This was such a fun summer romance that's perfect for fans of Emily Henry. I loved the chemistry and banter between the characters and found it to be a fun easy read. This was my first read by this author and I'm excited to read more.

I simply adore Annabel Monoghan's writing and this one became one of my favourite books by her. If you're looking for a fast-paced book filled with good banter, this is the book for you!

Sweet, witty, and totally bingeable, Annabel Monaghan nails the sunshine-meets-grump vibe again. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is chef’s kiss, and the summer setting made me want to pack a bag and run away to the beach. A little predictable in spots, but honestly? I didn’t care. It’s pure rom-com serotonin.

I loved this! It's so well written and romantic. I'll definitely check out other books by this author, and recommend this to everyone I know who enjoys romance - but crucially, HIGH QUALITY romance. This is great.

It's a Love Story is most definitely the love story to read this summer.

Jane Jackson has lived her life knowing that if you fake it, you'll make it. Now working as the Creative Executive at Clearwater studios, she uses her connection with the biggest popstar, Jack Quinlan, to write them a song for the soundtrack of their current movie project. Well, that's what she tells her bosses. She actually only knew Jack for a moment as a young teenager. There's no way she's getting ever actually going to get a response from him 20 years later. This is where Jane's mantra of 'faking it til you make it' big fat fails. She may have been too desperate to prove Dan Finnegan, the egotistical cinematographer, wrong.

With her job on the line, Jane has to turn to the one person she actively avoids, Dan Finnegan! With Jack playing a gig in Dan's hometown, they concoct their own plan of how to turn this fib into reality. Despite all the chaos, Dan's family help to slowly allow Jane to remember who she is. No matter how much you try, love cannot be faked. Perhaps this getaway to Long Island will surprise her, and maybe Dan will too.

The way in which Monaghan so masterfully crafted the atmosphere, it felt like a warm hug on a summers evening (aka one of the best feelings in life). I felt so incredibly connected to the characters, my heart would swell with joy for the both of them every time they were on my page. There were so many instances where I wanted to leap into the pages and live with the characters. The way it felt to read reminded me of how I want to live life. It's a Love Story was not just a love story between two characters, it was a story about reconnecting with yourself and life. Life is messy and unpredictable, but in the unpredictability you will find great joy (more times than not).

It's a Love Story provided me with great comfort and connection, reminding me of why I love reading.
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It’s A Love Story is a delightful, witty rom-com that kept me hooked from start to finish! The main character’s inner monologue is hilarious and relatable, being in her head was an absolute joy, and I found myself rooting for her from the very first chapter.

Dan is the kind of love interest you can’t help but swoon over - charming, genuine, and perfectly matched for our heroine. And can we talk about his family? They added so much warmth and humor to the story, making every scene they were in a highlight.

What really stood out to me were the rich, layered relationships and dynamics throughout the book - whether it was friendships, family ties, or the slow-burn romance, everything felt authentic and engaging. Speaking of slow burn, this book nails it! The tension and chemistry had me grinning like a fool and left me wanting to rewatch The Proposal.

Overall, this is a heartwarming and fun love story that’s perfect for fans of feel-good romance. Highly recommend!

great beach read but I found I didn't connect with the characters very much and thus was uninterested in the romance

It's a Love Story had me hooked from the very first chapter. It was a beautifully written, atmospheric, and compelling romance full of emotional depth. I absolutely LOVED it.

Jane and Dan are great main characters. They are both charismatic, smart, funny, and warm. They also have sizzling chemistry, which made it all the more compelling to read.
I also loved the whole Finnegan family. Their dynamic was fun, and their love for each other really showed.

This is the second book I've read from Annabel Monaghan, the first being Nora Goes Off Script, which was also a fantastic read. I'm definitely keen to read more from this exceptionally talented author.

I very highly recommend.

5 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Especially for fans of Carley Fortune, Abby Jimenez, Beth O'Leary, and Josie Silver.

Thanks to Netgalley, Aria & Aries, and Annabel Monaghan for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s my first book from Annabel Monaghan and I’m so in love with her writing and story building.
Jane and Dan make me feel things and I can so relate to what’s Jane going through. I’m a big believer in people wearing a mask (more or less all the time when we meet other people) but Jane has a full on amor. Dan strips it down slowly but steady and Jane can be herself again which is beautiful. The slow burn is slow burning, found family (gosh Dans family is adorable) and a beach house in Long Island, it’s pure magic. All the small and quiet moments Jane and Dan are sharing is everything to me.
The third act conflict feels a bit rough for my taste, but this is the only minor critiques I have with this book and it makes me happy to know that there are quit a few books to read from Annabel.

4 stars ⭐️

If Annabel writes it, just know I'm going to read it.
This was such a fast pasted and fun summer read!
I loved the characters, settings and this story left me wanting more. I loved Jane and Dan.. The complexity of their characters was so good. And just their whole dynamic was perfect. The tension and banter was so good. I say this every time but Annabel has a way of writing characters that I just relate to. Would recommend this one!

I enjoyed this better than Summer Romance, but sadly it didn’t sweep me off my feet. The writing was lovely and would appeal well to fans of EmHen. I found the plot slightly predictable and it failed to grip me entirely. It wasn’t a bad book, cute enough and perfect if you need a beach read.

