For some reason this appears to be the first Lindsey Kelk novel I’ve read/listened to. I have no idea why. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I fear there were a lot of Taylor Swift references that might’ve flew right over my head, I caught a few therefore I can only assume there are many.

There’s absolutely nothing original about this book, but that’s sort of the beauty of it. It’s old blanket in its simplicity and predictably, a cozy read or a beach read I’d say. Give it a go!

The narration was fantastic and definitely boosted the rating by at least half a star.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins audio U.K. for the opportunity to listen 🎧

Love Story is the first Lindsey Kelk book I have read and I loved it. How have I never read anything by this author before? I most definitely won’t be overlooking her books again. It’s the story of Sophie Taylor who is a primary school teacher with a big secret. She has written a best-selling sexy, romantic fiction novel, Butterflies, which readers just can’t get enough of. She’s written it under a pseudonym though and people are desperate to find out who ‘Este Cox’ is.

Sophie’s parents are high flyers in the publishing industry and they are partly the reason she has kept her identity a secret. She didn’t think they would approve of her book or be proud of her as they were rather disdainful of romantic fiction, being more involved with what they’d consider more literary fiction. Sophie’s sister, Charlotte, was a hoot and I adored Sophie’s no-nonsense friend Sarah. And then there’s Joe Walsh… Joe and Sophie do not get on at all when they first meet but oh that attraction between them! There were some seriously hot scenes in this book, perhaps steamy enough to rival Butterflies itself.

I liked the way that this book looked at the snobbery around romantic fiction and showed that it is worthy of as much respect as any other genre. It played on many romantic fiction tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, love/lust at first sight and others I won’t mention as it will give away too much of the story! There were so many mentions of some of my own favourite books and authors that it felt as though this book was written just for me. There is one scene where Sophie is looking around the shelves of her sister Charlotte’s bookshop and notes that in these books “every single person is seen, heard and represented“. I really feel that’s the case for romantic fiction. It shouldn’t just be dismissed as insignificant. Across the various sub-genres such as contemporary fiction, historical fiction, romantasy, LGBTQ+ and so on, every single person and experience is represented.

I should mention that I listened to the audiobook version of this book, very ably narrated by Kristin Atherton. I felt she captured the personalities of all the characters really well which was no mean feat, as she had many characters to voice.

Probably like most people who will read this book, I am now desperate to read the fictional Butterflies book. What a pity it doesn’t exist – perhaps Lindsey Kelk could write it as her next novel? Love Story is a love letter to romance novels with a joyous ending worthy of any rom-com film. It’s smart, funny and passionate. I loved it!

Really fun little story. Had a lot of fun following Sophie/Este as she wiggled her way through trying to hide the fact that she wrote the bestseller spicy romance novel from her family, and all the shenanigans that follow in the wake of that. Overall enjoyable read, quite fun little romcom.

However, one scene where MMC is accusted by an female character was a little off the vibe. The way it was handled by the FMC was uncomfortable. She basically laughed it off but the MMC was left traumatised. If the geners had been reversed, this scene would probably have cancelled the whole book.

Love Story is truly a love letter to the entire romance genre and had me giddy the entire time I was listening to it.

We follow Sophie, who is an elementary school teacher by day, but secretly a best-selling steamy romance writer by night. She's written her book under a pen name, partially to keep her job, but partially so she is not criticized by her very literary family of book critics and editors.

This book has so many elements I love, including a snarky FMC, forced proximity, a big weekend-long event, a quirky family, farce-like comedy, pop culture references, book about a book/writing and English accents (at least the audiobook version).

Loved it and will definitely be reading more from Lindsey Kelk!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook ARC!

5 stars!

I really loved the audio version of this book, which was brought to life by the narrator. Sophie Taylor’s secret career is entertaining, I loved her family and Joe and enjoyed the journey. An entertaining summer read! Thank you

Never having read a Lindsey Kelk book before I wasn’t sure what to expect. So you can imagine my delight as the hilarious banter, the one liners, the comfort, and the emotions I found myself feeling at times while reading.

The story is perfect for a summer read, however I will be re-reading it in Autumn, Winter and spring too!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

I expected to enjoy this book but I was surprised by just how much I did!

It got off to a great start by being a book about a book, then add in the tension of enemies to lovers with two great characters and you have the framework for a compelling story.

The writing was great, with fun dialogue, lots of literary and cultural references I enjoyed and many laugh out loud moments.

Although the plot was a little predictable, that’s actually something I enjoy in a romance.

The narrator was very good and I raced through the audiobook because it was such a fun listen.

4.5⭐️

Love Story put a smile on my face. It is a book written for our romance loving readers, an ode to tropes & book clubs, special editions & loving books for what they give us beyond their literary aspirations.

The characters were fun, from feisty tik tok trending Charlotte, to Sophie's dad & his eccentric birthday party ideas. The banter between Sophie & Joe & the inevitability of their romance was great & I loved the nods to 90s & 00s films & books throughout.

