Love Scene

by Anna Carey

HATE AT FIRST SIGHT. THEN COMES THE REWRITE.

Writing for an iconic soap opera was supposed to be a dream come true. But Annie's boss is a tyrant, the actors are out of control, and there are rumours that Northside will soon be cancelled.

The worst part of all of Annie has to share an office with her nemesis, Art Sullivan.

Talented-and-he-knows-it Art was once the Next Big Thing with a promising Hollywood career. So why is he back in town, writing for a show he's never seen a single episode of?

Annie tries to ignore Art, who still knows exactly how to push her buttons - and is still distractingly hot. But when she suspects someone's sabotaging Northside, she realises she'll need Art's help to stop them. If they can quit arguing long enough to work together, there might just be another plot twist ahead...

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2026

About the author

Anna Carey is a freelance journalist from Drumcondra in Dublin who has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent and many other publications. Anna joined her first band when she was fifteen and went on to sing and play with several bands over the next fifteen years. Her last band, El Diablo, released two albums and toured all over the country.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

|#Netgalley| |Published May 7th|

If you're lucky enough to have access to an ARC of Anna Carey's upcoming rom-drama "Love Scene", don't let it sit unread. It's truly a joy to read, and was the highlight of my week while I was reading it.

Art and Annie never really got on in college. Annie thought Art was a know-it-all, up his own arse, because of how he scoffed at the notion of writing for TV. Annie, a soap opera fiend, is just back in Dublin after a stint working on a popular UK soap - with the job offer of a lifetime.

Beloved Irish soap "Northside" needs a facelift - and Annie is offered the chance to join the writing staff. She's overjoyed to get the chance to work on a show she has watched since childhood - she's less overjoyed to discover that she'll be sharing an office, and a job, with Art "soaps are shite" Sullivan.

With Annie determined to do a good job for the show's upcoming anniversary, things start going wrong. Is someone sabotaging her work? Is Art even serious about this job? Why is he here at all? And why is he such a ride?

I loved Art and Annie so much. Annie's imposter syndrome was painfully relatable, and I was rooting for her the whole time to stand up for herself and believe in her talent. Art was, indeed, a big ride, the pair had wonderful banter and their chemistry was off the charts. 🔥 I LOVE how we get an insight into what Art is thinking at times, it made me like him even more.

The author doesn't take the miscommunication trope to the extreme, which I really appreciated. Any mix-ups are addressed relatively quickly in order to get back on track with the main story.

I loved Annie's friendship with her flatmate, Roo. They became close in Secondary School, when both were teased for being alternative. The author did a great job of showing just how nastiness at school can get into your head and affect you into adulthood - one well-placed insult can follow you around for decades.

Fans of Our Song will be delighted with the Laura and Tadhg updates, as Annie is Laura's sister.

Thanks so much to @hachetteireland for the ARC via @Netgalley. This deserves to be huge, I adored it.

#SharonReadThis26 #LoveScene

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some romance novels are just cathartic, and Love Scene was one of those: with Art being a genuine, straightforward guy (with his flaws and all); and Annie - a talented, down-to-earth woman, with her self-doubt, feeling like a tourist in her own hometown of Dublin after returning from the UK (as an expat, I can certainly relate!).

And even though I'm not a fan of soap opera backdrops, I really enjoyed Annie and Art's enemies to frenemies to lovers story.

It was also upliflting to see how Roo and Annie moved past being bullied and grew into strong, resilient women with unconventional careers.

This was a warm, romantic, joyful read that once again convinced me that I'll read anything Anna Carey writes.

Love Scene will be published on 7 May, but you can already pre-order it 😉 Many thanks to @hachetteireland and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

📖 Synopsis: Annie is hired as a writer for her all-time favourite Irish soap opera, Northside, but she has to share an office with her nemesis, Art, who has returned from Hollywood to Dublin to work on the same show. Why is he back, and why is he so annoying, but also so distractingly hot?

It also turns out that their boss is a tyrant and someone is trying to sabotage Northside, so Annie will need Art's help to stop them. Can Annie and Art stop arguing long enough to work together and save the show?

