Book Review Archives - Page 9 of 28

Book Review:: A Psalm for the Wild-Built | Becky Chambers

What is it that drives us?
What is our purpose?
What happens when we actually achieve what we set out to do?

What comes next?

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Book Cover

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a unique experience of a book that I highly recommend. It is set in a futuristic world where robots in the long-past “Factory Age” became sentient, and an aspirational-level society decided to split the world territory in half and let them pursue their own desires. This is all in the past when we meet Sibling Dex, a genderless monk with a seed of discontent sprouting within themselves. They change their vocation from a garden monk to a tea monk who travels the land with an ox-cart listening to the troubles of others over a well-made cup of herbal tea. It suspends the growth of discontent for a while, but eventually it resumes its invasive presence, rooting down deep. Just when it becomes impossible to ignore, a chance meeting with one of the robots, who hadn’t been seen or heard from in generations, disrupts their plans and the two of them contemplate philosophy on the trip of a lifetime.

The languid prose of this novel (novella?) gives the impression of an idyllic future where humans have made decisions for generations on the basis of morality and impact rather than efficiency and greed. The culture contemporary to the characters seems to be mostly one of leisure and desire. Currency is exchanged for goods and services, but neither the shop keepers nor the consumers are in any hurry. There are still traditional jobs somewhere, but we aren’t shown any examples outside of some complaints of visitors to Sibling Dex’s tea-wagon. I’ve heard this book referred to as both cozy and as a ‘hug-in-a-book’. I would have to agree. Both the setting and the language used to describe it is almost meditative in its attention to detail.

Where the book really shines in on the philosophy. When you give yourself space in your day/routine/life to think, thought usually occurs. It is a lesson we could all take away from it.

Sibling Dex is both curious and reflective. They have ambition; not for the sake of it, but because they feel it is their work is their calling and hope that if they succeed, their feelings of inadequacy might dissolve. They wonder about the good of the world and of nature and of people (past and present), sometimes almost in a way that sounds as if was prescribed to them in their early education. They have opportunity to ponder some foundational topics surrounding personal actions, moralit, consciousness, existence in general, and the motivation behind decisions made by figures long lost to the sands of time. It is an incredibly thought-provoking book I think is valuable for any reader.

My one complaint is with some of the jarring language choices surrounding Sibling Dex. At one point they are referred to having ‘hooked up’ with someone. They occasionally curse and say things like ‘my mom would be pissed’. It felt out of place among such an otherwise lullaby style writing. Then again, perhaps that was the point; an occasional reminder that humans have some sharp edges, no matter how hard we try to smooth ourselves out.

Details

Title:: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1)
Author:: Becky Chambers
Genre:: Cozy Science-Fiction
Publisher:: Tordotcom
Length:: 151 pages
Audio Length:: 4h 8m
Audiobook Narrator:: Em Grosland
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: July 13th, 2021
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Whale Fall | Elizabeth O’Connor
All the Water in the World | Eiren Caffall
Libby Lost & Found | Stephanie Booth

Book Review:: Never Been Shipped | Alicia Thompson

Music is a powerful phenomenon. It can transport us to a place or time, if only in our minds. For Micah and John, it brings them back together after years apart to play music from when they made it big once upon a time on a nostalgic cruise.

Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson Book Cover

Micah and John grew up together, bonded over music, started a band, and eventually made it big. They were as close as close gets until she started dating another one of the band mates, which eventually led to the downfall of the band entirely. Now they’re face to face for the first time in years, and John is tired of living without her, but will learning what happened back then change the way he feels?

Overall, this is a cute story with a side of spice. I think most who read romance will enjoy it, but it wasn’t ultimately one of my favorites.

I’m not sure how realistic it is for one band member to be able to dissolve a band’s record deal, and for literally none of them to communicate about any of it at the time? It eventually gets explained, and it makes sense from a character perspective, but does it make real world sense? For me, that’s iffy.

