This was funny while also being super relatable to anyone who just wasn’t ok and didn’t know how to properly handle that. (Trigger warning) this does have sensitive topics in it like suicide but it also does a great job of showing how it’s ok to not be ok, you just have to take the steps to change and after Nora died for a couple of minutes she decided a change was needed. We get to follow her journey in making her life her own and happier.

Nice Work, Nora November is a wonderfully entertaining women's fiction novel that was impossible to stop listening to! It was an emotional journey, both heartbreaking and heartfelt. The story centers around personal injury lawyer Nora November who hates her job working at her father's high powered law firm. After a surfing accident left her clinically dead for a few minutes, she wakes up from a coma determined to be a better version of herself, rather than attempting to live up to her parents’ expectations. She wants to be a better sister, wants to learn to cook, wants to play basketball. and wants to bring her grandfather's now-neglected garden back to life. Most of all, Nora wants to find the guy she met in a corner store months ago but didn't have enough courage to call. I loved experiencing all of these activities with Nora as she discovers who she really is.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story narrated by the high accomplished Karissa Vacker. In summary, I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants a momentary escape, as well as those who are frustrated with life and want a "do-over"!

I really enjoyed this story. Nora comes back to life after a surfing accident and created a reverse bucketlist. Most of the things on her list are inspired by her late grandfather. Nora does everything she can to stop living for her parents (I hated them both) and to start living for herself with this second chance at life.

The audiobook is narrated by Karissa Vacker. She did an amazing job expressing Nora's emotions through out the story. I really enjoyed it and will be listening to more by her.

There are a few heavy topics but it is mostly a light story. Buttttt, make sure to read the trigger warnings to this story.

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

I have posted my reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

This audiobook is one of my favorite listens this year. The narrator was fantastic. The writing was phenomenal. The character growth in this story was huge.
The story begins with Nora recovering from a near death experience and decides to create a reverse bucket list. She had to push past so many obstacles in this story—work, family and mental health. She had to show the people in her world (and those people were tough on her) that she was going to start showing up.
She had recently met a guy, and in her new excitement for life, she tries to find him.
Nora was an amazing character who represents so many people in this world who suffer from depression. While we know that depression just doesn’t disappear the author did a wonderful job of showing if you just keep going and keep fighting life is worth living. This book was funny, heartwarming and gave me ALL the feels. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins for allowing me to listen and review this fantastic book!

Nora went through the ringer after her near-death experience. After getting her new lease on life she decided to do all the things she was afraid of doing despite what the people close to her might think.

That said, everything seemed to go wrong and it was this rollercoaster of being up one moment and down in the trenches the next. She was also fighting depression so I guess that had a lot to do with it.

She was trying to find the guy she had a connection with during a robbery at a store they were both at. He was close by all along, chatting with her in notes though they didn't know each other in person. We also got to see his own life.

I do wish they had met sooner, and that we'd get a chance to see their romance develop. They only had a few hours together initially, so having met in the end and everything being tied up perfectly in the epilogue a few months later just felt wrong to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. The audio definitely made it more bearable for me to finish.

Fans of Emily Henry will appreciate this story, which also reminded me a bit of Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson.

"Nature seeks to heal what is broken."

Nora November has died and come back to life. Literally.
After waking up in the hospital after a drowning accident, Nora has clear recollections of seeing her beloved (though deceased) grandfather on the other side. The time she spent with him inspires her to begin her second chance at life with a new outlook, and a revived determination to make her life matter.
Before her accident, Nora was working a passionless job in her father's law firm, battling severe depression, regularly letting the people she cares most about down, and bending to all the whims and demands of her condescending and belittling parents. She had not held up her promise to her late grandfather of keeping up with his beloved community garden plot, and worst of all: she missed out on the chance with who she believes might be the man of her dreams.

