I absolutely adore this book. It was one of the best books that I have read this year. The author, new to me has infused her novel with wonderful characters, lots of fun banter and real life scenarios.

Nora Hamilton is a 39 year old script writer for The Romance Channel. She is actually relieved when her husband of ten years and father of their two children leaves. When the children grieve she goes uses her writing as a catharsis, writing a screen play about their life, which gets picked up for a major full screen movie and they will be doing some of filming at her house. Leo Vance is the highest paid leading man in Hollywood and he will be playing the part of her husband, her part by a leading actress. But Leo is going through a crises and once all the Hollywood people leave , he asks to stay for a week. (This reminded. me of Donkey asking if he can stay, but unlike Shrek, Nora says yes.) A friendship and a romance blossom with not only the whole family, but the whole small town falls in love with him. But when he is offered the role of a lifetime, their HEA is almost ruined when one character gets piqued at Leo. Nora's ridge scheduling had been her armor when she was married and after, but she allowed Leo to take her off script with their relationship. But when he is offered the role of a lifetime, their HEA is almost ruined when one character gets piqued at Leo for leaving.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

I was feeling slightly slumpy when I started Nora and it definitely fit right in, filling that feeling of not knowing my mood. Probably because it’s not quite a rom-com or drama or women’s fiction, but it’s an interesting blend of all these.

There’s moments of humor, serious self-growth, gradual romance but mostly it’s the heart and soul of a smart and intelligent woman (and mother) who knows what she wants but recognizes the struggle of, for lack of a better term, settling into the comfort of herself.

Nora doesn’t have big dreams, she has realistic beauty in hearth and home (with some money issues) as her goal, but she suddenly has big dream Hollywood knocking on her door in more ways than one. And it’s all done in very subtle movements. There are no big dramatics, it’s a quiet and unique tone, but it’s also so easy to be swept up in and read. The pace doesn’t lag. That’s pretty special.

Having said and praised all that, I did think that Leo’s storyline was lacking. I mean, he’s the male lead, but it’s Nora’s book, truly. Still, I wanted more from and for him. And it’s not a criticism, because it works here, but this definitely isn’t a steamy romance. Not totally closed door, but more modest in description. Just and FYI.

Overall though, it was a beautifully written and effortless read. It’s new and the author’s style is great. I definitely recommend giving it a try.

*I received an E-ARC free from the publisher.

When the first chapter started, I was convinced it was going to be a desolate book. By the middle of the book, I thought the going ons were too good to be true and something horrible was about to unfold.
I was truly invested.

I found the writing to be fun, self deprecating and self-effacing. This is one of those first person writing which is entirely appealing.
Absolutely recommend this book.

Quick summary:
After her husband has disparaged her, used up her money her entire marriage and left in a huff, hallmarkish Romance writer extraordinaire has written a book about her marriage and its not pretty.

Now, it's being made into a movie and the famously smoldering actor who plays her husband wants to stay at her house, of course for a price. Who is she to object?

I loved how Nora let Hollywood come and take over for a little while. It reminded me of Kelly Harms' Amy Byler. It was fun to watch and imagine what would happen if life was completely turned upside down over night. Great book!

I enjoyed this book, it was so easy to read!
Total celebrity meets regular person and falls into love troupe, you know, what all of us normal people wish happens to them
Nora’s husband recently left her and her 2 children, so she wrote a screenplay based upon their marriage (take that!)
Leo and all his glory ends up on her front lawn and isn’t impressed with Nora
Until the end of the shoot, he asks to stay, hangs with her kids and eventually admits he’s in love with her.
Very romcom-esque with a lot of good writing. Would be a perfect beach read!
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

Nora Goes Off Script is a really fun beach-read romance about a scriptwriter who falls for the actor hired to play her ex in the screenplay she wrote about her life. I was rooting for Nora and Leo from the start. Their banter was hilarious and their chemistry was off the charts! They seemed like a perfect fit for each other. The way they poked fun at traditional romance tropes was particularly charming to this avid romance reader.

I loved how the author handled the miscommunication trope in this book. Miscommunication is normally one of my least favorite tropes, because the whole conflict can often be solved by a simple text. That was not the case here–I fell for the miscommunication too, and it left me in tears! The final third of the book was heartwrenching and so well written. I love a book that can make me both laugh and cry within the span of a few pages.

