love happening here. It was great.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the advance copy.

This story is a beautiful collision of fun tropes and emotional story and growth. It has forced proximity, some enemies to lovers, and Jane and Dan needing to work together. They push each other outside their comfort zone in the best way and you slowly see their walls falling. All wrapped up in funny banter from Jane that Dan (and myself) couldn’t get enough of.

Oh my goodness was this a fabulous read. Thank you for pulling me out of a multi-month reading rut! This may be my favorite from this author so far. Beautifully written, funny and punchy, and a beautiful ode to love

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. I didn’t want to put it down. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

Thank you for an advanced copy! I went into this book with high expectations because I loved this author’s last book, Summer Romance. Maybe my expectations were just too high but I didn’t love this one. Didn’t feel like a strong plot or something I really cared about how it ended up. Also just didn’t feel very invested in the main characters. I really wanted to like it but it just felt like it dragged.

I was so happy when I was approved for this arc through Netgalley. I will read anything Annabelle Monaghan and this book just solidified that. I love the relatable main characters Jane and Dan and I think we can all empathize with both of them from different aspects of our own lives. Throw in a quest to track down a major pop star to ask a favor and you’ve got me hooked from page one. Great beach or vacation read!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book! Annabel has become an autobuy author for me and I feel honored for this opportunity.

The story follows Jane Jackson as she’s trying to prove she has a place in the film industry beyond her former TV comedic role of “Janey Jakes,” the punchline to every episode. Jane carries a lot of shame and doubts over her self worth. She battles with her anxiety by hiding when things get tough and only has the support of her best friend, Clem, & her mom… definitely no support from Dan. Dan is the “absolute worst!” He shot down her first big shot at filmmaking and now thinks he can help solve her problems with this new script. But what if he actually can?

As someone who has struggled with life long anxiety, I feel like Jane was a relatable character. Her fears of putting herself out there only to be a joke or a failure are very real and add to her character. I love how the main characters interact with one another. Minor characters are believable and do a good job supporting our FMC & MMC as they change and grow throughout the book. It’s got the good Hallmark movie vibes but with a bit more depth. Overall a very good romance read.

I love this author and have read all four of her books. I was so excited to receive a galley of her forthcoming novel. Unfortunately, I was a little bit let down. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't love it as much as I loved her last two. Jane grew up as a child TV star, who has since fallen into obscurity, Now, as an adult she is working to try and get a film that her company optioned made. This is a rom-com and I loved the male lead Dan. He was kind and sensitive and his family was so charming. But, I did not connect with the main character Jane and the storyline here as much as with some of her previous novels. I was really intrigued to read the author's note and see that she was inspired by Jeannette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died because I just read that and I could totally see that. Overall, a solid read by an author that I love. However, if I was ranking I'd put Summer Romance and Sametime Next Summer over It's A Love Story and Norah Goes Off Script.

3.5 stars.

This was another lovely read from Annabel Monaghan who is quickly becoming one of my favorit authors. The story follows Jane, a movie producer, and Dan, cinematographer, as they jointly try to turn a script they love into a movie. Jane and Dan have butted heads in the past and have less than fond feeling toward eachother. But when Jane joins Dan on his trip home so that they can convince a famous singer to write a song for their movie, things change. I loved both of the characters in this book and Dan may be one of my favorite male leads thus far. I definitely recommend checking this book out if you are looking for something heartfelt and fun!

I absolutely loved this book. Jane and Dan are trying to make a movie, but need to make it more commercial. So, they travel from LA to Long Island to track down a superstar singer from Jane's past as a child star to ask him to write a song for the movie. Over their week together at Dan's family's house, they go from enemies to lovers. Dan's big family was so fun and loving, and Jane's relationship with her best friend, Clem, was beautiful. I fell in love with the side characters just as much as the main characters. The message about being yourself rather than putting on a costume and being the perfect version that you think people want was relatable and compelling. This was a wonderful read that just made me happy - highly recommend!

Former child star Jane believes so deeply in her latest script that she’ll do almost anything to have it green lit. Including chase a teenage flame across the country while crashing with the large, loud family of her nemesis, cinematographer Dan.

But, something happens. In fact, everything happens, including love over breakfast. Jane comes to terms with some deep-seated issues from her childhood and with her mother, with the help of Dan’s parents and her best friend Clem, a star side character.

I love Annabel Monaghan and this, recency bias aside, may be my favorite of hers. Because if you can find yourself and love at the same time? Well, that’s movie-worthy.