Well-paced, lovely and relatable book.

The author did a great job portraying the weight of life, from the pressures of family, a job that you don't like or align with, and forcibly trying to fit into society's expectations. It was so relatable in so many ways, and loved the sense of trying to restart life.

The spirit of a community, of having support, but also that relationships are mutual was very well highlighted and again, added to the relatability of this story.

Recommend for a nice and relaxing book, being mindful of some trigger points.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I thought this book was very cute. With that being said, I thought the book was a little long and I found myself getting bored about 50% of the way through the book. but overall I thought this book was super fun and upbeat and I thought Anna was a great FMC! I loved to hate her parents as well. I also wish the romance had been a bigger part of the book, but I am also all for female empowerment and independence! I will be definitely adding Julia London to my authors to watch list, and I will also be keeping my eye out for the audiobook, which is set to be narrated by Karissa Vacker -- one of my top 10 favorite Female audiobook narrators!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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WARNING: it's time to jump aboard the unpopular opinion train again!!

Right... I didn't expect this to happen to be honest. I guess you can't trust a fun cover and blurb! I was intrigued by Nice Work, Nora November as soon as I read what it was about, with the near death experience and the reverse bucket list angle. I was in the mood for a fun and uplifting read, so I fully expected to have a great time with this story... But sadly the completely opposite ended up happening. Uplifting? Heartwarming? Try highly depressing, tedious and extremely frustrating instead! Oh yes, this book and me didn't get along at all.

This is one of those books where I liked the premise a lot more than the execution. Nice Work, Nora November has so much potential with the near death experience and the main character trying to change her life for the better with the help of a reverse bucket list. The romance itself also had a lot of potential with the missed connection and Nora trying to find him... BUT. What I was expecting to be an (at least mostly) uplifting story about self improvement and new connections, turned out to be an absolute chore to get through.

Why do I say this? Well, this book is just so extremely negative and depressing all the time, and I'm not sure how you could ever call Nice Work, Nora November uplifting and heartwarming with everything that happens. The epilogue and chapter before? Maybe. But the rest is just mainly tedious and highly frustrating instead. Basically, Nora is clinically depressed and her own family treat her horribly. Her father, her mother, her sister... They all seem to be in an competition for most horrible family member, although the father is the obvious winner of course. Talk about toxic relationships, abuse, bodyshaming, mental health shaming and treating someone like a human doormat! There is so much repetition of this and almost no character growth along the way, and it all made me SO angry (and not in a good way).

Talking about the characters: most of them felt underdeveloped and too much like stereotypes. There wasn't a lot of character growth to be found; not even in our main character Nora, who seemed to be taking a looooong time to finally get there. People keep treating her so badly and she never stands up for herself until well into the second half, and I was ready to throw in the towel long before that. The romance angle was also very disappointing; how are we supposed to believe they had such a strong connection after a few hours, and then they never contacted each other? And to make things worse, they don't even meet until the story is basically over? With more focus on the romance, them meeting sooner and Jack helping her find her way, this plot could have been so much better...

As you might already guess, I didn't exactly get along with Nice Work, Nora November. Too depressing, too much focus on the negative and too little too late when it comes to that dose of uplifting and heartwarming story that the blurb seemed to promise... This was without doubt a miss for me, and I kind of wish I had DNFed it instead.

When Nora nearly drowns in a surfing accident, she recovers to realise that she has not completed all her dreams. Having a pressure-filled career in an attempt to please her father, have held her back. So, she decides to create a "reverse" bucket list of all the things she wants to do after death. The list includes ordinary aspirations like learning how to cook and cleaning out her late grandfather’s garden. However, she also wants to find the man she met in a corner shop during a robbery, when they were locked in a backroom together. Jack Moriarity also regrets losing the number of Nora. His life as a nurse is one filled with helping those with incurable disease, in their last days. When he finds himself the owner of a plot of land in a community garden left to him by a patient, he finds himself also reflecting on his life.
This was not quite the book that I had imagined, especially given the blurb. Int was an interesting concept for a book with the stories of Jack and Nora, told in parallel, as they both hope to meet again, whilst living their own lives. There are several trigger warnings for this story, including death, depression, and emotional abuse.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nora November's life takes an unexpected turn after a surfing accident shakes her out of her routine existence. Faced with the realization of her mortality, she embarks on a journey to fulfill the dreams and wishes she had neglected. Despite the promising premise, "Nice Work Nora November" fell short of my expectations. While billed as "uplifting and heartwarming," I found it to be a stark portrayal of a young lawyer battling depression and familial pressure. Nora's relationships are marred by cruelty, judgment, and mistrust, making her quest for self-discovery a challenging and often disheartening one. Although I admired Nora's resilience and determination, the narrative's relentless stream of negative experiences left me feeling overwhelmed. The romance subplot felt underdeveloped, contributing to my overall disappointment with the story. While Julia London's writing is undeniably powerful, this particular tale failed to resonate with me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse.

