It's a Love Story in Play Book Tag

Jun 10, 2025 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hollywood, fiction, audio, movie

Five Beautiful Stars!!! I really just loved this book and can see why it is giving all the feels and getting all the raves. This is a movie within a book. As a young woman who is broken and defended learns to open herself up and experience love. First with falling in love with a movie that has yet to be made, and second with the cinematographer who also feels its power, and yet stands in its way. Third, with his family, who steals the show of the book, and who teaches her that one falls in love ...more

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May 13, 2025 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: r2025-in-2025, beach-cover, netgalley, contemporary-romance, romance, ny-not-nyc

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

I have complicated feelings about this, because Monaghan writes a good love story, and the middle half of this book, with Jane and Dan falling in love, was pitch perfect. But it was sandwiched inside another book entirely, for some reason. In the first fourth of the book, I hated Jane. She's neurotic in a way that I think is supposed to be madcap funny but it just struck me as childish and pathetic. I cannot handle the idea My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

I have complicated feelings about this, because Monaghan writes a good love story, and the middle half of this book, with Jane and Dan falling in love, was pitch perfect. But it was sandwiched inside another book entirely, for some reason. In the first fourth of the book, I hated Jane. She's neurotic in a way that I think is supposed to be madcap funny but it just struck me as childish and pathetic. I cannot handle the idea of a grown adult who has to crawl inside her closet and eat candy bars before making a phone call. Jane has plenty of money from her royalties and she is now gainfully employed as a producer, she's got no excuse for not being in therapy to heal herself. She's got some "Manifest a Solid Partner" project to find a boyfriend that sounded idiotic, and it was never fully part of the plot, so I'm not sure why Monaghan threw it in there at all. Perhaps it was supposed to make Jane quirky, but it made me hate her more. I'm just a hater.

And then, after the love story, when the Inevitable Misunderstanding happens, it was no misunderstanding. It was Jane, experiencing a disappointment that was completely unrelated to Dan, and then turning to Dan and lashing out at him in a very unforgivable way. Dan didn't deserve any of that. I hated her all over again.

I liked Jane and Dan together, and I guess I liked Dan, and I loved the Long Island beach setting.

Jane is just the opposite of "relatable" for me. TBH I suspect she's not relatable for Monaghan either, and that's why there's so much that feels wrong about it. She's trying to write a woman who is caught up with insecurities and anxieties, but it doesn't feel authentic, and that might be because Monaghan has never felt that way herself. (I have no proof of this of course!!!) In the Author's Note, Monaghan states that she was inspired to write Jane after reading I’m Glad My Mom Died. I've never read that, nor have I seen iCarly or Sam & Cat, so I don't know how much of Jane's character was McCurdy's / Sam's character.

Jane also has this weird idea that guys don’t date women who make them laugh. (Isn't that one of the #1 things that both men and women look for in a partner?) She stresses about this every time she makes Dan laugh. She defends her weird theory by pointing out that the comedienne is never the romantic lead of a movie. Clearly she hasn’t heard of Kate McKinnon, or met my kids who are both GAGA over her.

I really loved the two other books I read by Monaghan, but I guess not even Sammy Sosa hits it out of the park EVERY time. This book was a semi-fail for me. I instantly detested the main protagonist, she's a lying flibbertigibbet who is obsessed with her clothes, has new-agey self-actualization ideas, and literally hides under her desk in her office at the slightest sign of stress.

Great big kudos to cover designer Sanny Chiu for creating a cover that accurately replicates a scene from the book, right down to the bathing suit!!

For all my complaining here, I need to confess that I responded strongly to these characters, and this book gripped me hard enough to keep me inside reading when I really should have been outside mowing the backyard. By the time I finished reading, it was raining outside, so I couldn't mow. The grass will wait for another day. ...more

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Feb 28, 2025 Robin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

so i guess because this author or her people appreciate that i read and review her books positively (and yes i do also enjoy them) i was lucky enough to get an ARC of her upcoming book. this book comes out at the end of May which is a great summer kickoff. this is definitely a rom-com, great beach read with several tropes i like, such as opposites attract and the enemies-to-love story.

the two characters seem so different it was interesting how well they seemed fit together. the female main char so i guess because this author or her people appreciate that i read and review her books positively (and yes i do also enjoy them) i was lucky enough to get an ARC of her upcoming book. this book comes out at the end of May which is a great summer kickoff. this is definitely a rom-com, great beach read with several tropes i like, such as opposites attract and the enemies-to-love story.

the two characters seem so different it was interesting how well they seemed fit together. the female main character, Jane was a child tv star who had a great voice but she was always known as the quirky and goofy sidekick comedy relief so she doesn't view herself as pretty or worthy of love. that is sad because a lot of times personality also be so much more meaningful than just looks. she judges herself way too harshly. as an adult she is trying to make it as an executive who finds the next big thing in movies. she meets the male main character, Dan, on the street one day and they seem to hit it off and realize they work in the same industry. they both end up trying to work on several projects together but he shatters her dreams when he shoots down an opportunity for a movie she wants to do and she decides she hates him. a while later she thinks she has finally found THE script but her boss wants her to get a popular singer whom she did happen to star with on the same tv show to sing a song for the soundtrack before greenlighting the project. so she decides she needs to go to this festival in New York to try to make this happen. ironically Dan is from the same area where the festival is being held, so they are sent to accomplish this and start to spend a lot of time together. i loved how well Jane fit in with Dan's family and really let her guard down and was not afraid to be herself around a family that clearly liked and accepted her as she was, not who she pretended to be. i also like how Jane helped Dan feel more comfortable with his family. i was so happy when Jane finally realizes she starts to have romantic feelings for Dan because she is jealous and it was so obvious he also did not want his brother hitting on her because HE liked her. so it was quite frustrating when she starts to have doubts, thinking things are too good to be true and there is no way it could last, and almost ruins things completely when she has a meltdown after her great big plan does not work and instead of turning to him for support she pushes him away. i can understand being scared of being hurt because it is really hard to be vulnerable like that sometimes, but you have to at least try to think there is any possibility and go after what you want. so after a lot of drama and a great grand gesture she makes to show him how wrong she was, eventually they do finally end up finding their way back together thank goodness. definitely a great summer light read and i will recommend it to everyone, along with this author's other books since i have enjoyed all of the ones i have read.

thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and to Annabel Monaghan and her people for sharing this one of the most anticipated romances' digital copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. ...more

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Sep 01, 2025 Barbara M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new-york, tv-shows, love-story, long-island, child-stars

A great beach read or just a nice romance to pick up anytime.

Jane Jackson was once a child star, a pre-teen in a tv series is now a Hollywood producer. She didn't do anything after the tv series, but the money she earned gave her some opportunities, including her house. She's currently letting her best friend stay with her after a broken marriage.

Jane has come upon a great script and now has to get her boss to accept it for production. He hasn't read it yet, but he's interested enough to bring ...more

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