Thank you Penguin Group, Putnam, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC! I was late to reading it before it archived, but still so happy to have this in my collection.

I think I left a piece of my heart with this book. Heartfelt, funny, and heart wrenching at times, I fell as deeply in love as Nora did with Leo. I could gobble up this book over and over again without it getting old. This might just be a repeat read for me. Anything Annabel Monaghan writes is going to be a must read for me.

When Nora writes a screenplay based on the collapse of her marriage, the Sexiest Man Alive, Leo, is cast as her ex-husband. When filming wraps at at Nora's 100-year-old home, Leo offers to pay $1000 a day to stay. The money will give Nora some much needed breathing room in her budget, and the week gives her -and her kids - enough time to fall in love with Leo.

I LOVED this. I finished it and immediately ordered it on Amazon in hardback for my mom. My only complaint is the lack of conversation around the third act breakup. Do I think it was necessary? Yes. Did I like it? No. Five stars!

Nora Goes Off Script was a cute and fun read. I always enjoy reading romance with an older heroine, and this one did not disappoint,

** attention, some spoiler ahead**

First of all, thanks for the free book PRH International!
I enjoyed this reading SO much with its lights and shadows, and I really couldn't put it off. It's not a sunny romcom, but nontheless it warmed my heart with concreteness and an authentic sense of love and family.

Even if Annabel Monaghan's writing style is maybe a little bit concise when it comes to emotional scenes (and I wanted some more), I could clearly feel the melancholy surrounding the whole story as much as Nora's feeling about Leo, her children and all her doubts and fears.
It's also true the structure of this book is a little bit different from most of the typical romance novels' ones. The "crisis" arrives early, leaving you with the perspective that all could be over and the moral would just be that we would be ok, even if hearbroken, because we have to remind oursevels to be happy no matter what and to appreciate what we have. And Nora has two amazing children who are just adorable. I love the fact that they're not stereotyped or just "cute", on the contrary they're presented with real feelings and attitudes. This is one of the reason I appreciated their relationship with Leo since the very beginning.
I didn't expect the final plot twist, but the turn of events was comprehensible, and I loved how it ended. Maybe it could be a little bit longer but, again, I find all coherent with the author's writing style and the entire plot, that presents love with not very sparkles or floating hearts, but insert it in the mixture of the chaos of life, where good and bad things can happen.

It isn't definitely the last book I'll read about this author.

I wrote a review but it didn't clear this book from my shelf. So here is the summary:



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.

I adored this book!!!!

Nora is a screen writer whose husband has just left her and her kids. She decides to turn her story into a script and to her surprise it’s going to be made into a movie. Leo, the hottest man alive, is starring in her movie and when the movie is over, he asks if he can pay to stay in her cottage for a week. You think you might know what happens from here, but trust me you don’t.

This book was so sweet and refreshing but also sad at times. I loved how the author dealt with finding yourself after you’ve been lost in a marriage for so long and also the effects that has on kids.

I adored this book and flew right through it. When I wasn’t reading it I wanted to be. With summer coming up this will be a great beach read. Read this book now, trust me!

Thank you #netgalley and #gpputnamssons for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this one and now am thinking maybe writing a screenplay is the way for me to finally meet and end up with Cillian Murphy (in a world where he’s unmarried). A girl can dream 🤷🏼‍♀️

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Nora’s made a career off of writing your classic, gorgeously cheesy Hallmark Channel type #romance movies. After her husband leaves her, though, she ends up writing something much darker and sans happy ending.

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“The Tea House”, inspired by the actual tea house on her property where she does her writing, is quickly picked up, casted with an all-star list of celebs, and ends up being filmed on her property, as a tribute to the film’s namesake.

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When filming wraps up, though, the swoon worthy actor cast as her ex-husband decides he needs a break from the fast paced, monotony of Tinsel Town. His solution? He’ll just take a vacation in the real world. Escape it all. By staying at Nora’s.

•

This one is so fun, so heartwarming, and so endearing. Both characters are exceedingly likable, as are Nora’s two children, and the cozy, east coast fixer upper of a home Nora resides in, with its pitch perfect sunsets, will have you wanting to swing on a porch swing and sip a glass of rosé (albeit probably with an attractive counterpart).

I quite enjoyed this book by Annabel Monaghan! I have a tendency to read mainly historical fiction and psychological thrillers. I typically find rom-coms to be predictable and one-note which often fails to keep my attention. This one was different for me. I stayed up late reading this one so I could finish it. Although certain aspects were predictable, I did not guess the twist that drove the second half of the story. This was a fun, light-hearted read!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC of Nora Goes Off Script. All opinions are my own.

Lovable characters, this was practically perfect! Just the right amount of “miscommunication/non communication” to not find either of the characters annoying. Lol This is what romance really is. It’s real, it’s Costco, and it’s schedules and mess. Thank you for this great book!

I've been looking forward to reading Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan since I've heard so many glowing reviews. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hillary Huber and loved it! I've never given a romance 5 stars, but this story definitely deserves it. If this book created the romance trope of a "normal" person falling in love with a "famous" person, I'm here for it if they are all this well-written.

I really liked how 'real' Nora was - her dry sense of humor, her strong sense of self, and the love for her children. I wasn't sure about Leo at first, but he definitely found his way into my heart. And Nora's daughter and son felt realistic and added to the story. I was so invested in these characters, I gasped when the source of the inevitable conflict was revealed. And I had a big smile on my face as I listened to the final chapter with its HEA ending.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the egalley. Now I'm very eager to read the author's next novel Same Time Next Summer which is scheduled to publish June 6, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of Nora Goes Off Script. I found this to be such an enjoyable book. I really like the writing, the character development was good and I liked the relationship with Nora and Leo and how it grew. Reading about Leo and how he evolved was great. Overall, a fun book and a story that I haven't previously read elsewhere.

📝𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆📝

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nora, is a divorced, single mom of two kids, and a screen writer for tv romances. Instead of her usual happily-ever-after scripts she decided to write about her broken marriage. Her agent pitches the story which gets picked up by a major studio to be made into a movie.
Leo, who was a former sexiest man alive will be playing her ex. They butt heads but there is a special connection between them that they can’t deny. What follows next is the aftermath of a quick and intense love, heartbreak, and soldiering on for your family when all you want to do is fall apart.

This was such a Hallmark movie feel for me! A heartwarming read and unexpected at times. There were twist that I didn’t see coming that kept me engaged. Annabel brings the character to life in such a way that you can feel what they’re going through every step of the story. It was such an emotional love story with a beautiful happy ending.

Thank you @netgalley and Putnam book for the ARC.

This was a beautifully written and wonderful story. I really loved the development between Leo and Nora. How he got close with her and her kids. I also loved how even though it was a slow burn, it felt as though they both knew instantly. I know a lot of people aren't big on insta love but boy oh boy am I!!! The only thing I wish would have happened it that we would have gotten more of Leo. He sometimes fell a little flat for me. Overall I would totally recommend this book!!!

"At the corner of arrogance and cluelessness, you find the worst kind of person."
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After a tough divorce, reliable romance screenwriter Nora Hamilton writes the script of her life...which happens to be filming on location at her 100 year old farmhouse. All goes well, until the lead actor--hearthrob Leo Vance--just . . . doesn't leave. Leo wants the break from the public eye that her remote small town can provide, and offers a hefty sum to stay with Nora and her kids for just a week. But at the end of the week, will either of them be ready to say goodbye?

The set-up of this story was great for me, and Monaghan is a smart writer--I underlined so many excellent one-liners/observations! Yet there was something ineffable about it that kept NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT from being great for me. A little too much tell not show, maybe? I didn't FEEL a ton about the characters; no tension leapt off the page at me, even as the mechanics were smooth/the story beats seemed right. Nevertheless, it was a solid romance, and I'll definitely give Monaghan another try.
*
"There's nothing more shameful than this retrospective knowing, because it reminds you how blind you can be to things that don't jibe with the reality you're trying to believe in."

Thanks to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy!

Oh, i absolutely loved this book. This was a rom-com, but with depth - and with a more mature protagonist, which I loved. She was real, and she ran into problems and dealt with them. Nora was not wishy washy, and I appreciate that.

As a single mom myself, I saw the premise of this book and was somewhat skeptical if it could be written in a non stereotypical "I'm helpless and need a man to do everything for me" type of way.

Nora is the mom we all want to be. Strong, independent, and loving. But who would have expected Hollywood's bad boy (& his trailer) to literally show up in her front yard.

Also the cover of this is just *chefs kiss*

This was my first Annabel Monaghan book! The storyline was so cute. I loved it! I would love to read more books by this author.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Single mother Nora, fresh from a breakup with her narcissist husband Ben, is typically known as a television screenwriter but writes a personally-inspired Hollywood film about her divorce. The cast and crew arrive at her 100-year-old home for filming, and her life (and the life of her children) changes forever when the actor (Leo) cast as her ex-husband steps on her front porch after filming wraps.

And what a great read! This book is for you if you're looking for a clean romantic comedy. It's set in an idyllic small town and honestly reminds me of watching a Hallmark movie with a typical romantic formula that still found a way to make my heart happy. A very binge-able read (I think it took me two days to finish), and despite the fact I could guess what the switch in the plot would be, I still didn't find it cookie-cutter.

Nora is such a likable character and a great mom - and her children are adorable and heavily featured in the novel, which isn't usually the case in these kinds of books. Leo Vance is an inspiration to find someone who treats you as you deserve - even if he happens to be the most handsome, highest-paid actor in Hollywood. The budding relationship between Leo and Nora felt exciting. I couldn't wait for them to figure it out, and the misunderstanding between the two felt like a typical argument between a real-life couple, as we're all guilty of a conflict that could have been saved with a simple conversation.

As I said, despite the typical rom-com themes, this book still felt new, fresh, and fun. It'll make your heart feel warm and put a big smile on your face!

I don't know why I held off on reading this for so long! This is a well paced romantic novel about a smart woman building a life for herself. Her relationship with her children is really wonderful, and the central romance is believable.

I also listened to this on audio, and the narration is very well done. This is a great light read.

Loved it! Fun and engaging. Can't wait for Annabel Monaghan's next novel! I enjoyed this so much, I later listened to the audio and it was exceptional!