Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is Hallmark Movie Channel meets Nancy Meyers rom-com, sort of modern-day Gilmore Girls vibes. Nora is a sarcastic single mom and TV romance screenwriter whose heartbreak fuels a hit script. When a film crew—and a famous actor—descend on her home, her life takes a turn. Though pretty predictable, the journey is fun, and the writing is witty and sharp.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a romantic thriller (is that a thing? if not, it should be) about survival and resilience. A woman washes up on the shore of Shearwater Island - the remote home between Australia and Antarctica of the world's largest seed bank. A small family comprised of a widowed father, and his three children are the only ones there, but that wasn't always the case. I loved the slow unraveling of secrets told from multiple perspectives. Though significant creative license was taken with some of the events (a beach reclaimed by the sea in less than six weeks), the references to climate change are powerful.
“But here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves, knowing they will die.”
“Maybe we will drown or burn or starve one day, but until then we get to choose if we’ll add to that destruction or if we will care for each other.”
This one really stuck with me - one of the rare books I may re-read. Would definitely make a good Netflix show - it's a Reese's Book Club Pick so you never know.