After her accident, Nora is determined to set things straight. She sets out on a mission to find the guy she met (and had incredible chemistry with) during a hostage situation a few years prior, gets to work in her grandfather's garden, and explores all the other hobbies and talents she's put off for so many years.
Will Nora find love, meaning and purpose to her life? Are the relationships she let sour during her bouts of extreme depression salvageable? Will she find the courage to stand up to her parents and pave her own road ahead into her future?

The book also has chapters told form the perspective of the "one who got away," Jack. Despite this, he still felt like a secondary character in the story arch, and that was ok. Jack is every girl's dream: sensitive, hard-working, compassionate, and funny. You are definitely rooting for this couple to reunite throughout the entire book.

This book was a "fluffy" read, but a well-written one and thoroughly enjoyable. A true Rom-Com of a novel, it was also refreshing to find a love story that was still PG rated and focuses more on character development without filling the pages with sex. The book could honestly have been a little shorter than what it was, but I never got bored or wanted to quit on it.

I want to thank the author for painting what it's like to suffer from clinical depression in a very honest light. I think it's hard for outsiders to understand the catatonia that often comes with depressive spells, and this author does the condition justice in a respectful, honest, yet hopeful way.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

TW: depression, verbal abuse, alcoholism, domineering father

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

This book is about Nora November and after a near death experience, she is working through a reverse bucket list. I appreciated following Nora's quest to change her life for the better. If you're looking for a story where the main character is flawless, this isn't it. As she's trying to improve her life she makes a lot of stumbles along the way. I found myself extending a lot of empathy to her and rooting for her to succeed. I also thought the romantic side plot was cute.

Check trigger warnings on this one as there is a lot of discussion around mental health.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to listen to the arc of this.

All opinions are my own

This was a lot to unpack. You know how they say, "It's about the journey, not the destination." I think that applies to this book. Alot of unpacking of very triggering topics that some may not be able to handle reading about (d3ath, su!c!de, d3ath of parent, depression, etc). It's deep, the author tries to "lighten it up", but again a lot to unpack. Poor Nora has been through so much in every sense of the word. This is her journey to becoming renewed while working through things she wishes she did when she could have. While it's a decent story with deep meanings, I feel like it was a bit stretched out. I also feel the guy from the robbery could've been a great help along the journey, but he comes in at the end. I feel his character could've changed the whole dynamic and helped support Nora through the process of everything, but again, it wasn't written that way. It's a lot, it's deep, and has good deep meanings underneath it all... but it's also a long journey, so I now understand and see why many gave 2-3 star reviews. I enjoyed the premise just execution made it quite extensive to push through.

I received this ARC audiobook from NetGalley and Harper Muse to listen/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully listening to this audiobook.

I absolutely adored ‘Nice Work, Nora November’! Nora was a delightful main character, and her zest for life post-NDE was contagious. The writing was captivating, and the narration felt like a perfect fit for Nora.

Post-NDE Nora is brave, compassionate, and determined to be better for those around her. I was desperately rooting for her to find Jack, to gain confidence and pride in who she is, and to thrive in her new (or previously retired) hobbies. Vacker did not shy away from difficult topics, and she has written an excellent representation of what depression is like. Her ease at diving into hard subjects made the characters and their issues feel so much more real.

The romance aspect of this novel was fun, but I was so eager for them to reconnect! The flashbacks were perfect, and I fully believed the feelings the two developed for each other.

‘Nice Work, Nora November’ is a hopeful and inspiring story about finding yourself, love, and redemption. I completely and wholeheartedly recommend this!

Thank you so much to Harper Muse/Harper Colllins Focus and netgalley for the audiobook!

