Annabel Monaghan has carved out a distinctive niche in contemporary romance with her ability to craft stories that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable. Her latest offering, It’s a Love Story, continues this tradition while exploring the complex terrain of self-worth, authenticity, and the courage required to love and be loved. This novel doesn’t just tell a romance—it excavates the messy, complicated process of learning to see yourself as worthy of happiness.
The Heart of the Matter: Plot and Premise
It’s a Love Story follows Jane Jackson, a former child star known as “Poor Janey Jakes” from the sitcom Pop Rocks, who has reinvented herself as a creative executive at Clearwater Studios. Jane operates under a strict “fake it till you make it” philosophy, carefully constructed to distance herself from the awkward, joke-prone character that defined her adolescence. When desperation to greenlight her first project leads her to fabricate a connection with pop star Jack Quinlan—her first kiss and greatest source of teenage humiliation—Jane finds herself in an impossible situation.
The plot mechanics require Jane to team up with Dan Finnegan, a pompous cinematographer who once crushed her previous project, to track down Jack at a music festival in Dan’s Long Island hometown. What follows is a week of forced proximity that slowly peels back the layers of Jane’s carefully constructed facade, revealing both her vulnerability and her strength.
Monaghan’s storytelling shines in how she weaves together multiple timelines and emotional threads. The narrative seamlessly moves between Jane’s current crisis and her painful past, creating a rich tapestry that explains not just what Jane does, but why she does it. The author demonstrates remarkable skill in making Jane’s lie feel both utterly believable and completely sympathetic—we understand exactly how someone could dig themselves into such a hole.
Character Development: Beyond the Surface
Jane Jackson: A Masterclass in Complex Characterization
Jane emerges as one of romance’s most authentically flawed protagonists. Monaghan avoids the trap of making her heroine’s insecurities cute or quirky; instead, Jane’s self-doubt runs bone-deep, rooted in genuine trauma from both her father’s abandonment and her experience as a child star. Her “dating protocol” and carefully chosen outfits aren’t endearing quirks—they’re armor against a world that has repeatedly taught her she’s not enough as she is.
The beauty of Jane’s character arc lies in how Monaghan allows her to be genuinely difficult at times. Jane’s explosive moments and self-sabotaging behavior feel earned rather than manufactured for drama. When she finally melts down in the final act, it’s not because the plot demands it, but because the emotional pressure has built to an inevitable breaking point.
Dan Finnegan: Subverting the Alpha Hero Archetype
Dan represents a refreshing departure from typical romance hero conventions. Rather than being aggressively masculine or mysteriously brooding, Dan is introspective, artistic, and comfortable with quiet moments. His family dynamics—particularly his relationship with his identical twin and his struggle to maintain his individual identity within a large, boisterous clan—add layers of complexity that elevate him beyond mere love interest status.
Monaghan’s decision to make Dan a cinematographer is particularly clever, as his professional focus on capturing truth and beauty mirrors his approach to relationships. He sees Jane clearly from the beginning, but his directness, while ultimately healing, initially threatens her carefully constructed defenses.
The Supporting Cast: A Family Portrait
The Finnegan family deserves special recognition as one of romance’s most believable and engaging extended families. Each brother maintains distinct personality traits while sharing core family characteristics. Reenie and Cormack’s forty-year marriage provides a beautiful example of lasting love without falling into the trap of being unrealistically perfect.
Ruby, Dan’s young niece, serves as more than comic relief or cute factor. Her bracelet-making and fearless dancing become symbols of authentic self-expression that Jane has lost and must reclaim.
Thematic Depths: More Than Romance
Authenticity vs. Performance
At its core, It’s a Love Story grapples with the exhausting work of performing acceptability. Jane’s entire adult life has been built around being the “right” kind of woman—datable, professional, controlled. Monaghan expertly illustrates how this performance becomes a prison, preventing genuine connection not just with others but with oneself.
The contrast between Jane’s carefully scripted dating life and her natural behavior with Dan highlights how much energy we expend trying to be loveable rather than simply being ourselves. This theme resonates particularly strongly in our social media age, where curated perfection often masks authentic struggle.
