What Nora Knew

by Linda Yellin

Molly Hallberg is a thirty-nine-year-old divorced writer living in New York City who wants her own column, a Wikipedia entry, and to never end up in her family’s Long Island upholstery business. For the past four years Molly’s been on staff for an online magazine, covering all the wacky assignments. She’s snuck vibrators through security scanners, speed-dated undercover, danced with the Rockettes, and posed nude for a Soho art studio.

Fearless in everything except love, Molly is now dating a forty-four-yearold chiropractor. He’s comfortable, but safe. When Molly is assigned to write a piece about New York City romance “in the style of Nora Ephron,” she flunks out big-time. She can’t recognize romance. And she can’t recognize the one man who can go one-on-one with her, the one man who gets her. But with wit, charm, whip-smart humor, and Nora Ephron’s romantic comedies, Molly learns to open her heart and suppress her cynicism in this bright, achingly funny novel.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Humor, Adult, Womens Fiction, New York

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2014

About the author

Linda Yellin's new novel, WHAT NORA KNEW, an homage to Nora Ephron and romantic movies, about a cynical journalist who’s assigned to write about romance Nora-style and flunks out big time, will be published by Simon & Schuster in January, 2014.

Her memoir, THE LAST BLIND DATE, about moving to New York for love but finding condo boards, contractors, step-children, private schools, Ivy League name-droppers, and the challenge of making new girlfriends all waiting for her, too, was published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster. Her first novel, SUCH A LOVELY COUPLE, was reissued by Simon & Schuster the same year.

Previously, she spent an inordinate number of years in the advertising industry, where she worked at Needham, Harper & Stears (now DDB), J. Walter Thomson (now JWT), Foote, Cone and Belding (now DraftFCB) and Ogilvy and Mather (now Ogilvy). Tired of all her employers changing their names, she changed careers.

Linda was an ongoing guest on SiriusXM Radio's women's talk show, Broadminded, and has published many national magazine pieces, including several short stories featuring an ongoing character, Daphne Bogin, for Redbook magazine, as well as humor pieces and essays for More magazine.

Reviews

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I thought that this was a good read. I have had a copy of this book for years but for one reason or another just never got started with it. I decided that it was time to dust it off and give it a try and found it rather amusing. I do have to say that I am probably not the target audience for this book. I am the right age to have seen quite a few of Nora Ephron's movies, which I have, but with the exception of When Harry Met Sally I found them to be only mildly entertaining and not something I would feel the need to revisit. There are a lot of Nora Ephron references in this book which really didn't do anything for me. I still found this to be a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

The book opens with Molly meeting her eventual ex-husband. After a quick introduction, the book picks up with divorced Molly working at an online magazine. Molly is in a relationship with Russell who might be slightly boring but they are comfortable with each other. Her friends really wish that Molly would give up on Russell and look for someone who will bring some passion to her life and really be the one. When Molly is given an assignment at work to write about love as Nora Ephron would, she has to examine her own life.

I liked Molly and found her to be funny at times. A lot of the book is spent in Molly's head as she thinks through her assignment and her life. It really made sense that she wasn't eager to take a big risk in regards to romance since her former husband really took advantage of her trust. Molly wanted to find a passionate relationship but she found herself making choices with lower risks instead.

Unfortunately, not a whole lot happens in this book. The romance in the story doesn't get going until the very end of the book. I understand that this was really more about Molly's journey but I would have loved to see just a bit more of her life as she takes some risks. I found this book to be only mildly funny. It was amusing but there was nothing that brought on actual laughter or stayed with me.

I found this to be a nice quick read that I am glad I finally decided to pick up. Fans of Nora Ephron's work will enjoy all of the references to her books and movies worked into the story. I would not hesitate to read more from Linda Yellin in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley.

Initial Thoughts
This was good. I liked Molly and thought that much of the book was mildly funny. It seemed like a lot of the book was spent in Molly's head as she navigated her job as a reporter along with her relationship with her comfortable yet boring boyfriend, Russell. Unfortunately, not a lot happens in the book and the big romance doesn't get going until the very end of the story. There were a lot of references to Nora Ephron and her movies that fans will appreciate.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were a woman, I could have quite a bit of fun reading chick lit and women’s fiction and romance and erotica and then passing along (hopefully) entertaining reviews to the reading public at large just for the hell of it. Oh wait, I guess I already do that anyway. So…moving right along, I must say WHAT NORA KNEW offered up quite a bit of entertainment with very little substance. You know, like trying to eat bubbles that a six-year-old has just blown in your direction after her kite took a nosedive in a public park and turned into a mangled mess on the grass. Rather than preside over the funeral (since your eulogy skills probably need a bit of work), you decided to entertain your mouth in another manner.

