Nora Goes Off Script is a perfect summer beach read. It's a sweet story that follows divorced mom Nora, who is a screenplay writer for The Romance Channel and recently sold her first movie screenplay based on her marriage. They film the story in her backyard where she writes, and the movie star Leo ends up staying at her house where a romance begins.

The book may be a shorter read, but the story moves fast. I felt it was a bit rushed at times, but I knew it was due to the nature of what was happening. While it's a love story, it's also a story of redemption, success, and truly finding what you want out of life. The ending was absolute perfection.

I promise you won't be disappointed with this adorable Hallmark-esque love story.

4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Nora Goes Off Script was a delight--sweetly funny and real. I gobbled up this book in a day. Heaping praise on Annabel Monaghan and eager to see what she writes next.

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected! I went in initially thinking the story was a little slow and the narration style was a little different. But after the movie ends and the sexy hollywood hot shot stays behind, the story picks up fast! I fell in love with Nora, her kids, and her love. She was intelligent, strong, and independent. Beautifully vulnerable.

This book read so much like a movie! The imagery was so crisp and clear that I could envision the plot like a film in my mind as I read. I also laughed out loud multiple times.

Well done!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the eARC! ❤️

Nora is a romance screenplay writer who, after her husband Ben leaves her and their two children, writes a script about her own life. Movie star Leo Vance is cast as Ben, and when shooting wraps at Nora’s ‘Tea House’, offers to pay her a thousand dollars a day to escape his own life and stay at her house for a week.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this this super enjoyable book, I’m so happy to share my review!

This novel has all the basics of a great rom-com. It’s set in a small town and filled with endearingly relatable characters, heartbreak, misunderstandings, friendship, family and love. Nora and Leo’s connection is obvious right away, and I loved how they brought out the best in each other.

Although Nora and Leo’s relationship is obviously the cornerstone of this book, it’s Leo’s relationship with Nora’s children that really stood out to me. In the absence of a father, Leo forms an unbreakable bond with her kids, Arthur and Bernadette. Their scenes together were super sweet and what ultimately I found made this story really special.

This easy breezy read will be perfect for a day at the beach - I highly recommend adding it to your summer TBR!

This book was a fun delight that I literally read in one sitting. I loved being part of Nora's story and I will be honest I would not be as nonchalant as having an unwanted guest for an extended period of time. Loved that the characters worked through the third act breakup.

Nora Goes Off Script is a fun and entertaining love story filled with all the delicious banter and humor that is sure to hook readers and leave them swooning.

When we first meet up with Nora, she’s recently divorced and has written her best story yet…the story of her life. No one is more surprised than Nora when her script gets picked up for a movie and Hollywood Heartthrob, Leo Vance, gets cast as her former love. The moment Nora meets Leo she knows her life will never be the same…

Nora Goes Off Script is the perfect summer read. It pulls you in instantly and leaves you utterly captivated. Nora and Leo are real and flawed. Their story is written with great emotion and will make you feel as though you’re experiencing the words on the pages right along with the characters. The slow-burning romance between Nora and Leo was absolute perfection. Neither one of them was perfect and made plenty of mistakes along the way to their happily ever after. But it was those mistakes and misunderstandings that drew me in and left me wanting more.

Nora Goes Off Script is the type of book that just makes you feel good. I finished this book a few days ago and it’s still on my mind. Yes, it’s got drama and its share of angst, but it’s so perfectly balanced. You can’t help but find yourself invested in this story and of course Nora and Leo.

In the end, Nora Goes Off Script took me by surprise in the best possible way. If you’re looking for a heartwarming, feel-good romance, you won’t want to miss Nora Goes Off Script. I hope you will fall head over heels for this story as I have. I can’t wait to check out more from this author in the future.

Romance writer meets Hollywood star

Nora is a screen writer for the “Romance Channel” (think Hallmark) who lives in an old house in a small town somewhere in the northeast. She is a single mom with two kids and has written a screenplay of her divorce story. The production company descends on her home for a few days to film a portion of the movie and in the process, Nora meets Leo, the star of the movie.

Leo is a lost soul…drinks too much and feels adrift in the world of Hollywood stardom. After the production company leaves, Nora discovers Leo has stayed behind and offers him the use of her guest quarters for a week while he considers the next steps he wants to take for his life.

If you are a Hallmark fan like me, you have already figured out the plot. It follows the course of any Hallmark movie…the first meeting, the back and forth of falling in love, the pivotal moment of miscommunication or misunderstanding, the revelation of what was thought to be really isn’t, and then the HEA.

I liked the book but found it to be very predictable. The moment of misunderstanding was a bit unique and led to an interesting layer but in the end, all was well. This is a new writer to me and I might look for other books she already has or will write.

Note Goes Off Script was truly a delight! This book has a wonderful MC and I loved her and her two kids. Nora is a scene writer who finds herself in a plot of her own with leading man Leo Vance. I loved her relationship with Leo and how it grew during the book. A closed door romance, for those who like spice. This was one a good read.

**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.

I really enjoyed Nora’s character because she’s a screenwriter for cheesy tv rom-coms and can come up with a cliché storyline on the spot. But she also seems pretty normal for a single mom. Leo Vance was a good partner but he seemed a little rushed and so did their romance in the beginning.

Would recommend this books as a quick-read for anyone who likes romcoms!

OMG my heart! My ex wasn’t as flat out awful as Nora’s, but gawd, I so saw myself in her. usually the breakup feels rushed and contrived, but here I truly doubted until the last that Nora and Leo would get back together. Nora is so quiet and still outwardly, and watching her grow felt like looking in a mirror.

No Spoilers ever...I don't like even the smallest of details about a book before I start reading so I will give you just a bit...but not too much...

What's not to love about Nora? She is a recently divorced, working mama just trying to keep her kids happy and her bank account in the black after her husband left her alone to support their family. She is a TV Romance screenwriter (kinda love this about her) who finds her most recent story (based on her marriage with the no good ex-husband) has made it to the big screen (major win) starring some big time celebrities!!! Not only that it's also being filmed in her own backyard!

I think what drew me to this romance meets women's lit novel and to Nora the most is that her character and her circumstances in life are so very relatable! I was rooting for her success in her career, her love life and her self worth from start to finish. I was drawn to every twist and fumble throughout the romance.

If you are looking for something with some spice this book doesn't really have any but it wasn't missed at all! This story took me through all my feels in the best way! I could not put it down!

This also happened to be my first ever kindle e-book. I wasn't sure I would like a book in digital print as much as a hard bound edition but I definitely did and I have Nora goes off Script, NetGalley and Penguin Publishing to thank for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. If you're a hopeless romantic (like me) and are here for a feel good romance then this book is definitely one you'll enjoy!

I loved learning more about Nora's life, her divorce and how she is learning to be a single mom. This story quickly pulled me in and kept me guessing until the very end.

When Hollywood descends on Nora’s house to film the movie about her failed marriage, everything about Nora’s routine becomes altered. Especially when the star of the movie extends his stay and falls seamlessly into Nora and her kids’ lives. Nora knows this development is too go to be true. She makes her living writing predictable movie romances and knows life isn’t like the movies because someone always winds up with their heart broken.

I really really liked Nora! She’s so relatable; she took her heartbreak over the life she thought she could have, wrote it down and turned it into a successful movie. Very cathartic and healthy for Nora to process what happened to be able to move forward. Leo was surprising in his own way. He was much more relatable than you would expect from a celebrity and he found a place of belonging with Nora and her kids. Arthur and Bernadette are adorable and make a run for stealing the show.

Nora Goes Off Script would make a great movie from the one liners delivered by a great cast of characters to the serious topics handled beautifully and the hopefulness of each moving forward. This is much more than a love story; it has everything you want in an effortless read destined to make you smile.

Rating 4.5 stars


Thank you @putnambooks @annabelmonaghan and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

4.2 - this was great. So genuine and true. Nora is so relatable. She’s got her scheduled and routines down to a science since her husband left so she can provide stability for her two kids. I loved a lot of her thoughts about marriage, and how there are “some things you have to ignore if you’re trying to stay married” - so true! And just her fighting so hard to keep her marriage and keep her husband happy, that when he decides to leave, she just felt so relieved by it. I would’ve been fine with that, and then Leo, sexiest man alive that wants to play house with her, comes into the picture! Great couple with a lot of baggage. My only complaint is that I felt their attraction was nonexistent and then THERE. Needed to be a little more gradual. And I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t get swarmed with fans when he was out and about with her in town. But overall - I really enjoyed it!

This book felt very disjointed to me. The narration:dialogue ratio was very unbalanced and I felt like I was being told a story rather then experiencing or watching one unfold. The book didn’t really connect with me at all and it might be because I’m not a 39 year old divorcee who has the responsibilities of a single mom of 2. The things I did like in the book were how Leo interacted with the kids and the kids themselves. Nora felt very somber the entire book and it really depressed the poop out of me. I think I just expected something different than what this book gave.

Thank you Putnam for my early copy! All thoughts are my own.

Lately, I’ve been loving books that I feel “in” on, so that has meant lots of books about actors, writers, readers, and book lovers. Nora Goes Off Script is no exception! It’s the perfect quick, light, but also kinda deep book. It’s a closed door romance which usually isn’t my thing but it definitely fit the vibe.

I read this book pretty quickly and had a great time reading it! It’s a spin on a classic Hallmark romance and will be a great book for pool or beach bag this Summer.

Synopsis:

“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.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—I am not a huge fan of Hallmark films. But I do know the formula extremely well and sometimes, you just need a happily ever after and for it to be predictable. But I loved the twist on the familiar set up and I also loved being “in” on the story. It was very clever and satisfying.

The Kids—Arthur and Bernie were my favorite characters. I love when kids are included cause if done well, their personalities leap off the page in the best ways.

The Balance of Reality and Fiction—Some parts of this story were predictable, some really really surprised me. It kept me on my toes just enough.

What Didn’t Work:

The Pacing—This is always something i’m picky about with books but particular a Romance. The pacing just didn’t work for me. It seemed to go too fast and too slow at points and when you flipped to a new chapter, a large chunk of time had past. It almost made it seem like I wasn’t as much a part of the story.

A Few Unnecessary Phrases—A few phrases used by the author, though common at one point, were on the ableist and unnecessary side. I kinda cringed because they just didn’t need to be there.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3.9/5

Content Warnings:

Divorce, Infidelity, loss of a parent (mentioned)

I'm screaming! This was so good I don't even know where to start. I laughed, I cried, I cheered. This had typical romance tropes but flipped them on their head. Nora is a divorced mom of two who writes movies for The Romance Channel and then gets a break for a blockbuster feature about her divorce that films a portion on her property. Telling this story of loss, love, loss and love again is a beautiful and swoon-worthy touch. More books like this, please! I literally could not put it down. Thank you NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishing for the ARC.

I loved this book it was a chessy cute escape, I laughed so many times.

Nora lives in a small town with her two kids, Bernie and Arthur, and just recently divorced. Nora writes cheesy romance scripts, her latest one got noticed that a big time company is making it to the big screen with two big movie star. Leo Vance acts like he owns the place in his big own rv. They need 3 days and they are gone. However on the third day Leo stays behind and asked to stay and will pay her a thousand a day, Nora decided to allow it ans soon he’s the talk of the town and all Nora can think about.

Is it possible for a movie star to fall for a small town girl??

Pros: I wanted to read this rom com after Annie Jones of the From the Front Porch podcast mentioned that she liked it so much, she read it twice! I can see why—it’s a light, fast read with likeable characters and a cozy setting. Also, the celebrity-and-normal-person-fall-in-love trope was lots of fun. This book—in which the main character writes Hallmark movie-like scripts—feels like it could easily be turned into such a movie.

Cons: None really. This book was just what I was expecting (in a good way) from the genre.

3.5 stars

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