It's a beautiful chic-lit romance where we follow the life of Nora, a romance movies writer; she writes a story based on her ex-husband leaving her and its such a good work, it's made into a movie. Leo is a movie star and he turns to be the main character on this movie, playing as Nora's ex.

The movie it's part filmed in Nora's Tea House, and that's how they both meet. When the filming is done, Leo decides to stay around a little longer: his life is in a hard moment and he thinks that spending some time in the country without the famous life, is going to make him feel better.

He stays at Nora's with her and her two kids, and slowly becomes part of that family dinamic, including falling in love with Nora.

It's a love story that make my heart melt, but also I got angry, stressed, sad, heartbroken and then happy and smily again. A book that capable of making me feel all of that, has all my heart.

I love the characters's background. their individual lifes and troubles, I love Nora as a femalecharacter, she's so strong, kind, resilient, loving with her family, a devoted-mother and a beautiful soul dispite her mistakes.

Leo, on the other hand, its a men who shows how fake can be the "celebrity fame". On the outside he's the most hansome men alive, he's rich and happy, but on the inside, he hides so very much and it's lovely to find all that out, see his evolution as a person, as an actor, as a men.

Nora's kids, Bernie and Arthur definitly stole my heart. They are so close and loving to her mother, they are such a good kids and they handle their father's leaving them with a strong acttitute that I envy. They're just so brave.

It's not a 5 stars read to me only for two reason:

One: I would have like a little more realistic life respect to Leo. He's a movie star, the most famous in the moment, lets say he'sa Brat Pitt in his best era, but somehow he spends two months in a foreing town, knowing a lot of people (who know who he is and it's admired by them), starting a "public" love relationship, and not even one paparazzi is out there, not even a photo, no news, nobody cares. He's like "I need some "normal" time as a normal person" and everybody is ok with that.

And two: I saw Leo the most of the time, a little silly, childish even. At moments it felt the dinamic between him and Nora was more a mother-son kind of thing than a lovers one. I now that nowadays a big amount of men get to their adultness without being funtional human beings, but it's a thing that I don't like so much, so it's very subjective.

However, as a whole book it's a very good one. It doesn't have any sex scene and that's a major plus for me, so I like it very much and I much recommend it.

I loved every minute of this book. It is a fun rom com/dramedy. I was sad when it was over and felt really connected to the characters. I highly recommend and can’t wait to see more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. It was just published so I highly recommend!

This story is a fun escape and a quick read. It's a very sweet book about love in peculiar circumstances and it's nice to see characters that are approaching middle age as the ones who get to be in love.

While it was a fast engaging read, it didn't work for me, perhaps because certain events in the plot were a little too close to my own life situation, and I would have loved to see a bit more fullness in the characters love story, more depth to them, and to see the way their story unfolded a little more than we were able to. Still, there were some very lovely moments that I enjoyed very much.

I think this book will work well for folks who have not experienced painful divorces and who don't have children. Being able to suspend some disbelief in those categories will make this a great little escape of a love story to take with on vacation or read on the porch during the summer mornings.

Nora's career has always been easy, she's nailed the perfect formula to write scripts for the romance channel movies that every middle-aged housewife loves and she can't complain about how well her life is playing out off-screen. Until her never-does-anything-wrong husband decides he wants a divorce and leaves her with their kids.

Instead of sitting in self-pity Nora crafts the perfect script all based on her real life, and studio execs cannot get enough of it. It's green-lit straight away with filming taking place in her actual 100-year home. *Enter stage right* Sexist Man Alive, Leo Vance starring as said, terrible husband. Nora is speechless she's never seen anyone as hot as Leo and the fact that he's playing her ex-husband she Nora's emotions all over the place, she cannot wait for the film to wrap so she can get on with her life and never see Leo again.

When the dust settles after filming ends Nora can breathe easy until she walks out to her porch to see Leo Vance, empty tequila bottle in hand, and a proposition to flip Nora's seemingly simple life upside down, let Leo stay at her house for a week & $7000. Nora can't say no and Leo needs to escape the Hollywood limelight.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam + G.P. Putnam's Sons for NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT.

