It's a Love Story - by Annabel Monaghan (Hardcover)

Book 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?

Review Quotes

The Instant New York Times bestseller
A People Romance Book to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
A New York Post Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A BookBub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A GoodReads New Romance to Heat Up Summer
A Boston Globe Best Book of the Summer

"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

"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

"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 always delivers engaging, breezy beach reads and her latest is no different." --E! News

"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

"This novel is perfect for those looking to escape the summer heat with an enemies-to-lovers romcom." --Brit & Co.

"In my eyes, it isn't summer without an Annabel Monaghan novel ... an exciting, heartfelt read." --theSkimm

"A fast-paced adorable romance, this read is the absolute perfect pick for a day at the beach." --Keys Weekly

"[T]he way Annabel writes about falling in love is so poignant." --New Romantics Book Club

"It's a Love Story is proof that Annabel has hit her stride and is one of the best in this romance writing world. Her super power of an author is planting the seeds for a great romance and great characters and just letting it all unfold, scene by scene. I'm in awe. It's a Love Story is one of the best of 2025. Do yourself a favor and read this beautiful novel. You won't regret it." --She Reads Romance Books

"I took this down in one delicious gulp." --Modern Mrs. Darcy

About the Author

Annabel Monaghan is the USA Today bestselling and Library Reads Hall of Fame author of 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. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Her novels have been translated into twenty languages.