Nice Work, Nora November by Julia London
I wasn't sure when I started this book - but it didn't take long to get me hooked. Nora's NDE, dead grandfather/his garden and her reverse bucket list. "The corner store guy" Jack and her search for him and all the near misses. This book was a little dark - covering depression, alcoholism, family dysfunction - but Nora's journey finding her way. Loved the senior's, basketball, James the assistant and the HEA.

Nora and Jack have had hard lives. They meet by accident only to lose each other. As they both try to change their lives and add some sparkle they find each other and their true selfs.

The book follows Nora November after she almost dies. She starts seeing things differently—things she used to tolerate now bother her, and she wants to try new things she never did before. Nora learns how to establish boundaries and stand up for what she wants out of life.

There was a moment in the book that stood out to me regarding societal expectations of beauty. Highlighted by Nora achieving the "skinny" her mother always wanted her to be. This type of expectation placed on others, resonating deeply, especially because I am a professional health and fitness trainer.

The book's main idea is about finding your own path and not just living to make other people happy. Julia London seems to be telling us to live on our own terms and be brave enough to stand up for ourselves.

The book made me feel a mix of things. The pressure Nora felt to be skinny was sad, but seeing her grow more confident and true to herself was really uplifting.

I’d give "Nice Work, Nora November" around 3.75 out of 5 stars. It's a great story about a woman learning to stand up for herself and what she believes in. The best part was seeing Nora become more assertive, but I wish the book had shown more of her happy moments at the end.

Who Might Like It:
People who like stories about someone finding themselves and becoming stronger would really enjoy this book. It’s all about being brave and true to who you are.

I enjoyed this book while reading it, but it is not a book that lingered with me once I finished it.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for a chance to read and review this lovely book.

“Nice Work, Nora November” is the delightful new novel by Julia London.

After a near-death experience, Nora November uses her second chance at life to complete her "reverse" bucket list. In particular, Nora wants to stop working as a soul-draining attorney in the family law firm and reconnect with her sister. She wants to meet the mysterious guy she connected with during a store robbery and cultivate the garden of her much-missed deceased grandfather. Admitting that you are unhappy and “stuck” is one thing—following through with reinvented your life is much more of a challenge and the reader is fortunate enough to share Nora’s journey.

At the same time, we meet Jack, the guy Nora interacted with during the robbery and learn about his journey to become something more. While the two POVs work, I felt as if the story could have been better served by staying with Nora. Overall, I found this to be a good read with memorable characters.

Four stars.

Although I liked the idea of the book I didn’t quite connect with the characters. Nora is trying to put her life back together after an NDE. Everyone expects her to resume her old life but Nora feels different and decides to make a change in her life. It was a hard book to get through because for most of the story Nora is put down by others. It feels like no one believes in her and nothing goes right. It made it feel like a process to get through. I wasn’t sure why we got a second POV considering when they meet. It just made the book longer for no reason and didn’t really add much romance to the story. Overall, it was a decent book but not for me. I’d still encourage others to check it out if you enjoy books about hope and perseverance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Nora November is a depressed lawyer who has a near death experience or NDE as she calls it. She vows to change her life and creates a reverse bucket list of all the changes she needs to make. Her family is not on board with this at all. Her number one priority is to find the guy she shared a hostage situation with. She feels that he's the One for her but didn't act on it at the time. Another priority is fixing her relationships with her sister and cousin plus salvaging the garden plot her grandfather had. This is a great story of a person living with depression and trying to take control of her life. I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and delved into a topic that most books don't.

