I loved this story! It was so easy to get lost in Nora and Leo's world without it being too syrupy sweet like the romance scripts Nora writes. I enjoyed getting to know all of them: Nora, Leo, the kids, her family and friends, and seeing how their relationship progressed. This was light-hearted and fun, filled with witty dialogue, but also blended in some serious issues (abandonment, dating with kids) which balanced the story well. Highly recommended for books you want to lose yourself in on vacation.

What a beautiful love story! Yes, Nora wrote scripts for TRC but they were simply scripts that were formulaic. It is only when she dug deep and realized what she deserves and who she is, was the success of Tea House was born. Ben leaving her, Bernie and Arthur made them a family unit that was complete. Or what she thought until Leo entered her life. The love they have for each other is real as evidenced by things as simple as watching the sunrise and grocery store shopping. When you love someone, and errand or moment is special because you are together. Yes, Nora achieved the accolades and praise that she deserved. But quite frankly, she won at the end because she was surrounded by true love and happiness.

Cute story about Nora who writes screenplays for a Hallmark channel-ish tv network. She has the trope down perfectly, and fits different characters and places into the same plan. Then she splits with her husband, and writes a different type of story, based on that situation. The film is partly shot at her house, she meets the handsome heartthrob star, and first friendship and then sparks fly. He loves her kids and they love him, seems like a dream come true. But there is drama, and maybe things are not as perfect as they seem? This is a great summer read, enjoyed it. #noragoesoffscript #annabelmonaghan #bookstagram #lovetoread #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookblog #readersofinstagram #booksaremagic #debutadultnovel #romcombooks #putnambooks #realsimplemagazine #takeapagefrommybook

If you're looking for a light-hearted, fun, summer read, Nora Goes Off Script is perfect!

Nora is a screen-writer whose husband up and leaves her and her two kids. She writes about the collapse of her marriage, which gives her her big break! Hollywood! Fame! A hunky leading man who happens to show up on her porch every morning to share the sunrise.

The follows Nora and Leo has they navigate their relationship, and Nora navigates her parenthood and figuring out who she really is outside of being of a wife and a mother.

I received an a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley.

This is the perfect contemporary romance for readers who like their characters with a bit more life experience. It's amazingly not the main element of the story but it does play a big part in how Nora reacts to things and it shows that taking a chance on things you once thought unattainable might just pay off. Getting to enjoy a story with a woman starting a new phase in her life while so in charge of it was a treat.
A big positive of this book for me is that it's done in such a light and breezy voice. It's a pleasure to read even the darkest parts of the story because Monaghan has such a pleasant writing voice. Even the fact that kids are brought into the story, which I usually hate, ended up being an element that I really enjoyed because of how the kids play such a pivotal role in it.
Nora and Leo are an unlikely couple on the surface, but it's great to see them grow closer and realize how much they help each other be better. The romance feels a bit rushed at times simply because of the way the story plays out, but I never felt like it wasn't the story of two people finding their perfect match and realizing that true, everlasting love is real.
I'm definitely recommending this as a perfect beachy summer read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the pick-me-up read!

What a delight. I adored the main character and her journey over the course of this book. It had everything I look for in a summer read and felt so grounded and still an escape at the same time - a hard feat to pull off!

I completely loved this book. I would recommend this to the reader who likes a relatable, messy, and likable protagonist. Nora is an amazing mother who puts her kids first in every situation. She maintains an even better life for them after her wandering husband leaves them for good. When superstar Leo shows up for the film based on one of her books, her life is upended when he decides to stay. I wasn't sure what to make of Leo at the beginning of the book, but he won me over. I enjoyed all of the characters in this story. I am looking forward to more from Annabel Monaghan. This was a great book for summer reading - I will recommend to all of my friends to put it at the top of their TBR pile!

Loved loved loved this fun romantic read! Great summer beach read a with a message of substance. Would definitely recommend this book!

If you're looking for a cute, summer-read - this is definitely it! Loved the storyline as well as the characters and it truly was a feel-good romantic comedy that I couldn't put down.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan. Pub Date: June 7th, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. If you like Hallmark movies with love and laughs, then this book is for you. This is the story of Nora, a romance screenwriter, who has a life that is turned upside down when she ends up in a broken marriage with two kids. This book is about how she picks up the pieces of her life through work, meets a leading man and the rest is history. The story gives all the cheesy feel good vibes with a love story made for the screen. I really enjoyed this one, but was not an absolute favorite. Thanks to #netgalley and #penguingroup #putnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my word, this one was a delight! Just exactly what I wanted to kick off summer - this one will be going on the 2023 Summer Reading Guide!

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

Nora Hamilton’s husband Ben left her and her kids high and dry. As a romance screenwriter for the Romance Network, she poured her heart out in the script for “The Teahouse''. It ends up getting the big screen treatment, even filming scenes at her own home in Laurel Ridge. The famous actor Leo Vance, who will be playing the part of her husband, is standoffish and cold at first, but he mysteriously stays after the crew leaves to get a little R&R. Nora needs the money and he is not bad to look at - so she agrees to let him stay for a week. After watching early morning sunrises together everyday, she finds out why he has been seeking a simpler life and perhaps he fits in better in her life than even her own ex-husband did.

