✧ 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 !

Jane a former childhood actor now Hollywood executive producer who is trying to get one of her scripts made into a movie. Dan a cinematographer hired to help with creating the vision, however Jane is not a fan and finds Dan arrogant. Jane comes up with a plan to save the movie by asking former co star Jack Quinlan now a famous pop star, to write a song for it, however they haven’t been in contact for many years. The story follows Jane’s journey of tracking Jack down whilst he is playing in Dans hometown leading them to have to work together and end up staying at Dans family home. A slow burn, opposites attract summer romance is told whilst unpacking trauma along the way and experiencing found family. I enjoyed this as my first read from this author and hope to read more of their work. A lot of happy cute moments with contrasting moments too.
“Love happens over breakfast”

Took me a little while to get into but once I did, I absolutely loved it. I didn't feel the initial spark between Dan and Jane, if I'm honest. That's until I realised this was a softer kind of build, a pair who really see each other amongst the chaos of families, past hurt, work pressures. I ended up really believing in them and rooting for them. It was just a gorgeous, warm story.

Grazie sia a G.P. Putnam's Sons che Aria & Aries per la copia ebook del libro.
E' ufficiale che nel mio gruppo di autrici preferite ci sia anche la Monaghan. Se amate le atmosfere alla Harry ti presento Sally, credo che questo libro possa proprio fare al caso vostro.
La storia è di una sincerità disarmante nell'andare a scardinare quell'idea di amore da favola che spesso viene paventato come "vero", ricordando che è proprio nella realtà delle piccole cose che ci si innamora davvero di una persona - un po' come effettivamente è stato per First-Time Caller.
Jane non è un personaggio che si ama immediatamente, perchè chiusa, spesso tagliente contro Dan anche in maniera eccessiva, e troppo concentrata sul farsi apprezzare. Poi le pagine vanno avanti, e si scopre una giovane donna con più di una ferita profonda in campo affettivo che le hanno precluso il considerarsi una persona meritevole d'affetto per com'è davvero. Ecco il perchè della maschera che spesso indossa, del distacco dagli altri, del non credere di essere fatta per l'amore... e come non capirla dopo aver saputo tutto quello che c'è dietro?
Qui si aggiunge la settimana con la famiglia di Dan, che ho amato immensamente nel loro caotico disordine. La facilità con cui Jane viene accettata non risulta mai artefatta, ma anche qui fatta di piccoli comportamenti e attenzioni nei suoi confronti che mi hanno scaldato il cuore (il momento con la piccola Ruby sul palco? Mi sono commossa). Ed è proprio in questo contesto che accade la "magia": la vera Jane esce fuori inizialmente in maniera timida, e poi con sempre più forza, cosa che permette poi a lei e Dan di innamorarsi davvero.
Peccato che questo suo coraggio ritrovato sia ancora troppo fragile per non venire urtato e spezzarsi di fronte a determinate situazioni per cui ho passato la parte finale con le mani nei capelli nel domandarmi come ne saremmo mai potuti venire fuori. Per fortuna la Monaghan mi ha sorpresa, non solo con un confronto necessario tra Jane e sua madre, ma anche in quello finale con Dan, privo di grandi sviolinate ma con la concretezza necessaria non solo per appianare più di una parola detta per ferire, ma anche per fornire le basi di una reale relazione futura.
Saranno storie prive di eclatanti eventi, ma è proprio la verità di questi racconti che mi fa innamorare di questi libri, tanto da essere certa di volerli rileggere ancora e ancora.

book review - it’s a love story by Annabel Monaghan ☀️🍓📷🏡🥞☕️

My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

I genuinely adored this one 🥹 no surprises here, I’m always a fan of Annabel Monaghan’s books - but It’s a Love Story might be a new favourite (the fact I highlighted 78 quotes probably says it all!).

I find Annabel Monaghan’s writing clever, witty and full of heart - she has this way of turning the most ordinary moments into something meaningful, like a morning coffee suddenly feeling like a declaration of love 😭🥹 This book is gentle, thoughtful, and full of those quiet, small moments that somehow feel huge.

Jane is flawed, messy, and figuring things out, and I really appreciated how honest her character felt. AND her chemistry with Dan was so wholesome and sweet, and felt so genuine. Like what do you mean these characters aren’t real 😭

There were moments that made my heart absolutely ache, but also moments that had me giggling and laughing out loud - I loved it so so much!

This is the kind of story that reminds you love doesn’t need to be loud - sometimes just being there is enough 💗

Pick this one up if you enjoy:

• Rivals to lovers
• Opposites attract
• Workplace romance
• Forced proximity
• Slow burn & fade to black
• Emotional support strawberry pop tarts
• Baked goods as a love language

Thank you so much to @annabelmonaghan, @headofzeus and @netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was my first book from Annabel Monaghan and probably not my last. I didn't love it but it was easy reading.

A few of my thoughts while reading:
Jakes, Jack and Jackson - probably could've had a bit more variety there.
Was there ever any reason for Jane hiding in the closet or under her desk? Seemed a bit silly. And she was quite childish.
I've never seen the Notebook so all the references got a bit annoying.
Was a little more repetitive then I would like. Especially the "oof" face.
The Jack Quinlan "plot" was a bit of a waste of time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This book taught me the importance of listening to my mood – I tried to start it one day and couldn’t get into it, left it for a week and devoured it in a day.
I loved getting to see Jane experience that sense of true community that she’d been missing. I also loved seeing her realise her worth and be able to be authentic herself without the worry of how she was being perceived and realise that was how she could be truly happy. I also loved the way Dan gave her such an enjoyable week filled with those experiences she’d never had having grown up the way she had. Honest, tender, funny – an all round lovely read.