100% a summer reading must - what starts off feeling like a hallmark movie, ends up with so much heart and depth. A recently divorced, single mother, romance script writer from a small town falls for a movie star (and he falls for her), there's magical sunrises, conversation with depth, love and heartache, and of course a HEA with all the feels that will leave you with a happy heart.
This romance has so many tropes but never feels too overdone, including grumpy/sunshine, small town, opposites attract, and miscommunication.

Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script is utterly delightful from start to finish.

Screenwriter Nora usually writes TV romance movies that bring in a reliable check and follow a reliable formula. But the collapse of her marriage led her to write something completely different and new, and now her words are headed to the big screen. She doesn’t think much of the director wanting to film on her property, at least not until silver screen heart-throb Leo Vance waltzes into her house and her life. When Leo wants to extend his stay beyond filming, Nora is reluctant…but her gutters sure could use the money he’s offering, so she ultimately accepts. But Leo isn’t just renting a room– he’s fitting into her family and her life more than she expected. Nora isn’t just worried about her own heart breaking when he leaves– now her kids are attached to him, too. Can her small town life and his movie star status mix?

This beautifully written novel has all the components of a romantic comedy, but it has real depth, too. I especially loved seeing a mom portrayed as more than just a mom. Longing glances and stolen kisses are complicated by the kids in both funny and meaningful ways. Nora is a mom, but she also has a career, friends, and a full life. Oftentimes moms are the side characters, the witty friend, the busy, chaotic character that makes the main character remember to take their birth control. But Nora shows that women, even moms, live full, complete lives and are whole, complex people. As a mom of kids a similar age to Nora’s, I appreciate the character development and prominent role Nora and her kids have in this fun, flirty novel.

The witty banter and dialogue make this such a fun read. Nora’s playful personality show how well she’s recovered from her narcissistic ex, and her wit comes across the page so clearly. I adore that the humor isn’t just shared between Nora and the love interest– her friends and community all have great dialogue with humorous moments sprinkled throughout that had be laughing out loud.

The character development is incredibly well done, which is why the dialogue reads so naturally. Every character, from the starstruck neighbor in the produce aisle to the hardware store owner, is thoroughly developed. Nora’s community makes me wish this town was real. And the kids! So often, kids are a token character, in and out when its convenient. But Monaghan tactfully keeps track of the kids without it feeling burdensome to the reader or slowing the plot. Bernie and Arthur are fully developed characters in their own right, and every scene with them was utterly believable.

This novel is the perfect summer read. It’s engaging, has depth, but also makes you laugh. I can’t wait to see what Annabel Monaghan does next!

Nora Goes Off Script is available now! Thank you to the author, Penguin Putnam publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy such that I could share my honest opinion.

I loved this book!! I am so furious that I let it sit unread for as long as I did. The story concept was so fresh and the writing style was unique. I fell hard for all characters and the setting. Also, I’m a sucker for a hallmark movie and I thought that this was where this story was heading and I couldn’t see an ending that I would be happy with BUT the author stuck the landing and I was surprised and delighted and so happy.
Read this book!

Sweet romance centering around Nora, a romance script writer that writes predictable, formula-tic stories for a Hallmark type channel. She breaks the mold and writes a screenplay based on her relationship with her ex-husband, A movie studio decides to make the movie with an all star cast, The leading man is Leo Vance, the hottest actor in the business. The studio decides to film the movie at Nora’s home. So the scene is set. Sexy movie star Leo, great with her kids and needing a break decides to insert himself into Nora’s life to get back to the normalcy of life in a small town, away from the craziness of fame and the paparazzi. He offers Nora $1000 a day to stay for a week. Nora is a single mom, with bills to pay so she cant say no. Needless to say the time together leads the two to develop feelings, wink, wink.

This was cute—I enjoyed it. Of course it is far fetched and the roadblocks they face could easily be fixed with good communication and a text message, The angst, the missed opportunities are all a part of the journey. This is what we expect from contemporary romances right? Well I do and this one does it well.