This novel reminded me of that, except without the death part. Since deaths aren’t funny. Unless you’re the kind of gal who laughs at a funeral—thank you Barenaked Ladies. Yeah, as long as you’re not that person, then we’re good to go, and you can proceed on with this review. If you are, my apologies, but you’ll probably want to remove your black pencil skirt and gray blouse from the scene in a most expeditious manner.

Whenever I read a novel, and I can’t seem to get the voice out of my head, I know we’re off to a good start. If I then proceed to stop at various points along the way, often rather frequently at the beginning, to jot down words and phrases or character names, then I’ve probably met my match. That is a good day indeed, because the book matchmakers have smiled upon me, which, in turn, means I end up smiling quite a bit myself. This proved to be such a book.

Molly Hallberg decided four generations of the upholstery business was enough for her, and rather than plant her acorn at the bottom of the family tree, she has decided to pave her own way, preferably through EyeSpy and Hipp magazine, and preferably with her own column that includes a header and byline. She may know everything about lying her way through an interview, but that doesn’t mean she’s actually qualified to do the job. And posing nude two years in a row at a SoHo art studio to supplement her meager Starbucks barista income doesn’t mean she’s actually qualified to do anything, other than prove to the masses that she can take her clothes off in public and hold one position for over an hour at a time.

Her boss Deirdre Dolson may dress like she’s eighteen, even if she’s forty-eight, but that’s just because she wants to keep up a youthful appearance. And her boyfriend (Molly’s not Deirdre’s) may have a Words With Friends addiction, along with being a professional rubber, but that’s just because he’s good with his hands…and words.

Even the names were rather inventive, along with being rather amusing. There’s Veeva Penney and Pamela Bendinger and Swifty Lazar and Darrin Aschbacher and Hunkster 500 (Match.com profile) and Thatcher Kamin and Keith Kretchmer. There’s also Angela Leffel who may, or may not, have a massive Twinkie addiction that she’s not willing to share on her blog.

So if you’re in the mood for an entertaining read, minus the thought-provoking part, you could do a lot worse than getting in touch with your Nora Ephron self. I know I’m rather glad I did.

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This romantic comedy is a fast and fun read, but ultimately whether you enjoy it is going to depend on your tolerance for Sleepless in Seattle and whether you find chick-lit amusing or irritating.

So what did I think? Let’s start with what I liked: What Nora Knew is a fast-paced, frenetically fun look at being single and being in the dating pool, from the vantage point of a woman on the verge of hitting the big 4-0. Molly, the main character, is savvy and smart, and has been around the block enough times to have learned some very hard truths about the odds of finding “the one”. I liked that she’s a woman with a career that’s important to her, and that she’s willing to fight and take chances to make her writing dreams come true. The taste of New York is upbeat and exciting, and I enjoyed the use of Nora Ephron’s big romantic movies — Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and When Harry Met Sally — as a template for finding and recognizing the person who makes you want to take a chance.

What didn’t I like? Well, let’s face it, in this type of book, you just never see people worrying about their paychecks or their rent. Molly works for a living, but she also comes from a well-off family, gets invited to the Hamptons for summer weekends, and eats in the best restaurants — even if it is on the company expense account. I got a little tired of reading about rich people doing rich people things. A trip to Tiffany’s? Ho hum.

I didn’t really buy the love interest or the chemistry between the two. Molly’s destined guy is pretty much an enigma throughout the book; he’s a bestselling author who speaks in platitudes, and Molly seems to be faulted in the book for not taking him at his word — but honestly, I never knew if he was on the level and could totally get why she’d mistrust him as well.

In this type of book, with romance as the focus, being single pretty much equals being a loser. Even Molly’s hard-nosed businesswoman sister and 80-something-year-old grandmother find romance — clearly, the problem must be Molly. The idea that if you don’t fall into passionate and romantic love, then there’s something wrong with you really is not going to help the self-esteem of any single women reading this book. So if we all try to emulate a fictional character in a Nora Ephron movie, we’ll finally find the true love we’ve been promised? This may work in a novel that aims for madcap, but I’d hate to see someone apply this philosophy in real life.

The humorous tone works on and off throughout the book. It does get to be a bit much at times, and I often felt that the author went overboard with attempts to portray Molly’s escapades as wacky and wild. But who knows? Perhaps I’m just too serious and cynical by nature to be able to throw caution to the wind and just go with it.

It’s a cute premise, and not without a great sense of fun, but overall? I’d have to put What Nora Knew squarely on the chick-lit shelf — and in general, I’m not a fan of chick-lit. It’s a fluffy diversion, and if you like this sort of thing, you’ll have a good time. For me? It’s not the type of book I’d usually seek out, and it won’t make any of my “best of” lists, but it kept me entertained while I was reading it, and that’s something.