P.S. Apologies to Annie and Art, but Laura (Annie's older sister) and Tadhg stay as my favourites 🫣 I have to admit though, that Our Song had a lot of things that are just my personal favourites, so I am totally biased there.

[Helen Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really loved (apologies for all the ‘loves’ in this sentence) ‘Love Scene’.
Annie has moved home from the UK, lured by a writing job on Ireland’s most iconic soap opera, ‘Northside’. As a life-long lover of soaps, tv drama and pop culture AND a bona fide Dublin northsider herself, this is a dream come true.

But when she starts work, almost immediately there are red flags. There’s toxic management, bad morale and even the suspicion that someone is sabotaging her work. Worst of all, one Annie’s colleagues is another new writer, Art. Annie knew him in college – and did NOT care for him! The descriptions of Art in college are so relatable to anyone who’s ever studied anything creative – he was high-handed, dismissive of anything he didn’t think was art – particularly soaps!

So can they manage to work together? And can they write the brilliant anniversary episode that Northside deserves?

Annie and Art are brilliant characters, and they (& we) soon realise they have much more I common than they thought. From the start, their chats and interactions are warm and funny, and once they have to really work together to deal with workplace difficulties their lovely rapport comes to the fore.

Their love story is really compelling, but I also loved the book as an ode to TV, to the craft of writing, to popular culture. And of course I loved the great supporting cast of family and friends, and the north Dublin setting that Anna Carey evokes so lovingly.

[Claire Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Carey's upcoming book "Love Scene" has completely stolen my heart. I swept through it, and almost regretted it because I miss Art and Annie. They are two of the most perfectly written, easily recognisable characters I have read in a long time. And I'm loathed to admit I see a lot of myself in Annie; anxious, guarded, prickly, a bit witchy.

Annie is a seasoned soap writter starting the job of her dreams, writing for Irish televisiual institution, the long running "Northside". But what happens when she walks in and sees a familiar man who she knew in college, Art Sullivan, possibly the most infuriating person she's ever known?

This is such a fun, easy, comfortable read. The writing is so warm and witty, the characters are brilliantly crafted and the setting felt very fresh to me. As well as all of this, it's a real treat for me, as a Northside Dub, to see that side of the city getting the representation it deserves. Almost every book I read that's set in Dublin is usually based on the southside. Anna is doing great work in her writing to give the Northside the props it deserves.

Love Scene will be published May 7th. If you are a fan of fresh, clever and modern romance novels, you'll love this. It's an absolute tonic.

Thank you to @HachetteIreland for an advanced copy of this book on @Netgalley

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to love about this one. Annie's voice for starters: in her narrative, her chats with best friend Roo, and her spiky interactions with Art. She comes across as simultaneously down to earth, loyal, and painfully, understandably anxious. Then there's the glimpses we get into Art's state of mind, through his scripts that have a habit of veering off in a more personal direction than they should. And finally, there's the supporting characters: Roo with her tarot cards, a welcome revisit with Laura and Tadhg from Our Song, and the cast, crew and management of Northside, who are plentiful but written as three-dimensional and very relatable. In the centre of it all, though, is the relationship between Annie and Art, who find themselves battling both potentially nefarious happenings at work and an unexpected attraction to each other. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed from genuine dislike/indifference into reluctant camaraderie and ultimately so much more. It's tightly written, chock-full of humour and emotion and also a paean to the world of soap operas, and I could hardly put it down.

[Jen Grá · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Carey's "Our Song" was one of my favorite books of last year. In a sea of Irish set romance books, it was a treat to read one that actually reflected the nature of the country, instead of relying on stereotypes. "Love Scene" continues to be a delight. It is about screenwriter, Annie as she returns to Dublin after working away for years, reuniting her with family, friends and her old university nemesis, Art.
I loved reading this book, finding it difficult to put down. The miscommunication fried my head a bit at the end and I could have done with a little more wrap in the resolve, but overall it's a total treat.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Anna Carey novel, but not my last. I loved this novel for lots of reasons. Likeable characters & a well written story kept my attention so much that I finished it in one sitting. Add in the right level of spice, a bit of angst & the obligatory ‘will they or won’t they?’ & I was hooked. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry & Marian Keyes, highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 1am.
I couldn't stop reading Love Scene today, Anna Carey writes the BEST dialogue. Oh my days, this story is absolutely perfect. I am obsessed with the absolute joy of it. A beautifully happy, romantic, perfect novel.
Just the tonic for all our sad and weary souls.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Gabbie Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another unputdownable banger from one of the most exciting voices in the Irish romance sphere. This had me giggling and kicking my feet as I read. If you've ever seen me say I am a hater of workplace romance stories, look away as I eat my words.