Kristen Atherton was a fabulous narrator & I loved the distinctive character voices, particularly in the busy party & book discussion scenes.

My only problem is that now I want to read Butterflies too please.

𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆

The plot of “Love Story” was really unique and well fleshed out. I do think we could have gotten a bit more regarding the whole secret author thing, it felt like once it was revealed it wasn’t a big issue to everyone else which kind of just felt like a let down. I was just expecting more from the plot.

Unfortunately the romance also did nothing for me, but this may be more of a me issue since I’m not a huge fan of the insta-love trope. I just don’t realistically see them lasting that long as a couple.

Character wise, I think Lindsey Kelk did a really good job at making all the characters easily distinguishable from one another and gave them their own personality.

Kristin Atherton did an amazing job on the audiobook and honestly helped me get through the most of the book when it was feeling a bit too slow for me.

Hate to DNF an ARC but hate this book more.
Pop-culture references are overused to the point of exhaustion and make the book feel like it's trying too hard to be hip and cool. Maybe I set myself up for this when I failed to realize the title is a Taylor Swift song, but still. Cringe-worthy lines aside, everything was so shallow it crumbled on a breeze.
Maybe I'm too old or not cool enough to read stuff like this.
The narrator did a wonderful job but I still can't shake the feeling that she's more suited for historical fiction.
Read if you like Taylor Swift and that one author I refuse to support, I guess.

Thank you NetGalley/HarperCollins for the ALC.

Yes to this entire book. I could leave my review there but I should probably write some more words as to why this book was so epic!!

Not only is it book centred, with right on the nose insights to real world books, bookstagram, booktok and all that comes with being a bookfluencer, but the main central plot storyline was just perfection.

Our main character, an author come English teacher, is the anonymous best seller of the hottest romance novel around. And from the snippets we got from the book, I wouldn’t mind reading ‘Butterflies’ too. I think I would also be a hardcore fan groupie.

I loved Sophie’s character and her romance story was divine. The book was also so damn satisfying in its conclusions and mounting plots that fist pumping for joy when certain people got their comeuppance is inevitable.

And can I just say, the narrator of the audiobook (Kristen Atherton) did THE most amazing job ever and I think now is one of my favourite audiobook narrators. She voiced all of the characters perfectly and had the exact amounts of comedic timing to really do the humour justice and had me laughing, teary and so engaged that the book flew by.

I seriously loved this story and audiobook and it’s a definite reread for the future.

A note on the audiobook: Kristin Atherton is one of my favourite narrators, her incredible performances always elevate the reading experience for me. She was the perfect choice for this book.

I couldn’t resist picking this one up. The cover, the description and the author’s stellar reputation drew me in immediately. However, I was trepidatious as this book’s main character is an author. I tend to avoid romances centred around authors and publishing because it can feel like the author is breaking the fourth wall and not in a cute way. The fact that it’s set in England also means all the specific references may hit too close to home.
This is important to note because I didn’t feel that way at all while reading Love Story.
With skill hitherto unmatched, Kelk managed to not ONCE give me the heebies. Even with talk of various British authors, bookshop chains and BookTok. It never once felt like a memoir in disguise, but rather a book perfectly written for English romance readers.
I loved Sophie’s chaotic family and friends; they all had such unique voices and made the story so rich. Paired with quintessential English (borderline-farcical) humour, we really got to know Sophie as a person living in the world and not just the protagonist for this story.
Even with Sophie butting in every now and then with, ‘if I had to write this scene, I would say…’, the romance was perfect. It was realistic yet swoon-worthy, and just the right amount of self- aware to make us romance readers feel seen (who hasn’t looked at their partner and thought ‘you were definitely written by a woman’?).
All in all, Love Story is a romance book that is a love letter to romance books without a shred of pretention. A really comforting, well balanced story with heaps of heart and humour. Sophie would love this comparison, but if you love classic English movies like Bridget Jones’ Diary (particularly the ridiculous fight between Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver) then you’ll love this.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook arc!

Love Story is a fun, witty, and swoony read perfect for lovers of rom coms.

In fact the central thread of the story is very much an unapologetic ode to romance books. I loved the peppering of jokes, name dropping and references to female romance authors throughout. Sophie and Joe have great chemistry and their relationship development felt perfectly paced. Sophie’s quirky and self focussed family made for hilarious interactions, and I loved their character development.

I loved this so much I read it both as an ebook and audiobook. Kristin Atherton’s narration was animated and immersive, and really brought Sophie and Joe’s bickering and banter to life. I also really enjoyed her characterisation of Charlotte.

I picked this up after reading (and loving) Love Me Do last year, and can’t wait to delve into Lindsey Kelk’s other books.

Thank you HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I had the best time listening to this book!