In addition to an awesome romance, we’re also treated to great mother-child relationships. Nora was clearly a great mother, and I really enjoyed reading about her connection to her kids.

This book was incredible. Annabel Monaghan has her sophomore title coming out in 2023, and I already can’t wait to read it!

I just loved this book! This one fell off my ARC radar .I meant to read this book over the summer but somehow got wrapped up in come other books. I am not a huge romance novel lover but this one is so special.

Basically Nora is a single mom who writes formulaic romantic comedies for what sounds Iike the Hallmark Channel. Her screenplays all follow a simple formula with a happy ending. After her narcissistic husband leaves her and her two children, she writes a raw screenplay about the demise of her marriage. It is turned into a movie with big player actors and it is filmed at her home in NY. She develops an intense relationship with the sexy lead, Leo who also charms her 2 adorable children.

I just adored Leo and the way that he finds his place with this sweet family. The twist was actually a very believable one and just added to the story.

Really enjoyed this one. It was a quick fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review of this book

I liked the older more mature characters, but something was lacking for me. A quick, enjoyable read, but not a favorite.

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

I really enjoyed the idea of the romance writer playing out the romance storyline format. This was the best part of this book.

The rest of it, I wasn’t very fond of.

When the first “I love you” comes it is in text without any other precursory comments or conversations. Nora automatically calls him her boyfriend without them having that conversation. Those were just a few things that came across as weird to me.

The “as if” comments from Nora are annoying. I didn’t feel like they really fit her character.

The proposal is tacky as hell!

The miscommunication revolving around a lie is forgivable since it stems from a kid, but it makes the poor communication between the adults that much more stupid.

I normally enjoy the celebrity and normal person trope, but I was overly annoyed at how out of touch with life Leo was.

Overall my biggest gripes are pacing issues. Because the book was so short, the romance and 3rd act spiral happened too quickly without much development.

I really wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t work for me.

I found this to be a fun light read and I would definitely recommend as a beach read or vacation read. Not something I would read again, but it was a good end of summer read.

A fun rom com with very likeable characters and an interesting plot! I loved how the author made the protagonist seem like a real life person and took us along her journey of love, motherhood and work.

As heartwarming as everyone says! This was a unique love story.

Nora has become a success writing movies that sound perfect for Hallmark. Boy and girl fall in love, some minor thing tears them apart and then they get back together and everything ends happily. Nora knows the formula. But Nora’s latest film is a huge departure. Her new film does not have a happy ending. The irony is that this is the only true story she’s written. She based her latest screenplay on the story of her husband leaving her and how he didn’t come back and she went on with her life.

This movie brings Hollywood, rather than Hallmark, to her door. The producers ask Nora if they can film at her property and Nora agrees.
Famous actor Leo Vance is in the lead. He feels comfortable at Nora’s house immediately. He feels so comfortable there that he doesn’t want to go when filming is done. He offers Nora $1,000 for the next week if she’ll let him stay longer.
What follows is a bunch of adorable scenes of a very famous actor doing very normal things with Nora (and doing them adorably at that). He goes to the grocery store and marvels at banana prices.
Soon Leo has worked his way pretty seamlessly into Nora and her childten’s lives. Leo seems pretty darn wonderful.

Then Leo has to leave for a movie and things start to fall apart. Nora starts to question if what she felt, what they had, was real.

There’s a period of time in this book that actually made me wonder whether it would be heartwarming after all. But then the book starts to wrap up and we move closer to the big reveal. And it was a good conclusion ! My goodness, I think I was literally smiling at the book while I was reading the end :)
Very heartwarming!!

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

I enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script. I appreciated a romance with more mature characters. And though I didn't love the conflict between Nora and Leo at the end of the book, I liked how the story came together.

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 romance. Nora is a mother of two kids who writes romance novels for television. When her husband leaves her, she writes it into a script that is being made into a movie. Enter a handsome movie star who asks if he can pay her to stay at her house. He needs to get away from the scene. The romance is sweet and doesn't follow the usual formula. I loved that they incorporated the kids, who were not perfect. This book was easy to read and hard to put down. This is perfect for anyone who loves reading romances about the industry and is a perfect beach read.

