thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
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OH MY GOSH. I read this book in one sitting and literally devoured it. The story & emotions are so real and raw and while the plot may seem unbelievable, reading it felt like LIVING it. You meet our main gal, Nora, as she's welcoming a Hollywood crew into her home to film a movie that she wrote based on her experience with her divorce. I would literally watch that movie right now, it was so compelling. Nora and her two adorable kids open up their home to the cast & crew and Hollywood stud, Leo, soon becomes pretty comfortable in their historic home in a tiny town. The book simply takes off in a dazzling story about love, life, and family. I’m seriously obsessed with Nora & her kids and obviously have a mega (😉) crush on Leo. It's not too spicy and it does fade to black - so it's not the style of romance I normally read but I found myself loving it just as much!
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Yes, it’s a romance (with the forced proximity trope!), but it’s also a telling of perseverance & the importance of family, both given and chosen. It’s sure to put a smile on your face! what a foray into adult fiction for Annabel - I can’t wait to see what else she writes!

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan was such a great read. I don't usually read a lot of romance novels, probably due to being quite cynical of how it all wraps up. Ms. Monaghan tackles the commercial aspects of love with Nora being a script writer that sells to the Romance Movie Channel. Nora's character is easy to love and to root for. Her romantic interest seems to good to be true , until he isn't.
Even if you don't love romance novels, you will love this one.

First let me just say that i loved the pace of the book. I read it one sitting and was immediately wrapped up in Nora and Leo's story. Leo's character at the beginning seemed a little out of touch but i think over time i was able to warm up to him, especially when i saw the interactions he had with Nora's kids. I loved Nora and her thoughts on how her marriage fell apart. It felt very real and i loved that she didn't victimize herself. I did not see the twist at the end, which was surprising and heartbreaking. Overall loved the book so much and would definitely recommend.

I tore through this! It's a delight to read a romance with a (slightly) older protagonist and I loved that she lives in a world that is populated with other characters besides just the romantic interest. There's a sense of her life beyond the romance, which helped ground the more fanciful parts of the plot. I loved it. I'll be recommending this book to my patrons and colleagues - I wish they could read it right now so I don't have to wait to talk about it with them!

Oh my goodness, Nora! I love you so much! This was such a sweet rom-com about second chances and life with kids and oh, I just loved it. It will be the beach bag book for every mom by the pool this summer and the talk of all the book clubs. I can already think of several patrons to whom I'll be recommending they put this one on hold.

DNF @ 25%

I ended up stopping this at about 25%. While the plot was intriguing, I simply struggled to get into the story. I don't think this was bad, but it just wasn't for me and out of respect for the author, I didn't want to give a poor review due simply to the fact that this wasn't quite for me. I think there is a difference between a book being bad, and a book being something you just don't enjoy and this fell into the latter for me.

This book is so satisfying - full of heart and hope, with a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I think it will be a #bookstagram darling because it is bookish and plays with the romance tropes we all know and love. It's a closed-door romance that had me rooting for the main characters, especially the titular Nora. She's a Hallmark Channel-esque romance screenwriter who hits the big time when she pours her real-life heartbreak into a dramatic script that ends up being filmed at her home. Two of the biggest movie stars in the world (including a former Sexiest Man Alive) move in for three days to film in her magical backyard cottage. And from there... well, I'd hate to give anything else away because each turn of events is a true delight. The story is well-crafted, propulsively readable, and filled with lovable, but flawed, characters. I'm so happy I got to be one among the early readers to discover this sweet story that I won't soon forget. Maybe we will get a sequel?? Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin/Putnam, and the author Annabel Monaghan for the gifted digital ARC.

While I was unsure at the beginning, I ended up really enjoying the book a lot!

Nora is a character with such depth, and I loved how they showed the realistic struggles she faced as a single mom. Nora is a great balance of a mom and her own person, and showed both parts of her life equally well. Leo is also a great character that you end up cheering for. And don't forget Bernadette and Arthur - they nearly stole the book.

This book truly had it all: family, love, Hollywood, personal struggles, parenting, relationships, small town gossip. Overall, I can't recommend this book enough!