Unfortunately, my dislike for the immature main character prevented me from enjoying this lighthearted read. I really struggled to endear myself to Jane and her wearying inner monologue. I found her behaviour to be childish, as if her teenage fame gave her an incurable case of arrested development. It also didn’t help that I found the romance to be too whiplash-inducing as it went from ‘hate’ to love.

Would I recommend?... Unfortunately no, but it seems like this is an unpopular opinion. So, if you don't mind insta-love or getting narration from a main character you may find tiresome, by all means, give this a go.

Read for:
- contemporary romance
- forced proximity
- celebrity world

✧ Slow-burn romance for the win – because sometimes the best kisses are the ones you’re almost afraid to ask for. 💝
✧ Family dynamics that heal your soul – Dan’s Long Island crew is the kind of warm chaos you wish your own family was. 🏠💕

I can’t wait to see what Annabel does next—but for now, I’ll be over here, daydreaming about my own summer of self-discovery.

"This feels like wealth, I think. This is the thing you save up for. You live your whole life so that you can be surrounded by too many people in too small of a room and tell the story of how it all happened."

This book follows Jane & Dan as they navigate their fraught relationship with each other, whilst also trying to work together for the sake of the movie they both love.

Reading this felt like pure joy. I absolutely tore through it, and it had all the elements of a book I would naturally fall in love with - the beach, a small town, a close-knit family, characters discovering more about themselves, and lines that made me weep. So it's no surprise here that It's a Love Story quietly has become one of the most special books I've read in a while. I desperately want to go to movie night with Jane and her mum, to have breakfast with the Finnegans, and to become best friends with Clem.

"Romance happens over dinner; the candlelight, the wine, everyone looking better than they do. But love happens over breakfast; everything's just as it is, in the light of the 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."

A perfect summation of all the ways I've fallen deeper in love with my person over every breakfast shared. I adored this book.

It's a Love Story genuinely reminded me why I love reading. I had not yet read anything by this author before but I will desperately be reading all of her other books this summer. Absolutely no faults, I loved everything about it. I have never experienced such an emotionally intelligent mmc in my entire life of reading, he was so kind and patient, I loved seeing their meet cute and how it fell apart. I just loved everything about it, potentially a 6 star read for me.
My one issue with the book was the teased one-bed trope, was severely disappointed when one of my favourite tropes wasn't delivered, but it was still perfect.
The third act break actually worked really well, it made sense for who the characters were at that stage and what was happening in the context, normally they really annoy me especially when the communication has been good throughout the book but this was done in a way where it almost felt like it did need to happen for Jane to have her breakthroughs.

Thank you @netgalley for providing this arc.
It wasn't a favorite, but it definitely wasn't a bad book. It just fell like i couldn't really connect to the story in the beginning. Dan and Jane were definitely a cute couple but something lacked in their chemistry or type of relationship. However I did find this book to be slow burn, and thank goodness it was different from other romances i usually read. I truly appreciated seeing Jane's defenses crumble. There's an appealing quality in witnessing someone who has put in so much effort to ber less
"perfect" finally understand that it's perfectly fine to simply be herself. It took her a huge amount of work to actually accept herself the way she is. The ending is still good, but it doesn't quite reach its full potential for satisfaction. If you're familiar with Monaghan's Summer Romance, you may find that this one doesn't delve into emotional exploration as deeply. Although, you should definitely try and read this true revlation" book.

3.5 star. "It's a Love Story" by Annabel Monaghan is a charming and heartwarming read that truly delivers on its promise of a delightful romance. Monaghan has a knack for creating engaging characters you can easily root for, and their journey together felt genuine and sweet. The book is wonderfully light-hearted and serves as a perfect escape, filled with pleasant moments and a feel-good atmosphere. While I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, I did find some of the plot developments a touch predictable, and it occasionally leaned a bit heavily into familiar romance tropes without much deviation. Nevertheless, it's a lovely and enjoyable story that will leave you smiling.

I throughly enjoyed It's a Love Story. It took me a little while to get into it but then... fully there. It's Jane's story really, but she is surrounded by some very important people.

Jane is dead set on making a movie out of a script she just loves. However the people she works for are doubtful about it. Dan - the photographer is quite keen on it too which helps. When Jane makes the promise of getting a song for the movie which just might give it the green light, she is led on a bit of a wild goose chase to find Jack - the pop star.

The chase lead Jane and Dan to Dan's family. They are an amazing family, all the boys look pretty much the same and they tend to give Dan a hard time because he is a bit different. Dan's parents are warm, loving individuals about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. The married brothers have family and Jane makes a hit with some of them, young Ruby in particular.

Is Jane successful in getting the song? Is the movie made? Well that would be giving it away. What I can tell you is that I loved Jane's growth path and her relationship with Dan.

A warm hearted story with times  that made me smile and other times cheer. I loved seeing Jane coming into full ownership of her younger self as well as herself now.

I highly recommend the read.

Another lovely summer book by Annabel Monaghan!! I fell in love with her writing last year and this book was everything I wanted: perfect beachy atmosphere, great pacing, relatable characters.

The romance was beautiful. I loved the chemistry and slowburn between our main characters!! Also the forced proximity added some humor that balanced well with the emotional moments.

Overall a sweet and cozy read that will give you a much needed serotonin boost.

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC.

OBSESSED !

This book was incredible from the first page I was completely entranced by the main characters love story!

I loved both personalities of the MMC & FMC and just could not stop reading! I did finish this in one sitting

Great for Emily Henry fans !