4 ⭐️ A sweet, heartfelt romance that I thoroughly enjoyed

"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."

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ movie star MMC
✨ divorced screenwriter FMC
✨ small-town romance
✨ miscommunication
✨ angst
✨ HEA
✨ no spice


Summary:

Nora is a recently divorced romance screenwriter who just sold her first big non-romance script. Since the screenplay is based on Nora's life, the director wants to use her home as the film location. So for one week, Nora and her two children will have to deal with the film crew and actors - including Leo Vance - Hollywood's biggest star and "Sexiest Man Alive."

After filming wraps, Leo decides to extend his stay for a couple of weeks. This Hollywood superstar is looking to ground himself in something that looks like a 'normal life'. But as Leo spends more time with Nora and her kids, the more integral he becomes a part of their family. Leo was supposed to be temporary, but what if he is meant to stay?



What I liked:

• The premise is wonderful.
• The writing is straightforward and easy to follow.
• Bernadette and Arthur, Nora’s kids, stole the show.
• Nora’s journey of moving on and learning to love and appreciate herself was honestly beautiful.
• The third act conflict (which happened at 50% of the book) gutted me. My heart physically ached for Nora.
• I didn’t see that plot twist coming, and it was so great! I was wondering how on earth I’d ever forgive Leo.


What I didn’t like:

• While Nora and Leo did not instantly fall in love, it felt like insta-love once they got together because there were hardly any moments where we see them forming a solid romantic connection. It felt a little out of the blue.
• I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Nora and Leo. And I think it had everything to do with this lack of romantic build-up in the beginning.
• I never felt connected to Leo. I didn’t really know him or felt emotionally attached, so he just seemed very two-dimensional. I just wish we had seen more personality or emotions shine through during his interactions with Nora and the kids.


But, overall, I thought this was such a wonderful story. I would 100% recommend reading it if you want a mature, sweet romance with angst.

When Norah’s screenplay is adapted into a major movie, the star of the film Leo ends up living in her backyard. Of course, sparks fly.
I absolutely loved this famous person/normal person romance, not just because I love all/most books that fall in this trope (I might be predisposed to) but because this was so beautifully written. Norah and Leo are fully fleshed-out adults! They like each other and I believed they would fall into a relationship. The supporting characters are just as well drawn and even the inevitable breakup felt like a thing that could happen because of who they both are. This book a believable romance in an unreal setup.
Thanks to Net Galley and Putnam Books for the ARC!

A delightful read filled with a lovable cast of characters. Monaghan speeds through story at a breakneck speed, so that we only see the most important romance-centric, swoon-worthy scenes.

Thank you so much to @putnambooks for my gifted copy of Nora Goes Off Script, by Annabel Monaghen! This sweet book is out now, and y’all, if you like romance and women’s fiction, don’t miss this one. It’ll likely be one of my favorites of 2022! In Nora Goes Off Script, we meet Nora Hamilton, a divorced screenwriter who turns her heartbreak into the best script of her life, and the movie is filmed at her home. Afterward, one of the stars (Leo) wants to stay for a week, and will give her $7,000 as rent.

Y’all, Leo was SO dreamy as the book went on. I loved how he developed through the story (even when he wasn’t exactly acting the best). But y’all, he so redeemed himself. It was so good.

And Nora and her kids were just delightful. They were beautifully written, and you could really feel their emotions jump off the page and into your heart. I loved Nora’s arc throughout the story as well, and how things unfolded for her. I don’t want to say too much at risk of spoiling things, so message me if you’d like to discuss!

Wow! I really really enjoyed this story. Nora has been pushing out movies that are romantic, easy, and predictable. However, when her husband leaves her and her two kids, that all changes when she writes something different. With her new script being so personal, filming is being done at her residence and she becomes familiar with one of the actors booked for the job.

This was just SO CUTE. I also loved the two kid's characters. A lot of times in romance books, the children are kind of pushed to the side, but not here. This was a sweet story and I enjoyed every bit of it. Looking forward to more from this author!

This book will be at the top of my favorites list for 2022. I could not get enough of Nora and movie star- their friendship, their relationship and how it all unfolded mostly under a sunrise. Such a fun and romantic read filled with hope. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.