Nora is a single mother of two, her husband having decided that a family and kids was holding him back from the life he really wanted. She typically writes sugary sweet screenplays for The Romance Channel; But on this occasion managed to turn her heartbreak and trauma over her relationship with her ex-husband into a deep and meaningful screenplay. They come to shoot one of the scenes from her screenplay at her house, and that’s when she needs the lead actor and former sexiest man alive, Leo Vance.

At this point, it’s a pretty good set up, and I think the story could have gone either way, with it being a great romance novel, or a completely hot mess. Amazing, it turned out to be a complete joy to read!

I enjoyed this entire book, from the very beginning through the end of the story. I never found there was a point where it lagged or was difficult to engage in. The offer strikes the tone perfectly right, and I felt like I understood and was rooting for all the characters throughout the story. Honestly, I found it hard to put down and finished it all in one day. The book was funny, but also heartfelt and charming. 4.5 stars and I can’t wait for her next one!

This was such a great book! I loved the romance trope that was depicted in the book. The characters were relatable and I was rooting for Nora throughout the entire book. I also really enjoyed the kid characters who added a lot to the story as well. I will be hand selling this title in my store and look forward to more by this author.

You👏🏼need👏🏼this👏🏼book👏🏼⁣
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I absolutely adored Nora Goes Off Script. I loved how clever it was and how it made fun of hallmark romance movies. I loved how real Nora was with her adorable two kids and her deadbeat ex husband. I loved the small town she lived in and all the fantastic side characters (looking at you, Weezie!). This story is just the perfect escape. Is it realistic? Absolutely not! But will it leave you swooning and smiling? Absolutely! This book will be one of your FAVORITE summer reads. It’s everything you want in a romance. Gosh, I just loved it. And now I’m a forever fan of this author. Like, what is next? Please just send it my way. New go-to author. ⁣
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Content: romance- lots! But closed door, friends 🙌🏼 language- yep, but I could deal without gritting my teeth. 😆⁣
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Loved it. Pack it in your suitcase for beach vacay, and thank me later.

When Nora’s husband walks our on her and their kids, she does what anyone would do—write a script and sell it to Hollywood. After filming at her home is over, Leo Vance, the star, offers Nora 1,000/day to stay at her home. The two end up developing a relationship.

I loved this book! I was emotionally invested in the characters and was rooting for them throughout the book. I loved Leo’s relationship with Nora’s kids. Overall very cute book!

Thank you Penguin Putnam House and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really needed to read this palate cleanser after some of the heavier books I've been reading lately.

This is such a cute, feel-good romantic comedy. Yes, looking back at the end there's a misunderstanding that could have been easily remedied with a phone call, but as I was reading it I didn't get mad like I usually would have. It felt really believable to me and I just went with the story. I loved Nora and her grit and love for her family. I thought Leo's fascination with everyday life was hilarious and I laughed out loud more than a few times at some of the things he said and did.

I also really adored the kids and thought they were a great addition to the story. The one thing that gave me slight pause was that I didn't think Nora protected the kids enough from Leo--I would have said "Hey, if you break my heart, fine, but if you mess with my kids' hearts you're dead." Her actions in those moments were what made this not quite a 5-star read.

Overall though, this is totally worth reading, especially if you want a light, humorous romance with a lot of heart.

This is so sweet and cute! I fell hard for Nora and her kids. Nora is a screenwriter, living in a ramshackle home in northern New York. She is raising two sweet kids alone, after her lousy husband left her. She writes a screenplay about his leaving, and it becomes a major motion picture, starring a handsome lead actor, Leo. Leo likes life in her sleepy town and ends up staying a few more weeks, and of course, Nora and Leo fall in love. He leaves to star in a new film, and somehow, weirdly, ghosts Nora. Nora and her family are shocked, as Leo seemed so real. So she pours her heart out into a new script, and hopes to move on. I was rooting for her the whole time! The writing flowed and I think this will be THE beach read this summer! I will read more from this author!

I loved Nora Goes Off Script so much! There is a very strong romance/romantic comedy thread that I love but I also genuinely loved all of the characters and enjoyed their own individual growth throughout the novel. The setting of Nora's home also felt particularly cozy and charming. Highly Recommend!

I looooved Nora so much and I loved the premise of the book! I mean who doesn't love Hallmark romances? The characters were great and so was the romance. I think it was really well written and obviously a much needed happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Nora Hamilton writes romance movie scripts for what are essentially Hallmark movies. Her movies, like her life, are very formulaic. That all changes when Hollywood comes to film her newest movie about her recent divorce. Cameras, crew, and directors all show up. But so does heartthrob movie star Leo Vance. And Leo is about to change everything.

This book is such a delight! I’d describe it as Evvie Drake Starts Over with a smidge of The Idea of You. And who wouldn’t love a celebrity/regular person/single parent trope? Especially one that feels very believable. Leo is so charming as he tries to fit in with Nora’s “normal” life and schedules. Imagine teaching someone how to grocery shop.

This is so much more than a husband leaving, a woman falling in love, and then being heartbroken all over again. It’s about the kids too. Oh the wonderful kids. They’re in this journey to healing just as much as Nora is. You’ll fall in love with them and want to give them a big hug.