THIS BOOK is like a love song, it was so well written and i cant wait for all my friends and family to read it!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

Nora died...then came back with a new perspective to live life differently while pursuing a reverse bucket list. Top of that list is finding the man who "got away." There are two points of views in the story: Nora and Jack. I adored both our main characters and all the side parallel stories and secondary characters leading to the grand reveal. The author did a nice job balancing the sweet and quirky moments with the deeper emotional and darker topics (alcoholism, depression, attempted suicide). While there are lighthearted parts in the story, you could still feel the struggle and conflict throughout. It broke my heart how Nora had to earn the trust of her sister and cousin due to her past unintentional alienation due to her depression. And I have to mention how much I despised Nora's parents!! They truly were horrible human beings...

This is a story of second chances and learning to live life to the fullest. While I enjoyed the romance and was pulling for our couple to finally reconnect and get their happily ever after, the ending felt a little rushed. Still, coming full circle to the "aha moment" made me smile.

The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life!

4.5 stars

Nice Work, Nora November by Julia London
Contemporary women’s fiction with secondary romance focus.
After experiencing a near death situation, Nora November has a whole new outlook. She also has a bucket of regrets and a bucket list of changes or things she wants to do this time around. She wants to learn to cook. Play basketball. And find the man she spent hours with during a hostage situation. This time, she’s going to work against the chronic depression and work towards happy.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook of this book narrated by Karissa Vacker who does a marvelous job on the performance. The pressure and happy come through clearly in the narration, as does the hope. Of course I cried along with Nora in certain points. Her strength also comes through effectively making me cheer her on all that much more. The story is easily followed in this narration, so recommend this format for an effortless but emotional wringing few hours of listening.
I did listen to this at my preferred speed of 1.5.

Nora finds out what’s important to her and goes after it this time around. It’s an emotional journey reconciling those she may have slighted in the before time against new priorities and a happier outlook. It’s not an easy journey but it is heartfelt. And heartbreaking. And ultimately, the feel-good path.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Harper Muse.

This was not the book I was expecting but it was a beautifully written dark book that he had a wonderful lightness to it.
While dealing with a near-death experience, Nora feels a weight of all the things that she wanted to do or wished she could do, but for whatever reason didn't. She has partial memories of her time prior to her accent but no memory of the accident itself. She creates a reverse bucket list to help her grow in different ways.
Though there is a lot of growth and discussion of mental health, depression, narcissism, alcoholism, neglectful and dismissive behaviors, and the struggles that come from dealing with all of these issues, I feel all the discussion was done in a respectful and responsible way while still managing to find the lightness and joy.

#arc
#netgalley
#niceworknoranovember

This was so cute! The premise was unique and fresh, and the writing felt fresh as well.

I loved London's work and look forward to more from her!

I enjoyed the audio narration of this heart-wrenching women’s fiction. The voice and tone of the book appealed to me. While the overall mood is uplifting, Nora is dealing with significant trauma, which made the book darker than I expected. Nora is a people-pleaser with controlling parents, which I always find difficult to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Nora November awakens from a near-drowning experience. She had indeed died, but now she's prepared to live life on her terms. Nora, an attorney at her father's law firm, detests her job. It should have been her twin brother working alongside their father, but he passed away as an infant. Struggling with depression, Nora often finds it difficult to cope. She feels she has disappointed her sister and cousin Gus numerous times. Now, she has created a reverse bucket list. During a robbery at a convenience store, she connects with a man, but she hesitates to reach out, believing he deserves better than her. Nora embarks on a quest with her new list: to revive her grandpa's garden and discard all her designer clothes. She resigns from her job to work pro bono for a group of senior citizens. Determined to reconnect, she searches online for Jack, the man from the convenience store. Nora is embracing her own path; despite the many setbacks she encounters along the way.
Nora's dad is not impressed with her new life and her mother keeps trying to get her back in line.

An emotionally driven novel that is also funny. The protagonist, Nora stole my heart and I could relate to her emotions on many levels. This story is full of love, grief and friendship. I loved it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nora November had been living the life that her parents had decided she should live. But not only didn't she enjoy it, it depressed her.