Family Legacy and Chosen Family
The novel explores multiple forms of family—Jane’s complicated relationship with her well-meaning but deceptive mother, the Finnegans’ boisterous clan, and Jane’s chosen family with her roommate Clem. Monaghan skillfully shows how family patterns, both healthy and dysfunctional, shape our capacity for love and trust.
The revelation about Jane’s father’s abandonment, handled with sensitivity and emotional honesty, provides crucial context for her adult relationships without excusing her behavior or making her purely a victim of circumstance.
Writing Style and Technical Craft
Monaghan’s prose strikes an appealing balance between literary sophistication and accessibility. Her dialogue crackles with authenticity, particularly in the banter between Jane and Dan, which evolves from antagonistic to flirtatious to genuinely intimate. The author has a gift for capturing the rhythm of real conversation while maintaining narrative momentum.
The pacing deserves particular praise. Monaghan takes time to develop the relationship between Jane and Dan, allowing their connection to feel organic rather than rushed. The week-long timeline provides enough space for meaningful character development while maintaining the focused intensity that makes the romance compelling.
However, some readers might find the setup slightly contrived. The coincidences required to get Jane and Dan to Long Island, while not completely unbelievable, stretch credibility somewhat. Additionally, the resolution of Jane’s professional crisis feels somewhat rushed compared to the careful development of her personal growth.
Comparing Monaghan’s Body of Work
It’s a Love Story represents a natural evolution from Monaghan’s previous novels like Nora Goes Off Script and Summer Romance. All three feature protagonists at crossroads in their lives, dealing with the intersection of career pressures and romantic possibilities. However, this latest work delves deeper into psychological territory, examining the roots of self-doubt with more nuance than her earlier works.
Readers who enjoyed the family dynamics in Same Time Next Summer will find even richer family portraiture in the Finnegan clan. Monaghan continues to excel at creating believable domestic scenes that reveal character through action and interaction.
The Romance Elements: Heat and Heart
The romantic development between Jane and Dan unfolds with satisfying slowness. Monaghan builds sexual tension through small moments—Dan’s hand on Jane’s back, the intimacy of shared creative work, the vulnerability of Jane’s true laughter. When they finally come together, the scenes are tastefully handled while maintaining emotional intensity.
The conflicts feel genuine rather than artificially inserted for drama. Jane’s self-sabotage in the final act, while frustrating, makes perfect psychological sense given her history and fear of abandonment.
Minor Critiques and Considerations
While It’s a Love Story succeeds on most levels, it’s not without minor flaws. The Jack Quinlan subplot, while necessary for the plot mechanics, sometimes feels secondary to the more compelling story of Jane’s self-discovery. Some readers might wish for more resolution regarding Jane’s professional future, as the focus shifts heavily toward personal growth in the final act.
Additionally, while Jane’s backstory provides important context, occasionally the exposition feels slightly heavy-handed. The revelations about her father’s abandonment, while emotionally powerful, are delivered in a somewhat convenient manner.
Final Verdict: A Story Worth Believing In
“It’s a Love Story” stands out as a compelling read due to its remarkable emotional authenticity, well-crafted characters, and a romance that strikes a harmonious balance between romanticism and depth. Monaghan has created a heroine whose journey toward self-acceptance will resonate with anyone who has ever felt not quite enough, and a hero whose quiet strength offers a compelling alternative to more traditional romantic archetypes.
This novel works on multiple levels—as a satisfying romance, a meditation on authenticity, and a celebration of chosen family. While it may not break entirely new ground in contemporary romance, it executes familiar themes with enough skill and heart to feel fresh and meaningful.
For readers seeking romance with emotional depth, realistic character development, and genuinely funny moments, It’s a Love Story delivers on all counts. Monaghan continues to prove herself as a master of the second-chance romance, creating stories that remind us that the best love stories aren’t perfect—they’re true.
This novel will particularly appeal to readers who enjoyed:
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
