Did you ever keep thinking “I can’t wait to re-read this book” multiple times while reading a book? I can’t wait until It’s a Love Story is published and I get a hard copy that I get to underline and write in the margins. I think we are in a “golden age” of romcoms where the best writers are writing this genre. Don’t be a genre snob. Romance books are by far the highest selling books in the US today. Why wouldn’t the best writers write them? Remember in the 1990’s when the NYT bemoaned that Broadway wasn’t doing anything creative and then pointed out that the best songwriters and show runners were working for Disney instead? I have read 75 books so far that will be released in 2025 and 3 of them are romance books that are some of the most well written books ever, and this is one of them.
Jane was a child actor, think iCarly or Suite Life with Zach and Cody. She was a class clown, made funny faces, the comic relief. She was a better singer than the lead, who was prettier. Jane knows that men aren’t attracted to funny women, and goes on a lot of dates up until date 4, when everything falls apart. Jane is now working for a studio and is trying to get a script made that she loves, the studio doesn’t think it is commercial enough. In a misguided impulsive move she promises her childhood co-worker Jack (who is now a big star) will write and perform a song. She hasn’t spoken to him since she was 14.
Enter Dan. Swoon. He is her coworker and would be the cinematographer. Jane and Dan go to the east coast to find Jack and talk him into the song. He will be there for a music festival and they will stay with Dan’s parents and extended family. And the family is AMAZING. As an only child of a single mom, Jane makes these observations about Dan’s family that are heartwarming, emotional, and raw.
At its heart, It’s a Love story speaks to many of the deep fears we all have. That was aren’t lovable. That the best parts about us are something to be ashamed of. That we are destined to be in the background. Jane isn’t just likable, she is one of the most relatable female main characters I have read this year. She recognizes the privilege that her childhood gave her, and the opportunity to buy a house in LA, but it also gave her a slew of insecurities that led her to not celebrating her own gifts. The way she infiltrates into Dan’s family and starts to understand and yearn for their family dynamic.
I love this book. One of my top ten books of 2025, and it is purely because of how perfectly these characters are written. Flawed, funny, relatable. It’s the way we know Jane is falling for Dan ***just*** a minute before she realizes it herself.
Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC. Thank you to @annabelmonaghan for writing fade-to-black romance that doesn’t have cringy spice scenes and also isn’t full of purity culture harmful crap. It’s literally perfect.
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