(particularly recommend this one to both fans of THE HATING GAME and people who've read THE HATING GAME and wanted more)

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie and Art's love story was such a joy to read as they deal with workplace sabotage and, especially in Annie's case, see a whole other side to the other. Plus their chemistry? FIRE! It was also refreshing to see two adults communicate to clear up misunderstandings. I inhaled this book until my eyes finally couldn't stay open.

Annie is such a relatable heroine. Despite being a kick arse screenwriter, she's got a severe case of imposter syndrome. She's anxious, her mind always whirring with how she did everything wrong, second guessing herself. Yet when she's with Art, she is able to drop that in their verbal sparring matches. I really loved her clapback to an old school bully. And what can I say about the delectable Art? He was a snobby film student, but life has given him a few knocks and have forced him to reframe his life and career goals. I adored the interstitial scripts that give us inklings of his thoughts and feelings.

However, I would be remiss to not mention the second romance, namely between Annie and best friend Roo. Outcasts in school and having lived in different countries for over a decade, they slotted back in seamlessly. I'm a sucker for reading female friendships, especially in love stories, and this was a joy to read (especially descriptions of Roo's amazing outfits).

Cherry on top? A cameo from Laura and Tadhg.

I think Anna Carey's books need to come with a book hangover warning sticker. I absolutely loved this unputdownable modern screwball comedy. Pre-order this book, you won't regret it.

Thanks to Hachette Books Ireland and NetGalley for the ARC. I can't wait to get my hands on the audiobook and a paperback.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, grounded romance.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This was my first Anna Carey book and I enjoyed it. Set in Dublin, this novel follows Art and Annie as they navigate working together trying to revive a classic but ailing Irish soap opera. The chemistry between Annie and Art was really well developed and the romance was well paced. Carey’s writing is easy to read, I especially loved the insights we got into Art’s POV through the pages of his scripts - this was a great idea. I also enjoyed the exploration of the lingering effects of school bullying into adulthood, especially when you return to the place it happened. My only real niggle with the book was that the sabotage plot-line was a little overdramatic for my liking.

If you’re looking for a sweet, cosy romance with plenty of banter, some yearning and a sprinkle of mystery then I highly recommend giving ‘Love Scene’ a go.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Books Ireland for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sinead Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Scene* by Anna Carey is the soon-to-be released follow-up to last year’s fan fave Our Story and, I’m happy to report, she’s done it again, girls! Art and Annie (Laura’s sister) were at constant loggerheads in college. He thought she was flighty and unserious for wanting to write for soaps, she thought he was a pretentious prick. Despite his derision, Annie’s dreams came true and she’s been writing for a major UK soap since graduating. However, she’s packing it all in and returning to Dublin on the back of the job offer of a lifetime - to be a new staff writer on beloved Irish soap ‘Northside’. 


As her first day rolls around, Annie is excited to be setting foot on the cobbles that punctuated every evening of her life, but is soon brought back down to earth when she realises she’ll be sharing an office with none other than Art Sullivan himself. And, if that forced proximity to her mortal enemy wasn’t bad enough, it would appear that she and Art are less than welcome in the writer’s room. They can’t seem to do anything right, their work keeps going missing, and their boss seems out to get them. Are they really that shite, or is it sabotage? And, to top it all off, why can’t she stop thinking about Art?


The chemistry here was wonderful, a genuinely sweet slow burn that reached a brilliant crescendo. Anna Carey writes Irish banter brilliantly and really captures the fervour with which Irish people, particularly in the 90s/00s, consumed soap operas. There’s a lovely, natural feeling update about Laura and Tadhg, and we get to know Annie’s quirky and kind best friend Roo, who I am now keeping everything crossed that the next book will be about. Out 7/5.