This started out as a cute book with a fascinating premise: Nora cheats death and decides to make changes in her life. But somewhere along the way, it really resonated with me. Maybe it was the fact that while Nora looked professional and put together on the surface since she’s a lawyer, but deep down, she’s a mess. There’s a lot about depression and mental health as well as alcoholism and dysfunctional families but it all comes together so well and makes you cheer for the new Nora. A great read!

What would you do differently if you were given an unexpected second chance at life? That’s exactly the scenario that main character Nora November finds herself in after a near death experience gives her a whole new perspective on life.

As she recovers from nearly dying, Nora starts to think about her life and feels like all she really has is a long list of regrets and missed opportunities. She decides to make it her mission to live a better life moving forward. To accomplish this, she creates a reverse bucket list filled with all of the things she has always wanted to do, including learning how to cook, learning how to take care of her late grandfather’s garden, and perhaps most importantly, try to find a man she felt a deep connection to when a robbery at the corner store forced them into close proximity for hours. He’s the one who got away and Nora deeply regrets not seeking him out sooner.

I really loved everything about this story. Nora’s journey gave me so much to think about with respect to my own life. I think her regrets are just so easy to relate to, which made it all the easier to root for her to accomplish everything on her list, especially finding that second chance at love. The story does tackle some weightier topics such as depression, but it’s also a story that is full of heart and humor.

Because of the way it resonated with me emotionally, Nice Work Nora November is one of my favorite reads of the month and I highly recommend it!

Quirky and heartfelt, Nice Work, Nora November is a funny, yet thoughtfully written book about second chances and learning to live in the present and with intention. Fans of women's fiction will enjoy this read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book Harper Muse through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of Nice Work Nora November. Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. I loved the idea of the story and Norah’s reverse bucket list idea post death but it kind of fell apart as didn’t the story for me. I didn’t care enough about the characters or Nora’s plight unfortunately to have a connection with the book. Just okay for me.

I was more attracted to the idea of this story than the execution itself. Nora November is declared clinically dead for a few minutes after a surfing accident after which she is revived. The near-death experience prompts her to become more in control of her life and make changes she wouldn't dare to before. The book is centered upon multiple triggering themes like suicide, death, depression, parental abandonment, etc, yet in my eyes, it was very straightforward. The novel is my no means 'light' but I didn't have to think too much to understand the meaning of the story because it was right there. I was rather disconnected from the characters and though I sympathized with them, I was very much a distant bystander. Many aspects of the story were lacking in depth and weren't that intriguing.

While Nora November does an excellent job of showing mental health representation, I struggled to connect with the characters. Following a NDE (near death experience), Nora intends to upend her unhappy existence by working through a reverse bucket list, and first on that list is attempting to connect with the man (Jack) who helped her get through a robbery/ hostage situation in a local convenience store. Told in dual POV, we get glimpses of Jack, his life and experiences, but not near enough time with Jack and Nora on the page together. For some reason, Nora’s heaps of bad luck (surfing accident/ critical father/ job she hates/ robbery) felt a little bit overboard to me. I have a feeling that this is a book that some will love, and I hope it finds its right audience! Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for my gifted ARC!

Nora November suffers a near-death experience after a terrible surfing accident. While clinically dead, she has a visit in the afterlife with her grandfather who passed away over a year ago. Once Nora awakens from her coma, she contemplates her past and present life and decides to make some major changes. In a reverse bucket list - a list of goals she’d like to achieve after she died and came back - she’d like to learn to cook, be a better sister, quit her awful job, bring her grandfather’s neglected garden back to life and find the guy she let slip away.

If you are looking to pick up a light romance with poignant moments this summer, you’ll want to pick up Julia London’s latest novel, Nice Work, Nora November.

This book was moving and heartfelt. It delt with mental health topics really well and I personally felt so seen. This book is definitely a lot but has moments of humor and romance. Overall, I really did like this book.

NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER is out in the world, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I have always loved novels by Julia London for her fun characters, humorous dialogue and interactions, and great storylines. With NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER, London has taken her writing to the next level. She has tackled difficult issues with both sensitivity and straightforwardness that will have you feeling all the feels for Nora.
Nora was brought back after being dead for several minutes. With a second chance, she realizes it's an opportunity to do all the things she should have done before, so she creates a reverse bucket list. Trying to achieve everything on it is an adventure, and not always a good one as things never go according to plan.
Nice Work, Julia London! I adored Nora November and can't wait for everyone to read it! Now to work on my bucket list.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Nice Work, Nora November tells the story of Nora, who at the beginning of the novel is recuperating from a surfing accident; she had an NDE - a near death experience - where she saw her beloved deceased grandfather and dog and felt a calm peace that had been sorely lacking in her life. I enjoyed Julia London's easy-to-read writing style and I was pulled into the story right away. I liked the way that Nora called her pre-accident life her Before and after being discharged from the hospital, she was living in the After. Nora had many regrets in her After about her Before so she made herself a "Reverse Bucket List" and set about to do the things that she regretted not doing, which included finding Jack, the guy she connected with so well but lost his phone number. This novel has a very interesting cast of characters including Nora's aloof mother, her judgmental father, her loving but exasperated sister, her like-a-brother cousin who struggles with addiction, and a slew of senior citizens she meets at her grandfather's community garden plot. I liked it! I both read this novel and listed to an audio version and I really enjoyed the reader's inflections and voices for the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel - and also an audio - in exchange for an honest review.

I had SUCH high hopes for this. In the beginning it gave vibes that resembled seven year slip, but unfortunately it fell short. I would honestly not class it a romance. Sure they were searching for a person they met once and thought they might love, but that was legit it, they spent one evening in a high stress situation and never met again until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an entertaining and heartwarming book about a woman who works to reinvent herself and live the life she wants after surviving a Near Death Experience (NDE).

Long Story Short:
The book starts with Nora in heaven talking with her deceased grandpa, with whom she was very close. She wakes up and eventually has an epiphany to make a “reverse bucket-list.” She will do all the things she wanted to do with her life after her NDE. This includes tending her grandfather’s plot in the community garden, rebuilding her relationships with her sister and her cousin, and finding the corner store guy, a man that she connected with during a hostage situation at the corner store several months before her NDE. Unfortunately, her bucket list isn’t easy to accomplish. She stinks at gardening, her family doesn’t trust that they can depend on her, and she can’t even remember the corner store guy’s name. But she perseveres and adapts her list as she learns who she is and what her strengths are.

The Good
Nora and Jack, the corner-store guy, are likable characters that you root for throughout the story. Despite her mishaps, I wanted to keep reading to see her finally succeed at one of her bucket-list goals. It was also inspiring that she kept going throughout her constant battle with depression.

The Bad
My biggest issue was the pacing. We readers see Nora fail at her bucket-list attempts for a good portion of the story, but only the last 10% of the book is dedicated to her successes. I wanted more of that instead of reading about it in a past tense way in the final chapter. I wanted to see her reconnect with Lacey and wave to her mom, and I wanted more of her and Jack together. My other issue was the dual POV. It was mostly Nora, with a little bit of Jack thrown in here and there. I think the story would have been stronger if it was more balanced between the two POVs.

This was a very enjoyable book and my issues didn’t diminish from the joy I felt when Nora finally got her happily ever after. I give the characters and the plot an 8 out of 10 and an overall grade of a B+.

Reading Challenge 2024 - A book with something broken on the cover

3.5 stars. I really liked it! It was a cute story with a happy ending. A feel good happy woman’s romance with some unexpected meaningful moments. Fluffy but somehow also deep. Like you’re drinking that chocolate shake but someone snuck in some vitamins without you knowing. 🤣

What a rollercoaster of emotions. Nora's life is measured by Before and After. Before her accident, she was so depressed. Who wouldn't be with such a horrible, controlling father and a distant mother. After her accident, Nora wants everything to be different. She can't remember all the details about the accident, but she knows that she has a chance at a new beginning. She doesn't have to be exactly what her father and mother want her to be. She can be Nora and she isn't sure who that is. Nora really didn't like the Before Nora and wants the changes, but it is hard. One of her regrets is the guy that she had such a connection with, but she didn't do anything about it. She didn't think she deserved him. Now she needs to find him, repair her relationship with her sister and cousin, play basketball, garden and learn to cook. She kind of sucks at all of those things, but she is trying. Will she get her happy ever after?

