"I'd like to be the person who could take all of your sad things and make them happy."

Jane Jackson is a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios and she’s faking it till she makes it. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she opened her mouth and a big fat fib fell out. She claimed that Jack Quinlan, hottest popstar of the moment, has promised to write an original song for the soundtrack. But she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years. Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown on Long Island, and Dan has an in.

I didn't know what to expect with this having forgotten the synopsis. Dan was so much more and I loved uncovering his layers especially as they wandered around his hometown. I loved the giddiness that came with their new relationship; stolen glances, hand holds, affirming words, it was all beautiful.

Dan's family was wild. The banter was amazing and their acceptance of each other even with mistakes was beautiful. I loved Jane's support system as she faced past hurts in order to move forward. This was beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5⭐
Steam level: 2.5🌶️ Fade to black scenes

Annabel Monoghan has fully cemented herself as one of my all-time favourite authors. I adored her previous books, and this one was no different. Annabel just has this beautiful way of writing characters you can't help but love.

I loved everything about this book, and while I was scared about the whole lying situation (it tends to gives me second hand anxiety), this was done really well and actually found it brought a lot to the story and character development. I really enjoyed the premise of this one and really loved the discussion about child actors and how success is measured against other child stars. Jane was such an amazing character who had spent her whole childhood being told what to do and who to be. I really liked seeing her come into her own and find out who she truly was.

I absolutely adored Dan and his family, who were just amazing side characters and hilarious. I loved getting to know more about Dan and how behind everything he's quiet and unsure of himself. I loved the romance between him and Jane, especially when I found out how the two went from crushes to enemies.

While this is a rom-com, I love that Annabel deals with some tougher topics such as loneliness and struggling to fit in. I found myself with tears in my eyes at certain points as some of it just really hits you deep, which is something I love about Annabel's writing and books.

I can't recommend this and Annabel's books enough. I can't wait for whatever she writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Annabel Monaghan and I was very excited when I received the ARC.
Jane Jackson is 33 and a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios. We meet the anxious and nervous Jane pitching a manuscript to the studio she believes would make a great movie. Her boss and the committee don’t agree and prefer to pass on it but won’t let it go because her job is on the line and says she can get the most popular rock star to write a song for the movie…..

We find out that when she was younger, Jane was a childhood actress in a popular sitcoms and said rock star was in the sitcom with her. However they haven’t spoken in over 20 years, so how is she going to deliver……

Enter her nemesis Dan Finnegan the cinematographer who has disagreed with every pitch she has presented, including this latest script. Together can they pull this off and get he song and the movie approved?

I wasn’t sold on Jane in the first few chapters, I thought she was self absorbed, neurotic, had first world problems and trying to keep up with the Jones at all costs. As Jane’s character was revealed, we see that she is the product of being that child star. She uses her acting skills to hide her lack of confidence in herself and anxiety. She has strange coping mechanisms when she is on her own. But we also find out Jane is witty and funny and a talented musician and singer which she tries to hide from everyone.

The banter between her and Dan was well written. I loved Dan and how he called her out on her BS. I love that he knew how desperate she was to get this project approved and came to her aid.
Meeting his family is just what she needed. It have her perspective and also made her see Dan in a new light.

I enjoyed the writing style and the storyline even though I found it a bit slow at times.

Thank you NetGalley,Aria and Annabel Monaghan for the advance copy of this book!

Jane and Dan don't get on. As the book progresses you find out why, but will he be able to change her mind about him? A great read, and I loved the setting around his family home.

‘A stormy romance - the best kind’

After recently reading ‘Nora Goes Off Script’, I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Annabel Monaghan’s upcoming novel, which is out on the 27th of May.

Jane was a childhood actress who played the comedic sidekick in a highly successful children’s show. Now in her 30s, she’s a Creative Executive trying to turn her favourite script into a movie. To make it happen, she just needs to persuade superstar Jack Quinlan (whom she duetted with on the show when they were children) to write and sing a song for the movie. In her desperation to make it happen, she enlists the help of cinematographer Dan Finnegan, whom she detests - but needs must!!

And so, unfolds a summer that will change her life forever!

Annabel, you’ve absolutely smashed it again! This heartwarming page-turner was such a delight. I particularly enjoyed the chapters involving Dan’s family - loved, loved, loved Dan’s family so much! And the way you described everything made it so real.

