Annabel Monaghan

Evvie Drake Starts Over meets Beach Read in this heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love. Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite… Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it’s her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life. No one is more surprised than her when it’s picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne’er do well husband Nora’s life will never be the same. The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He’ll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it’s the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it’s the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart. Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story—the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.

Nora Goes Off Script

"It’s like I suffered temporary insanity.”

This was a pleasantly surprising read and I really enjoyed it, a lot deeper and introspective than I was expecting. I choose this as my "N" title for my Alphabet challenge and I am glad that I picked this up. Honestly, Nora's life sounds like my absolutely worst nightmare, two kids and a deadbeat husband who doesn't work, doesn't do household responsibilities and seemingly enjoys putting his wife down despite the fact that she is only one in the relationship actually holding anything up, and then he leaves and never sees the kids. I could never, I would've left him long before kids came into the equation. The rest of the story is where you have to suspend some of your disbelief, because, while it is super sweet and entertaining to read about, the likelihood of it all is very low. But I do really enjoy a good bit escapism imagining a suburban mum of two snagging the Sexiest Man Alive!

Nora is an interesting main character, usually someone like her would annoy me and at times she did. She's clearly a strong, intellectual, compassionate person, having supported her family for years by writing stories for a company who churns out Hallmark-esque formulaic romances and does all of the parenting but puts up with and tries to convince an incompetent, dropkick of a man that she is worth being with. She is more than worth being with, and finally she sees it clearly once he's gone, but then immediately jumps straight to infatuation with an impractical man and loses herself again. But for some reason I didn't mind it so much in this story. Leo seems to be a genuinely good man, after a few hiccups he really steps up for her family in ways that their actual dad has never done before and I can see why that would be so attractive to Nora. I found the romance a little bit dry unfortunately, he mostly follows her around like a lost puppy saying "can I come?" and they have one or two friendly chats before their affair starts and I just didn't really feel the chemistry. I guess maybe I just don't really relate to the type of attraction she was having to him, aside from his good looks and the thrill of romance with a movie star, because I don't have kids or a deadbeat husband to compare him to and really she falls in love mostly with what he does for her kids.

The humour in this book is sarcastic, deadpan type laughs which I really enjoyed. There was a conversation about who would play the love interest in her second big screen movie if not Leo and her mum says "Oh you must have an affair with him too!" which made me laugh a lot because it's absolutely something I could see my mum saying. Bernadette was also an absolute firecracker, I adored her! She had some great one-liners. The ending did annoy me a little bit though, I have never been a fan of the miscommunication trope and this one was a real doozy, cuz how could two 40 year olds, one who literally writes movies containing these exact types of miscommunication based third act break ups, really not just have one adult conversation 

SPOILER>>> and trust the word of a 10 year old boy with hurt feelings!? <<<END SPOILER

Not to mention how rushed the end felt after they figured out the miscommunication. I just think, for how deep and literary some of the soul-searching became in this book I felt like this trope and the ending kind of cheapened the whole story, sadly, which is where I had to remove a star.

Overall though, this book was very entertaining and the perfect palate cleanser. I flew through it one night and absolutely low when a book does that. If you can shake of some of the more ridiculous parts of this book then it is worth a read, and I am definitely adding Annabel Monaghan to my list of authors I want to read more from. I recommend this to people who enjoy Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry, it was a good mix between chick lit and romance!

“If you pretend for your job, eventually you’ll stop being anything at all. A non-person. Silly Putty that you rub on a newspaper.”

Genevieve 

"It’s like I suffered temporary insanity.”
“Sometimes that’s what love is."

4 ⭐

This was a pleasantly surprising read and I really enjoyed it, a lot deeper and introspective than I was expecting. I choose this as my "N" title for my Alphabet challenge and I am glad that I picked this up. Honestly, Nora's life sounds like my absolutely worst nightmare, two kids and a deadbeat husband who doesn't work, doesn't do household responsibilities and seemingly enjoys putting his wife down despite the fact that she is only one in the relationship actually holding anything up, and then he leaves and never sees the kids. I could never, I would've left him long before kids came into the equation. The rest of the story is where you have to suspend some of your disbelief, because, while it is super sweet and entertaining to read about, the likelihood of it all is very low. But I do really enjoy a good bit escapism imagining a suburban mum of two snagging the Sexiest Man Alive!

Nora is an interesting main character, usually someone like her would annoy me and at times she did. She's clearly a strong, intellectual, compassionate person, having supported her family for years by writing stories for a company who churns out Hallmark-esque formulaic romances and does all of the parenting but puts up with and tries to convince an incompetent, dropkick of a man that she is worth being with. She is more than worth being with, and finally she sees it clearly once he's gone, but then immediately jumps straight to infatuation with an impractical man and loses herself again. But for some reason I didn't mind it so much in this story. Leo seems to be a genuinely good man, after a few hiccups he really steps up for her family in ways that their actual dad has never done before and I can see why that would be so attractive to Nora. I found the romance a little bit dry unfortunately, he mostly follows her around like a lost puppy saying "can I come?" and they have one or two friendly chats before their affair starts and I just didn't really feel the chemistry. I guess maybe I just don't really relate to the type of attraction she was having to him, aside from his good looks and the thrill of romance with a movie star, because I don't have kids or a deadbeat husband to compare him to and really she falls in love mostly with what he does for her kids.

The humour in this book is sarcastic, deadpan type laughs which I really enjoyed. There was a conversation about who would play the love interest in her second big screen movie if not Leo and her mum says "Oh you must have an affair with him too!" which made me laugh a lot because it's absolutely something I could see my mum saying. Bernadette was also an absolute firecracker, I adored her! She had some great one-liners. The ending did annoy me a little bit though, I have never been a fan of the miscommunication trope and this one was a real doozy, cuz how could two 40 year olds, one who literally writes movies containing these exact types of miscommunication based third act break ups, really not just have one adult conversation 
SPOILER>>> and trust the word of a 10 year old boy with hurt feelings!? <<<END SPOILER
Not to mention how rushed the end felt after they figured out the miscommunication. I just think, for how deep and literary some of the soul-searching became in this book I felt like this trope and the ending kind of cheapened the whole story, sadly, which is where I had to remove a star.

Overall though, this book was very entertaining and the perfect palate cleanser. I flew through it one night and absolutely low when a book does that. If you can shake of some of the more ridiculous parts of this book then it is worth a read, and I am definitely adding Annabel Monaghan to my list of authors I want to read more from. I recommend this to people who enjoy Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry, it was a good mix between chick lit and romance!

“If you pretend for your job, eventually you’ll stop being anything at all. A non-person. Silly Putty that you rub on a newspaper.”

sani

edit : zionist author

this book was an easy read. nothing too serious. while i loved, loved, loved nora, leo was just meh. nora was a barbie while leo was just ken. her bravery was something that i will always admire. how she pointed out and proved that victimhood is a choice. an easy 3 stars.

Such fun! And definitely not what I expected by the end.

Amelia Hruby

Nora's life is about to get a rewrite . . . Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it's her job. But when her too-good-to-work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage's collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life. No one is more surprised than her when it's picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne'er do well husband Nora's life will never be the same. The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He'll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it's the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it's the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart. Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story - the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.

Jonathan Garcia

I need a part two to this pleaseeeeeeee!! It was such a good book

4.5/5 THAT WAS SUCH A SEROTONIN BOOST i loved all of the characters so much also that ENDING HAD ME GASPING but it's so funny bc i kinda expected it but also not at all made me laugh she was talking about his feet...like girl. but anyway the plot was perfect and short read

lexie

i think i needed to get to know more about leo that’s why it felt something’s missing. but overall it was a good story.

Antonella Garcia Heredia

Took a while to get into the plot but honestly it was a very raw and real romance with the perfect ending

Soph

Hannah Alexander 

Petaco

I liked the second and fourth acts wayyyy better than the first and third. That being said, I liked them very much. It was sweet. The ending (not over the top or anything) made my third act anger melt away. Good read for me.

An excellently crafted and delightful love story.

 would find this one equally appealing (case in point, myself). No, it's not due to the shared name of the main characters (Nora, even though it's a cool coincidence), but rather because both books showcase a resilient and perceptive female protagonist. While they are vulnerable, they display emotional maturity. I also understand how some people might find this boring and dry. Despite the low steam level, it’s clearly intended for an older crowd, who might appreciate a more nuanced conflict and less melodrama in their romance.

And no spoilers, but boy oh boy, I didn’t see that twist coming.

Ms. Mint

An excellently crafted and delightful love story.

I agree that fans of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers would find this one equally appealing (case in point, myself). No, it's not due to the shared name of the main characters (Nora, even though it's a cool coincidence), but rather because both books showcase a resilient and perceptive female protagonist. While they are vulnerable, they display emotional maturity. I also understand how some people might find this boring and dry. Despite the low steam level, it’s clearly intended for an older crowd, who might appreciate a more nuanced conflict and less melodrama in their romance.

