As someone who has persistent depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder and spent months in a deep depression this book was relatable, raw, real, heartbreaking, and heart healing.

I’m glad this book doesn’t have a switch flip where everything is immediately better or easy for Nora. The reality of the struggle is there. The exhaustion that comes with fighting to keep hope. But the joy in finding that hope. The desperation to grab hold of it.

The writing explains that feeling of being able to believe in hope and joy again. That there will be bad days where the pull to fall back into hopelessness is strong but now that you’ve experienced the breath of fresh air that hope gives you fight like hell to keep going.

The first chapter of this book describes Nora’s experience with afterlife/death/heaven…and I hope that’s what it is like. Full of the best memories, the people we love and reconnection with ourselves and the ones that went before us. This book gripped my heart from the beginning and didn’t let go until the end.

This was so heart warming. Nora November experiences a near death experience on the first page of this delightful novel. And then she decides to change her life to make it exactly what she wants it to be. She definitely does not have an easy time of it, and doesn’t have a whole lot of support at first. The characters are charming and very often elderly, former thespians. And it might take everything Nora has, but she will find a way to make her garden grow. I wanted a little more romance, but otherwise fantastic! I can see myself rereading this one when I need a mood lifter. 4.5 ⭐️ This opinion is entirely my own.

DNF at 35%

Unfortunately I am just not feeling this book. The writing is well done and quite honestly it could just be my mood right now.

Second chances. Nora's near death experience convinces her that things in her life must change,starting with her relationship with her (pretty awful) family. It also means that she wants to find Jack, a man she met during a hostage situation. Jack offers his own perspective throughout Nora's journey but they don't meet until the end. I liked this for the mix of Nora's quest for happiness and the rom com aspect, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling.

What if you could do your life all over again? Would you do things the same or would old patterns be too hard to overcome? Enter Nora November who has come back from the dead. She struggles with the constant disfunction of her family. Can she break free? Can she find the guy she met during a robbery? Can she bring Grandpa's garden back to life? Can she make amends for the times she failed her sister and cousin? Can she struggle through crippling anxiety? All will be answered if you read this novel. Beautiful character development. Great story line. I couldn't put it down.

It's not really a review because I didn't finish this book. Not posting my review anywhere else.

I found the blurb, particularly the near death experience thing very intriguing, but sadly couldn't connect with the writing style or the main character. It didn't build intrigue or mystery I was expecting.

Here , I must admit that I am an impatient reader and can't continue if the book doesn't interest me by 3-4 chapters. If you are a patient reader, you might want to try this.

Nora November's story is before a traumatic event happened and after it happened. Sometimes, things happen, so it makes you stop and think about things. When she woke up from a coma, she knew she wasn't the same person she was before, but she kept feeling like she was failing everything. Her journey leads her to meet new people, new things she discovers she likes to do, and things she actually is good at. Instead of trying to live her life the way others think she should live it, she slowly sees that she has to be who she truly is. It was after she remembered the accident, that she stood up for herself, with her father. Her journey really is different from who she was before, and it is helping her become the person she is meant to be. Sometimes you have to give up the life that was planned and accept what life wants you to have.
I received an ARC from Harper Muse through NetGalley.

Unlike any previous Julia London books I’ve read, Nice Work Nora November still bears her stamp in the high quality of the writing, the excellent characterisation and the intriguing plot. Nora is, of course, the star of this story and she’s certainly got some challenges to overcome as she tries to fulfil the tasks she’s listed on her reverse bucket list. Stuck in a job she hates, facing massive medical bills and with parents who belittle her, it’s a wonder that Nora has any drive at all to bring joy into her life, but even when she’s feeling at her bleakest, she soldiers on. I loved watching her slowly discover the self confidence she’d had bled from her in her life before her near death experience. She's resilient, persistent and definitely a character to cheer for.
Nora is not a sole performer in this story however. There’s Jack, the corner store guy that she spends much of the story searching for. He adds plenty of interest as we see glimpses of his work life at a palliative care facility and his quirky notes to Nora in the community garden where they’ve each inherited a plot. I desperately wanted these two to find each other and loved Nora’s efforts. While these two are central to the story, thr supporting cast—self-centred characters like Nora’s thoroughly unpleasant father and thoroughly likeable characters like Nick from the garden centre and Catherine and Walter from the community garden—all add richness and depth to a story I couldn’t put down. This is definitely a keeper!

Trigger warnings for this book include: near death experience, death, infant loss, parental abuse, coma, hospice, cancer, suicide, depression, and anxiety.

When I write out all the trigger warnings it’s a wonder how I have a book 4 stars. Nora November is a mess. She was a depressed workaholic shell before a near death experience with a less than supportive, mostly neglectful and abusive family. Her twin brother died of SIDS and she has always felt inadequate with his loss and her father expecting her to fill the role of ‘son.’ Trying to start over and failing royally at many many things, Nora finally starts to find her feet and her new self in ‘the after.’