I found myself crying at the end of this book but in such a happy, cozy way. It’s about healing, learning to be happy again, and leaving behind the daily monotony of life while still appreciating the simple sunrises. Basically, this book got me in all my feels.

I featured this title in a roundup of general fiction publishing in June. I sent a link to several blog groups, posted on Facebook, and sent a link to Twitter.

I LOVED Nora Goes Off Script. I started it and planned to only read a few chapters… well 3 hours later I had read the whole book in one sitting. The best kind of book!! Annabel Monaghan can write a rom-com! It reminded me a lot of Emily Henry books in the best way. Witty banter, likable/relatable characters, a vivid setting and an adorable romance. I really look forward to reading more from this author!

This is a Women's Fiction/Romance. I have to say that I was so scared to pick up this book because so many women's fiction/romance fell short for me this year so far, but this book was so great. I loved this book from the beginning to the end. There was nothing I did not like about this book. The characters were not fun and cute characters, but they felt real which I really loved. I loved the slow moving romance in this book, and I really loved the ending. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (G.P. Putnam's Sons) or author (Annabel Monaghan) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

For anyone who read all their Emily Henry books and is looking for the next romance that will make you both swoon and cry Nora Goes Off Script is the book for you. This is the second book this year with a main character named Nora who I loved. And I loved seeing Nora on her journey after a divorce. Nora has my dream job as a romance screenwriter and seeing her get her second chance with my favorite new grumpy hero Leo was just so fun. This is just a wonderful summer romance.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I finished Nora Goes Off Script with decidedly mixed feelings. On the one hand, the premise - a small-town mother of 2 who writes movies for the Hallmark-like Romance Channel and a movie star fall in love when he comes to film her first big budget movie - pulled me in. But on the other, the book didn't entirely seem to know how to sustain itself on that story for the entire thing.

*spoilers ahead*

The strongest parts of this book are the beginning and the ending. The parts where Nora and Leo were just starting to get to know each other were lovely. I enjoyed watching them share parts of themselves and discover those parts in the process. While the shift from friendship into romance did feel a bit sudden to me, I also enjoyed the early days of their relationship, mostly because Nora's joy was refreshing to read. The end of the book brought reconciliation and the return of that joy, and another few lovely moments. In some ways, the book felt like it wanted to be a romance novel, but then tried to pull in too much realism.

As a result of that choice, the book stumbled in the middle for me. The pacing dragged. Time moved weirdly, either with every hour accounted for or chunks of time skipped over with little acknowledgment. It was kind of a drag to read about Nora's circular process of deciding she was over Leo and then not again, not because the sentiments seemed unrealistic but because everything was spelled out so explicitly. A classic case of me reading and yelling "show, don't tell!!!!" And with Leo just gone, a lot of the tension seemed to leak out of the pages. A return to the status quo might be realistic but it's not exactly exciting to read.

I also struggled a little with Nora's whirlwind experience following the release of The Tea House. Maybe given everything she was going through with Leo, she cosmically deserved success with the movie, but it was weirdly frustrating to see everything going so perfectly right. Critically acclaimed, a feminist icon, an Oscar... this was the point for me where the book seemed to cross into wish-fulfillment territory. It felt out of step with a lot of the more down-to-earth moments of the rest of the story, and I almost wished Nora hadn't won the Oscar, just to ground things a little more.

While there were some undeniably cute and lovely moments, Nora Goes Off Script held itself back too much for me to fully love it.

3.25/5

It's a beautiful chic-lit romance where we follow the life of Nora, a romance movies writer; she writes a story based on her ex-husband leaving her and its such a good work, it's made into a movie. Leo is a movie star and he turns to be the main character on this movie, playing as Nora's ex.

The movie it's part filmed in Nora's Tea House, and that's how they both meet. When the filming is done, Leo decides to stay around a little longer: his life is in a hard moment and he thinks that spending some time in the country without the famous life, is going to make him feel better.

He stays at Nora's with her and her two kids, and slowly becomes part of that family dinamic, including falling in love with Nora.

It's a love story that make my heart melt, but also I got angry, stressed, sad, heartbroken and then happy and smily again. A book that capable of making me feel all of that, has all my heart.

I love the characters's background. their individual lifes and troubles, I love Nora as a femalecharacter, she's so strong, kind, resilient, loving with her family, a devoted-mother and a beautiful soul dispite her mistakes.

Leo, on the other hand, its a men who shows how fake can be the "celebrity fame". On the outside he's the most hansome men alive, he's rich and happy, but on the inside, he hides so very much and it's lovely to find all that out, see his evolution as a person, as an actor, as a men.

Nora's kids, Bernie and Arthur definitly stole my heart. They are so close and loving to her mother, they are such a good kids and they handle their father's leaving them with a strong acttitute that I envy. They're just so brave.

It's not a 5 stars read to me only for two reason:

One: I would have like a little more realistic life respect to Leo. He's a movie star, the most famous in the moment, lets say he'sa Brat Pitt in his best era, but somehow he spends two months in a foreing town, knowing a lot of people (who know who he is and it's admired by them), starting a "public" love relationship, and not even one paparazzi is out there, not even a photo, no news, nobody cares. He's like "I need some "normal" time as a normal person" and everybody is ok with that.