I love the trope of the movie star/hometown heroine, but I did not believe their relationship. It went from one page where he really was indifferent to all of a sudden “in love” with her. I had to skim back to make sure I didn’t miss a few chapters where their relationship suddenly shifted. There were parts that were charming: the grocery shopping, the sunrise watching, their little texts but my biggest pet peeve trope: miscommunication! They wasted so much time because of a simple thing - it still bothers me writing about it. This is a cute-sy rom com/beach read, expect little to no spice though. Overall, I liked it enough until I found out they can’t even talk to each other.

Thank you to Putnam books and netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes: small town, celebrity

Spice Level: 0.5/5

A rollicking ride through the ups and downs of single parenting, old house repairs, and movie making. What would you do if the most gorgeous movie actor moved into your home while creating your script?

One day, scriptwriter Nora Hamilton's husband decided to leave. He just took off leaving her behind with her two children. This caused her to diverge from her usual Hallmark movie writing into a much more serious film. One that got picked up by a major studio and is going to star Leo Vance. Yes, THAT Leo Vance, a former Sexiest Man Alive. Even better, they want to film at her house meaning she will get to make some extra money. And that's good because Nora doesn't seem to have it in her anymore to write that old familiar script. Hollywood will show up for a week, film, and leave. And all of that happens, except that Leo doesn't leave. Leo stays. And that is the story that unfolds in this book.
I didn't love the ending nor the Big Misunderstanding. And the ending was a little too formulaic but this was overall a delightful read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 7th, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I think the plot is really cute and I love the premise of this book; the writing is good but some thing didn't click with it for me. I think it just was hitting right with the emotional aspects of what the characters are going through but that's OK

Nora Goes off Script is a deeply engaging, beautiful story that makes the idea of a screenwriter and the actor who played her ex-husband in a movie feel as realistic as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed this one after reading a string of romances that didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

I recommend this book to fans of Gilmore Girls, small town vibes, and the work of Emily Henry.

I adored this book. It definitely reminded me of Waiting for Tom Hanks and Evvie Drake starts over, which is a good thing since I liked those books as well. It’s everything I want in a summer beach read. At times I laughed out loud and caught myself smiling along while reading. Nora was a compelling character that I enjoyed. I received an ARC from netgalley of this book. Thank you Netgalley.

I loved meeting Nora Hamilton in this witty new novel from @AnnabelMonaghan. I think the description on @Goodreads is so on point: a cross between Evvie Drake Starts Over and Beach Read. They were both five star reads for me as well!

Nora is a recently divorced mother of two - her husband Ben left her and their children one day and hasn’t been back since. Instead of being upset, Nora wrote a movie about it. That’s her job - she writes movies for The Romance Channel. Think Hallmark Christmas movies. This was a departure from her usual story lines of cupcake shop owners and big city beaus; and it ended up being made into a major film. Leo Vance (I’m picturing Matthew McConaughey in his prime) is cast for the role of Ben, and they film a few scenes at Nora’s house. Leo is gorgeous and honestly a little strange, and it doesn’t take long for him and Nora to click…and fall in love. He starts to get involved with her family and makes promises to her and her children that he can’t really keep. Things end abruptly and Nora is left questioning if any of it was real at all? Plenty more happens after this but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!

I love a romance involving more mature characters who have more at stake - kids, homes, careers, etc. Those feel more realistic to me, and just more substantial. This story was funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking and heartwarming all over again! It was great to have a female MC really go through all the stages of a breakup and come out okay on the other side! Thank you so much to @netgalley and @putnambooks for my e-arc!

Nora Hamilton is an expert romance writer whose first big-budget movie is being filmed in her very own writing sanctuary. When she first encounters Leo, the dreamy star playing her ne’er-do-well ex-husband, she’s flummoxed by him. Filming wraps up and the crew is on their way, but she finds Leo on her front porch with an interesting proposition. He wants to stay I. Her tea hours for seven days and he’s willing to pay her $1,000 a night. $7,000 is a lot of money to the single mom… and seven days isn’t that long. Her agreement sets in motion a love story and a heartbreak story too.

Monaghan has written a compelling story that captures the tragedy, grief, and resilience of its main characters. The story isn’t overly cliche. The obstacles ring true. I really enjoyed reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for a gifted early copy of the book.


I liked this book so much, I am somewhere in between 3 and 4 stars.
I loved that it was a closed-door romance, but I have a tough time with the miscommunication trope. The main character felt like she forgot how to speak/type in English for most of the story. I wish there was a little more confrontation, and yes it would possibly lead to even more miscommunication but at least she acted instead of just accepting what was happening around her.
I absolutely loved the kids, my favorite part of the book. Hollywood and Oscars were such a cute side plot to the story.
I felt like it was a little too short. I know lots of readers always say "oh this could have been 80 pages shorter" when romances are 300+ pages long, but I love the detail and long build-up. I would totally read more about the Hollywood part of this story.
Overall, I had a great time reading this and the book brought me joy. It's short and fun, and would be perfect for vacation or just a relaxing summer read day.