Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. Many thanks to NetGalley, LittleBrownUK, and the author.
I tried to read several books by Catherine Walsh before, and somehow never finished one. It could be that they were Christmas books, which I usually avoid unless I really love the author, or that they didn’t grab me immediately, but nevertheless, I was excited to get this ARC. It seemed like a perfect place to start with this author’s work — a fresh, new romance book, and with a writer and editor falling in love, no less! I really thought I would love it.
Unfortunately, that was not the case exactly, and no one is more devastated than I am.
The book itself is well-written, with the kind of pithy, easy prose I normally love. It reads like a British romcom movie, which is the highest compliment from me, because I love British romcoms. The dialogue is fun and realistic, awkward in all the best ways. Each character is distinct in the way they speak, which is amazing.
And the setting is lovely too — Ireland is one of my favorite countries, one of those places I dream of visiting, so I really liked that.
The setup was also great. We have a writer struggling to finish her late father’s extremely popular fantasy series, and a fan-boy editor sent to help out. Of course, they fall in love along the way. There are discussions about fandom and privacy, grief, feeling lost in the world, and more.
I really loved all of this — so what went wrong?
Well, simply put, I didn’t care. By 40%, I was checked out already, not really invested in whether the main characters would end up together or not. They had decent chemistry at the beginning, but then just seemed to skip a few steps. It went from them being reluctant co-workers to her suddenly noticing his biceps and stuff, which was jarring for some reason. It just didn’t feel natural or satisfying.
And I do understand that these things just happen without much fanfare in real life too. Two people meet, feel attracted to each other and then explore that attraction, but we need more in books. Romcoms are meant to be exaggerated versions of real life romance, a sort of fantasy land of its own.
I also wished we got more insight into the process of writing and editing a fantasy book. This is something of a personal interest of mine, and I really love it when in romance books about writers, we get to see their process, how they work, etc. I like to see the writers talk about the craft (see: The Beach Read by Emily Henry, The Roughest Draft, Seven Days in June, etc.) and have the romance sort of intertwined with that — falling in love through leaving notes in margins for each other, that sort of thing. This was not a big thing in this book, and I missed it.
That all said, though, if you’re a fan of Catherine Walsh or just want a well-written, fun romance, this is the one to check out. It’s really a standout in the sea of generally poorly written romcoms, and I say this as someone who really loves romcoms deeply — they have a tendency to be a bit cringey. This one is not, and it could be enjoyable for the right reader. Or maybe even me at some point in the future. It truly wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me at this point. For now, all I can do is recommend it to you. Enjoy!
How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh comes out on March 10, 2026, and you can preorder it wherever you get books or by clicking the button below.
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