Oh man if you could see my face and emotions when I read the twist in this book! I had my guesses but none came close. This book is a beautiful story about having someone break through your routine and show you something beautiful.

This is not your typical love story. This is real life. We always want a happy ending but sometimes the cards are not in your favor.

Nora a screen writer, hit it big! She writes the story of her loveless marriage. When the film crew comes to her home to film a few days, the leading actor decides to extend his stay. Leo is your typical actor, rich unattached and completely oblivious to a normal life. He learns to appreciate the little things such as sunsets, dinner with kids and grocery shopping. Slowly Leo and Nora fall for one another.

I felt for Nora, I truly resonated with her thoughts, actions and feelings. The author really dove deep on how we react to heartbreak. The pain is numbing and relentless. I felt like I was reading a page from my own journal.

Sometimes no matter how bad we want something to work out, it doesn’t. Life happens and it can be a long painful process. “The best things come back.”

Oh my, I loved this book. While I would call it a romance novel it felt like much more. The characters were so relatable, as if you were reading about friends and people in your town. Nora, the main character is a single mother who writes Hallmark style movies and often sees the world in the form of a movie script. Which is often true! I am eagerly awaiting the next novel by Ms. Monaghan.

something about a small-town romance always gets me😅 Nora, the screenwriter, falls for hollywood hotshot, Leo, and the rest is history! such a sweet story about family dynamics and rebuilding your life after loss. i felt frustrated about the length of which the main conflict lasted, but i did appreciate the character growth in that meantime.

thank you netgalley & penguin group putnam for the eARC!

I requested this book on a friend’s recommendation, and man, am I glad that I did! I flew through this book, reading it in about one sitting. Nora Goes Off Script lays out a whirlwind romance amidst the simple pleasures of a normal daily life.

Nora Hamilton‘s husband left their family a year ago, and she’s never been happier. She’s since written a script mostly based on their lives, which is set to film with the two biggest Hollywood stars in her house. After they wrap shooting, she finds Leo Vance, the leading man, on her porch. He offers her seven thousand dollars to stay for the next week, money that she dearly needs. She accepts, and they unexpectedly hit it off, especially when he stays longer and becomes more ingrained in her and her children’s lives.

I was a little hesitant about this book because it was marked both “romance” and “women’s fiction,” which I find usually means the romance itself is light. I would say the romance here is fairly prominent, as well as Nora’s consideration of the impact of Leo’s presence in her children’s lives. No spoilers, but yes, this does fulfill the romance genre standards.

I liked the characters! Nora is very centered and knows what she wants; she’s turned what should’ve been the worst event of her life into a payday (and deserved, because her ex-husband was the worst) after writing a string of flimsy Hallmark-esque romance movies. I liked that when the praise about the movie she’s written is how feminist it is—that the heroine doesn’t allow herself to be a victim—comes out, Nora notes that this wasn’t what she meant when she was writing. Rather, she was glad to be rid of someone who continually held her back; now she and her children get to be happy and live their lives.

Both of her kids and their roles in the story are great too. Arthur and Bernadette are Nora’s entire life, and all of their love as a family comes through the page very clearly. Leo’s sudden appearance in their lives, and the inexplicable seamlessness of it, just adds to the care and love in their family. Leo himself is very self-assured without being arrogant; he owns up to his mistakes and is pretty much the opposite of Nora’s ex.

The romance was very sweet! At first, Nora can’t understand why Leo wants to stay with her so badly, but it soon becomes obvious that he’s fascinated by a simple life. It’s not that he’s so out-of-this-world successful that he can’t remember what’s ordinary; it’s that he’s been fairly alone and doesn’t remember what it feels to be a part of a family. His conversations with Nora are about random things in their lives, but they bond easily, both of them falling for the other so quickly.

This story moves quicker than I expected, but I loved that honestly. I was able to read it in about one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It was also so easy to fall into Nora’s head. Her pragmatic attitude towards life is clear in her voice and tone.

Nora Goes Off Script was a lovely romance that found a woman in the midst of reinventing her life. I loved the characters and absolutely could not put this book down. If you’re looking for a soft romance between a scriptwriter and Hollywood’s most famous actor, I think you’ll love Nora Goes Off Script!