It was so fun from the start, I love the humour and the plot line, I thought all the characters were so great and so unique

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought they did a great job with the different voices

- forced proximity
- only one bed
- secret identity

Sophie Taylor, a primary school teacher, has published a spicy romance novel under a pseudonym. Her debut is a huge hit, but with an ex who's an award-winning literary author and parents who are indifferent to the romance genre, she's keeping her success strictly confidential. That is until the one person she doesn't want to know figures it out.

What a treat this was from the first page! Only her brother and publisher knew. When the creative director of the publishing house, Joe Walsh, found out her secret, she wasn't elated of course.

I loved that even though Joe initially dismissed her work, he came around to it and worked to make her see she was talented and worthy of all the accolades. Their chemistry was off the charts though it took them a while to give in to the feelings and I loved the slow burn. There were shocking twists here and there that kept the story exciting as well.

This was an ode to romance book readers and authors. I loved that we don't need to explain why we read romance as opposed to other genres of fiction. I also loved that Kelk mentioned other current authors as the story unfolded.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the narration and found myself getting busy just to continue listening.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins UK Audio and Lindsey Kelk for this Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun love story, filled to the brim with your favourite tropes and Taylor Swift Easter eggs! Lots of laugh out loud moments for me!

Here we meet Sophie, a primary school school teacher, who is hiding a very big secret. She is a well loved romance author, Esther Cox. She hides in fear of rejection from her parents. All is going well, her secret is hidden, until she meets Joe. Their chemistry is intense from the get go, but can either of them let go of their baggage and be who they truly are.

I loved this one, an action packed romance, enemies to lovers! Some spicy scenes. Insta-love and one bed trope. Lots of real life romance author name drops and tropes names... if that not for you.

Totally bingeable and lots or fun!

I loved this audio book, the narration was excellent. This is the perfect summer read and would be perfect for a holiday. The plot was interesting as it showed the stigma with romance books and loved that then characters were very bookish and loved the banter between the two main characters. I loved Charlotte and who doesn't want to own their own bookshop! I will definitely be checking out more by this author in the future and I made notes of the books mentioned also as I don't read romance enough! I would round this up to 4.5 stars ! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this audio arc.

As an avid fan of Lindsey Kelk, I was ecstatic to experience her latest book once more, this time in audiobook format. I've cherished each of her books, yet this one stands out as truly remarkable. *Chef's Kiss*

The bookshop scene will forever be imprinted in my memory, particularly the quote:

"I want to be consumed," he whispered, his voice deepening as he drew nearer. "I want her very thought to set me ablaze. I desire to yield to the inferno and be consumed until only my love remains."

I couldn't help but shout, "Don't we all, Joe?! DON'T WE ALL!!!"

I extend my gratitude to Lindsey, her publishing team, and Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to enjoy this as an audiobook.

This is only the second audio book I have listened to and I can I say the storyline does make a massive difference to how much you enjoy them. The storyline was gripping straight away and I really enjoyed the narration! I just wanted to listen to it none stop!
The book follows a romance author Sophie who has published a spicy bestseller under a pseudonym and how her life unfolds after she meets the lovely Joe! A wonderful insight to how romance books make women feel!
I listened over 2 days on a 1.75 speed!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

‘Love Story’ by Lindsey Kelk tells the story of schoolteacher Sophie Taylor, the daughter of two renowned figures in the publishing world who secretly moonlights as a romance author… and not just any romance author, but the writer of bestselling, TikTok trending, Austin Butler-in-talks-for-the-movie, super spicy hit novel ‘Butterflies’! Keeping her alter-ego Este Cox becomes more difficult when her father’s OTT birthday party thrusts her into the path of her literary-snobbish parents, BookTok obsessed sister, awful ex and a handsome recent acquaintance Joe who has piqued her attention. The story has plenty of laughs and a solid love story while also focusing on family dynamics and social pressure.

I adored how this was a book-lovers book from start to finish - from the publishing world setting, to passionate book club discussions in defence of smut, to the list of wonderful authors cited as ‘Este’s’ inspiration! There was also a healthy helping of TayTay references scattered throughout, which made this Swiftie very happy.

The characters in this novel were FABULOUS, especially the women:
- Sophie was likeable, relatable and super talented - her personality quirks were well rooted in her experiences and she grew beautifully throughout the novel
- Sarah was the perfect best-friend figure for Sophie, full of sage advice and always ready to provide coffee and a croissant from her café
- I want Sophie’s sister Charlotte to be MY best friend - she was fierce, determined and funny, AND owned a YA/romance-centric bookshop
The male lead Joe wasn’t half bad either - sensitive, generous and (mostly) communicative about what he wanted… and super hot!

This audiobook was narrated by Kristin Atherton, who I have listened to a few thriller audiobooks from but never a romance before… and I must say she did an excellent job! Her accents for some characters were fabulous and the depth of emotion she portrayed in key scenes was excellent.

Overall, this was a five listen read for me - if you loved ‘Beach Read’ or ‘Only And Forever’, you will ADORE this regardless of how you consume the story.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher Harper Collins Audio via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.