However, we’re not reading romance for the logic of it all, are we? We’re reading for the longing, the angst, the…well, romance of it all. And Never Been Shipped covers those bases well. This book does the friends-to-lovers trope justice. I believed the past connection between these two characters and I was rooting for them to sort through their issues and commit the whole time. There could have probably been some more talking and mending things than there was, but we get the gist. I just feel like for this to have reached 5-star territory there would have had to been much more opening up and honesty and just…deeper emotion. It wasn’t absent entirely, but with backstories like theirs I was kind of left wanting more.

This was my first Alicia Thompson novel. I have another lined up on my Audible TBR already. I’m always on the lookout for great romance writers, and I’ll certainly be following Ms. Thompson’s bibliography!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Never Been Shipped
Author:: Alicia Thompson
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Ellie Gossage
Published:: June 10th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
How to Hide in Plain Sight | Emma Noyes
Perfect Fit | Clare Gilmore
Catch and Keep | Erin Hahn

Book Review:: Sunny Side Up | Katie Sturino

Sunny Side Up is a new novel by Katie Sturino for all the second-act ladies out there. Sunny is trying to find her mojo after a divorce from a marriage that only lasted a handful of months. She’s put on weight and lost a lot of confidence, but she’s determined not to let that d*ck of a husband have the last laugh. I thought this book was funny, reflective, and actually quite stressful to read, though it wraps up nicely in the end.

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino Book Cover

There is a lot of body positivity here. Sunny is a plus sized gal who works in PR and the fashion industry. For too long she’s seen brand after brand compromise in the wrong direction on size distribution and availability. Encouraged by her friends, Sunny is inspired to start a new swimsuit line of her own with the goal of getting size-inclusive suits in brick-and-mortar stores for women like her to finally feel good about flaunting swimwear. At the same time, she’s getting back out there, hoping to wash the grime of her ex-husband out of her intimate memories. She gets a little narrow focused on herself in that pursuit and as the plot thickens, it is more than just her own heart on the line.

Though I could feel the tension brewing early in this book, and saw the big conflict in the end coming from a mile away, I really enjoyed the story. It has many important messages including but not limited to:

There is life after divorce
Plus sized women also need clothes, brands…listen up
You don’t have to compromise your values to be successful
It’s okay to explore to figure out what it is you really want, but…
Be clear about where you’re at with other people! They have feelings too!

This book felt more realistic than a lot of the ‘typical’ romances I’ve been reading lately. Though Sunny is making good headway on her dreams, she also finds herself getting increasingly tangled in other situations she didn’t mean to find herself in at all. From her own perspective, the whole thing makes so much sense, and who hasn’t found themselves in some situation in life that went too far (romantic or otherwise).

This is the kind of book that really helps build empathy in the reader. I understood Sunny. I saw her. I wanted to have a girl’s night with her and point out some of the things she wasn’t seeing so clearly in the thick of it all. She’s a lovely girl doing her best, and she’ll be a great companion for anyone looking for a great summer read.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Sunny Side Up
Author:: Katie Sturino
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Celadon Books
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 8m
Audiobook Narrator:: Yael Rizowy
Published:: June 24th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Is She Really Going Out With Him? | Sophie Cousens
Songs of Summer | Jane L. Rosen
The Last Love Note | Emma Grey

Book Review:: Wild Side | Elsie Silver

Buckle in for the third trip around the Rose Hill sun – it’s a heart-wrenching one!

There was a lot of healing in Wild Eyes with Skylar, but healing is the very heart of Wild Side. It begins with the death of Tabitha’s sister, who is Rhys’ tenant. She was a drug addict and mother to a young son. She did alright for awhile, but old habits die hard and she started living a life full of lies. When she died unexpectedly, Tabitha is shocked to discover she wanted Rhys to be the guardian of her son instead of her own sister. So begins one of the most awkward and tense relationships ever.