4 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review,

This book was fine, but not great. The pacing felt very off to me. It started en media res which started the book off on a quick pace, but then it slowed down for the middle section, and then resolved itself in the last 5%. While technically a romance as there is an HEA, this is definitely more of a women's fiction novel with a romantic sub-plot. The focus is Nora's personal journey more than her relationship, which would have been fine but this was advertised to me as a romance first. The main conflict revolved around a misunderstanding which is my absolutely least favorite trope. A simple text message, let alone a conversation could have saved so many people heartache and stress.

Nora is a writer - she writes romance movies for The Romance Channel (picture Hallmark Movies). She knows the formula and can write them quickly. But real life isn’t echoing the stories she writes. When her marriage to Ben is over, she writes a different movie about the ending. This one is sold to a major production company and becomes a feature film. When the cast arrives for a couple days filming on site at Nora’s house, she meets Luke - the famous actor who is taking on Ben’s role in the film.

I don’t want to say anything more than that - just slip into Nora’s world and let it all unfold. I love dating a celebrity stories. I love when an author lays out a standard romance formula - and then makes you guess how this story will stick to it or mix things up. I love the writing in this one - so many sentences I had to stop to highlight.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I'm usually not drawn to celebrity story lines, but this was a fresh, fun story with some depth. Well done, Annabel Monaghan.

This book was wonderful and unexpected. It felt unique compared to any other romcom I’ve read, and while there were obviously some similarities to the genre, there was also a twist at the end I never expected – and it only made me love the story so much more.

Nora is a screenwriter who has the cast of her upcoming movie coming to her house in order to film something that resembles her true life heartbreak. The last thing she expects is to fall for the guy who plays her ex-husband. Or for him to want to stick around. But there seems to be something about small-town life that appeals to the famous actor – at least until he’s called back to his real life. But will they last? Will it work out? Will Nora – and her kids – be able to trust that he will return when other people have left them in the past?

I truly loved this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a heartwarming read where one’s simple life is turned upside down – but only to find out the real reasons she should be appreciating it in the first place.

I really loved this story, I felt extremely connected to Nora. We got to have a real in-depth look at herself, her role as a mother, and her role as a writer. I love how Nora didn’t feel locked in to one category. She was smart, witty, and good hearted.

My only disappointment was the miscommunication trope which ended up taking over much of the middle of the book.

OH WOW.

This book is absolutely phenomenal. It’s just it. I am obsessed in the best way. Nora is the kind of woman I want to be best friends with. Leo breaks my heart and mends it at the same time.

Look I could run through the high points of the plot for you, offer quips about my favorite parts, but I could never do Annabel Monaghan justice. She is brilliant. I will read anything she writes moving forward .

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

A cute, highly predictable romance just like the ones Nora (the MC) herself writes where the guy leaves and then comes back in the end for the girl. Just much older MCs here.

A middle-aged woman being so obsessed with a movie star after only a few weeks of bonding when she couldn’t care less the dirtbag father of her children left her was incredibly cringey.

I read up the e-galley until 25% then I had to switch to audiobook because the chapters were just sooooo long and dragged on. I was bored and couldn’t get into it. I read a few other books in the meantime and waited for the pub date so I could rent an audio off Libby. It was easier to consume that way. I enjoyed the narrator and finished the rest of the 75% in one morning.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group/GP Putnam, and the author for the advance e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

For a celebrity romance story, I thought this book was pretty unique! It wasn’t a fake dating scenario that you commonly see, it was about Nora Hamilton, a single mom, writer, a small townie who gets her life taken over as a film crew moves in to film a movie based on her life. She meets Leo Vance, a hot celeb, who IMO is kind of awkward. The way he just shows up on her porch for a sunset? Although I thought that was weird at first, it became one of my favorite parts of the story. It was so sweet and romantic. I loved the role Nora’s kids played in this story - Bernadette is a star. They were fun, intuitive, and just a key part of the overall book.

You won’t find me saying this a lot, but I do think the book could have been longer. I would have loved more time for them to have their relationship grow, and I think some parts of the end felt a little rushed. Can we get an extended version? ;)

Thank you Putnam for an e-arc and gifted copy of this book. It’s beautiful, like the story.

What a lovely book with memorable characters. At first, I was expecting this to just be a regular light hearted romance, but instead it really pulled at my heart strings.

I adored the characters and how this book showed a love that could survive through time and distance.

Really enjoyed seeing the contrasts between small town living and Hollywood craze. Sometimes all the wealth and popularity isn't enough to make a person happy and all they crave is the beauty that comes from being around people who love you for who you are inside.

From start to finish, I absolutely loved this book and all the Characters. Nora’s town reminded me of our new life in small town in New Jersey in many ways. 🥰

Nora who is a writer for TRC (the romance chanel, think Hallmark Channel) recently divorced and her latest script, about her real life, is being made for the big screen, filmed at her home. The sexiest man alive, movie star Leo, is cast to play her ex husband. After filming wraps he invites himself to stay in town for a week, at Nora’s house and that is when Nora truly goes off script.

As a romance writer, life is truly imitating art imitating life for Nora and I was just happy to be along for the ride. Nora Goes Off Script reads very much like a feel good Hallmark movie, but with more depth and the ending couldn’t have been better.

From start to finish, I absolutely loved this book and all the Characters. Nora’s town reminded me of my own small town in New Jersey in many ways.

Nora who is a writer for TRC (the romance chanel, think Hallmark Movie) recently divorced and her latest script, about her real life, is being made for the big screen, filmed at her home. The sexiest man alive, movie star Leo, is cast to play her ex husband. After filming wraps he decides to stay in town for a week, and that is when Nora truly goes off script.

As a romance writer, life is truly imitating art imitating life for Nora and I was just happy to be along for the ride. Nora Goes Off Script reads very much like a feel good Hallmark movie, but with more depth and the ending couldn’t have been better.

☕️ 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 ☕️

𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚊 𝙶𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚏𝚏 𝚂𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝 𝚋𝚢
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎/ 𝚆𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗’𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎: 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖, 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚋𝚏, 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎, 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗

“𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 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.”

Say hello to one of my favorite books this year! Also known as the book that made my jetlag worse because I would rather continue reading this than fall asleep 😂

Where do I even begin? This is literally Hallmark movies on paper. Lol you have a quaint small town with everyone knowing everyone’s business, you have a strong female lead (yey for single mom representation!!), and you have a hot, gorgeous celebrity male lead! There will be a conflict but in true Hallmark movie fashion, everything gets resolved with a pretty bow on top of it all.

Seriously, I didn’t expect to love this book so much!! It was such an adorable read! Nora’s kids were so cute and how Leo (male lead) just seamlessly entered their family is soooo 🤌🏽 I don’t have words for it. I was just smiling the whole time I was reading this.

There will be an Oscar moment here and an adorable parent meet-up lol and that ending!!! Other than having the male lead as a celebrity, this book is so grounded on reality and I think that’s why I loved it so much! It shows you the struggle of holding a household as a single parent, how hard it is to explain the concept of divorce to your kids, and how your love life takes the backseat so you could fulfill your role as a mom.

I loooved this one so much!! Please read it! 😂

Nora is my newest favorite leading lady. Her circumstances and outlook on life are enjoyably relatable. I loved so much her relationships with her kids and how they played in her decision making. The way that Annabel subtly writes in the age gap was perfection. I can't say I would complain too much (please read not at all) in Nora's shoes if a sexy, younger actor decided to take up lodgings on my property and help alleviate pending financial doom.
This is the perfect beach read. It's entertaining and, at 272 pages, can be read in one sitting (even for this snail paced reader). My only *minor* complaint is that the ending was a little quick. And, really, is wanting more of a love story a complaint? Annabel's writing style is easily bingeable and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Hillary Huber paints a great picture through her narration in this audiobook lasting 6 hours and 57 minutes.
Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy and thank you to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.