4.5 stars. What a great read. I loved this gem and didn't want it to finish. Nora's transformation is a joy to see and her new found attitude is heartwarming.

It's no wonder her life wasn't going well in the 'Before' (before her Near Death Experience). Her parents, particularly her father, are horrible. Such hard expectations to try to live up to. Other characters (like the gardening oldies) are a delightful addition to the story and help Nora's growth. (Not sure why she was willing to continue helping young basketballer Willow though, ungrateful little brat.)

*Spoiler alert*
I dropped a star because she didn't find the lost guy she was looking for until 90% of the way through. I would have loved a bit more of them together. Their love story was so cute.

I listened to this on audio (thanks Netgalley) and I adored the narrator, Karissa Vacker. She made the book even better in my opinion.

This was a surprisingly a great and emotional read. This book haf just the right amount of humor in it. And was super entertaining. I finished this audiobook in one day. I just needed to know if she ever found the guy from the robbery and also why she was on the beach that day there are trigger warnings about talks of suicide and depression. I felt this book wrote about depression great

This was such a fun listen. I loved it. I have been hearing about this book for months and am so glad I was able to get an advance copy. I couldn’t turn it off until it was over.

This was just ok for me. Without giving too much away, I thought the plot resembled a soap opera. And a long-winded one at that. I enjoyed it just not as much as if it were shorter and the characters were better.

Nice Work, Nora November
By Julia London
Narrated by Karissa Vacker
Five Stars

This book made me cry in a good way.

Nora November is really just trying to get through every day. Her dad is a...horrible person, and she struggles with depression that her family can not understand and just thinks she should shrug off. One night, while trying to get a little salad for dinner, the convenience store she is in gets robbed. Her and two other patrons are locked in a back room during the stand-off. One of the other patrons is a man named...if she could just remember... and they hit it off immediately. They pass the time getting to know each other and supporting each other through this hostage situation. Once it's over, they promise to get in touch, but Nora's depression convinces her it wasn't as much of a connection as she thought, and the man accidently misplaced her number. Months later, in a deep spiral, Nora had a near death experience during a surfing accident. Coming back to life has changed Nora's entire perspective. Of course, this doesn't cure her depression but she is on a path to change her life. This includes trying to find the man from the convenience store.

This one is a roller-coaster in the best way of second chances. Please understand the triggers in this book of depression, attempted suicide, alcoholism, and narcissism.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Focus, and Julia London for the opportunity to read and review this book. All thoughts are my own.

#NiceWorkNoraNovember #JuliaLondon #KarissaVacker
#NetGalley #HarperCollinsFocus #ALCReview
#ReadThisBook #ReadAllTheBooks #SecondChances

We meet Nora after she has experienced an NDE, leaving her a changed person. This book, while not perfect, is a great example of mental health representation. At times Nora’s history of clinical depression felt like a tool to drive the plot vs. a lived experience, but we only know Nora as she is post-NDE, where she has already gained perspective of what’s truly important in her life.

I enjoyed her time gardening and her personal growth as represented by the progress of her plants. I also loved the corner store meet cute and the inadvertent help of the geriatric thespians in reconnecting Jack and Nora.

There were quite a few points when Nora’s helpless-ness started to feel like too much. Nora often perceived herself as a victim of her circumstances, instead of the only person capable of changing those circumstances, and I was struggling to empathize with her after so many careless and simple mistakes. It’s one thing to grow up in a controlling environment sheltered by wealth and have to learn how to cook and support yourself as an adult, but the number of blunders she made simply wasn’t believable.

Of course, her growth comes with positive changes and Nora resolves most of her challenges by the end of the book. It was an easy listen and low stakes!

Thanks to NetGalley, Julia London and Harper Muse for an ARC of the audiobook!

I say, Nice Work, Julia London! Her new novel, Nice Work, Nora November, is a thoughtful, entertaining account of a woman saying enough. Enough to submitting to her father’s demands concerning her career, enough to her mother’s constant harping about her weight and wardrobe choices, and enough to accepting the paralyzing depression that she lives with. Nora wakes in a hospital following a surfing accident that killed her, at least for a few minutes. Surviving (at first reluctantly, given the comfort and appeal of her other-worldly encounters) this near-death experience empowers her to make changes, and she sets herself a reverse bucket list. Included on the list: saying enough to all the above, rehabilitating her beloved grandfather’s garden, and finding the stranger with whom she had experienced near-perfect harmony while being held hostage during a robbery prior to her accident. Nora’s strength and determination wax and wane throughout the novel, a struggle most readers will recognize as something we all experience while trying to make positive change. Ms. London’s sympathetic and sensitive descriptions of Nora’s clinical depression may be disturbing to readers not familiar with the disease, but they assist in making the book both believable and Nora someone we really want to succeed.

I listened to the audio version of this book and the production did a great job. This book followed the changing life of Nora November and her epiphany after a near death experience. Readers find themselves following her search for a chance love encounter and rooting for the two characters to reunite. The story of Nora making her own choices despite her family’s strong pressure to do what they hope for her was a great story of transformation!

Beautiful, all of it! I listened to the audiobook and Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators, she was wonderful as always. The storyline was interesting and I absolutely loved the author’s writing style. This is the best book I’ve read in months, it made me laugh and cry with a satisfying ending. Highly recommend this one!