It’s a wild premise, but the execution of this story is perfection. If I’ve come to know one thing about Elsie Silver’s writing, it’s that she can spin a tale, and she absolutely did these characters justice.

I found the tone of this book far more somber than the two previous. There’s some cutesy romance stuff included (of course), but overall the themes are darker and more serious than what we’ve seen elsewhere in this series. The way the characters and their backstories play off the current situation is a thing to be studied. Rhys and his background, especially, explains everything about why he’s unable to walk away from a woman so hostile toward him in the beginning. Honestly, it’s perfect. And the way both of them are hyper-focused on the good of the boy left behind will get you every time.

I read there is only one more Rose Hill book left (out this September), and that makes me sad. However, I already know it’ll be a banger. This series has been something truly special, and Wild Side is a big piece of that feeling. Read it. Love it. Repeat.

Details

Title:: Wild Side (Rose Hill #3)
Author:: Elsie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Bloom Books
Length:: 443 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 17m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jason Clarke & Samantha Brentmoor
Published:: March 4th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Sounds Like A Plan | Pamela Samuels Young & Dwayne Alexander Smith

Sometimes a bookworm has to do some retail therapy, am I right? I picked this book up on a whim on one of those such occasions because it looks compelling and fun rejuvenating and man, I was not disappointed!

Sounds Like A Plan by Pamela Samuels Young & Dwayne Alexander Smith Book Cover

Jackson and Mackenzie are both PIs in their own struggling firms. Jackson specializes in high profile (read: rich AF) clients, and Mackenzie’s offices are figuratively on the other side of the tracks and actually falling apart. Both of them are in dire need of some cash flow, and what do you know, some random lawyer steps into both their offices, separately, offering a boatload of it if they drop everything to find a missing girl. They both think the case is theirs alone (why wouldn’t they) until they bump into each other while chasing leads (a few times). Turns out, the guy hired a few people and whoever finds the mark first gets the payday. The third PI in the bunch is a sleezebag who runs a stripclub so Jackson and Mac team up and will split the cash.

This book is exactly what it looks like. Fast paced, action-packed, filled with sexual tension – chef’s kiss! It was one thing after another for this dynamic duo, and I was screaming for them to get together the whole time. It was the perfect balance of thriller, comedy, and romance, and I flew through it!

I loved the way the characters played off one another. Jackson has a taste for the finer things and Mackenzie dabbles in Krav Maga. She’s tough as nails and Jackson is constantly surprised and delighted by her. I am so excited this is a series, because I think there is so much to dig into with their backstories, and I can’t wait to see what else might develop between them. *waggles eyebrows*

I really wavered giving this book 5 stars, and really, maybe I should. The part that bothered me was at the beginning their two narratives (dual POV) were almost an exact mirror of them taking the exact same steps, going to the exact same places, getting the exact same information in the exact same order. Eh. I thought that wasn’t necessary. It would have been more interesting if there was SOME variation there. Luckily that part only lasts maybe 15% of the book (?), and it’s not a deal breaker.

If you’re looking for a fun and flirty new thriller mystery series, I can’t recommend this one highly enough. Book two comes out later this summer!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Sounds Like A Plan (Sounds Like A Plan #1)
Author:: Pamela Samuels Young & Dwayne Alexander Smith
Genre:: Crime Thriller
Publisher:: Atria Books
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 7h 21m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jaime Lincoln Smith & Angel Pean
Published:: July 9th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

author website (Pamela)

Author Website (Dwayne)

If you liked this book, check out…

Finaly Donovan is Killing It | Elle Cosimano
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers | Jesse Q. Sutanto
I Did Something Bad | Pyae Moe Thet War
A Sea of Unspoken Things | Adrienne Young

Book Review:: The Ghostwriter | Julie Clark

Once upon a time, two children were murdered in their home. Siblings. Leaving one brother, not home at the time, alive. No one was ever convicted. This tragedy is the foundation Olivia’s life is built upon.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark Book Cover