This was a cute, predictable, semi-meta romance about a writer of predictable romance movies. Lovers of Hallmark-style romcoms will enjoy this one. Overall, although the story was predictable, the charters were likable, the kids were cute, and the happy ending was satisfying. The character's pain was honestly better written than the love story and gave them the depth that is sometimes lacking in a romcom read. However, the pacing wasn't quite right for me. It's definitely a slow burn and since I knew what was coming I frequently wanted the story to get there a little faster.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin / Putnam for the ARC.
Expected Publication Date: June 7, 2022.

Nora Goes Off Script
by Annabel Monaghan
Pub Date: 07 Jun 2022
4.5/5 Stars

Wow, I was not expecting to love this book so much. Give me a minute while I wipe my happy tears. This book was such a treat. I might have to read it again this summer. Loved the characters and loved the dialog.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Putnam for this jewel.

I LOVED this book, wow. Even though it was a little slow at the beginning and it took me a bit to get into, once I did, I got REALLY into it. I think nora was the first protagonist I’ve read that was a bit older than the usual characters in these type of books. While I wasn’t too sure about it when I started, by the time I got to the middle of the book I really liked that. Leo and Nora’s romance didn’t seem like a big or epic thing based on their dialogue but you could see it meant a great deal to both of them based on their feelings. But the romance wasn’t what kept me invested towards the end, it was more about Nora’s personal journey and how she dealt with the situation at hand. I found that amazing and im not ashamed to say it brought tears to my eyes. In conclusion, this was a beautiful book, I loved it very much. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this advanced copy of the book!

I'm a simple girl- give me Hallmark and I'll eat it up. A recently divorced screenwriter falls in love with the star playing her deadbeat of an ex-husband? Yes please. So much about this book worked perfectly that it makes up for the fact that I didn't connect with Nora in the way I wanted to. Right from the start, I was much more invested in the characters of Leo and the kids, and at times I was getting hints of 'golden retriever falls in love with cardboard cutout of woman.' Is this initial two-dimensionalness is a metaphor for Nora pouring all of herself into taking care of others and this is actually a genius character-development writing tactic? Maybe. I wanted Nora to be someone I could adore, but up until the last quarter of the book she seemed to consist mostly of emotional internal monologues and little personality. The hidden gems of this book were the side characters and the classic small-town charm no Hallmark story can survive without. I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't anticipate everything that went down in the resolution, and overall I enjoyed it enough to finish it in less than 48 hours. If you like that classic made-for-TV romance, but want a little more depth, this is definitely a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the eARC!

Great book. Astounding read. Wonderful, wonderful romance and real-life details that cement the plot line and the action.

It's a story written about writing romance stories and screen plays, and it shows how the author of those stories can play a part in her own story. I loved the realistic details (a mother of two, deserted by her husband, broke and needing to score another great script) that added to, rather than detracted from, the dreamy, perfect romance. Life carries on - but the love maintains.

Despite the predictable fail in the love arc, the return and the happy ending result in a fully credible, make-it-all-perfect resolution. As always, the story is enhanced by family and friends who stand behind both the main characters. There is humor, and pathos, and swoony feelings that are JUST what I was hoping for. (All with a PG rating that felt comfortable and completely satisfying)

A fresh plot idea, masterful writing that puts the reader right in the action, and a transcendent denouement. Loved it. Others will too!

Publication June 7, 2022. THANKS to NetGalley and Penguin / Putnam for the best weekend I've had in a long time! I always absorb the emotions of what I'm reading, and these were the best.

I wasn’t fully prepared to like this book as much as I did. There was the sweetest little slow burn love story brewing, but honestly what got me was the pain. My heart broke for these characters over and over. I cried their tears and I felt like their pain was my own-it was a lot but in the absolute best way.

The writing in this story (especially the second half) was deliciously tense. I kept feeling like there was more to the story and I was desperate to keep reading to find out what that was. My chest ached with longing for answers-it was such a relief to get them.

In general, this story was absolutely delightful even though my heart was shattered for the majority of it. 😭

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! Beautiful cover art will grab customers eyes, and this endearing story will grab their hearts! This was a hopeful romance, with real life challenges and swoon-worthy romance!