Review by Gabrielle
How to Write a Love Story checks all the right boxes for a romance lover.
Favourite Quote:
She’s still smiling at me, her eyes as bold and bright as the moon, and I can’t help but feel like she’s something out of a storybook, or one of those legends from her father’s books. Something not of this world. Because how can someone human feel this good, feel this right in my arms?
Book Synopsis:
Ciara Sheridan’s father has left her with three things: a sprawling and distinctly ramshackle estate on the Irish coast, the outline for the finale to his bestselling epic fantasy series that he wanted her to finish—and writer’s block.
Enter Sam Frank Sheridan fanboy and hotshot editor, sent from the New York publishing house direct to Ciara’s doorstep. Ciara was expecting a crusty old-timer, so the handsome young American is a surprise. And for his part, Sam was expecting Ciara to have written something by now.
Ciara and Sam have two weeks of the hottest Irish summer on record to write this novel together and secure Frank’s legacy—but will their own love story be the plot twist neither of them see coming?
Review:
This is an easy read for romance lovers. Catherine Walsh knows exactly what romance readers want, and she delivers. This is my first book by Catherine, and I enjoyed it enough to say I’d definitely read another. Lucky for me, her back catalogue appears to be available on Kindle Unlimited.
Dual-POV lovers can rejoice that we do indeed get into the minds of both characters here, in alternating chapters. I liked both of them, too. Ciara is a bit of a mess (understandably). She is mourning the loss of her famous author father and dealing with some complicated feelings about him. While she loved him deeply and even moved home to take care of him when he got sick, he was often absent once he became famous. Now he’s left her their famous but crumbling house and a vague outline for the long-awaited final book in his series, along with instructions that she must be the one to write it. She agrees because she needs the money to fix up the house. Then we have Sam. He’s a green flags kind of guy. Attractive and smart but also kinda geeky, he’s sent to Ireland to be Ciara’s editor and help her finish the book. The characters are well developed enough that we understand who they are, their motivations, and why they’d be great together, but there isn’t anything too challenging about them that you need a big list of trigger warnings.
The relationship between the two of them is a slow burn, and I liked that for them. It felt right for their characters. They start off not as enemies exactly, but definitely on the wrong foot. There is some great banter, some of it even funny enough to make me giggle out loud. Once they get to know each other better, there are lots of pining and will-they/won’t they moments. Their relationship develops pretty naturally, with the chemistry building over time. This isn’t a closed-door romance, but it’s not overly spicy either.
A solid read full of all the characteristics romance lovers look for, How to Write a Love Story will satisfy most bookworms.
Thank you, Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