The surviving sibling is Olivia’s father, Vincent. He’s become a global sensation for his horror novels, but before that, he was sensational for being the lead suspect in his siblings’ murders. Olivia and her father had a falling out years ago, and she separated herself from him as much as she could. She even married a man she didn’t love in order to change her last name. Blood runs thick though, and she ended up in the same industry as her father, ghostwriting books for other famous authors. Now, on the edge of financial ruin after a big scandal, the only job available is from Vincent Taylor, and he said she’s the only one he’ll work with. It’s the first time returning home for Olivia, and she wants to get back out as soon as possible, but when she gets there, she realizes she might be able to finally learn the truth. Is her father a killer? Or was he always telling the truth about that night?

What a compelling psychological thriller! The backstory of this novel is so rich and murky at the same time. Enough details to create that dark misty tone for the past, but not enough to give away the store.

I always love the devices authors use to add doubt to the information the reader receives, so we don’t know what’s real and what may be a lie. In this case, Olivia’s father has a disease that affects his mind, and we all know human memory is fallible anyway. I love that feeling when reading a book like this that you never really know what the reality is, and what is fabricated. It leaves a lot of room in your mind to sort through evidence and form new theories up until the very end.

In this story there are quite a few scenarios that seem likely as Olivia learns more about her family history. It’s the story of one family’s darkest hour, and it has been shrouded in mystery and doubt all these years.

The characters are believable and well formed, the writing is clear and atmospheric, the plot is complex and interesting, and just look at that stunning cover!

I’m very happy to have received this book for early review via the publisher through netgalley, and I’m excited to have another author’s backlist to add to my TBR!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Ghostwriter
Author:: Julie Clark
Genre:: Mystery Suspense
Publisher:: SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: TBA
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: June 3rd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Famous Last Words | Gillian McAllister
The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline
The Heiress | Rachel Hawkins

Book Review:: Battle of the Bookstores | Ali Brady

Well well well, if it isn’t a battle between the battle-of-the-book-selling-establishment books this year. As soon as I noticed both Berkley and Avon were coming out with books with a similar title in 2025, I knew I had to read them both – especially because those titles include the word Battle. I mean, come on! They’re asking for it, right?

Berkley is up first, with Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady releasing June 3rd. The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander (Avon) will be coming out August 19th. Keep your eyes peeled for that one too if you like a bookish romance!

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady Book Cover

Battle of the Bookstores seems to be loosely based around the plot of the Nora Ephron classic 90s film You’ve Got Mail. Josie and Ryan are both running bookstores right next to one another (with a coffee bar just between). The big corporate a**hole isn’t our male romantic lead though, it’s the guy who owns the whole strip of shops, and he’s consolidating. Who needs two bookstores when one, with a coffee bar inside, makes way more sense? One bookstore only needs one general manager, so Josie and Ryan are pitted against one another, competing for the job as construction begins and their two stores become one. There is also an online relationship element to the story reminiscent of the movie.

You may wonder how in the world two bookstores ended up literally next door to one another. I wonder the same thing. Both have long histories, though, and they are focused on different clientele. Ryan’s bookshop is focused on romance, while Josie’s is more literary fiction/high-brow literature. I guess that’s enough explanation for how this situation is possible at all? Maybe I’m forgetting a passage that explained that to a more satisfying degree, but I was left with the feeling that the whole premise was a bit of a stretch, and I hate that feeling.

Unfortunately, I have more gripes than just that, and maybe it was timing and the books I read before and after this (though I don’t think so), but this ended up as a two-point-five-star read for me. I’m just tired of the convenient set-up, instant inexplicable attraction, misunderstandings that take far too long to clear up for the sake of pacing and conflict…I could just see right through to the mechanics of this one, and I didn’t like it. I have one more spoiler-y but major complaint I will leave at the end of the review for those interested.

Now, the things I did like.

