How to Write a Love Story, by Catherine Walsh - Book Review

This review is spoiler-minimal and focuses on overall impressions rather than major plot reveals.

⭐⭐⭐

I so wanted to love this one. The setting, the characters, the premise—it had everything I usually look for in a rom-com. And honestly? A lot of it was executed beautifully. By the end, a few pieces just didn’t feel fully aligned for me.

This story follows Ciara (Kee-ra), who agrees to finish the final book in her late father’s massive fantasy series while navigating intense fan expectations and pressure. She’s paired with Sam, a New York editor and longtime fan of her father’s work, to help bring the series to a—hopefully—satisfying close.

Overall Impressions

I was hooked right from the beginning. The characters are likable, and the writing flows really naturally. My main issue wasn’t the quality of the writing. If anything, I was immersed faster than I am with some books I love. It was how unsatisfied I felt by the end.

The best way I can describe it: it’s like being promised a rich chocolate cake and, in a dramatic lid lift, finding vanilla instead. The vanilla is still good—but it leaves you with a very specific craving that it just doesn’t quite satisfy.

Ciara and Sam’s meet-cute made me laugh and set the tone for what I expected to be a really fun, tension-filled build-up. Only… a lot of their working relationship happens off-page, replaced with quick summaries. I felt like I was peering through a foggy window, thinking, please let me see more.

I needed more tension, more buildup, more on-page development to fully buy into their feelings.

Characters and Romance

Ciara was a huge standout for me. She’s strong-minded, a little stubborn, and doesn't apologize for it. Her inner voice feels authentic and honest in a way that’s genuinely refreshing.

Sam is likable and easy to root for, but I kept coming back to a moment where his sister very sternly tells him not to be himself. I kept waiting to see that flaw play out—and instead found someone with reasonable boundaries and a strong love for his job. Neither of those felt like true flaws, which made that thread feel a bit unresolved.

The side characters are interesting and give off strong Gilmore Girls-style small-town vibes—just set in Ireland. It becomes pretty clear that a couple of them are likely being set up for the next book (which, to be fair, I will absolutely be reading), but they do pull focus from Ciara and Sam at times in a way that felt a little jarring.

Final Thoughts: Is How to Write a Love Story Worth Reading?

In the end, this is an enjoyable, fast-paced, and easy-to-read story with strong character potential. My main drawback was that the romance didn’t feel as fully developed on the page as I wanted it to be.

If you’re a fan of slow-burn, character-driven stories—and don’t mind some of that development happening off-page, then I think this would still be a really fun read. Especially if you’re looking for something lighter (perfect for hiding from a heat wave—wink).

This is my first book by Catherine Walsh, and I’m definitely interested in picking up more from her.