And two: I saw Leo the most of the time, a little silly, childish even. At moments it felt the dinamic between him and Nora was more a mother-son kind of thing than a lovers one. I now that nowadays a big amount of men get to their adultness without being funtional human beings, but it's a thing that I don't like so much, so it's very subjective.

However, as a whole book it's a very good one. It doesn't have any sex scene and that's a major plus for me, so I like it very much and I much recommend it.

I loved every minute of this book. It is a fun rom com/dramedy. I was sad when it was over and felt really connected to the characters. I highly recommend and can’t wait to see more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. It was just published so I highly recommend!

This story is a fun escape and a quick read. It's a very sweet book about love in peculiar circumstances and it's nice to see characters that are approaching middle age as the ones who get to be in love.

While it was a fast engaging read, it didn't work for me, perhaps because certain events in the plot were a little too close to my own life situation, and I would have loved to see a bit more fullness in the characters love story, more depth to them, and to see the way their story unfolded a little more than we were able to. Still, there were some very lovely moments that I enjoyed very much.

I think this book will work well for folks who have not experienced painful divorces and who don't have children. Being able to suspend some disbelief in those categories will make this a great little escape of a love story to take with on vacation or read on the porch during the summer mornings.

Nora's career has always been easy, she's nailed the perfect formula to write scripts for the romance channel movies that every middle-aged housewife loves and she can't complain about how well her life is playing out off-screen. Until her never-does-anything-wrong husband decides he wants a divorce and leaves her with their kids.

Instead of sitting in self-pity Nora crafts the perfect script all based on her real life, and studio execs cannot get enough of it. It's green-lit straight away with filming taking place in her actual 100-year home. *Enter stage right* Sexist Man Alive, Leo Vance starring as said, terrible husband. Nora is speechless she's never seen anyone as hot as Leo and the fact that he's playing her ex-husband she Nora's emotions all over the place, she cannot wait for the film to wrap so she can get on with her life and never see Leo again.

When the dust settles after filming ends Nora can breathe easy until she walks out to her porch to see Leo Vance, empty tequila bottle in hand, and a proposition to flip Nora's seemingly simple life upside down, let Leo stay at her house for a week & $7000. Nora can't say no and Leo needs to escape the Hollywood limelight.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam + G.P. Putnam's Sons for NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT.

100% a summer reading must - what starts off feeling like a hallmark movie, ends up with so much heart and depth. A recently divorced, single mother, romance script writer from a small town falls for a movie star (and he falls for her), there's magical sunrises, conversation with depth, love and heartache, and of course a HEA with all the feels that will leave you with a happy heart.
This romance has so many tropes but never feels too overdone, including grumpy/sunshine, small town, opposites attract, and miscommunication.

Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script is utterly delightful from start to finish.

Screenwriter Nora usually writes TV romance movies that bring in a reliable check and follow a reliable formula. But the collapse of her marriage led her to write something completely different and new, and now her words are headed to the big screen. She doesn’t think much of the director wanting to film on her property, at least not until silver screen heart-throb Leo Vance waltzes into her house and her life. When Leo wants to extend his stay beyond filming, Nora is reluctant…but her gutters sure could use the money he’s offering, so she ultimately accepts. But Leo isn’t just renting a room– he’s fitting into her family and her life more than she expected. Nora isn’t just worried about her own heart breaking when he leaves– now her kids are attached to him, too. Can her small town life and his movie star status mix?

This beautifully written novel has all the components of a romantic comedy, but it has real depth, too. I especially loved seeing a mom portrayed as more than just a mom. Longing glances and stolen kisses are complicated by the kids in both funny and meaningful ways. Nora is a mom, but she also has a career, friends, and a full life. Oftentimes moms are the side characters, the witty friend, the busy, chaotic character that makes the main character remember to take their birth control. But Nora shows that women, even moms, live full, complete lives and are whole, complex people. As a mom of kids a similar age to Nora’s, I appreciate the character development and prominent role Nora and her kids have in this fun, flirty novel.

The witty banter and dialogue make this such a fun read. Nora’s playful personality show how well she’s recovered from her narcissistic ex, and her wit comes across the page so clearly. I adore that the humor isn’t just shared between Nora and the love interest– her friends and community all have great dialogue with humorous moments sprinkled throughout that had be laughing out loud.

The character development is incredibly well done, which is why the dialogue reads so naturally. Every character, from the starstruck neighbor in the produce aisle to the hardware store owner, is thoroughly developed. Nora’s community makes me wish this town was real. And the kids! So often, kids are a token character, in and out when its convenient. But Monaghan tactfully keeps track of the kids without it feeling burdensome to the reader or slowing the plot. Bernie and Arthur are fully developed characters in their own right, and every scene with them was utterly believable.

This novel is the perfect summer read. It’s engaging, has depth, but also makes you laugh. I can’t wait to see what Annabel Monaghan does next!

Nora Goes Off Script is available now! Thank you to the author, Penguin Putnam publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy such that I could share my honest opinion.