Told in a dual timeline between Nora and a guy she met in a corner store robbery, this is a coming of age tale. Nora November is finding herself.

'You can't grow the good stuff when the life is choked out by weeds'


It's a story about Nora who almost died. Like literally she was dead for a short amount of time and then came back to life. But her life 'Before' was not that perfect as somebody could think. But maybe life just gave her a second chance and it is finally time to do something good and just for herself, not for anybody else?


I honestly really enjoyed this one. I am, too, a people pleaser and i know how hard it is to do something only for yourself or just simply to say 'no' to others. It is very hard actually. But i know it's important do do so, because while giving everything to others, you slowly loose yourself and at the end youd don't even know who you really are... and it sucks.

The idea of reverse bucket list was such a nice thing to do! The fact that it took a literal death experience to finally stand up for herself is saying a lot. But i hope that every other people pleaser will think about themself and that maybe, just maybe, life is not just about making the others happy - it's about YOU being happy (Not that we don't have to be too selfish - just a little bit is good too!).

I did also enjoy the fact that her story was not the only one here, we also saw a bits of life from Jack, the guy she briefly met while being held hostage - they were sad parts, but i loved it.


I only wish we would get them to meet sooner, but it was a nice story anyway. It was more like journey for Nora than a romance story i think.



*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Nice Work, Nora November was a cute book, overall. The book follows Nora on a journey to fulfill her "reverse bucket list" that she developed after a near death experience. Understandably, Nora is dealing with a lot in her life - lots of hard things as she reconciles her life in the after with how she lived "before." A major underlying plot point is her desire to connect with Jack, the man she met before through yet another challenging experience (a hostage situation in a robbery).

That being said... though the book had lots of cute aspects, it was not a "feel good" sort of read at all -- and to me, that's what the description of the book suggested. There were a lot of triggers in this book. Nora is/was clinically depressed. Her family is absolutely awful (especially her parents). She's experienced a lot of trauma in life and hasn't really adequately dealt with it -- and now that she wants to, the cost of therapy is a barrier. Hardly anyone in this book is likable, and really, that includes Nora, sadly (though she is trying to flip her life). I think I would have liked this book more had the story been told less along the way of Nora's journey, and more after she'd already arrived. I also would have liked more of Nora and Jack together, instead of just their recollections about the hostage situation. I waffled between rating this book 2 or 3 stars, but ultimately ended up going with 3 stars because I liked the writing style and I liked the ending.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a first by the author.

I thought this was a cute read but it is very slow. Seems to be that way through the whole book but i wanted to keep reading to see where it was going.

The MC parts were very easy to not like but i would definitely recommend the book and i would read more from the author. I bet the audiobook would be fun to listen to as well.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I received this complimentary digital ARC from Harper Muse and NetGalley. This review is my own. Nora experiences death and her outlook on life changes when she has been rehabbed and is living on her own. Death has changed the values that she had previously set in her life. It also let her see that she was not happy with the life she was living. This is a story that will get a reader thinking--what would you change or would you? I truly enjoyed this book.

Rating: 3.5

I don't really know how to feel about this book. I was debating between giving it 3 or 4 stars, so 3.5 it is. I hated the parents. Especially the dad because he was a narcissist who clearly had no intention of changing. I feel like most of the issues I had were addressed, but I still don't know if I completely like the way some things were handled.

I have read many of Julia London’s books and have enjoyed them all.
Nora November was one of her top books. I love the way Ms. London writes.
She shares the POV of view of many of the characters which is my favorite.
The story has a mystery to it but as we follow Nora it unravels. Jacks story and POV was powerful too.
Nora almost dies and makes a list of things she wants to accomplish. She goes about doing it.
I highly recommend this book --

When I read "just a hint of romance" I knew that this was not going to be the book for me. I am not a big fan of book where the romance is not the forefront. I am sure there will be many people who enjoy learning about Nora November! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

The description of Heaven at the beginning of the book is beautiful!! I loved Nora's journey of finding her new life in the After of her NDE. It was realistic in that it doesn't always go smoothly and she struggles, but there is that constant hope in the After. My only complaint is that this is clearly a secular book and the ending reflects that.

Well done, Julia London. This novel took me on an emotional journey, for sure. There should definitely be a note in the beginning to let readers know about the difficult topics addressed in the story, but the catharsis of following Nora’s journey from the first page to the last was worth dealing with the painful emotions it brought up inside me. It is a beautiful story about living life and loving who you are and what you have to offer!

I love the tone and author voice of this novel. Unfortunately, the book is missing trigger warnings. Nora is dealing with deep trauma. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher.

I love books that take us on a character's journey and this was right up my alley. Thank you for letting me be part of of your "nice work" Nora.