Its a Love Story, Annabel Monaghan
Its a Love Story, Annabel Monaghan
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

It's a Love Story

Author: Annabel Monaghan

Narrator: Hillary Huber

Unabridged: 8 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 05/27/2025


Synopsis

The Instant New York Times bestseller

“Poignant, funny, and bingeable, Annabel Monaghan writes five star reads.” —Abby Jimenez

From the USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV actress-turned-Hollywood producer whose “fake it till you make it” mantra sets her on a crash course with her past, forcing her to spend a week on Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.

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?

About The Author

Annabel Monaghan is the New York Times bestselling author of It’s a Love Story, Summer Romance, Same Time Next Summer, and Nora Goes Off Script, as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in The Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. After twenty-five years in the suburbs of New York City, she now splits her time between Connecticut and Florida. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three languages.


Reviews

Goodreads review by ellen on May 04, 2025

thank you to net galley for providing this arc!! this was like a summery warm hug in a book, i really adored this one. the atmosphere was crafted so beautifully, i feel like i was right there with them on a beach in summer with my swimsuit and my sunnies. the romance was definitely more of a slow bur......more

Goodreads review by Jayme on May 01, 2025

Annabel Monaghan is four for four for me! She has delivered another heartwarming story about a relatable woman in her thirties who is just trying to make it in a World that isn’t always kind! Jane Jackson was a childhood actress who grew up in front of the camera playing the comedic sidekick to Americ......more

Goodreads review by manas on March 24, 2025

dnf @ chapter 10, 25% unfortunately, i don't think annabel's books are for me, AND that is ok. i hope everyone who wants to read this will still enjoy the book. there is nothing incoherently wrong with the novel, it's more so very banal and isn't keeping my interest. i am glad i gave this one a chan......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on May 16, 2025

You know how sometimes you pick up a book expecting a light read, but it ends up making you feel things? That's what Annabel Monaghan gives us here. Our heroine Jane Jackson is a former child actor trying to outrun her awkward past by becoming this polished studio exec. But then she backs herself in......more

Goodreads review by mackenzie on February 16, 2025

honestly not much to say other than if you liked anabel monaghan’s other book(s), you’re gonna eat this up. perfect beachy sort of read while simultaneously packing an emotional punch and honestly is there anything better than that?? my only complaint is the same one i had about summer romance – the......more


Quotes

A Boston Globe Best Book of the Summer
A Harper’s Bazaar Top Summer Romance Book of All Time
A People Romance Book to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
A New York Post Most Anticipated Book of the Year
An Elle Best Romance of the Year
A BookBub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A GoodReads New Romance to Heat Up Summer
A Scary Mommy Best Book of the Year

“Impossible to put down.” —People

“Monaghan deserves a prime spot in the pantheon of adult romance.” —Boston Globe

“Monaghan is known for her charming, funny novels—and her latest checks both boxes!” —Woman’s World

“Another sharp, emotionally layered rom-com.” —Town & Country

“Funny, charming, and with just the right amount of introspection—a pitch-perfect beach read . . . Perfect for fans of Carley Fortune or Abby Jimenez, It's a Love Story is summer reading at its best.” —Shelf Awareness

“Annabel Monaghan has a direct line to my heart—and my funny bone. With It's a Love Story, she’s given us an enemies-to-lovers romcom that’s SO MUCH MORE. This is dopamine in book form. And don’t we all need that right now?” —Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Summers at the Saint

“Annabel Monaghan has written a love story that is as laugh-out-loud funny as it is emotionally profound. Don’t miss this perfect summer escape.” —Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Pact

“[A] breezy, endearing summer rom-com with a great hook.” —Elle

“Now, this is a love story . . . It is a quiet (albeit loud, given the boisterous Irish family that has a starring role in the pages and in my heart) love story. It is a laugh-out-loud funny love story. It is a love story that feels real.” —Beach Reads & Bubbly

“I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and trust me, it is going to be the book of the summer!!!” —Caro Chambers, author of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

“[A] bingeable beachy contemporary . . . Monaghan mines a lot of joy out of [a] close-knit family dynamic and the scenic coastal setting, while creating a heroine readers will root for. This is an addictive romp.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Monaghan has an uncanny ability to write love stories that resonate as true and believable in the most beautiful way.” —BookBub

“Monaghan has proven herself to be a master of the summer romance genre, and her latest book is no exception . . . It’s a Love Story is a brilliant blend of Hollywood and small-town romance, making it the perfect companion for wherever your summer adventures take you.” —Bookreporter

“Monaghan always delivers engaging, breezy beach reads and her latest is no different.” —E! News

“Part Hollywood caper, part vacation romance, It's a Love Story is all heart … Much like author Annabel Monaghan's previous novels, It's a Love Story also features an intricate family dynamic, which adds richness and groundedness to what might otherwise read as pure fantasy.” —Women’s Health

“The most beautiful, perfect love story—I loved it with my whole heart! I could have lived inside this book forever. It’s my favorite Annabel Monaghan novel yet, and made me cry such happy emotional tears!” —Paige Toon, internationally bestselling author of Seven Summers

“Those who enjoy engaging tales with standout characters and fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will devour this one.” —Buzz Magazines

“[T]here is satisfying depth to the story . . . Monaghan writes another charming rom-com, this time with enemies-to-lovers and forced-proximity tropes. Monaghan fans will not be disappointed.” —Library Journal

“Cue the hilarious and bingeable enemies-to-lovers story that unfolds in the most charming way possible.” —Real Simple“This novel is perfect for those looking to escape the summer heat with an enemies-to-lovers romcom.” —Brit & Co.

“Annabel Monaghan has had my heart in her clutches since she wrote Nora Goes Off Script, my all-time favorite rom-com. And in this year’s novel, It’s A Love Story, she delivers yet another cute, relatable and charming love story in a beautiful setting with a swoon-worthy guy.” —Scary Mommy

“A Taylor Swift title + a summery Long Island setting + a creamy, dreamy romance plot = heart emojis galore!” —Newsday

“Breezy, funny, and has just the right amount of angst. Perfect for readers who love second-chance romance and family-centered rom-coms. It gave me that addictive, can’t-put-down feeling—the ultimate summer read.” —BiblioLifestyle

“Another gorgeous romance full of warmth from this absolutely brilliant author.” —The Mirror US

“In my eyes, it isn’t summer without an Annabel Monaghan novel … an exciting, heartfelt read.” —theSkimm

“[Monaghan] creates the most endearing, relatable characters that you can’t help rooting for . . . This novel goes down like a glass of cold lemonade on a hot day — easy, effervescent, entirely satisfying.” —Cup of Jo

“[A] witty and heartfelt tale of second chances, Hollywood mishaps, and unexpected romance.” —Florida Weekly