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.

Romance screenwriter Nora may have met her match when movie star Leo begins shooting scenes on her property and then asks to stay around a while.

I loved this one. Leo and Nora felt relatable despite the former being a hugely popular actor. None of the tropes came across as tedious. I was very invested in the will they/won't they of it all and was rooting for them to make it as a couple. I had very clear pictures of who would play these characters in a movie. Nora's kids were also great.

Nora Goes Off Script blew up in the @pelotonmomsbookclub over the summer and we loved chatting with Annabel about it. Already can't wait to read whatever she writes next.

Rating 4 stars

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Nora Goes Off Script for review purposes! All opinions are my own.

Loved this cute story! Loved the characters and story. Twists were appreciated too! Thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher fir thus ARC

Thanks for the gifted book, @putnambooks! I was sent this book a couple months ago and life got in the way and I FINALLY was able to pick this delight up.

This book was lovely. I adored it. But y’all!!!! I am so disappointed I didn’t read it sooner. SO enjoyable. This might be late, but thank you so much, Putnam! I loved it.

You know how much I love the single dad trope, but I’m not huge on the single mom (double standard… 😬) this book succeeded in showing me that I love both! Nora is a divorced, single mom, who is basically a screen writer for hallmark (never truly mentioned hallmark, but same thing) one of her scripts is picked up by big Hollywood and they want to film at her home. That’s where she meets Leo, the most popular Hollywood actor and… they don’t hit it off. But if you think I’m spoiling anymore for you, no way!

Look. I’m a huge sucker for Hollywood meets single parent trope. It’s just perfection. Annabel Monaghan wrote a wonderful story that gave me all the feels and I truly enjoyed every moment of it.

Content warning: this is not a sweet romance. Open door and some language.

This just was not for me. I can appreciate that it’s well written but the story itself just did not compel me like I anticipated it would.

Thanks @prhinternational for this ARC!

Depois de ver seu casamento acabar, Nora Hamilton transforma toda sua dor em um roteiro e este acaba sendo escolhido para virar filme.

As gravações ocorrem na sua própria casa e o galã Leo Vance é escolhido para ser o seu ex-marido. Uma semana após o término das gravações, Nora encontra o ator de volta à sua porta pedindo para que o deixe ficar por mais alguns dias hospedado em sua casa.

Nora Goes Off Script tinha muito potencial para ser uma boa leitura pra mim, mas dessa vez a narração junto do audiobook tornou a experiência não muito prazerosa.

Já começamos com o fato que muita coisa do livro é narrado e não mostrado e isso quebra demais o ritmo da história. Muito da rotina e acontecimento da vida de Nora é apenas citado e pro desenvolvimento do romance com Leo, eu senti que pesou muito, já que eu não conseguia sentir muita verdade entre eles. Outro ponto é justamente a passagem de tempo na história, que não é bem sinalizada e me deixou bem perdida em diversos momentos.

Sobre os personagens, eu gostei bastante de Nora. Sendo alguém saindo de um péssimo relacionamento com dois filhos para cuidar, ela até que estava sustentando bem a relação, mas também se permitia seus momentos de fraqueza. Já Leo, pela narração ser apenas de Nora e o comentado no parágrafo anterior, eu não tenho muita opinião formada porque realmente eu não consegui me conectar com ele.

Apesar dos pesares, houve uma reviravolta que eu nunca nem em mil e um anos iria imaginar chegando e me deixou de queixo caído e foi o que fez a história ganhar mais uma estrelinha na sua nota final.

Nora has a quiet comfortable life, and then everything changes. SHe can't quite trust her new happiness, and watching her fall in love and then deal with all the complications was both fun and heart wrenching, alternately. Great book.