I love Lindsey Kelk's books and this did not disappoint. It was different to her usual books but enjoyable.

I remember reading a few books from the “I Heart” series some 10 years ago and loving it, but for one reason or another, the rest of Lindsey Kelk’s work flew under my radar. And I had no idea what I’d been missing! This was genuinely one of the funniest and most uplifting books I’ve read this year.

Sophie is a teacher by day and a romance writer by night, desperately trying to keep her bestselling author identity hidden. When she meets tall, dark and twattish Joe, who learns of her secret, she not only has to fight her growing attraction towards him but also come to terms with prejudices against the very genre she writes about. Books about books can be hit-and-miss as they oftentimes romanticize the reading or writing experience to the extent of pandering. “Love story” on the other hand, is very self-aware and self-deprecating, approaching the question of whether romance novels count as real literature with Kelk’s trademark wit, but also posing the answer from various different perspectives: the writer, the reader and literary snobs. You will finish this book defending the genre more, not because Kelk told you so, but because she voiced all the criticisms the novels get while simultaneously writing such palpable romance with off-the-charts chemistry between the leads that you’ll have no choice but to defend it.

Many thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley UK for this ARC.

I really don’t know what to think of this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the humour and the relationship between Sophie and Joe but on the other hand it took me a good 60% to get into it and I found main character Sophie to be really moany and Joe constantly trying to ‘have a chat’ with her.

A lot of it seemed a bit over the top and hard to believe and whilst some parts were funny, in other parts it was just boring and I felt all the book was referring to was Butterflies. I know that’s the main storyline but it was just overindulged.

Overall, some parts I enjoyed but most of it was a little boring and repetitive.

Firstly, the chemistry between the main characters was absolutely delicious. So much tension. I really enjoyed this book (if it wasn’t immediately obvious!). Great characters, great chemistry and great pacing. It made me snort out loud at times and was great fun.

My two main criticisms are, I hate a break up due to miscommunication in the third act and unfortunately this book fell into that trap. Secondly, the sexual assault of the main character was unnecessary to the plot, and treated as a joke which was an uncomfortable and pointless addition.

Overall a good one to pick up, particularly if you’re a fan of enemies to lovers! Four stars from me 🌟 thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, romcom, forced proximity, hidden identity, OM drama

The emotions that this book evoked in me 😩 Oh my god. Sophie’s bad luck was endless, I really felt for her 😭 Those first few chapters had me FUMING. Sophie was being run over by everyone - her sister, her parents, Joe. I was so angry and I just wanted to shake Sophie and be like SPEAK UP ??? WTF ARE YOU DOING GIRL SAY SOMETHING YOU ARE BEING A DOORMAT!! 😤🤬
I hated Charlotte. She was a horrible person and sister. She didn’t mature and get better by the end of the book either.

Despite my anger, I stayed. The writing and pace of the story hooked me. I have so many bookmarked quotes that I just loved ❤️
I loved her relationship with her brother. The sibling banter was so funny and the dialogue in this novel was fantastic. The fight scene was HILARIOUS. And the sexual tension ohh boy 🥵🔥 I wish we got open door scenes and an EPILOGUE 😭 I need so much more!! It ended so abruptly


What I didn’t like:
The MMC was sexually harassed and the FMC just thought it was funny and ignored it like HUHHH I was concerned and felt uncomfortable reading it. If it was happening to the FMC it would be a much bigger issue but because it was the MMC it could be a joke??
Things for other readers to be wary of: MASSIVE miscommunication trope and third act breakup.

Despite these things, it was very fun romcom with a unique storyline. I would recommend this book! (as long as you’re aware of those last few points I made)

I don't know what I was expecting, but this definitely exceeded any expectations I had!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows Sophie Taylor, a primary school teacher with a big secret. She is leading a double life as the mysterious author, Este Cox, who everyone is trying to unmask.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the fact that the plot is actually unique and it held my attention the whole way through. I genuinely could not put this book down! The fact that the book also went into the discourse surrounding romance novels and how they are perceived by some people was very interesting to me.

For me personally I love a good romance novel with spicy scenes, but I like to KNOW to expect the level of spice I am getting. I find that BookTok sometimes tends to hide that while promoting a book which can be misleading (understandably so though considering how censored you have to be on TikTok). But I guess that's why I enjoy Goodreads as a platform, I know I'll get a more realistic review from here.

