This was hovering around a 2.5, but there's a sexual harassment situation that's played for laughs, and a lot of weird erasure of nb (and male, for that matter) romance writers that's done in the name of calling romance-writing a feminist act (which it still can be! But not if you have to pretend Casey McQuiston, for example, doesn't exist in order to make your vague point??)... and the rest of this book simply isn't good enough to make up for those aspects. The characters and situations felt cartoonish, with the main pair especially flip-flopping wildly in their motivations; both the romantic and familial resolutions were weak, with nothing actually *solved*, and, trivial but still obnoxious, every page is absolutely drowning in authorial namedrops.

Also why does everyone keep saying Charlotte is a ruthless genius when all she actually is is a nepo-baby (who stole her sister's expensive purse)? She had the brilliant idea of... "have an author signing"? wow, a true genius. On a similar note, how on earth is the book within the book, Butterflies, the filthiest thing the world/BookTok have ever heard of? If you're going to make that claim, maybe don't have characters actually read the supposedly spiciest scenes aloud on page as if to prove it's blandly tame. This book namedrops authors of *way* steamier sex scenes constantly, and has the audacity to pretend this is getting called the filthiest book in the UK or whatever?

Anyway, as you can probably tell, I spent most of this book annoyed and rolling my eyes, and that simply isn't the way I want to read a romance. I've enjoyed books by this author before, and hope to again in the future, but this one was simply a dud for me, and I'm just not in love with Love Story.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up

This book felt chaotic, in not always a bad way, but man.

Sophie the FMC is a school teacher who, under a pseudonym, wrote a bestselling romance author and no one knows but her agent and editor/publisher. She is keeping it a secret from her family because they’re in publishing and snobbish. And honestly for most of the both I hated her parents and sister. They were *slightly* redeemed at the end…but it was rough.

And Joe, the MMC, was…not bad, but again, chaotic.

It was a quick read and if you like a look into the publishing world, you’ll probably like it.

I’m conflicted on this one being 3.5 or 4 stars. I loved the romance and all the odes to being a romance reader but her family (especially Charlotte) were so toxic that it made the ending hard for me to believe. Also, I felt like the book ended really abruptly. Sophie and Joes relationship felt very physical so for the book to end the way it did I’m not sure if I buy their HEA. Other than those 2 things I did really enjoy this book and I laughed out loud a few time. It’s not super spicy; I would say it’s is more of a “cracked” door book so if you don’t love full on scenes this is a safe book.