An uplifting message underneath this story, but the journey to get there was a bit tedious for me. After a near-death surfing accident, Nora November uses her second chance at life to complete her "reverse" bucket list. And objectively I loved the endearing simplicity of said list. But with so much focus on restoring her grandfather's garden, it wasn't very riveting to read about.

The romance had a lot of potential. The fate-like way Jack was unknowingly there with Nora throughout the book was precious. But with their chemistry based on only a few hours of interaction from the past—during a hostage situation, I must add (so odd?)—it all came together in a way that felt too good to be true.

And lastly, her family was the epitome of awful. I loved seeing Nora stand up for herself, but these people felt like caricatures. It cheapened the emotional connection I was so desperately trying to feel. On top of that, the insensitive reveals used to emphasize Nora's mental health only added to my frustration. Sadly, I was not a fan of this one.

Nora almost died in a surfing accident. Actually, she did technically die but was brought back to life. Before the accident she did exactly what her parents expected of her, became a lawyer and worked for her father's law firm and wore what her mom expected. Now she's decided to do what she wants and that includes changing everything including becoming a better person and less depressed.

This story is not one I would have normally expected from Julia London, but I loved it! It is real. It is modern. It will not go away. Unlike so many books I read, enjoy and move on to the next. Nora November is staying with me. It speaks of the challenges of women who work in a male dominated industry, and who are tolerated, not welcome, no matter how talented or capable. It speaks to the challenges of mental health, abuse, addiction, and people who totally ignore all of those very real day to day issues. The characters are very real, they could be anyone you know, and feel like you do know them. This is billed as fiction, but is a valuable read for today’s world.

So most of us have some sort of goal in our minds during our lives. We dream of what we will be, or do, or have, and live our lives accordingly. Sometimes, however, we fall into the dreams that others have in mind for us. When an accident causes Nora November to experience death for several minutes, she has an epiphany on her "return" to life and decides to change her direction and do things she's not done in her life because of the constraints of others. You'd think this would be easy. And you'll have to read the book to find out how it goes! I loved it. Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy. Happy to leave an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After surviving a near death experience, well she technically did die, Nora is out to live life to the fullest. I liked this book. Nora really put herself out there and you couldn’t help but think about how you live your life and what could be done differently. The story was fun and engaging.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC.

Such a creative book and with a great fluid writing! I loved Nora so much, and her personality is so understanding, even when she shouldn't be so kind, and I still couldn't put this book down. 4/5

The concept of having a second chance at life always fascinates me and this book carries the same theme. I liked the story of coming back to life but the main character felt a little frustrating to me as well as the people around her, I found the other characters too rude at times. Also, didn't really like how the ending did not resolve much of the main carrying conflict between the main character and her father.

Nora wakes in the hospital after a NDE (near death experience). She realizes her life, aka Before, was not true to her but filling standards set by family. Nora focuses on what brings her joy, hint it is not working in her father's law firm. Memories of her grandfather guides her . . . Rejuvenating his community garden plot, basketball Dreams resurrected and connecting with her sister and cousin.

Change is hard. Nora still struggles with depression as she navigates a new life.

Oh, she seeks out Jack, a guy she met while held hostage during a corner store robbery.

Nice Work, Nora November is a thoughtful, engaging, and ultimately hopeful tale.

Following a near-death experience, Nora November undergoes a profound transformation in her perspective on life. Reflecting on her former self, she devises an 'anti-bucket list' to guide her towards genuine purpose and happiness.

Though there is a romance subplot, what stands out is Nora's independent growth. Her character is resolute and flawed, and her methods for navigating depression and setbacks are relatable. While I would have liked to have more insight into 'Nora before,' there were scattered glimpses throughout.

Nora's bond with her grandfather, his community garden, and his gentle encouragement sprinkled throughout the narrative are both charming and heartwarming. Despite grappling with weighty themes (I would recommend checking trigger warnings), the story maintains a delicate balance with moments of levity, rendering it both enjoyable and contemplative. The overarching themes of hope, embracing imperfection, self-care, compassion, and staying true to one's purpose really resonated with me.

Thank you Harper Muse and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.