Speaking of spice,,,, this one definitely has a good amount to prepare for that! Had me holding my damn breath bc of how <b> INTENSE </b> the chemistry is between Sophie and Joe.

Now for what I really did not like. (SOME PARTS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS - will provide warnings just before them)

✧ The mention of real life authors in the book and the T Swift references. I don't know what it is, but when I am trying to read a book I don't want to be thinking of real life. I understand I might be one of the few people who doesn't like references to real life, but it's the same feeling as when TV shows started incorporating Covid-19 into their shows and it just made the escape from reality impossible.

✧ Are we just going to brush off the fact that (SPOILER INCOMING) the MMC was sexually harassed? It felt very uncomfortable to read considering how it was just ignored and treated like it was a "joke".

✧ Miscommunication trope!! Are you kidding meeeeeee. (SPOILER INCOMING) Sophie tries to say that there is no miscommunication and that everything was very clear. However, considering what ends up getting revealed at the end, it was a HUGE miscommunication.

✧ Third Act Breakup BECAUSE of the miscommunication trope.... Can we scrap those please?? If it was a third act breakup for a different reason I would be more understanding but it wasn't...

That being said, this book really surprised me in a good way and even though I have never read anything by Lindsey Kelk before, I am officially a fan!


4⭐️

An enjoyable and funny tale, love at first sight, persistent UST and dangerous secrets that could tear everything down.

Another winner from Lindsey Kelk.

Love Story draws you in right from the first page and is just a pure joy to read. Sophie is a lovable primary school teacher by day, but also the secret author of a steamy bestseller. On the way back to her hometown for a weekend wedding, she stops for a karaoke break and somehow loses the manuscript for her sequel. Then she finds that the romantic cottage she's staying in has been double booked with her arch-nemesis.
I was so excited to get an early copy of this book that I started reading it at my daughter's band recital.. bad idea as it was so hard not to laugh out loud! The characters are lovably flawed and have the most entertaining ways of getting themselves into trouble and the most heartfelt ways of getting out of it. This will be a fantastic summer beach read!

Man this was an intense love story and I loved it. Sophie was a great character, her family were amazing and unique Her siblings made me laugh. The channel bag will have you in stitches . People are snobby about romance books. I loved Sarah the best friend. I read it on a wet Sunday afternoon. Could not put it down. . A hit for 2024 , no doubt . Read it

I always adore a book by Lindsey kelk and this was no different, I enjoyed this book immensely and was sad when I got to the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this title.

Sophie has a hidden identity. At her dad's family birthday party, she has to learn to be brave about her choices. There's also sexy Joe to fall in love with but he's hiding a secret of his own! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Love Story is the new novel from Lindsey Kelk. The novel mainly takes place over one weekend. Sophie is a school teacher but also a successful novelist who wishes to remain anonymous in the literary world. Joe is a gorgeous specimen of a man and also a hot shot creative director who will be working on her second novel. However he is far too sure of himself, but when Sophie needs his help she wonders if she can trust him with the biggest secret of all. It’s funny, witty and with a spicy plot that will keep you hooked to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were intriguing and the story was engaging. I'll look out for more by this author.

Writing: trademark Lindsey Kelk (punchy and conversational) | Plot: unique | Ending: again, I humbly ask for an epilogue (which I never do)

my opinion

People in China heard me scream when I opened my email to find a NetGalley widget for this absolutely stunning book. I am nothing but a Lindsey Kelk stan and once again, she did not disappoint. I can't wait to receive my pre-ordered copy to sleep with under my pillow because this cover is EVERYTHING!!!

This was different than her past books for 2 reasons. 1: Kelk catches a lot of flack for her lack of ding dongs, so horndogs rejoice, this is her horniest book yet. It's not completely open doors, but it's like not all the way closed until one of them realizes you're creepin on them and shuts it in your face. Lots of talk about ~moisture~ and ~tingling~ in this one. And by a lot, I mean for Kelk, not Elsie Silver levels. I wouldn't be surprised if this is her best rated book as there seems to be a direct correlation between spice levels and rating in the romance arena.

And 2: there was A LOT of romance for a Kelk book. I mean it was mostly horniness, but still, the MMC was fully in the frame. In some of her past books, the male love interest has less on-page time than the FMCs cat. I like how she addressed head-on that it was insta-love (everyone's least fave trope), instead of pretending they had some deep, meaningful connection they built over time like some other books ahem Heartless by Elsie Silver (sorry for the double drive-by).

I really enjoyed her take on the popular online discourse surrounding romance novels. Namely: are romance novels everything literature isn't supposed to be? Are they thinly disguised porno mags? Has the genre been boiled down to a bunch of tropes? Are they actually feeding the monster we call misogyny? She does it in a way that doesn't feel too Ted Talk-ish or navel-gazey, but her points are made. Given the topics covered in this book, I feel like it would make for a lot of great, potentially heated, discussions.

As always, I laughed and laughed and laughed. I won't lie, the middle was a bit slow for me, but it picked back up with some classic Kelk jokes. Warning: there's one scene involving the MMC and a horned-up old lady that is a bit... iffy... to say the least. Perhaps it got the chop as this is the uncorrected proof (several typos are afoot). Other than that, fun times were had.

pros & cons

pros: unique premise, funny as always, loved that it addressed the popular discourse about the romance genre without it feeling like a lecture, good bants between Joe and Sophie, side characters add colour to the story, the fight scene reminded me of that backyard scuffle in Crazy, Stupid, Love (a classic. Fight me)

cons: iffy scene between Joe and horned up old lazy, middle a bit slow for me

I love Lindsey’s writing, it’s so comforting and familiar and flows so well. The story was a really cool premise and the story between Joe and Sophie was lovely. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed but I really enjoyed it.

Ideal holiday read! It was funny in that irritating British comedy kind of way; think annoying, overbearing but ultimately funny characters! Easy & enjoyable read - 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Sophie has written a romance book under an adopted name but no one must know because it's "smutty" and her family are big in the literary publishing and review world.

"It's not exactly Dickens. More like dick-ins, if you know what I mean."

A book about a book genre, how fun! It's about all books really and that no genre is better than another, we read what we love to read, and romance books have a huge following and do not deserve scorn in any way.

We're getting a lot of info about the literary world and romance tropes, which of course the book uses too. There is plenty of warmth here, it's funny and emotional and full of fun characters.

The action is mainly set over one chaotic long weekend at Sophie's parents' house, celebrating her Dad's 60th birthday. There's a big cast of friends, family and enemies, laughing, loving and fighting their way through, complete with circus tents, bouncy castles and mucked up sorting-hat cakes. People cry, lie, blackmail and chuck chicken legs into the mud. It's full-on entertainment with secrets getting exposed and truths being given to horrible people. It is predictable of course, and I didn't like the MMC being sexually harassed by an aunt. Just because he's a man doesn't make it ok and should have been more strongly condemned.

It's an easy fluffy read with hardly any content warnings, and it's a true celebration of romance novels and their fans.

"You don’t think books like this give women unrealistic expectations?" ... "Only if you don’t think you deserve love."

As an aside, the proof copy was so full of typos that it really distracted me. I hope this will get rectified before publication.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is a good, easy read that flowed well. It takes place over a weekend when Sophie meets Joe and unbeknownst to him and everyone else Sophie is an author of a romance novel under another name. I was unsure about Sophie's character at first and struggled to relate with her, and with some of her family. I understand why she was like that, l just wanted to shout just stick up for yourself! I much preferred Joe, Sarah and William's characters and absolutely hated Charlotte. I think the authors writing is good and I liked the humorous moments in the story. I've read and enjoyed other books by this author, but I felt a little underwhelmed here mainly because it took me so long to actually like Sophie and some of the other characters. I did like the ending of the story, it is very fitting.

Overall, this is a good read that I think wasn't quite suited for me and I'm sure others who are fans of romances will like and enjoy this.

3 stars

A very enjoyable book that i won’t hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk is my new favourite romance read of 2024, I loved it and already want to read it again! There were many moments that made me laugh out loud, especially the scene with Sophies Mum's 'sorting hat' cake! The story was very entertaining and full of sweet moments, big drama, lots of laughs and supportive friendships. There were many lovable characters including Sophie, Joe, William, Sarah and Charlotte, with moments of tension brought to the story with not so lovable characters CJ, Aunt Carole, and Gregory. I really enjoyed her last book 'Love Me Do' and 'Love Story' was equally as good. She has such a great writing style and I can't wait to read more of her books! If you like the style of Sarah Adams and Emily Henry's books than you'll also enjoy Lindsey Kelk's books.