Book Review: Nora Goes Off Script
A wonderfully cozy romance to read this fall!
You should read this if: You want an emotional roller-coaster (that won’t make you cry your eyes out) or you want a cozy romance to curl up with.
Book: Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Nora writes screenplays for The Romance Channel (basically Hallmark), so she’s an expert in the romantic storyline. But when her own husband walks out, Nora writes a screenplay without her typical happy ending. Instead, she writes one based on her divorce. Unlike her typical screenplays, it’s being made into a movie for the big screen and the leading man is Leo Vance, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The final days of filming take place at Nora’s house, and then, Leo Vance sticks around for a week after that – because he likes it there, he says. Now, he’s winning over Nora’s kids and sharing the sunrise view with her every morning. He may have played Nora’s ex-husband in her movie, but he’s totally different, and Nora is starting to hope that Leo doesn’t leave, too.
Review: This was a rare read where I enjoyed the entire book. In the beginning, I was curious about what would happen. When things were going well, I felt warm and fuzzy inside. When things weren’t going well, I felt all the emotions of Nora and her kids. The plot surprised me and satisfied me. While I almost always find a lull in books, I didn’t experience any in Nora Goes Off Script.
One particular aspect of Nora Goes Off Script that stands out to me are the characters. They are the primary reason why this book felt realistic despite its somewhat far-fetched premise: that a huge Hollywood star is falling for a girl-next-door. Monaghan was able to make this premise realistic because of her great characters and character development. Not only did I understand why Leo, as a famous actor, might fall for Nora, I could understand why Nora would be a good partner for an actor (I really don’t think a lot of “normal people” would actually do well in a relationship with a celebrity!). This glamorous-yet-relatable aspect of the story reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, and it was just as fun to read as those were.
Another highlight of this book is Nora’s expertise in romance. Since Nora is a romance writer, throughout the book, she will discuss typical romance plot structure. When Monaghan either follows or subverts this typical structure, that nod to her genre is heightened by the fact that the reader has just been made aware of it by Nora. I loved this romance-within-a-romance angle.
I highly recommend this one for your cozy romance this fall!