It’s a Love Story was such a sweet, emotional, and comforting read. I absolutely loved the relationship between Jane and Dan, it felt so real and full of warmth.
Jane was funny, relatable, and struggling with her past in a way that made her feel human. Dan was supportive and kind, and their connection really made me smile. I enjoyed the Hollywood meets small town beach vibe, and the contrast between Jane’s and Dan’s families added depth to the story. The banter between the characters was a highlight and it made the romance even better. I also appreciated how the story touched on family, grief, and personal growth alongside the love story.
Jane’s journey of facing her fears and opening up really stuck with me. The supporting characters, especially Dan’s family and Clem, added so much charm.
Overall, this book was like a warm hug, easy to read, full of heart, and beautifully written.

Former child star turned producer searches for her big break and instead finds something unexpected.

📚 found family
📚 enemies to lovers
📚 forced proximity
📚 one bedroom

🌶️

“𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒶 𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓀 𝒽𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒶 𝑔𝓊𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒻𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓊𝓅 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑔𝓊𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹?”

|𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 |
Easy read and appreciated being able to come along for the ride as these two slowly grew closer together. So many cute scenes that felt like a montage from a romance movie.

There was a lot to love about this story. Have always been a staunch fan of the large, found family aspects in books and enjoyed the fictionalised slices of Hollywood. There is also something about the one bed (room in this case)/ forced proximity that just makes for the best tension in a story.

“𝐼 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒’𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉”

Was really resonating with this story until we reach the dreaded third act break up. Felt a little unnecessary and immature of the characters.

“𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝓎 𝓂𝓊𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼’𝓂 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉’𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑒’𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝒷𝑒𝒹, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝒻𝓊𝓁”

Before picking up, I’d recommend watching The Notebook (because it’s reference a lot and also because it’s a great movie).

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an extensive eARC in exchange for my honest review.

‘It’s A Love Story’ by Annabel Monaghan is a gorgeous and summery enemies-to-lovers romance that delivers a lot wonderfully relatable heroine and an abundance of laughs. We meet media executive Jane who is determined to get funding for a movie project close to her heart. She soon realises that the only route to a green light is a white lie… one which leads to her bunking up with workplace rival Dan and his family in his Long Island childhood home to stalk a dismissive popstar she once knew!

This was such a sweet read, and the chemistry between Jane and Dan was believable - I was really rooting for them and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Jane’s own journey to self-acceptance and embracing the past was captivating, and Dan’s family were fabulous.

Overall, this big-hearted beach read gets four stars from me, and belongs in your suitcase (or on your kindle ready for your summer reading)!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Aria & Aries via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The story follows Jane Jackson, a former child star trying to rebuild her life and career as a Hollywood studio executive. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she claimed that she could get mega popstar Jack Quinlan to write a song for the movie. Jack may have been her first kiss—and greatest source of shame—but she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years. Now Jane must turn to the last man she’d ever want to owe: Dan Finnegan. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan as she faces down her past is Jane's idea of hell, but he just might surprise her.

This is my first Annabel monaghan book but will definitely be adding her others to my TBR. I loved this book sm. The writing was beautiful and i was hooked from the start.

What I loved most was how real Jane felt. She’s funny, flawed, anxious, and trying so hard to move on from her past. Her dynamic with Dan is full of banter and tension, but it builds into something really sweet and genuine. And even though it’s technically a romance, the story also dives into bigger themes like growing up in the spotlight, and learning to own who you are.

I loved Jane’s interactions with Dan’s family. Watching her slowly come out of her shell and learn to see that even the not-so-perfect parts of herself are lovable was so emotional.

𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 :
• enemies to lovers
• forced proximity
• fake it till you make it
• opposites attract
• grumpy x sunshine
• slow burn

Thank you Annabel Monaghan, Aria & Aries & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

I’ve really enjoyed Monaghan’s other books, and this is my new favourite. The blend of east and west coast, the hustle of the film world vs the warm and beachy family vibes made for a cosy and entertaining read.

Jane and Dan were interesting and human, and their chemistry felt easy and natural, without being cookie cutter. I absolutely adored Dan’s family, and how he found his identify both with and away from them.

The writing style was engaging and warm, and perfectly paced. I felt like I was watching a movie, and could have happily sat with Dan and Jane’s story a little longer. I’d highly recommend to anyone who has enjoyed Monaghan’s other books, or who are looking for a summery and comforting romance.

Thank you Aria & Aries for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

A gorgeous sunshiney romance from Annabel Monaghan. Set in Hollywood, ex child star Jane Jackson is now a film maker and she's goes on a wild good chase with her work nemesis Dan Finnegan to try and get the green light on a film script they both want to make.

Jane is delightful, funny and clever, but hiding a crippling anxiety that makes her literally hide in her closet.

Dan is also complicated, with issues around his life choices, and essentially his character. He's low-key estranged from his large family and working hard to make it in Hollywood. When these two spend a week together with his family they are able to be open together and it's swoony and so romantic. Not insta-love as it's been bubbling for a while and their vulnerability is healing for them both.

This would have been a five star read for me except that Jane's core issues around her unloveability didn't resonate when she had the means to access therapy and other assistance.

If you love Sarah Adams' books this will be a perfect read!

Thank you Annabel Monaghan, and Aria Books for the ARC. This review is entirely my own opinion.