Nora Goes Off Script - by Annabel Monaghan (Paperback)

About the Book

"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."--

Book Synopsis

"The perfect escape." --USA Today

"Readers who loved Emily Henry's Book Lovers are sure to savor Nora Goes Off Script." --Shelf Awareness

Named one of the Best Beach Reads of Summer 2022 by The Washington Post - USA Today - Cosmopolitan - Southern Living - Country Living - Business Insider - Buzzfeed - Book Riot - The Augusta Chronicle

Romance channel screenwriter Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. But when her too-good-to-work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage's collapse into cash, writing the best script of her life. When it's picked up for the big screen and set to film at her home with former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, cast as her ex-husband, Nora's life will never be the same.

After shooting wraps, 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. She could use the money, 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.

Review Quotes

One of Real Simple's Best Books of the Year
One of Cosmopolitan's Best Romance Novels of All Time
One of TODAY.com's Editor-loved Romances
One of the Washington Posts's 10 Noteworthy Books for June
One of USA Today's Top Rom Coms for June
One of Amazon's Best Romance Books of the Year So Far
One of Southern Living's Beach Reads Perfect for Summer
One of the Skimm's 10 Books That'll Get You Out of a Reading Rut
One of Buzzfeed's 27 New Romance Books Releasing in June, July, and August That Will Heat Up Your Summer
One of The Augusta Chronicle's Newest Beach Reads Inspired by Hallmark Movies
One of New York Post's Best New Books to Read
One of WTVJ-NBC's Summer Book Picks
One of SheReads Clean, Cozy Romances to Snuggle Up With This Fall
One of Katie Couric Media's Book Recommendations for Every Emotion You Might Be Feeling
One of Camille Styles' Must-Read Books That Feel Like a Summer Fling (In the Best Way)
One of Scary Mommy's Books That Feel Like a Warm Hug
One of Beyond the Bookends Best Sweet Single Parent Romances

"A witty and poignant roller coaster that springs a delightful surprise." --People

"Monaghan's witty adult debut novel perfectly captures the apprehension and excitement of infatuation blended with life's complications." --Washington Post

"The perfect escape from reality...In the best way." --USA Today

"Who is ready for their next stellar and sparkling beach read? Nora Goes Off Script is a freaking delight. Charming, funny, uplifting and completely captivating, I devoured it in three days." --Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Hotel Nantucket

"[A] delightful work of fiction...A perfect blend between quotidian life and the fairytale magic possible only in the best Hollywood endings. Readers who loved Emily Henry's Book Lovers or Linda Holmes's Evvie Drake Starts Over are sure to savor Nora Goes Off Script." --Shelf Awareness

"Filled with swoon-worthy moments and hilariously lovable characters." --Woman's World

"Annabel Monaghan is an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely adore her writing, which I've come to associate with witty banter, relatable characters and the perfect balance of humor and heart. Nora Goes Off Script is one of those books I've recommended to so many friends, whether they identify as romance readers or not, because it will leave you rooting not just for the romance but for Nora herself." --TODAY.com

"Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is funny and smart, with a Nancy Meyers-movie quality you'll love and a main character you'll want to befriend. This is the perfect easy-breezy, feel-good read." --Real Simple

"Such a charming read" --Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Romantic Comedy

"Hallmark meets Hollywood in this gorgeous, fast, and poignant read that will keep you invested from the second you pick it up. A book to savor!" --Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly

"It's giving a Hallmark Channel plot on a Nancy Meyers set...Part love story, part self-love story, this fun read is the perfect warm-up if don't know where to start when it comes to your bookshelf." --theSkimm

"Absolutely irresistible--funny, addictive and deliciously romantic, this is exactly the sort of book we all need right now. I loved every word." --Rosie Walsh, author of The Love of My Life

"Funny and good-hearted--a romance for romantics, a blending of the real and the deliciously unreal." --Linda Holmes, author of Evvie Drake Starts Over

"One of my favorite mom-coms, this clever plot has everything from surviving daily #momlife to the flush of new love." --Katie Couric Media

"This perfectly-scripted love story left me feeling the way all the best romances do: filled with hope and the feeling that true love always wins. Nora Goes Off Script will be a reread, for sure." --Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

"I loved this book with my whole heart. It's smart, fresh and romantic, full of humor and warmth. I didn't want to put it down." --Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare

"[A] funny, clever, and joyful rom-com." --Business Insider

"Likable characters, smart humor and a didn't-see-it-coming ending makes this novel a must-read for summer." --The Augusta Chronicle