And no spoilers, but boy oh boy, I didn’t see that twist coming.

INDIE NEXT PICK, LIBRARY READS PICK, AMAZON TOP 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE 2022 Evvie Drake Starts Over meets Beach Read in this heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love. Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite… Romance channel screenwriter Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. But when her too-good-to-work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash, writing the best script of her life. When it’s picked up for the big screen and set to film at her home with former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, cast as her ex-husband, Nora’s life will never be the same. After shooting wraps, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He’ll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. She could use the money, but it’s the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it’s the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart.

Julia

Elicia Au Duong

thought it was gong to be super cheesy but turned out to be an emotional ride

bella <3

Cindy McKee

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review **

Ok, I liked this story, but admit I struggled a bit with patience for the pace. The story is through Nora’s eyes and at times I really wanted to shake her. Leo seemed so one dimensional that I was finding it hard to understand why she’d try to see anything beyond his movie star handsomeness for something deeper. I wanted to love this story, but it’s ok to just like a book sometimes.

Jessica Ford

I feel like this book would of been differently rated if I physically read it, idk if better or worse.  Also the miscommunication trope added to the story for sure bit I don't know if I liked it.. JUST TEXT EACH OTHER, but also like 3 hours of the story was that and it would of been boring without it so 50/50

Maria

Cindy Lieberman

A cute rom-com featuring a snarky heroine with two kids and a useless ex. She ekes out a living writes formulaic romance movie scripts for a Hallmark-esque channel. But the script she pens as a catharsis to get over the end of her marriage becomes a major feature film, putting her in contact with a handsome movie star who upends her suburban life.

Ella Grace

“…the best things come back. Sometimes it’s right after the commercial, sometimes it takes longer. But time and sunshine bring growth, and life unfolds just the way it’s supposed to”

oh I just loved this book; everything about it. absolutely perfect. I loved the characters and the family dynamic. I loved that it had more depth to it than just another corny romance. It is a story about learning to reconnect with your old self, and taking back the power after a difficult time in your life.

sydney

I don't fully know how to describe how this book made me feel. I really enjoyed it and I loved the journey that Nora took. I wish we got a tad bit more of her figuring out who she was but the ending was so cute!

I received an arc through netgalley.

ingrid

** spoiler alert **
           this was a really cute book, a bit sad at parts but overall good. even though it was kinda slow at first and it took me a bit to get into it, it eventually picks up. i loved the relationship between nora and leo but more than anything, i loved the dynamic between leo and nora and the kids.
i received an arc through netgalley

Avery Baumel

One of the best & most interesting rom coms I’ve read this year. Loved!

Ashley Pennington

Nora's life is finally in order after her divorce. She has her routine with her kids and her writing career is taking off. She has written for the small screen, but now her first major movie script is in production. Enter Leo Vance. The lead male actor in her movie. He is about to turn her life upside down. 

I was drawn to this story thinking it would be a romcom. It wasn't a romcom (not to be at least), but I disappointed. It has Hallmark vibes without the cheesiness. 

I enjoyed reading this story. The characters are relatable, I like the writing, and the author sets a beautiful scene. I expected it to have a predictable ending and I was curious how the author would tend it. It was predictable, but also surprising in a way. The emotions of the character come through the story. 

This story will make a beach read for this summer. 

Thank you Putnam Penguin Grou and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Lynn Braden

Nora Hamilton is a screen writer of movies similar to those on the Hallmark Channel, but her most recent screenplay details her failed relationship with her husband, Ben.  It becomes a big budget film  called The Tea House, and part of the movie is being filmed in the tea house in Nora's backyard where she writes.  Leo, the actor playing Ben's character seems, at first, like a typical spoiled, drunk Hollywood star, but he quickly becomes enamored with not only the simple sunrises and mellow life that Nora leads, but also with her.  Nora and her kids fall quickly for Leo, but it isn't long before Hollywood comes calling.

Nora Goes Off Script is an enjoyable romance that includes some elements of women's fiction as well.  Nora is an extremely likable character and her kids add another layer to the story.  While there are some events in the story that are fairly unbelievable, the dialogue and banter are cute, funny, and seem realistic.  The character of Leo is left underdeveloped, but by the end of the story, we understand his motivations.  Overall, Nora Goes off Script is a somewhat short, fun romance that packs an emotional punch.

Nora Goes Off Script

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