Nora's novel about the tragedy of her won love life is picked up for a movie set to be filmed at her own house. At the end of the film, the lead actor pays her to let him stay for a little restcation. No one is more surprised than Nora when her relationship with the reclusive actor starts to veer into more. I loved this one. It was a little bit Hallmark but also had some grit. Kind of like the novel Npra wrote in the first place. I loved the characters and didn't want to leave the charming setting.

I really really enjoyed this! Good amount of steam, great family “drama” realistic and I didn’t see that ending coming. Another fantastic read of mine in 2022!

I have recommended this book to so many of my friends/family already. I have already added Annabel Monaghan's next book to my TBR and wrote it into my planner. I could not stop reading this story until I finished, all while dreading it to end. Monaghan expertly weaves grief, love, anger, stubbornness, selflessness, resentment, and forgiveness. She took the classic movie-star-falls-for-the-small-town-simple-life trope and spins it into a unique and engaging story. I will be re-reading this book along with anything and everything else Monaghan releases. To say I am impressed and hooked is an understatement.

This was such a fun book! The main character was lovable, and I really enjoyed her strong opinions. She stuck with her decisions and I think that’s a really incredible example.

I’m in love with this story! It reminds me of a Hallmark movie, which I’m obsessed with. I definitely recommend it.

Wow. I absolutely adored this story!

I must be honest; I kept putting this book off to the side based on the general premise and, yes, I judged the book by its cover.

What I had expected was a trite little rom com with the (imo, overdone) celebrity-falls-for-the-normal-person trope.

What I got was a much deeper, much more meaningful, heartfelt story that was more about being allowed to be who you are-warts and all-unconditionally. This is about what it's like to find freedom in being authentically you without having to put on a face or put on airs. I found this story to be un-put-down-able and refreshingly different.

Well done, Annabel Monaghan! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

This was the cutest book and I would love to see this on the screen (it would be so meta).

I laughed, cried, and felt so warm while reading this. I will definitely recommend to all my friends!

This book was a fantastic surprise. I felt myself rooting hard for Nora, loved that children were very much present in this rom-com (that's rare!) and holy smokes did I fall for Leo. The setting was charming, the plot just enough to be an escape while still being believable.

Nora finds happiness and herself. Parents who have been through divorce etc will see themselves in her. YAY for older heroines. I appreciated that in the end, she wanted love but didn’t need it to be complete. That made the romance that much sweeter.

Hip hip hooray for this winner of a book!

This is the perfect sweet, cozy romance! Loved the setting and characters, and I loved the “cookie cutter but not cookie cutter” storyline — almost a play on the cookie cutter romance storyline. I liked that we had a single mom MC with slightly older kids — I was able to relate to her on many levels. This is a great read that I’m sure will resonate with many romance readers!

4 stars! Nora Goes Off Script is a great romantic read. Highly recommend!
Thank you to Annabel Monaghan, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A writer ends up selling the movie rights to a book she wrote about her failed marriage and where do they want to film it? Her house. So her regimented small life with her two kids gets turned upside down by the cast and crew for a few days. But when it came time to leave the main man just did not want to leave the morning sunrises and every day life. Before you know it they are head over heels for each other.

Why did it take me so long to get through this book? I have heard such amazing things about this book and it has everything I like in it. But for me? It just wasn't a hit. To me a book is good when I just can't put it down. And I kept setting this down and would have forgotten that I was reading it other than the fact that it kept showing up in my current reads on GoodReads. /overall it was good writing, a good story but I wanted more from it. I think there was not enough banter or love for me between the characters. It just doesn't make a ton of sense for them to be together and there doesn't seem to be much bringing them together that will be strong enough to keep them together. He just slide into her life and even though there are some bumps along the way there was not much she wouldn't forgive. Maybe I just was hard on it though because I kept hearing nothing but the good stuff from fellow avid romance readers.

Overall, I would recommend this book for someone as a beach read or someone looking for a Hallmark movie in book form (I don't mean that in a mean way I read Hallmark romance books sometimes and really enjoy them). Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group, Putnam for this free advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Nora writes the cheesy romance made-for-TV movies, but after her husband walks out on her and their 2 children her writing gets a little deeper and a little darker. This leads to a big budget movie being filmed with her screenplay... on her property.

Nora's world is thrown into chaos when an entire movie set, movie stars and all, moves onto her property. At the end of filming, Nora wakes up the next morning to find that the male lead of the movie had stowed away on her property and wants to escape his world for a bit. Leo Vance moves into her "tea house" for a week and spends time learning about small town life, including grocery shopping and kid schedules.

This was a cute story, with the inevitable struggle, but you knew that it was going to end happily. You just had to wait to see how it all ended and what caused the struggles. This book has added a new author to my rotation of books to check out.

I really enjoyed this! Shamelessly in my head, I was imagining a modern Heartburn or just a nod to Nora Ephron. I wasn’t disappointed. Highly recommend

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!