The characters. I thought Ali Brady did a great job with the two lead characters. Both of them have great backstories about how and why reading is so important to them and how they ended up where they are, and why they want to keep their jobs so badly. Besides the insta-attraction that bugged me, they have a lot of interactions that become meaningful and build a genuine connection between them, even though they’re rivals. They honestly didn’t need the hot and steamy thoughts while they actually didn’t like each other. There was plenty of opportunity for those to develop naturally. Sigh.

The writing itself was clear, enjoyable, and engaging. I’d love to read more books from Ali Brady, this one just felt too by-the-book and convenient. If you have a rec for me, please leave a comment so I know where (or if) I should start!

Now for the spoiler::

The last thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the online thing. At first, neither Ryan or Josie knows it is the other behind their bookish online friendship, but Ryan figures it out pretty quickly. Then he uses the online platform to find out more about Josie and…I don’t know…lead her on? Either way they’re forging this special emotional bond and she thinks it’s a whole ass other person but he knows it’s not. It was just wrong, and kind of creepy. If their roles were reversed and Josie was the one who knew and Ryan was basically pursuing a relationship with both Josie in-real-life and some online friend who had a genuine emotional connection – for the whole book – I think we’d all be uncomfortable.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Battle of the Bookstores
Author:: Ali Brady
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Karissa Vacker & Bandon Francis
Published:: June 3rd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 2-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Slow Burn Summer | Josie Silver
The Proposal Project | Donna Marchetti
Yin Yang Love Song | Lauren Kung Jessen

Book Review:: Wild Eyes | Elsie Silver

What I wouldn’t do to live in a place as beautiful and idyllic as Rose Hill. The first book in this Elsie Silver series is Wild Love, an absolute banger about Rosie and Ford. Wild Eyes is about Rosie’s brother and Ford’s best friend, one in the same man by the name of West Belmont.

West is a single dad minding his own business on his horse ranch in rural Canada. Down the road, his best friend built a recording studio, and when one of his artists shows up early, his sister offers his guest house for her stay. West doesn’t mind, he’s a pretty easy-going guy, but when his new tenant turns out to be Skylar Stone, the world’s current biggest country pop star, things get complicated. Skylar is struggling with bone-deep anxiety and no sense of the ‘real world’, and West is struggling to keep her out of his head.

Oh, my heart. This is a story about a young woman holing up somewhere to take inventory of her hurts and heal them, and the man who sees her, helps her, and holds space for her to do so.

West has two kids, a boy who doesn’t talk much and a spitfire of a little girl who reminds me of my own son. He’s the father we wish everyone could have. He loves his kids for who they are and would do anything for them. That’s how West loves. He accepts all the imperfections, admires the things that make people unique. He sees people. It’s his superpower. For Skylar, no one ever sees her, or asks her what she wants. They think they already know her and don’t bother digging further than that.

The two of them are so well matched. Skylar is in a place where she needs the peace and quiet ranch life offers, she needs the wide-open spaces and quiet to make some mistakes that won’t be broadcast to the masses. She needs someone to notice her for her, to show that they genuinely care, even if it’s hard to accept.

Boy, this Rose Hill series is one to sink deep into, I’m telling you. The concepts are a little tropey or corny maybe if you’re looking to be critical, but the way Elsie Silver crafts a story and creates romance in the most imperfect but beautiful of people…it’s stunning work. When you pick one up it’s impossible to put back down. Wild Eyes is another must-read for anyone who is craving a little bit of hopeless romance. They do get quite spicy, but hey, that’s half the fun!