[Melliane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mon avis en Français

My English review

Quand j’ai vu la sortie du roman, le résumé m’a tout de suite attirée. C’est très sympa de retrouver une petite romance comme ça de temps en temps. Pourtant, même si j’ai passé un bon moment, je pense que j’en attendais un peu plus.

Molly est une jeune femme qui pensait vivre tranquillement avec son mari, jusqu’à ce qu’il la trompe et qu’il divorce, la laissant seule pour reprendre sa vie en main. Notre journaliste doit donc faire face à son nouveau célibat et à ses nouveaux amoureux pour avancer. Mais Russell est-il l’homme de sa vie ? Cet homme qui lui permet d’avoir une relation sécurisée. Sa vie personnelle n’est pas au mieux, mais ce n’est pas fini parce qu’il en est de même pour sa vie professionnelle qui ne semble pas avancer et stagner de façon assez difficile. Mais alors qu’elle essaie de se trouver une place, il semblerait que de nombreux problèmes commencent à arriver.

C’était une lecture sympa mais j’avoue que j’ai eu du mal à vraiment rentrer dans l’histoire ou à m’attacher à l’héroïne qui manque d’un peu de peps pour moi. Mais dans tous les cas, c’était une lecture agréable et j’étais assez contente de découvrir la plume de l’auteure. On voit évoluer Molly, comprendre qu’elle veut plus, qu’elle mérite plus et qu’elle est finalement prête à beaucoup pour obtenir ce qu’elle désire. On rencontre d’autres personnages mais c’est vrai que pour certains je les ai trouvés un peu trop effacés, ce qui est dommage. Mais Cameron était tout de même assez intrigant et j’étais curieuse d’en apprendre plus à son sujet.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Yellin’s latest novel is a charming homage to Nora Ephron’s romantic comedies. Whether you know Meg Ryan’s 1990s oeuvre backwards and forwards or it’s all new to you, you’ll surely be inspired to add a few Ephron classics to your Netflix queue.

New Yorker Molly Hallberg is a 39-year-old divorced journalist. Her job for online gossip magazine EyeSpy is enjoyable enough, but she sometimes wishes she could be taken a bit more seriously. Boss Deirdre delights in sending her on silly pranks: joining the Rockettes for a day, trying skydiving or speed-dating, or sneaking a lipstick-shaped vibrator through a security scanner at the courthouse. Really, Molly would rather have her own column with a by-line and headshot, “My Eye,” a place where she can expound her own gently cynical views on modern life. And in the meantime she’s got a portfolio of nearly 100 essays on the literary classics that she’s been too shy to show to anyone yet.

Her ex-husband, Evan Naboshek, was a “happily divorced divorce lawyer” – which should perhaps have been a sign to her, but at least meant that he was able to dissolve their three-year bond quickly and efficiently. She had been getting out of a cab in the rain with heavy bags of groceries when everything crashed to the ground; suddenly, there was Evan to rescue her – her sleek, smooth-talking knight in a three-piece suit. On that first day of their relationship he offered to take her out for coffee, though he first made her wait for him to conclude a ten-minute antagonistic phone call with a disgruntled client. “Warnings? Warnings? There were a million warnings, all of which I chose to ignore...I didn’t question his nonstop honeyed words.”

Well, all that’s in the past now. Molly even managed to turn her experience into journalist’s gold by writing an eviscerating tell-all piece about Evan that eventually got her the job at EyeSpy: “You did to him what Nora Ephron did to Carl Bernstein [in her thinly veiled roman à clef, Heartburn ],” Deirdre had exulted. Now Molly is dating Dr. Russell Edley, a chiropractor who loves Nicolas Cage movies and his pair of pet turtles. He may not be the most exciting beau, but they’re comfortable together. He’s the Greg Kinnear or Bill Pullman to her Meg Ryan. He might not light her fire, but he keeps her warm at night.

And it seems like that will be good enough – until Molly meets Cameron Duncan, an insufferable crime novelist. His detective hero, Mike Bing, always gets the girl (but then again, the girl always dies at the end of the book), and so does Cameron. He also seems to be getting all of Molly’s assignments. Deirdre had challenged her to write an article about modern city romance, in the witty, breezy style of Nora Ephron. Molly half-heartedly pestered a few people in Tiffany’s and on the subway with some jaded questions, but the article bombed (“You just don’t have a grasp for romance. You’re too detached.”). That is, until Deirdre asked Cameron to rewrite it, and later offered him a recurring EyeSpy column.

Molly keeps running into this Cameron character at parties and literary events, and each time their verbal sparring matches leave her angry but also strangely enlivened: “He brought out my tart-tongued dark side. His mere presence innerved me. He was too smooth, too charming. Totally irritating.” There’s another Nora coming through here: Nick and Nora Charles, those masters of banter from the Thin Man series of 1930s-40s films. Russell may scoff that “Snappy dialogue’s for characters in movies,” but Molly and Cameron do seem to have a special gift for both entrancing and enraging each other in conversation, even up on stage, when Molly is the last-minute additional guest at a 92Y panel discussion.

