Annabel Monaghan has fast become one of my favourite authors and I loved this book so much. Monaghan writes the most perfect settings and this one is no exception - possibly even better than usual because there’s both Long Island and LA. But my favourite part of It’s A Love Story was Dan’s fabulous big family. I could have happily hung out in that farmhouse forever. A gorgeous book.

”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.”

There are books that feel like a hug, and this was one of them.

When Jane and Dan first met, they felt an instant connection. But then an artistic disagreement occurred, a fight followed, and things between them soured.

Now, they are enthusiastic about the same idea and must work together to make it happen. Working together entails chasing a celebrity, staying at Dan’s parents' place in Long Island, and hanging out with his family.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll probably say it again: I love books about big families. There’s something magical about them—life is rarely messy in book families, the parents are wise, understanding, and supportive, and so are the siblings. They are always there to make you feel unconditionally loved and accepted. What’s more important, these families give us so many book boyfriends!

Jane and Dan were adorable together. Dan had this unique approach to life; he knew what was important and did his own thing regardless of what the world had to say about it. I loved his quiet confidence and his big heart. Jane had issues, which unfortunately caused the third-act drama, but I’m just going to pretend it didn’t happen. I’m so sick of third-act breakups, I’ll just pretend they don’t exist. That’s my new strategy.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“It’s a Love Story” is the first book by Annabel Monaghan that I read.

Thank you Aria & Aries for the ARC.

Unfortunately I need to DNF this book at 24%.
The cover is the reason why I applied for this ARC and I was looking forward to reading the book.
I tried to get into the story, but I do not like the characters and the plot is not engaging.

i really enjoyed this book!

i absolutely LOVE jane. i also love how we get to hear her backstory and find out why she is the way she is.

this book is a classic “enemies to lovers” but i really enjoyed that the enemy part didn’t last forever and that jane and dan came together naturally.

i’d definitely reread this!

A feel good, sweet, realistic romance!
Overall feeling with my first Annabel Monaghan book was CUTE! gives all romantic vibes, you can feel them falling in love! i adored all the summer feeling movie moments so easy to get invested in their love story.

I absolutely loved the big family dynamic, the teasing and banter but ultimately feeling all the love between them, so wholesome.Janes growing relationships with Dans family had me, love a found family trope.

"love happens over breakfast"
"you bring your real self to breakfast" i loved the meaning behind these quotes! id love to see Reenie & Cormacks love story🥹

Thankyou Netgalley and Aria & Aries for this arc all opinions are my own.
-adelereadsromance

i’d like to be the person who could take all of your sad things and make them happy. like i’d hunt down each one and turn it over.”
“i don’t think anyone’s that person for anyone,” i say.
“i don’t think so either.but i’d like to be that person for you.”

oh annabel monagan’s soooo back to us and i can say this because the first time i received this book was at the end of 24’ and when i started reading jane’s story i was simply done for it because well… I TRULY FELT SEEN thanks to annabel’s storytelling but i wasn’t surprised if i have to be honest because since i started reading her books she became quickly one of my favourite authors and when i requested it’s a love story i knew i could have trusted her and she really surprised me by outdoing herself!

as i said before i felt seen while reading jane’s and dan’s feelings because i could relate to both characters… why?because annabel’s stories and protagonists are ALWAYS so raw, real and relatable hence for this it’s very easy and unique to empathize with them and being captured in her stories :’)

jane’s an ex child actor but now she’s in LA as a executive creative at a film studio and she has a good feeling about a script but she needs help from dan aka the director of photography who squashed her first film deal…and so u can imagine her feelings about working with him right? well! prepare yourself to go to long island because these 2 will go there to find a famous singer from jane’s past and guess what’s also the island where dan’s parents will celebrate their anniversary so what are the odds? 😁

dan and jane i wish i could write all the emotions i felt while reading about these 2 characters separately and them as a couple because besides me relating to them they were everything… THE TENSION? THE INTIMACY OF THEIR MOMENTS? THE JEALOUSY? THE HUMOR? THEIR DIALOGUES STOP IT THIS IS REAL LOVE TO ME!!

from the vibes her books can seem just romcoms but in the end these stories aren’t simple romcoms because they are even more trust me because with this book i couldn’t stop thinking about some specific quotes or parts of the stories and well i ended up rereading it this month so when i say that i truly loved this book now u can understand the level of love i’m talking about and if u know u know that this feelings’s rare for me like i’ve already reread an arc ? me ? yes! no but realistically speaking i’m begging to have the physical copy asap because of the need to annotate my fav lines and reread!!

a lot of thanks to netgalley and to aries fiction for sending me the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Jane and Dans story. Jane and Dan end up on a totally unexpected whirlwind adventure, chasing old ghosts and learning more about each other. The journey they take to find each other and accept themselves was heartwarming. A very fun and engaging read!

not my favourite but it was enjoyable and entertaining and I had a good time reading. A summery wholesome read.

Annabel Monaghan returns with another comforting, escapist romance, this time set on the fringes of the film world. Her books are easy to read but written with a lightness of touch and sharp sense of humour that isn't always present in this genre. I think she's great.

Another great read by Annabel Monaghan! I love how her characters always seem more mature than many you read in romance novels, however I do think these characters were slightly younger than her previous books I’ve read. I loved the mental health rep and wanted to wrap Jane in hug and at the same time shake her so she would wake up and accept that love exists and she’s worth it! I enjoyed the small town feel on Long Island. I wasn’t quite as in love with these characters as our MC’s of Annabel’s but I still thoroughly enjoyed this one and 100% recommend it. Unfortunately the timing of when I read this book was straight after a 6 star read for me, so it had a lot to live up to. While I didn’t get the 5 star feels I really did love it and highlighted so many passages with Annabel’s beautiful way of writing and capturing thoughts and emotions. 4.25 stars for me!

Feeling very lucky I was approved an arc copy of this book. This story has me craving summer like right now. It follows Jane Jackson, former child actor turned film executor and cinematographer and rival- Dan Finnegan. When Jane gets her hands on a script she has her heart set on making, she is determined to get it made, even if it means working with rival Dan and tracking down her former teenage fling- Jack.

I loved the vibe and setting that this book gave. The two main characters biking to the beach, laying in the sunshine, sitting on the swing outside the house just felt so wholesome and cosy summer to me. I am itching for that feeling! I also adored Dan’s family and feeling they gave me when reading. I honestly felt what Jane was feeling when she was spending time with them.

Jane is a very reserved character in the sense of she thinks through every small detail of her life when we really find out she is holding on to some pretty big trauma. I enjoyed seeing her opening up and letting down her barriers.

This is my first Annabel Monaghan book but will definitely be adding her others to my TBR. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sharing this digital arc with me in exchange for my honest review.

DNF

this is my second attempt at reading something by this author, and once again i couldn’t make it past the 5th chapter, it simply didn’t work for me. there’s something so anticlimactic about her writing style that stops me from connecting with the characters or the story. I think it’s time to accept that her books and I just aren’t a good match.

many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange of an honest review!

I have loved every book by Annabel Monaghan so I had high expectations going into this one, and it really lived up to them.

While I thought the beginning was a bit rushed, I soon became completely invested in Jane and Dan as individuals and as a couple. They are both very real and relatable characters, and I was rooting for both their individual character development and their romantic development. You can really see how they both grow throughout the book, and how deeply they care for each other. I wasn't completely keen on the insta-love of it, but with how much growth they showed, I didn't mind in the end.

Annabel Monaghan's books always feel like more than a romance and this one was no exception. The emotions that are described feel real and raw, and I could fully connect to the characters and what they were going through. However, I wasn't completely invested in the Jack aspect of the storyline, and I do wish that we had seen Jane stand up for herself more in this regard. With all the growth she was showing, it would have been good to see.

Overall, though, this is a moving and realistic love story packed with emotion.

3 stars

Im sad to say It's not my favorite book from Annabel. I did have fun reading it, and our main couple was super adorable together, and yes, it was a bit instalovey, but it was cute enough I didn't mind.
My main issue was that I didn't feel like there was any real "drama" or that it wasn't "that deep" so I lose my interest at times (a first one for me with AM books) but still this was a super cute read about finding the✨️ spark✨️ in ourselves again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jane has spent years shedding her awkward child actor past, crafting the perfect, polished image she believes she needs to succeed. Now an exec at a studio, she’s determined to bring her dream love story script to life. Enter Dan-the annoyingly handsome and talented cinematographer she’s butted heads with before. But when one little lie spirals, she finds herself tagging along to his family gathering while also chasing down the key to getting her passion project greenlit.

Tropes and themes I loved:
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Hollywood drama
✨ Slow Burn Romance
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Big family life

The magic of Monaghan’s books lies in the way her characters slowly peel back their carefully constructed facades. The timing is never perfect, mistakes are made, but the journey is full of humor, charm, and those satisfying ‘finally’ moments that make you root for love.