Details

Title:: Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2)
Author:: Elsie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Bloom Books
Length:: 464 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 26m
Audiobook Narrator:: Teddy Hamilton & Savannah Peachwood
Published:: September 3rd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Slow Burn Summer | Josie Silver

Fake it until you make it. Good advice, right? Maybe not always.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver Book Cover

Kate Elliot was an actress as a young woman. Now, after a divorce, she reaches out to her old agency in a last-ditch effort to get a job to support herself. Turns out his son has taken over the agency, and he has an idea for her she never could have anticipated: be the face of a book written by another author who doesn’t wish to be connected to the work in any way. She’s not a ghostwriter, she’s just the ghost. It’s odd, but she’s desperate, so she agrees. With the help of her agent, Charlie they begin crafting a whole persona, and when it comes time to launch the book, she’s got tour appearances, radio, and tv interviews to navigate. But it’ll be fine, she’s an actress, after all. And Charlie is there to make sure she’s okay every step of the way. But why does it still feel uncomfortable?

I’m not sure I even understand the premise of this book. It’s explained in full, but does it actually make sense? Why would a publishing house go through all this dang trouble to sell a book they’re sure will sell anyway? It is inherently risky and they’re kind of asking for it to blow up in their face. For me, the dishonesty of it just niggled at me through the whole thing.

That being said, I did enjoy the romance of it. Charlie is a man written by a woman, for sure. He’s protective and sultry and never says the wrong thing. There are a few really swoon-worthy moments. It’s not a straight-forward thing though (it never is). There are plenty of hurdles that stand between them in a way that reminded me a little bit of Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan or The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center.

Overall it is an easy entertaining read, but nothing about it really stood out to me as being exceptional. I’m glad I read it, but I probably won’t go back to reread it, so I gave it three stars.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Slow Burn Summer
Author:: Josie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Random House Ballantine | Dell
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 11h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: June 10th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Perfect Rom-Com | Melissa Ferguson
Yin Yang Love Song | Lauren King Jessen
Yours Truly | Abby Jimenez
The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center

Book Review:: It’s A Love Story | Annabel Monaghan

If you haven’t read a book by Annabel Monaghan, seriously, what are you waiting for? She is a queen of the romance genre, and It’s A Love Story stands in perfect evidence.

It's A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan Book Cover

Jane has been trying to get her first movie made for years, but something always gets in the way. This time, she’s determined to make it happen, even if it means fudging the truth about her past relationship with Jack Quinlan, one of the biggest music stars of the era. She might have promised she could get him to write an original song for the movie despite not having spoken to him in a decade or two, and now she has to make it happen. Confronting her past with Jack is about the last thing on planet Earth she wants to do, and her partner for the movie, Dan, is the last person she wants to work with (seeing as he was the one to sabotage her last project), but Jane will make this project work come hell or high water. That is how she finds herself bunked up with Dan and his family on Long Island for a week, at the end of which she will have to confront her painful past if she wants the future she’s worked so hard for.

I die for this book. It took me to places I wish I could bathe in indefinitely. That good book feeling I wish I could weave into an oversized sweater and wear everyday for the rest of my life. It is everything – everything – I want in a romance novel.

Jane doesn’t believe in love. It was practically indoctrinated into her by a single mother with bad luck in love. And it was only reinforced by the few times Jane had a ‘moment’ with someone she thought was something special that ended up going down in flames before the week was out. Both times. And now she has to confront both of them.

Oh, the drama.

Let’s talk about Dan. And his family. Oh my gosh. He’s lovely. And his family is beyond lovely. The kind of big boisterous family everyone wishes they had that gives you constant shit, pushes each other out of their comfort zones, but is also there for you when you crash and burn. Their week in Long Island was frigging paradise despite the difficulties and I live for it.

Jane and Dan are both complex characters. They have deep emotional wounds that they’re working on and they compliment one another in the best ways. I’ve read a lot of great books already this year, but I have to say these two are one of my top three romance couples I’ve read in a long time.

Annabel Monaghan, you’re a genius, and I can’t wait to read literally every single word you ever write. If It’s A Love Story is not already on your summer TBR, girl RUN and grab this exquisite work of fiction. Thank me later!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: It’s A Love Story
Author:: Annabel Monaghan
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 10h
Audiobook Narrator:: Hillary Huber
Published:: May 27th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars