Lindsey Kelk's latest rom-com has her venturing into more red hot sizzle territory than is normal for her and has intentions of taking on up front the intention to challenge every romance trope to be found in the genre and about it. It highlights the stereotypes, those who pride themselves on dissing it, despite never having read it, pointing to the unrealistic expectations it perpetuates in women, that the target audience are women who are lonely and unfulfilled, the shame and judgement women who read it feel when asked what they are reading. There is the instalove, friends to enemies, the despicable and ghastly ex who has taken advantage of the heroine and then dumped her, the inevitable obstacles and misunderstandings before it all comes right in the end.

Kelk is particularly humorous, fun and entertaining as she sets out the stall for romance novels, and piles on the goodies by brilliantly focusing on the literary world and publishing itself. It is stuffed full to the gills with authors that will be familiar to readers, such as Zadie Smith and more. Our protagonist is a primary school teacher on the cusp of becoming head of year, Sophie Taylor, burdened by a secret she dare not admit to anyone, particularly her family. Her father is long established in publishing, preparing for weekend long birthday celebrations at home, her mother a famous literary critic, she is keenly aware of what a disappointment she has been to them.

Sophie, under the name of Este Cox, has had published the mega successful and loved romance novel, Butterflies, there is a desperate hunt by fans and the media to uncover her true identity. She meets the hot Joe Walsh, Creative Agency Director, not a fan of the genre, but their attraction to each other is wild and instant. Sophie's and Joe's path to love is riddled with obstacles, and she is not the only one with secrets, whilst both must survive the chaotic and conflict ridden tensions of the birthday celebrations, with all the non-stop drama. This is likely to appeal to most fans of the rom-com genre and to readers who might not normally read the genre too. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Sophie Taylor is the author of the book everyone is talking about. “Butterflies” is the romance novel that has sold millions of copies around the world, it’s been translated into 32 languages, and there is a movie deal in the work. Sophie has written the novel under the pseudonym of Este Cox and, except for her editor and for her literary agent (who is also her brother), no one knows who she really is. Not the people working for her publisher, not her obnoxious ex boyfriend, and, above all, not her literary-snob family. However, the truth risks to come out during a weekend spent at her family home to celebrate her father’s birthday. First, her laptop with her new manuscript disappears and then her new handsome archenemy Joe Walsh is not only invited, but she must also share her father’s new cottage with him.

Love Story is my first Lindsey Kelk’s novel and I loved it! I honestly don’t know why I waited so long, but I must get my hands on all her backlist. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, and the writing. Sophie is a relatable (we like the same authors), fun, and authentic character and I adored her, but most of all, I adored her banter with Joe. I am not a huge fan of instalove, but here it works very well. Their story develops in a way that feels natural and that kept me completely glued to the pages. I also enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and her family. She is keeping secrets from them and it’s complicated, but it is also entertaining and warm. One another thing that I liked about this book is how the author addresses the theme of being judged for what people read, especially when it comes to smut romance.

As my introduction to the world of Lindsey Kelk it went really well: Love Story is fun, witty, and immersive and I am looking forward to read more by this author!

I have really enjoyed this author’s previous work so I was extremely excited to get hold of this one. It really took me by surprise and I was so hooked in the first half, a little slower in the second half but I think it was just because I wanted the romance to hit. Overall a really great love story I just wanted more love a little sooner ❤️

Another fabulous read by Lindsey Kelk......she never disappoints.

Sophie is an author under cover. She doesn't want anyone to discover her alter ego never mind a handsome, cocky nemesis called Joe. But in true 'Love Story's style, she ends up sharing a one bedroom country cottage with him...will she fall under his charm and let him into her deepest secret.

A great holiday read.

This book was more fun than I thought it would be! It was not on my radar at all, and came at the recommendation of a Bookstagrammer friend.
This story is a bit of a - I don't want to say "satire" or "ode" - gentle slap in the face when it comes to romance books. Sophie writes romance/erotica under a pen name, and only a couple of people know that she's the author. Being the daughter of parents who make are big names in the literary world, and do not care much about romance books, she finds it impossible to reveal who she is. She cares so much about what her parents, co-workers, friends, will think fo her.
I loved it. Love Story takes the disdain surrounding romance books, be it for the genre, the authors, the readers, and shakes the reason back into people: let people enjoy reading/writing romance, and do whatever makes you happy, regardless of what others think.
I loved both Sophie and Joe, and how their love story developed. The Taylor siblings were fun too, especially Charlotte - she's a menace, and brilliant. I really enjoyed the humor/satirical remarks, and feel that this book is refreshing.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I have loved lindsey kelk since I first read her books at 12 years old lol, started with the i heart series and that love hasn’t diminished. This story was just perfect.

I won't lie, I was a little skeptical on whether or not I would like this after the first few pages but I have to say, this is one of my favourite books so far this year and is the perfect summer read!

I absolutely loved Kelk's tone of voice and style of writing, it worked so seamlessly with the tone and banter between the characters. They felt so real and I wanted to be part of the gang and the conversations. You immediately felt like you were part of the story and it was very relatable which is a very powerful thing and totally hooks you in. I think another element that made the story so real was the references to real life things (authors, musicians etc.), Kelk manages to tap into the many passion points of the reader and have them even more invested in the story.

The characters are excellent and I really loved Sophie's relationship with her siblings. They were all very unapologetically themselves with each other and it reminded me a lot of me and my sisters. The overall family dynamic reminded me a lot of Tim's family in About Time (amazing movie!). I thought the dynamic between Sophie and Joe was well written and not too over the top. A lot of predictable things happen but as I always say, you pick up these kind of books knowing what is gonna happen. It's more about the journey than the destination.

But this is more than just a romcom, Kelk touches on some other real life themes like expectations from parents, self belief, heart break and more. There's more than meets the eye and it gives the book a lot more depth.

I loved how the story was centred in the publishing world, it gave such an interesting insight into how it all works and how small the industry is. I think like any industry, there's a very solid community to be found within and whether that is a good or a bad thing can change drastically, as we see in this book.

So yes, absolutely loved it. I found myself laughing out loud a lot when I was reading it, especially in puclic places! I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 2 days, so that speaks volumes I think. Throughout the book I found similar vibes to Bridget Jones, The Wedding Date and Four Weddings and a Funeral so if you're a fan of those books/movies, then this is definitely worth adding to your list!

Sophie has written and published a (somewhat spicy) book, under the pen name Este Cox. And it's not just sold - it has become an overnight sensation with legions of fans. But Sophie can't admit to being the author, so it's disastrous when the last man she would ever think she could trust discovers her secret ...

Overall, this is a cute and sweet romance with some really good bits. And I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong. But Sophie's family (with the exception of Darling William) are awful and every page they featured on made me angry. And there was little to no improvement (especially in relation to the sister, who I would have hit with a car long before the start of the book). So although I liked the romance, there was a bit too much rage in me to enjoy it fully! Sorry!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A really fun read with a great storyline and characters.

Centered around a big secret this book has everything—some family drama, romance, misunderstandings and comedy. I highly recommend it and it's the perfect summer read!

this book was really funny and it was a real enemies to lovers read. You could feel the vitriol through the first few chapters.

I dare any Swiftie out there to read this book and not have Love Story in their head the whole way through. Another absolute cracker from Lindsey. It really is a book for people who love books and plenty of Taylor Swift references to go along with it. With Lindsey's usual humour, relatable characters (I'm missing them already) and just an all round fantastic plot, Love Story is an absolute must read this summer.

I just loved this book so much! The characters are amazing Sophie Taylor and Joe Walsh who are the least likely people to get together but Sophie has a secret which Joe just happens to find out and together they do what they can so that it doesn’t come out. The characters in this book are absolutely amazing and I just love them, some aren’t very nice so I don’t like them but the rest of them have their own quirky personalities and it’s just such a loveable book that I couldn’t put it down and when I had finished reading I was sad as I just wanted it to continue on as I just loved it!

I would highly recommend reading this book as it’s just amazing and one that you won’t want to put down!


I would like to thank HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Omg this has to be my all time favourite book from Lindsey Kelk, and almost certainly her best book.

It's and ode to the romance genre, defending it from critics, and summing up everything that the #RespectRomFic movement is trying to achieve.

It deals with literary snobbery while set to a romance itself that is beyond steamy.

The heat is literally coming off the page any time Sophie and Joe are together and some of their dialogue will leave you burning up even more than the mini heatwave I was reading this in.

It's a story of family expectations, and Sophie has two simply fabulous siblings. Charlotte is downright scary at times, but great with it.

Mainly set over a long weekend, secrets are revealed, there are some hilarious scenes, and all matter of antics ensue.

I loved every single word of it and couldn't read it fast enough.

Everything you could want in a Kelk novel and more.

Loved it so so much, just wow!

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The feel good read I didn’t realise I needed.

I have always been a big Kelk fan. Especially the I heart series so getting an early copy was a real treat.

The story just flowed and I really bought into the main characters of Sophie and Joe. Sophie is trying to keep her romance novel a secret. When Sophie and Joe’s worlds collide life just gets that little bit more complicated.

Highly recommend this book

I read this whole book in less than half a day from the moment I received the ARC mostly because the humor was cracking me up and I ate up the chemistry between the main characters so fast!
if I didn’t have to work in the morning I’d stay up all night to read it. (I still stayed up till 4am tho).

I loved the inception premise and name dropping real authors, books, singers, films + I do agree with a lot of the authors and characters standpoints about the publishing industry and the romance genre in general.
These are all things that made this book feel more like I was actually joking around and discussing with a friend and it’s part of the reason I couldn’t put it down.

The major negative for me that kept me back from giving it a 5/5 rating is that the miscommunication trope is my least favorite of all tropes, then is insta love and then is second chance and there are variations of all of them in here. Also, miscommunication with third act breakup over it it’s just an instant dislike for me.
In this case tho I’m choosing to kind of overlook it because I genuinely had so much fun with the rest of the book but I would have loved it even more if it wasn’t there at all in the first place..

Overall, this was a very fast paced, quite unexpectedly fun read & it’s definitely worth giving it a try.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the digital ARC!

This is my second Lindsey Kelk read and I think she might be becoming one of my new favourites! This ticked all of the boxes for the perfect summer escapism!

Sophie has a massive secret – whilst everyone knows her only as a primary school teacher and the daughter of two giants in the publishing industry, she is also the author of the universe’s most talked-about new romance novel, Butterflies. Publishing under a pseudonym, Sophie doesn’t want her parents or her employers to know.

And with a slimy ex-boyfriend that has left her sceptical of people’s honesty, she’s not about to suffer a charmer like Joe Walsh for a second! Until.. she can’t seem to shake him! Suddenly she finds herself trying to endure her father’s 60th birthday extravaganza whilst sharing a cottage with Joe and being confronted with yet more lies and daftness from her ex all in one weekend!

This was just brilliantly written – whilst knowingly discussing the value and power of romance novels and the various different romantic tropes, Love Story delivers one itself that is every bit as amazing as I imagine Butterflies is! From the characters that you’ll love to hate (CJ/Joe’s dad) to the adorable and hilarious (Charlotte, most of the characters..) and the rollercoaster of emotional growth and revelations that almost everyone goes through, including Sophie’s mum, this book has everything.

Sitting outside in the sun reading this was the perfect way to spend a day (I think I read 50% in one go!) – an absolute must for the summer 2024 TBR pile!

"Love Story" is set over a chaotic weekend, featuring Sophie, a bestselling romance novelist writing under a pen name to hide her success from her snobbish publishing parents. Sophie's journey explores internalized misogyny faced by romance writers and readers. The banter between Sophie, her family, and Joe—whose trustworthiness is questioned until the end—adds humor, especially in roasting Sophie's ex. Kelk highlights the unfair belittlement of romance literature, celebrating its value and giving shout-outs to fellow romance authors.

A very funny romance that cleverly addresses the stigma of liking romance and how it is treated by publishers and critics. Although treated badly it is still one of the most popular and as a customer recently said to me "romance makes every story better!" This is a brilliant slow burn that you won't be able to put down- the characters are just that lovable!

It is annoying you can’t give a 1/2 on NetGalley, because this more than a four, but here we are. This was such a cute romance and I absolutely love a book about books. So many little Easter eggs in here for book fans. It was really funny too, I was constantly giggling. The chemistry between the main characters, banter and a little bit of spice thrown in for good measure. An enjoyable read, excited to read more from this author.

This was hilarious!! I was giggling through most of this read. Not only was the humour great but the romance between Sophie & Joe was vvvery cute.

A really entertaining story with well thought out characters and an interesting story line. There was so much personality provided for the main character which really bought things to life. There were lots of things I wish I tabbed a long the way, so hopefully I can get my hands on a physical copy at some point and highlight my favourite parts :))

Very coincidental, but the book I read before this one ‘Finding Mr Write’ (also a new release) had some similarities to this one in the fact that the female main characters were both first time authors and the main male love interest covered for them (due to separate reasons) and took ownership of the pen name.
Either way, both books are individually great and newly published so I guess great minds think alike!

Thank you NetGalley & Harper Collins UK for the arc 🤗