That said, while I liked this one, it wasn’t my favorite from Annabel. The beginning felt a little rushed, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters at first. But once it found its rhythm, I was invested. If you loved Nora Goes Off Script, you’ll definitely want to pick this up!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC

Jane has spent years shedding her awkward child actor past, crafting the perfect, polished image she believes she needs to succeed. Now an exec at a studio, she’s determined to bring her dream love story script to life. Enter Dan-the annoyingly handsome and talented cinematographer she’s butted heads with before. But when one little lie spirals, she finds herself tagging along to his family gathering while also chasing down the key to getting her passion project greenlit.

For fans of:
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Hollywood drama
✨ Slow Burn Romance
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Big family life

The magic of Monaghan’s books lies in the way her characters slowly peel back their carefully constructed facades. The timing is never perfect, mistakes are made, but the journey is full of humor, charm, and those satisfying ‘finally’ moments that make you root for love.

That said, while I liked this one, it wasn’t my favorite from Annabel. The beginning felt a little rushed, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters at first. But once it found its rhythm, I was invested. If you loved Nora Goes Off Script, you’ll definitely want to pick this up!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC

Well, this was an amazing summer romance! It's a love story was my first time reading the author and I can already tell that I want to read all of her backlist.
Enemies to lovers will always be a superior trope to me and mixed with forced proximity only makes it even better.
This was also the type of story that seems much more fluffy when in reality deals with very heavy and deep topics, but what I discovered is that Annabel has an amazing balance between the cute and not so cute aspects keeping it emotional but also funny and light.
Now, the romance!!!! Not spicy at all but with all the feels!!!! The chemistry, the tension, the slow burn. Pure perfection! There's also a lot of banter between the characters, and witty conversations and I specially loved the side characters, the family interactions and the way that they support each other through everything.
I strongly believe that if you love feel good stories, with complicated emotional depth, Abby Jimenez style, this is the perfect book for you! I can't wait to see what else has the author in storage.

I started reading this book feeling a little wary - because well, I loved "Nora Goes Off Script" and then I didn't love the next two books too much, but no worries guys, I was immediately in. It was like "Nora" - an absolutely perfect love story.

The strength lies in the characters and the writing style. Annabel Monaghan can write the most beautiful things about falling in love without them feeling too meh and she can brilliantly describe all the emotions, both positive and negative. This writing is like a big hug, enveloping you immediately. There are a lot of words - the descriptions and the inner monologues are long and very detailed and sometimes I wished they were shorter and straigh to the point, but that's the way the book is. Not many dialogues, but the banter is then brilliant and light - hearted and feels genuine.
The characters were, in my opinion, very well done. Both the main ones as the background ones, especially the Mob - Dan's family. My kind of family - full of chaos but you know where you belong. Our mian character, Jane, goes on a journey of finding herself and I loved how she embraced her true - self and left her comfort zones.
And you know that there is going to be some kind of conflict, there must be some kind of conflict, right, but this time I was literally praying for no conflict at all, because the two characters worked so, so well together.

The book has something magic in it, something that will pull you immediately in and you won't want to stop reading. It's true and beautiful and it's so much more than just a romance, as the author touches upon some deeper issues. Loved it!

In this story we follow Jane a film producer whose latest work seems promising and could save her from being fired after many rejections from her company. However one of the producers is Dan who since day one has been extremely critical of all her previous projects. When Jane struggles to get a green light, she claims to still be in touch with Jack, one of the biggest pop stars. However that is a lie and to try to convince him to work with her, she travels to Long Island alongside Dan since his brother is working on the set of one of Jack’s concerts. While spending the week at Dan’s she struggles to keep up her lie, will they be able to get Jack on board of their project?

This is my first book by this author and I have to say that it was an amazing read. The writing was very easy to read and the setting was perfect for the summer. I liked Jane a lot and I found her very relatable, Dan was an absolute sweetheart, I’m obsessed. The love story was super comforting and calm, which makes so much sense for the two MCs. This was such a fun and heartwarming rom-com, that I would recommend to everyone. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book easily gets 5 stars! I loved it! ✨💛

It was so hard to put this book down, it felt like a warm hug. If you're looking for the perfect read for spring & summer 🌼, this is it. I could read hundreds of books about these characters.
Dan with his love for "the quiet" (I totally get that) and Jane, who is quite an overthinker (again, totally get it) and kind of awkward in some situations. There should be a movie about this couple, so cute! It had me swooning and giggling. I also loved the family aspect in the book (<3 Dan's family).

Although it's a cosy romance, there are a few life lessons to think about. I will definitely buy a physical copy when the book comes out. It was my first book by Annabel Monaghan but I will for sure check out her other novels.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC ♡