Review: It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
It took about 10 pages of Nora Goes Off Script for me to become a fan of Annabel Monaghan back in 2022. I look forward to her books each year. I really really enjoyed this one, it felt like a departure from her previous works while still remaining true to her roots. It was everything a fourth book from an author should be.
Synopsis:
”Love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth.
Jane Jackson spent her adolescence as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punch line on America's fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s trying to be taken seriously as a Hollywood studio executive by embracing a new mantra: Fake it till you make it.
Except she might have faked it too far. 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. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Characters—I love a big family of messy, loud, involved characters and Dan’s family fit the bill. I loved how they interacted with each other and I also loved the main characters and their romance. It all felt deliciously summery while still being real.
The Pacing—If there’s one thing this author has mastered, it’s pacing. It astounds me every time how each word counts and no parts are overwritten. It’s a true talent.
The Freshness of the Story for the Author—Like I said, this felt familiar and new at the same time, which fit for the characters as they were in a familiar and new place together.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The Ending/3rd Act Break Up—The reasoning didn’t quite land for me and it felt like we were reaching a bit to hold onto Jane’s need for perfection an order. She’d let go of so much of that throughout her time on the East Coast, it felt forced to go back to that.
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 4/5
Content Warnings:
death of a parent, abandonment,