I was so excited to read this book since both the cover and the description made it seem like it was going to be a light and flirty comedy- it was not.
Nora November is recovering from a near death experience and has realized she hated her life in the Before (before her NDE). She makes a list of all the things she wishes she had done before her life almost ended, a Reverse Bucket List, and sets out to accomplish them. Amongst things on the list like learn to paint and learn to cook is also find the guy with whom she shared a connection while they were both held hostage during a corner store robbery hold up.
I found this book to be so depressing. One of the hot topics this deals with is clinical depression, but that’s not why it’s depressing. In every instance where something can go wrong, it does. It feels like Nora just gets kicked over and over by everything and everyone.
In addition to that, there are quite a few chapters that feature a guy who is a hospice nurse. All of his parts start with him ruminating over the death of another patient and how the family they left behind interacted with them at the time of death. Those parts also became tedious and this book would have flowed just fine without their inclusion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advanced copy of this. Nice Work, Nora November hit the shelves on June 4th.

I’ve been reading Julia London for over ten years, and Nice Work, Nora November , in my opinion is certainly much different than her previous books, both historical and contemporary romance. I say this in a good way, although there is a bit of romance, this is a story of a woman literally getting a second chance at life and happiness after a near death experience. There is the typical Julia London witty writing and very likable characters along with heavy subjects that Nora is dealing with. This turned out to be a very rewarding reading experience for me. I highly recommend reading about Nora’s journey. Many thanks to Julia London’s team for this advanced copy.

This was a really fun and quirky story. The story had strong main characters and some pretty humorous secondary characters. The spunky theater group was some of the best of those characters. Nora’s reverse bucket list helped to bring humor to an oft times sad subjects. It’s a story of missed connections, connecting with loved ones, and redemption after some hard knocks. It’s a wonderful story and I really enjoyed reading it.

Going into this book, I wasn’t expecting it to hit so hard. The main idea was overcoming and/or living with depression and how that varies from day to day.

Nora survived a near-death experience (NDE) and now has more motivation than she’s had in a long time to transform her life into something she’s proud of. And she starts with a Reverse Bucket List.

One by one, she looks at her life and sees missed opportunities or moments when her depression got in her way, and she’s determined to do something about it. With the help of her therapist, Nora starts to change her life, but every time something starts going right, something goes horribly wrong.

She works in her late grandfather's community garden plot, but she seems to be giving her plants too much love and attention. She wants to learn how to cook, so she takes a class and gets demoted to the teacher's assistant. She also wants to find the missed connection from before her NDE. There was something between her and that man that made colors seem brighter. But there’s still the same cloud drifting behind her, waiting to pull her back into the bad.

There was such a raw honesty about this book, and it startled me. If you or someone you love battles with depression, please read this book. It’s by far the most accurate depiction of it that I’ve come across so far.

Nice Work Nora November was an interesting take on a near death experience (NDE). I have to say in the beginning I was a bit irritated with Nora because she was such a mess. But her idea of a “reverse bucket list” and her joyful hopefulness hooked me in. I loved the description of her NDE. It was peaceful and amazing and she was able to talk to her deceased grandfather. When she came out of her coma, she vowed to do the things she hadn’t taken the time to do in the “Before.” Along the way she loosens herself from her toxic parents, and finally finds her joy in all the things she really wanted from life. It’s one I’ll think about for awhile, and that makes it a 5 Star read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nora November is a book about dealing with depression and panic attacks. After a near death experience, Nora is set on a path of making amends to the people that matter in her life. It's not going to be easy. Trust when broken is never easy to gain. Along the process she is also trying to find the one man that really got her. In her downward spiral, she thought it wasn't real. The search is on. Jack works in hospice care. He deals with death all the time. One of the patient left him a plot in the Community Garden. This is the place to learn to grown vegetables and find some peace. He also remembers Nora but he lost her phone number. With the help of the seniors at the Community Garden and social media, they are reunited. Also, Nora is taking control of her life. She's doing things that help people and brings her joy.

A wonderful read.