Review: Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on 2022-06-07
Length: 272 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2022, 2022 New Release Challenge, COYER 2022

Evvie Drake Starts Over meets Beach Read in this heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love.

Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite…

Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it’s her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life. No one is more surprised than her when it’s picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne’er do well husband Nora’s life will never be the same.

The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He’ll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it’s the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it’s the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart.

Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story—the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.

I devoured this one in one sitting! Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is a sweet and sassy romantic comedy about a recently divorced screenwriter and her Hollywood A-List houseguest who won’t leave. Nora got her life back when her husband decided to leave. Finding herself was easy, finding her muse was not. To pour out her grief, Nora strayed from her typical Hallmark-style romances and wrote a screenplay based on the crumbling of her own marriage. To say it took on a mind of its own is an understatement. Now Nora finds her home being invaded by Hollywood to film some of the scenes in her own Tea Room, her writing sanctuary, her safe space and the movie’s namesake. Little did Nora know that her life was about to change again.

I really liked Nora. Despite some insecurities left over from her divorce, she is happier than she ever was with ex-husband. She has two amazing kids who I absolutely adore, and she’s writing again. She’s learning to trust and lean on others when she can. And the unexpected houseguest awakens something in her she thought dormant.

Leo Vance is an actor, and not just any actor, but one everyone knows. He’s made a solid career becoming whoever he needs to be. But when he meets Nora, it is clear that he is hurting and a bit lost. Nora sees something in him that resonates with her. She agrees to his crazy deal to stay after the crew is done filming. I love Leo. He’s genuine and never leaves Nora wondering what he is thinking. I love how he pushes her boundaries and how easily he fits into their lives. His interactions with Nora’s kids, Bernadette in particular, bring levity to the story.

Comedy Disclaimer: so while this book is billed as a romantic comedy, and it does have its funny moments, Nora Goes Off Script is less romance and comedy and more women’s fiction. The book deals with heavy topics such as grief, divorce, and depression. The author tackles them head on, and it’s written to fit seamlessly into Nora’s story.

Overall, I loved Nora Goes Off Script. Nora and Leo are worth fighting for, even if it takes them a while to see that. If you enjoy sweet romance full of emotion, I highly recommend it.

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