This book was WONDERFUL! It made me think so much about my own life. I absolutely adored the main character. The plot, the setting, the character....such a fun book! Highly recommend

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Nice Work, Nora November" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook. After a NDE near death experience, Nora decides that she has to make some big changes in her life. She wants to do a reverse bucket list. Nora wants to be happy! Narration was good, overall I liked the book.

I enjoyed this, but it wasn't completely satisfying.

After nearly dying, Nora decides to change her life. She stands up to her abusive father and pushy mother, looks for a new job, tries to find the man who got away, takes up basketball again, and gardens.

There were definitely some wins. I loved how she stood up to her parents, but her father was both physically and emotionally abusive and NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT! Like, seriously, why did no one talk about this? I wanted her father to get his comeuppance so bad, but there are NO CONSEQUENCES for him!

Jack is lovely and we get to hear about him in parallel with Nora... but this isn't really a romance. There isn't much to their relationship other than flashbacks at a fated meet-cute and Nora trying to find him again. They don't meet up until the very very end.

I hated the way the author addressed mental health in relation to Nora's responsibility towards her alcoholic cousin. It felt so unhealthy.

The money stuff doesn't make sense. I kept thinking that someone was doing some unethical crap and we'd learn... but we don't.

The narrator does a great job at voicing the characters. This is dual 3rd person POV with a single female narrator.

I received this audiobook for free as an advanced reader copy.

After a near death experience, Nora creates a reverse bucket list of everything she wish she could have done in the 'before'. One of the things on the list is to find the guy she had a kiss met with.

This story is eye opening and makes you think about what would you do if you had a second chance in life. I also love that it had a different type of romance and it was interesting following her journey with life in the 'after'.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a beautiful book! Nora November has a second chance at life and goes on a self discovery of who she wants to be. Her past life is full of regret and now that she has a second chance to change it around she’s not settling for less than she deserves. The story was absolutely beautiful it talked about depression and the struggles that go along with it. It also touches on grief. Amazing book that had me questioning myself and what truly brings me happiness. Nora’s character goes through transformation and you can’t help but cheer her on through her journey.

I really liked this concept and rooted for Nora every step of the way. Her family had my fuming about 90% of the time, it’s no wonder she felt lost and alone in the before.
This was a 3.8 read for me.

When I read the synopsis, I thought we were going to be taken on this awesome bucket list adventure. However, it's more like she had a near death experience and decided to clean up unhealthy habits with a side of learning to cook and a subplot of gardening and love.

With that, I would definitely check trigger warnings. I was gifted a copy of the audiobook, and there were no warnings. So here are just a few: death(on and off the page) hostage situation, verbal abuse from parents, negative talk about weight, alcohol abuse, suicide and depression.

With all that said, this book is about going to therapy and overcoming the negatives in your life and helping others live a positive life. The subplot of her finding "that guy" was the only thing that kept the story light and although very sweet, I found it hard to root for them when I was rooting for Nora to really find herself.

Overall, it was a good read more on the women's fiction side!

*The audio was fantastic!

This was cute without a doubt, but the way it started off I had REALLY high hopes and unfortunately it petered out a lot. It wasn’t really a romance.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Muse for proving this ALC in exchange for my honest review. Nice Work, Nora November by Julia London is an engaging, funny story. Nora November is a member of the November family and a big disappointment. The book begins when Nora wakes from a coma after a near death experience. She had drowned and was clinically dead for several minutes. Nora had spent her life appeasing her demanding father, and she struggled with severe depression. Once she recovers, Nora is determined to begin to really live her life. She creates a reverse bucket list - a list of things she wanted to accomplish after she died. The list included reconnecting with her sister, helping her alcoholic cousin, finding another job, and finding a man she had connected with during a hostage situation. This book is the story of how Nora works through her list with strength and determination to find a life of her own choosing, filled with love and acceptance and found family. It was an inspiring book about a woman with a history of depression who found a new lease on life and a happily ever after. The narration was great and I was drawn in quickly to the story. I loved everything about Nora, Jack, and the secondary characters who made the story so colorful and amusing. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for listeners who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction. The mental health representation was very positive. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to listen to it.

Nice Work, Nora November
Get Lit ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

After a near-death experience leaves her clinically dead for a few minutes, Nora awakens with a profound sense of purpose. She decides to create a “reverse bucket list,” letting go of negativity and embracing new hobbies and friendships.
Meanwhile, before her accident, Nora met a man who made her believe in love at first sight. Now, she’s on a quest to find him while ticking off items on her bucket list and trying not give up on her new life even when things don’t go according to plan.

The Characters:
Nora, a terrible lawyer; a group of senior thespians; a pretentious family; and the guy she met during the corner store robbery 😳

Thank you @netgalley @julia_f_london for this ARC. Loved it!

Nice Work, Nora November is simply delightful from start to end. When faced with an NDE (Near Death Experience), Nora is compelled to make big changes in her life. This means going against her overbearing father, her reprimanding, high-society mother, and deconstructing her life in all the ways that no longer served her. Unbeknownst to her, a love story is playing out in a beautifully parallel manner until, at last, their paths cross. I highly recommend this fun, summer read!