Nora Goes Off Script is Annabel Monaghan’s first adult book and one of my favorite rom-coms this year. The story is fresh with humor and heart.

Nora is a screenwriter for a romance channel. Her self-centered husband leaves her and their two children so of course she writes a screenplay about it. This script is different from her normal happily ever afters – hence the title, Nora Goes Off Script. The screenplay is picked up by Hollywood and the story begins when the film crew pulls up to Nora’s home to film a few scenes in her tea cottage in the garden.

Leo, former Sexiest Man Alive, plays her ex-husband in the movie and when the film crew leaves, Nora finds him on her porch with a bottle of tequila. He asks if he can stay for a week in her tea cottage and offers her a thousand dollars a day. He says he’d like to escape the city and enjoy everyday life with Nora and her kids.

As the two watch sunrises together on the front porch and do their daily activities, they get to know each other. I laughed at their banter when they’re grocery shopping, and when Nora calls Leo out after she sees him giving the smoldering looks he is famous for. He doesn’t leave after the first week and, wonderfully, he works his way into Nora’s and her children’s hearts.

The writing is deft and kept me happily turning the pages. The book is full of wonderful quotes like this one from Nora:

Saturdays at my house kind of feel like a riddle to be solved. I’ve got to get a wolf, a sheep, and a chicken across the river, and everyone must survive. Our variables are soccer, baseball, dance, and playdates. Participants must be fed and hydrated, with multiple costume changes that take place in the car.

My one complaint is that, in the second half of the book, there is a drawn-out misunderstanding that easily could have been worked out with a simple text or phone call. But this flaw didn’t overly distract from my great pleasure in this tale.

The book has humor, heart, and fun banter between all the characters and I loved watching Nora, Leo, and the kids as they get to know each other. I look forward to more books by this author and recommend this one highly.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local independent retailer

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