"Irresistible...With pitch-perfect characters full of foibles and flaws, the work taps into genuine feelings as the characters fall in love. This is a winner." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Five starry-eyed stars for Nora Goes Off Script!...I honestly didn't know how it would end. Pins and needles! I loved the small-town setting, Nora's chance to start over after a bad marriage, and Nora's children and best friends. Highly recommend!" --The Southern Bookseller Review

"Brimming with compelling characters....Readers will connect with the warmth and humor of this relationship-fiction gem." --Booklist, starred review

"Warm, witty and wise, Nora Goes Off Script tells the truth about all of love's ups and downs: family love, friendship love, romantic love that comes to a wrenching end--and love that triumphs so beautifully, you'll still be smiling over it long after you've put the book down." --BookPage

"This funny and charming new novel tells the story of a divorced screenwriter who pens a script about her failed marriage and finds that it might just provide the fresh start she's looking for." --Southern Living

"Part Notting Hill mixed with a little Beach Read, this one is witty, warm, and full of small-town charm." --Camille Styles

"Full of hilarious quips and an unforeseen romance, this dreamy tale had it all." --FIRST for Women

"There's a reason Nora Goes Off Script is on our list of the best books of the year....Whoever unwraps this delightful novel will devour it immediately. Who doesn't love a rom-com with a lovable female lead?" --Real Simple

"The perfect 'comfort read.'" --Beaufort Gazette

"Monaghan's warm, accessible prose will draw readers right into this novel about a romance-channel screenwriter whose script based on her marriage's demise gets picked up for the big screen." --Woman's Day

"Funny, heartwarming, dreamy--everything I crave in a Hollywood rom-com is right here. I loved it so much I had to read the ending twice--once to see what happened and again to savor it." --KJ Dell'Antonia, author of The Chicken Sisters

"With Nora Ephron-level wit and smarts, Annabel Monaghan performs something of a literary hat trick in Nora Goes Off Script. While sending-up the romance industry, she chronicles the very romantic (and oddly believable) love affair between a handsome film star and a divorced suburban mom and she turns tradition on its head. Because in this wise and funny novel, it's the Hollywood hero who needs rescuing and a grounded single mom who saves the day. Nora Goes Off Script is sexy, heart-warming, and intelligent, and I loved it!" --Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party

"Annabel Monaghan's first foray into women's fiction is the book every one of us needs right now. This delightful, marvelously meta story will charm even the most cynical of readers. With her trademark wit and snappy dialogue, Monaghan has crafted charismatic characters that readers will want to befriend in real life. Nora Goes Off Script is that perfect combination of a wildly clever premise, a captivating cast, and enough heart to make all of us fall in love." --Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two Family House and The Wartime Sisters

"If you read one funny, feel good, page-turning book this year, make it this one. With her signature humor and snappy dialogue, Monaghan's absolute gem of a book keeps you guessing, turning pages and wishing the characters could walk off the page and come over for dinner. You don't have to be a hopeless romantic to love this book. You just have to be ready for a story you don't want to end." --Lee Woodruff, author of Those We Love Most

"I absolutely love Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan. I love Nora. I love her voice. I love the romance. I love the pacing. I love that she's a mum. I love it all....It's got the vibes of Beach Read by Emily Henry, with the escapist glamour of Hollywood. Absolutely nails the comedy, the romance, and the sparkle. My favorite read of this year, and soon to be yours!" --Lizzy Dent, author of The Summer Job

"Nora Goes Off Script is a pure delight - a spirited, funny tale of unexpected romance, small town family life, and a lingering houseguest who happens to be Hollywood's leading man. Monaghan has written a heartwarming romcom for the slightly cynical, a crisp, witty novel that is wish fulfillment at its most satisfying and a joy to devour in one sitting." --Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions

"Filled with hopefulness, wit, truths, and tons of heart, Nora Goes Off Script is everything a reader wants in a charming and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. I loved hanging out with Nora... her quirks and kids, her insecurities and triumphs, her near-misses and home runs, and I even missed her the day after I finished the book. Monaghan has written a page-turner till the very end with a twist I never saw coming." --Susie Orman Schnall, author of We Came Here to Shine

"Nora's discovery of her own needs and desires, especially in contrast to the person she had made herself into when married to her ex, is the driving force of the narrative." --Kirkus Reviews

"The story is sweet, fun, and unique." --Beyond the Bookends

About the Author

Annabel Monaghan is the New York Times bestselling author of It's a Love Story, Summer Romance, Same Time Next Summer, and Nora Goes Off Script, as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in The Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. After twenty-five years in the suburbs of New York City, she now splits her time between Connecticut and Florida. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three languages.