She took a vacation and drowned in the ocean during a surfing accident, but she was resuscitated and she survived. After the accident, she was different. She had spoken with her deceased grandfather during her near death experience and slowly, she started doing what she wanted to do. But she wasn't particularly talented. Just about everything she tried, she failed at. No matter what, she kept doing what she thought was right for her.

Serendipitously, many of the things she tried, eventually changed her life for the better. But she struggled mightily to get through the tough stuff. This book deals with serious issues so it won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it a great deal.

I listened to the audio book. The narrator was great.

With a new lease on life and reverse bucket list in hand, Nora is determined to heal from the things that pulled her under water in the past and hopefully recover every lost opportunity, including love, in the process.

"You can’t grow the good stuff when life is choked out by weeds."

Life is hard and the world is full of assholes. And this book is full of triggers. I critiqued the hell out of the first half while listening to it, not appreciating all the plot holes initially but they filled in beautifully by the end. The "romance" is a sweet secondary storyline, intended to lighten the mood, but the instalove is nauseating even under the circumstances. A garden is my own personal sanctuary so I genuinely enjoyed that role and representation in this story. I honestly think the narration improved my overall rating of this book.

Nice Work, Nora November - Julia London
Genre: Contemporary, Coming of Age, a bit of Romance

What a fun, thoughtful, and delightful read Julia London’s Nice Work, Nora November is. Nora November is recovering from a near drowning experience. She creates an anti bucket list and she tries to overhaul her life which she quickly remembers is just not that happy. She has suffered from depression and has lost strong relationships with some she loves through it - including her sister and cousin. She has met the perfect man as a hostage in an armed robbery and lost his phone number. She hates working as a lawyer in her father’s law firm. She does not follow through on her promise to maintain her late grandfather’s garden plot in a community garden. So…she vows to work on the garden, to learn to cook, to play basketball, to renew relationships, and to find the lost Jake. Her journey has its ups and downs but is a joy to read. The copy I read was narrated by Karissa Vacker who brought Nora to life for me!
And, of course, Nora is what I loved most about this book. I am clearly a character driven reader. Nora is baffled at the beginning of the book; she can’t remember much of what led to her near death experience, but boy is she determined to change her life. She isn’t wallowing so much as figuring out what will make her happy moving forward. And listen, she doesn’t have a built in support system. She has alienated her sister Lacey and her cousin Walter. She has nothing in common with her social climbing, career oriented parents. Oh her dad is deliciously hateful. She misses her grandfather - who accepted her unconditionally - so much. But what is beautiful is that through her chaos and a variety of mishaps, some more serious than others, she builds a new family: Kathleen who harrasses her in the community garden, Willow who is an unwilling partner to her mom at cooking class, Nick from the garden center. And while she doesn’t know it, she is circling closer and closer to Jake who has inherited a garden plot from one of his dying patients. Small world, right? And slowly Nora is working to repair her relationships with Lacey and Walter. I loved all of the people and all of the shenanigans. London expertly develops and manages it all - walking Nora forward in a believable way.
I feel a little bored by my musing on my dislike of change. But gosh, I really do admire Nora’s desire to create a life that she loves. Her depression is portrayed honestly - right down to losing a therapist for insurance reasons - and being shamed over medication. Yet, it does not control the narrative or her life. I love that approach - not lighthearted, but hopeful. I am a huge fan of the list approach. I am list driven. I have always done better at work and on a project with lists. The checking off of items, I love it. And yet, yet, I’ve done few lists in this my first year of being retired from full time work. I’m not a trained counselor, so I won’t try to figure that out, but perhaps a list or two wouldn’t go awry for me. (Dear google, I see the blue underlines for my style choices. I’m doing it anyway.) Finally, I respond to praise - always have; I could explain why, but who has the time? Teacher observations? Way more stressful than the kids and the curriculum. Maybe I do miss the feedback though? Anyway, when Julia London gets us to the “nice work” part of Nice Work, Nora November, I could only think well done. Well done - what a book!