It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on May 27, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
From the USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV punchline who has left her awkwardness in the rearview mirror thanks to a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra that has her on the cusp of success, until she tells a lie that sets her on a crash-course with her past, spending a week in Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.
Rules for a love story: There are none. It’s all a lie.
Jane Jackson knows that true love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth—you can’t fake a belly laugh. Jane should know, she spent her adolescence as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punchline on America's fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios and she’s living by 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 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. 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 on Long Island, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan while facing down her past is Jane's idea of hell, but Dan just might surprise her. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?
Jane had spent many years trying to shake her adolescent Janey Jacks persona and trying to be taken seriously as a professional. When she options a script she knows MUST be made into a film, she is forced to rely on her sometime nemesis, Dan, to help her get it done. While on this mission, something happens which neither of them expected.
You know why I will never stop reading Annabel Monaghan's books? Because I loved the way they make my face hurt from too much smiling. I swear! I smile so much, I probably look a bit deranged to onlookers, but I don't care because Monaghan's books have always made me so happy, as did It's a Love Story.
From the moment Dan and Jane met, I knew there would be something between them. There was a spark that could not be extinguished and was evident in their professional sparring. Teaming up to try and get the song was a perfect set-up for pushing them together, and I loved every second of it. Why? Because it forced them to take a trip together to Dan's hometown, and Dan's family was incredible! His big and lovable family felt like my people, but most of all, they welcomed Jane with open arms.
Jane grew up with only her mother. She had added best friend Clem to her circle, but it was a small one. Events from her past caused her to doubt love and close her heart to most, but it could not withstand the power of the the Finnegan family, especially Dan.
Dan appeared exactly as Jane described him, but there was a lot more beneath the surface. It was a pleasure watching Jane discover all his layers. He was surprising in the best ways, and also someone I really wanted in Jane's life. Their dynamic was one I could get behind, and obviously, I was rooting hard for these two.
Overall, this was another fantastic story from Monaghan which made me laugh, smile, and swoon while injecting a plethora of joy into my life.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison
Published by St. Martin's Press on June 3, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
With a leading role on a hit TV show and a relationship with Hollywood's latest heartthrob, Meg Bryan appears to have everything she ever wanted. But underneath the layers of makeup and hairspray, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a small breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip where she knows the grass is greener: Ireland. Specifically, the quaint little village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving—a dream that fell apart when an accident claimed Aimee’s life a decade ago.
When Meg arrives, the people in town are so nice, treating her not as a stranger, but a friend. Except for the (extremely hot) bartender giving her the cold shoulder. Meg writes it all off as jetlag until she looks in the mirror. Her hair is no longer bleached within an inch of its life, her skin has a few natural fine lines, and her nose looks like… well, her old nose. Her real nose.
Her phone reveals hundreds of pictures of her life in this little town: with an adorable dog she doesn’t know; with the bartender who might be her (ex?) boyfriend; and at a retail job unrelated to acting. Eventually, she comes to accept that she somehow made a quantum slide into an alternate version of her life. But the most shocking realization of all? In this life, her best friend Aimee is alive and well…but wants nothing to do with Meg.
Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke. She finagles an opportunity to act in the play Aimee is writing and directing and as the project unfolds, Meg realizes that events as she remembers them may not be the only truth, and that an impossible choice looms before her.
She thought she had achieved her dream, but as her 30th birthday arrived, Meg found herself restless and yearning to escape her life. So, she packed a bag and booked a flight for a place she *almost* called home - Avalon. The town was as charming in person as it was on the internet, and it also felt like home...and everyone knew her here...and her best friend was still alive!
"Two destinies. Two lives. You will know when the time comes to choose which life is for you."
This was what the fortune teller had imparted to a teenaged Meg. At the time, she didn't quite understand it, but now she found herself living that other life. I was so surprised by this book! I love the idea of alternate universes where we have different lives, and in Avalon, Meg soon discovered what sort of life she could have had if her best friend had not died.
I reveled in the contrast between the two lives. Avalon was such a warm and welcoming place where Meg was loved by many. There was a man who cherished her with his whole heart, a wonderful friend, and a precious pup she kidnapped often. I adored the whole small-town vibe, and the way they all knew and cared for each other.
This seemed like a straight-forward sliding-doors type story until it wasn't. This story went deeper and was about so many things. It was Meg's personal journey to find peace, closure, and her way back to herself. Being in other-Meg's life forced her to face her past and finally deal with it. This magical trip was exactly what Meg needed to get her life back on track, and it was a great magical trip filled with friendship, love, laughter, and healing.
Overall, I absolutely adored this What-If story which had me experiencing a myriad of emotions as Meg unpacked her baggage and plotted a new course for herself. With great characters, a fabulous setting, and an amazing ending, this one was a hit for me.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
Let us know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment