Wow. This book. I loved it but I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It mostly follows the story arc of a typical contemporary romance, but at the same time it doesn't. I love that Nora's job is writing movies for "The Romance Channel," and they all follow the typical, feel-good formula. But her life and her romances are nothing like those movies. As a reader, I expected this book to follow a similar formula, and while it mostly does, I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't quite the same - especially a large part of the second half. I spent much of the second half of the book hating Leo and wondering what on Earth was going to happen. How was Monaghan ever going to fix this mess so Nora and Leo could end up together and still make it believable and not worthy of a giant eye-roll and general disgust and/or disbelief? Well let me tell you, she pulls it off!

I loved that Nora was strong and didn't need a man to fix her problems. Actually, getting rid of one is what fixed most of them! I was a little disappointed that although she learned a lot from her previous marriage, she still ended up in a relationship with another man who was also lost, just in a very different way from the first. Once we get past her initial irritation at Leo and he starts staying in her tea house, I love that we see his vulnerable, more 'human' side. I would have loved more backstory on him. His interactions with her kids melted my heart a little, and I adored both of them as well.

This isn't a romance that will make you swoon - it is more realistic. But at the same time, Leo is an A-list celebrity, so it is also not... It also doesn't seem like a typical romance story, but if you think about what Nora says about her 'formulas,' in a way it also kind of is. This book is filled with a lot of things that are, but at the same time are not. It is definitely a bit different from your typical romance. I really enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Putnam for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Nora is a single mom who writes a screenplay about her divorce and part of the movie is shot at her house. When the movie wraps up shooting at her location, she finds Leo, the hunky actor who player her husband, on her porch with an offer. He will pay her a thousand dollars a day if he can stay for a week. It only takes that week to change their lives forever.

I LOVED this book! It is easily one of my favorites of 2022. No matter what happens to Nora, she picks herself up and keeps on going for her kids. Leo was charming and the two together were romantic and happy. Overall, it was just addicting and a great story.

Thanks to Net Galley for my advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book by Annabel Monaghan and highly recommend this to readers of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. It is a quiet, second chance love story between a screenwriter, Nora, and the actor, Leo, who lands the starring role in her movie. I liked how the author built up their relationship from freeloader to friends to romantic partners. I also enjoyed Nora’s (wise beyond their years) children and the relationship between them and Leo. Cute cover rounds out a great read!

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the chance to read this early copy of “Nora Goes Off Script.”

When trusted bookseller, Annie Jones said NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT (PUB 06.07.22) is "EARLY MORNING RISER meets EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER" I immediately put in a request to read it. Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for early access because she wasn't wrong. 

Nora is a recently divorced mom of two. She's also a screenwriter who wrote a movie about the downfall of her marriage. Not only does the film crew shoot at her house, former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance plays her ex husband.  And- he wants to stay after filming wraps. 

- Fresh and snappy dialogue that creates a brisk pace. 
- The writing has an uplifting, light feel to it, but never schmaltzy. The story and characters delve into heavier, real-life topics.
 - It just sparkles. 
- Leans more towards women's fiction with a closed door romance.
- I loved seeing older characters (39) and kids that feel authentic for their ages. 
- Leo may be famous, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and that is so endearing!
- At 272 pages it would make an excellent vacation/beach/weekend read

This was a fun read and a nice escape. The characters could have been a bit more well-developed. It really demonstrates how important communication can be.

I absolutely adored this book, the characters, and the Tea House. All of it.

Nora, a single mother of two, is a screenplay writer that hits it big with her first drama being filmed in her (literal) own backyard.

Big Hollywood star Leo Vance stays behind after filming, soaking up the sunrise and day to day life. “I swear Leo is going to ruin us for normal men.” Oh, and he does.

I loved Nora’s strength (from the start I might add), sense of routine, utter devotion to her children, and growth throughout the story. Nora as the narrator felt very right, and I loved every minute of her.

I also enjoyed Leo his overt happiness and joy of being given the chance to do small things, like buying bananas and bath towels.

While I loved Leo and Nora’s relationship, I enjoyed them best as a family unit with Bernadette and Arthur. They were characters I rooted for and wanted to be friends with. Well done.

So good. Like, given the description, you are a expecting a good romance read, but bam! This book way over-delivers. It's like your favorite Hallmark movie with a deepness and realness that you aren't expecting, and, still, Hollywood! Just do yourself a favor and read this book-you won't regret it!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

After Nora Hamilton's marriage falls apart, she struggles with writing her 'formula' romance scripts for the romance channel. Instead, she writes about the sorry state of her own marriage and how it broke up. Amazed when it gets picked up to be a feature film, Nora is even more surprised when the movie studio wants to film at her home.

Leo Vance, one of the biggest male leads in Hollywood, is cast as the leading man. The surprises continue for Nora as Leo stays on after filming ends and they become first friends, then lovers. Nora is crushed and heartbroken when Leo disappears quickly from her life. She thought they were going to be permanent. Even her children loved Leo. But, they tried hard to protect their mother.

Eventually all's well that ends well, as a good romance novel should. This read had it's ups and downs but was a lot of fun and hard to put down. Recommended for those who want an escape for a time.

There was so much I liked about this story — Nora's wry sense of humor, the gorgeous description of her property (the tea house!) and her career as a romance movie screenwriter. However, I kept getting caught up in the narration. It's hard to describe, but at times it felt stiff and too formal compared to the story itself. It overpowered Nora's voice and perspective for, which is a shame because I really liked her as a character.

All of that said, I'm sure this book will be a hit with many other readers. It just didn't spark for me.

So thankful to NetGalley for access to an advanced copy of this amazing book!!

Simply put, I absolutely loved this book! Screenwriter Nora Hamilton writes scripts for a TV Romance channel but then hits the big time after the story, based on the dissolution of her marriage, gets made into a major Hollywood movie. The production films on-location on her small town property with hunky movie star Leo Vance and what follows is an unexpected whirlwind romance between the two.

One of the many things I love about this book is its predictability, yet many surprising elements. Part of it reads like a Hallmark-ish movie, with it’s highly unlikely romantic scenario, but it’s so well put together that for several moments throughout the story you start to believe that it’s totally plausible. I also found myself fully invested in the characters whose emotions just leapt off every page. Nora is a strong, and resilient mother and this really resonated with me. Her children are enduring. And the relationship that deepens between her and Leo is sweet and intense all at once.

Nora Goes off Script is thoughtful, sincere, and a whole lot of fun. One of my favorite books so far of 2022!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Nora Goes Off Script. What a sweet, lovely, yet thoughtful and human confection of a romance. Nora has recently ended a loveless marriage and has written a very honest screenplay about it. Enter Leo— the actor playing her ex. Like the romance movies Nora normally writes (which Hallmark or Lifetime versions I happily admit adoring for their formulaic simplicity), things unfold. Until somehow, they don’t.

What makes this book go beyond formulaic romances are the characters. Nora is strong but makes mistakes; her kids are human and funny and definitely make mistakes; Leo is lovely but also makes mistakes. The dynamics, humor, charm, and underlying truths about trust, heartbreak, and fear all come together in this well-baked cupcake. I literally did not put this book down.

Sweet, light, emotional romance! I came away with my heart full just like I do every time I watch a Hallmark movie!

I did find the beginning a bit slow and silly. However, I really felt the pain and emotion throughout this book.

Also, I wish there was a little more romance and a little less of the emotion but this book scratched my romance itch!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot say enough good things about this book! One of my favorite of 2022 so far. The book was marketed as being for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Beach Read, two fantastic books, and I definitely got Evvie Drake Starts Over vibes. The plot seems to follow a fairly prescriptive plot (as hinted at by Nora’s job as a writing of Hallmark-style movies), but does a fantastic job keeping readers in anticipation. The writing was excellent and I absolutely cannot wait for Annabel Monaghan’s next book.
Many thanks to Negtalley and the publisher for a n eARC in exhange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

Nora Goes Off Script is a warm, tender story of second chance love and new beginnings. Nora is a screenwriter of happy TV romances when she decides to write the story of her failed marriage. The script catches the attention of Hollywood and megastar Leo is cast as the lead. When they come to Nora’s cozy home to film, she is shocked to find Leo still at her home even after filming. Leo falls for Nora and her two children, but will their love be like the movies or will real life get in the way?

This romance had Evvie Drake and Lease on Love vibes. I love a romance that is funny and swoonworthy, but also a bit bittersweet. Nora and Leo are two flawed characters that are somehow perfect for one another. Nora’s house (especially her tea house) is the perfect setting that you just want to crawl into. Such a heartwarming story full of lovable characters. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

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

Nora Hamilton is a 39 year old single mom of two, who lives in small town NY in a house that resembles The Notebook. She is a screenwriter who usually writes light romantic comedies (think Hallmark channel) but gets her big break after she writes the story of her dissolving marriage and divorce.

40 year old actor, Leo Vance, gets cast to play Nora’s husband in the movie which is being partially filmed at her home. Leo finds himself falling in love with Laurel Ridge and the home Nora has made for herself and her children, Bernadette and Arthur. He begs Nora to stay for 1 week to enjoy the quiet peace of her home and since Nora needs the money, she agrees. But Nora gets more than she bargained for when they start to fall for each other.

And I am going to stop there, because I don’t want to give any more of this story away- there are unexpected twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

I started to worry towards the end of the book, that we weren’t going to get the ending that Nora and her children deserved, but I stand corrected. I was very satisfied with the ending/ epilogue.

This book is really unique since it doesn’t follow the standard romance novel recipe…. Meet cute, get together, fight/ falling out and resolution. Nora Goes Off Script is a mini roller coaster but one that you will look back on fondly!

Thank you to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

*Review has been posted on Goodreads. I will post on Instagram closer to the publication date.

Wow, I loved this book so much. It’s the perfect balance of romance, women’s fiction and humor. The characters are great and all the relationships, from the parental to the romantic, are on point. If you love Hallmark movies and are looking for something like those but realer then this is the book for you, I can’t wait to read what comes next from Monaghan.

Nora Goes Off Script is a delightful peek behind the scenes of the romance genre in publishing and movies. Allegedly it is aimed for women who don't normally choose romance, and whoever decided that hit a bullseye with me! I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Certainly wasn't expecting as much substance in the plot and characters. What a lovely surprise!

So many parts of this book squeezed my heart with nostalgia, laughter and pure happiness from watching Nora's antics with her family and Leo. This book was overall a well-written novel with some insightful lines that made for great quotes about life. I loved the whirlwind romance too, but some of the aspects of Leo and Nora's relationship didn't feel deep enough for me to believe that they actually fell in love so quickly. The chemistry between the two lovers didn't really reveal itself until they actually started a relationship, which didn't make much sense. I wanted to see more evidence that they were pining for each other before they actually got together.

A lot of this book also centers around the miscommunication trope which is by far my least favorite in romance novels. There's a deeper reason behind the miscommunication (will not mention here to avoid spoilers) that helped clear things up a bit towards the end, but it was still frustrating that this trope was included because it really stunted the romantic development in the story.

Overall, I give this book somewhere between 3.5-3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars. I loved Nora's family, learning more about her script-writing work and the pining between her and Leo, but some aspects of the book like the miscommunication and lack of detail in describing the beginnings of the Leo/Nora relationship made it a less than perfect read for me.

Loved this one. Nora is a screenplay writer, the breadwinner for her family of four - until her unhelpful husband ups and leaves. This change leads her to write her best script yet, and part of it is to film on her property.

When the crew arrives, Nora is unsure about it all. After they've wrapped filming, the lead actor, Leo, decides he's moving into her tea house for a week, to get a break from the spotlight. She accepts because she knows she needs the money he's offered. She doesn't know that they're about to fall in love.

This book has a cast of smart and believable characters, tender and dynamic kids, fun small town antics, and a little Hollywood glamour. I really liked this story.

I really loved this one! Once I started reading I couldn't stop. I am a fan of reading about single moms finding love again and Nora Goes Off Script did it so perfectly. It was nice to see Leo building a relationship with the kids right from the beginning instead of just with Nora. He was so involved in their lives and activities. Plus the interactions between Bernie and Leo made me laugh. I'm not usually a fan of the miscommunication trope but I could understand this one. At least they admit that a text or phone call would have solved their problems. The ending was so great! I don't want to give away spoilers but ahh, it was so sweet. I had to reread the last couple of chapters because it made me so happy. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it!