Now must backtrack and read your other two novels. Thanks again to @paigetoonauthor for recommending Annabel’s books - now definitely on my auto-buy list!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Aria & Aries @headofzeus for my advanced digital copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#itsalovestory #annabelmonaghan #netgalley #arcreview #bookreview #stormyromance #romancebooks

Jane Jackson has spent her adolescence known as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punchline on America's fifth-favourite sitcom. Now she’s a creative executive at Clearwater Studios, and she is determined to get a project through to production. However, the person that is standing in her way is her least favourite person, pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan. To succeed, she tells a huge lie and that is that Jack Quinlan, hottest popstar of the moment, has promised to write an original song for the soundtrack. However, she hasn’t spoken to Jack in twenty years, back when he gave her ‘first kiss’ and then shattered her confidence and belief in love. Jane must tag along with Dan to his hometown on Long Island, as Jack is meant to be playing there at a festival. For one week, as Jane gets closer to Dan, she finds herself petrified by facing her past when she meets Jack again.
I have read all of Annabel Monaghan’s books, and this one was truly beautiful. She just continues to make each book so unique, truthful, and realistic. I loved both characters, Jane and Dan. Jane gives the perception that she has her life in control, but as she spends time with Dan, she finds herself opening up to him and just being herself. Her fears are so understandable, as is her inability to share this with Dan, who is such a beautiful soul. Likewise, Dan initially appears to be arrogant from Jane’s initial experience, but as she spends time with him, his goodness wins her over. This was such a beautiful romance that I found myself racing to the end to see how it would turn out, yet wishing the story could go on forever. 5+ stars!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I first met Annabel Monaghan on Twitter (now X) a few years ago when she was excitedly promoting her book, Nora Goes Off Script. (I should add, we’ve not really met, but I feel like I know her – thanks social media!). I’ve since read and loved all her books, and so I was incredibly excited to be sent an advance copy of It’s a Love Story a few months before it was published.

Spoiler Alert: I loved it.

Great characters, fabulous setting (Hollywood and the movies – what’s not to love!), a fun romance.

If you’re looking for your next read that will take you away from the boring parts of your life for a few hours, this is it.

5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for sending me an advance copy.

When Jane claims she knows Jack Quinlan, the current hotshot in music, she tells her workplace she can get in touch with him to do a song for their production. What Jane fails to tell everyone is that she hasn't spoken to Jack in twenty years. Who knows if he'll even remember her! On a mission to track him down, Jane along with her work colleague and nemesis Dan decide to head to Dan's hometown where Jack will be playing at a music festival. Will they find him? Will he agree?

I'm not saying too much more about the storyline because I don't want to give too much away but I always know I'm in for a treat when Annabel Monaghan comes out with a new book and this one did not disappoint. With witty banter, a lot of laughs, fun family moments and the one bed trope (one of my faves!), this book will be a perfect addition to your summer reading list.

👩🏽‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏽💘🎥🎞️🎬

After loving Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan, I was really looking forward to this one, but unfortunately, it didn’t give me the same kind of feels. I’m not sure if it was the timing or the story itself, so I might revisit it someday to see if my feelings change.

I found it a little hard to get into at first, and I struggled to connect with Jane as the main character. Around the middle, it felt like the plot lost a bit of its focus, which made it harder to stay fully engaged.

That said, there were moments I truly enjoyed. I loved the way Jane and Dan’s first meeting was told—it was tender, funny and memorable. The Finnegan family brought a lot of warmth and charm to the story, and there were some beautiful quotes and genuinely relatable moments scattered throughout. While I didn’t fully fall for the romance, Dan and Jane definitely had their sweet moments.

Definitely loved this closed door romance. The writing kept me intrigued and made the story seem like it went by to fast. From the beginning to the end the romance was there. The tension was great the MMC was a gem. The FMC had some issues to work through but she got through it.

I’m always so thrilled when Annabel Monaghan has a new book out. She is far and away my favourite romance writer. Her books are charming and funny with lovely characters that you are gunning for from the first page.
Jane and Dan are another fabulous will they/won’t they pair. As they go from hate to love in Long Island there is so much to enjoy in the scenery and cast of supporting characters. As is always the case with romance the storyline is a little formulaic but that only adds to the enjoyment!
If you haven’t read Annabel Monaghan’s books, Recife that immediately - and I’m sure you will have read all of them by the end of summer….

This book was like a nice summer vacation for my brain! I actually felt like I was on the beach!
I loved the character growth and development in this book, the writing was amazing and I could really empathise with the characters!
The feelings, the humour, the slowww burn!
And the side characters as well! Dans family was so good!
I will note a couple of times Jane annoyed me but I can let it slide haha I really enjoyed this!
Thanks again NetGalley for the eARC!

This was such a cute, fun, summery read! It was so cool to get an insight into Jane's life in Hollywood too, in an era where child stars struggle or are dismissed with they turn eighteen. Such a lovely book!

This book felt like a warm hug! It tugged at my heartstrings, made me laugh and kick my feet at every single scene.

I loved Dan and Jane so so much, seeing them love each other felt like a reward. I think Annabel Monaghan is absolutely brilliant at writing very simple stuff and emotions beautifully and that is exactly what she did with Jane and Dan's relationship, their individual stuggles and dynamics, as well as the love they felt for each other. I also adored how Jane's relationship with her mum was portratyed and how realistic it felt to keep something to yourself just because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Their little family was a beautiful contrast to Dan's family and how they communicated and it just showed that family, relationships and love come in all shapes and sizes.

There were some lines that I want to tattoo on my brain and never forget.

After reading the last 3 of Annabel Monaghan's adult romances last year and loving them all, my expectations were pretty high for this one.
I wonder if maybe that was a problem because this one fell a little short.
It's not a bad book and I didn't dislike it. It was just very average. I still enjoy her writing and she has a talent to transport me to a summer beach like no-one else.
Having said that, a huge part of why I didn't love this book was because I didn't love Jane at all. She was highly immature and acted more like a teenager than a functional, employed, fairly successful adult.
I didn't buy into how quickly things went from we-don't-like-each-other to I'm-head-over-heels-in-love-with-you. Also, taking someone you don't really like to spend a week at your family's home, on the opposite side of the country, when a big celebration is going to take place? Implausible at best.
The whole Jack Quinlan subplot also ended up going nowhere and it was flimsy to begin with anyway.
I did enjoy the Long Island portion of the book and the Finnegans were great! I loved spending time with them.
Even if "It's a Love Story" didn't really work for me, I would still read anything Annabel Monaghan writes in the future.

Many thanks to the publisher for approving me to read this eARC.

This is a really fun read with strong romcom movie vibes.

We follow Jane, a former child star turned creative exec, and Dan, a cinematographer who torpedoed one of her film pitches. Dan and Jane had a really meet-cute moment just before the torpedoing occurred, but the connection fizzled out as Jane was furious at his takedown of her pitch. Ever since they’ve had a tense professional relationship but when Jane pitches a new project and in desperation name-drops a famous musician (and former crush) as a potential for the soundtrack, she and Dan end up on a road trip to his hometown where the musician is appearing in a music festival.

The set up has great romcom potential, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, small town charm, and whilst moments between Jane and Dan were cute and often funny, the pacing just felt a little off and the story fell a little flat for me. The whole point of the road trip had been to track down the musician however this took a backseat which was strange as it could really have been quite a fun plot line. Jane was quite emotionally reserved and as a child star she’d perfected the art of acting the part in any situation, which made her character a little harder to root for, especially in comparison to Dan who came across as much more fleshed out and relatable.

That said, it is a fun and quick read with plenty of romcom moments, including a kiss in the rain!

Sadly this book was not for me 😭 I love Annabel’s writing, and I had such high hopes! But I just didn’t like the plot of this book, nor the fmc unfortunately.

Starting with what I liked - the setting! Jane & Dan stay with Dan’s large & raucous family in Long Island , and the summer vibes are perfect ☀️ The descriptions of cycling down to gorgeous beaches & days in the sun made me feel like I was there! I also loved Dan’s family, who were loving and a lot of fun.

On the flip side, I didn’t love the plot. I get bad second hand embarrassment and I cringed SO many times whilst reading this book 🫣 There is an acceptable number of times to stalk someone in a book, and that number is 2 fewer than Jane does 🫠

Because of this I didn’t like Jane very much. I was hoping her character arc would be filled with growth and better decisions - but even by the end she was still immature and just mean, and her actions don’t feel justified by her history.

The irony of this love story is that many of Jane’s problems stem from her insta love when she was a teenager… but then despite being vehemently anti-love at the start of this book, her and Dan’s sweeping love affair takes place over one single week. It doesn’t feel like long enough for her entire mindset to change and for her to fall in love - especially with someone she claimed to hate at the start of the week.

I normally love Annabel’s books, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me sadly.

Unfortunately this was a DNF at 30% for me 😭

This was a book I was so so excited about, I’ve heard amazing things about this author and I loved Nora Goea Off Script. However, this one I found the writing felt so different and didn’t give me that wow feeling in the same way as Nora goes off script. The main character I felt constantly frustrated with and I just found myself not interested in her story at all. There were some funny moments, I think she writes good banter. But I just couldn’t find myself interested enough to continue, which im so sad about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for sending me this ARC. This was a great love story where you can watch the love grow between the two main characters. I really enjoyed the character development that Jane (FMC) went through and honestly I felt like I was on that journey with her which I loved! I struggled with getting into the story for the first 30% but as Jane was discovering herself and allowing herself to be vulnerable, I was enjoying it much more! There were a good mix of heartfelt scenes, sad scenes, funny scenes - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cute summery romance story, great for fans of Emily Henry and Laurie Gilmour!

Like all of her books I really enjoyed this one. I loved the connection between Jane and Dan and enjoyed the growth of their friendship into love. I found the memories they had of each other nostalgic and Jane’s determination to seek success in her career is something lots of women can relate to.

Dan has a lovely family and I enjoy books which showcase a caring and loving family for a male character and even though Dan’s job is across the country, his family have open arms for him all the time. They are welcoming to Jane and I enjoyed that aspect.

A slow burn romance which gives all the feels, set in a beautiful place and another success for the author.