Our main character will have to decide what is most important to her in life and what she is willing to give up to get it; after all, “Nora taught me something else: I have to write my own happy ending.” It would be a shame to ruin that ending for you, even if it might be considered a rather predictable one. Suffice it to say that Yellin has learned well from Nora Ephron. She patterns her romantic plot largely on the examples of Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail; this novel has all the humor and sweetness of an Ephron rom-com, yet avoids the pitfalls of stereotypical chick lit.

At times Yellin’s debt to Ephron might seem a bit too obvious – reusing some of the movies’ settings and incidents, or having Molly and Russell make up silly voices for his turtles (Ephron’s characters did the same for pet hamsters in Heartburn) – but for the most part she keeps her tribute subtle and sly.

Even if, like Molly, you think you’re a cynic when it comes to romance, this is still the perfect book to devour in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

(This review originally appeared at Bookkaholic.)

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a failed marriage, how do you let your heart love again?

That's the problem facing Molly Hallberg in Linda Yellin's new contemporary romance WHAT NORA KNEW.

Molly's a 39 y/o divorced woman living in New York. She writes the human interest column for an online magazine, EyeSpy. So, she does wacky things like go undercover as a professional bra fitter, or go parachuting, and then writes about the experience. In Molly's wit and job antics I found an instant kinship to Bridget Jones--always a plus, for me.

Molly's romantic misadventures are mainly limited to her philandering ex. She never dated much, and in the five years since her divorce she's only has couple of boyfriends. Her current beau, chiropractor Dr. Russell Edley, is the epitome of "safe". She has a pleasant time with him. Very pleasant. And comfortable.

Besides, Molly likes comfortable. Her ex was challenging and fiery. And a cheater. So, why seek out passion? It's bound to lead to trouble, right?

Except Molly's big new story is to write a piece about finding one's soul mate--in the spirit of Nora Ephron. [For those who don't know Nora Ephron think: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, or You've Got Mail, because she wrote those screenplays.] So, Molly, relationship washout and romantically-challenged Molly, is supposed to write an upbeat, quirky, fun article about finding one's soul mate.

She bombs.

Along the way she goes undercover as a speed-dater, and meets best-selling author Cameron Duncan at a Hamptons garden party. Cameron's recurring character Detective Mike Bing falls in love with a new girl in each book, because none of them survive to a second novel. Being a bit critical of Mike Bing's skills as a detective, Molly's later shocked to discover her anti-romance comments tweeted out by Cameron. Oh, and the Nora-like romance piece? Cameron writes it, freelance.

In fact, she's running into Cameron at odd turns. Their repartee smacks of the Meg Ryan-Billy Crystal When Harry Met Sally back-and-forth. It's fun and bright. Totally unlike her banter with Russell. Watching her friends, her spinster older sister--and even her grandmother!--find the passionate love they'd always sought gives Molly pause.

Had love truly existed all around her but she was too closed off to witness it? And, could she find it, too? More importantly, would she risk her comfort to grasp a real love after surviving a humiliating divorce?

In this, Molly channels Nora. Nora had been jilted. Twice. Betrayed by two husbands and a best friend. But Nora later found love and wrote some of the most timeless romances, filled with hope and risky choices. Cameron pushes all of Molly's buttons--and she realizes that he's really quite the decent guy. Maybe a guy worth risking her pride, and her heart, to love. Until he inadvertently scoops her coveted column...

This quiet romance pulls all the right strings. Molly learns to trust herself, and Cameron, and give love a shot. In true Ephron homage we get grand gesture ending that satisfies. I loved it.

I got an advance copy for review via NetGalley.

[Jen Malone]

3. 5 stars.
This is a really sweet book that combines all the chick-lit characters and tropes under one cover (which I'm not saying is a bad thing). To be honest, I almost gave up on this book about fifty pages in when it was still ALL backstory and info-dump and we hadn't yet gotten to an actual scene. However, I'm such a HUGE fan of Nora Ephron that I was really curious to see how her films would factor in. As the story progressed, the homages became clearer and there were definite reference points to When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. As much as Nora influences were present, I found it more closely "borrowed" from (in some cases scene for scene) Bridget Jones Diary and Sex and the City. Molly's job as a reporter assigned to complete humiliating tasks for the sake of a good story is exactly the same as Bridget's job, except she writes her articles versus reports them on television. In one instance, she's forced to skydive for a story and it's nearly exactly the same scene from Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. I also found a lot of similarities to Sex In The City, which I guess is a natural given that Molly is a thirty-something single girl in NYC. The love interest Cameron strongly reminded me of Berger, a charming ladies man, who is a fellow writer (though more "credible" since he is a novelist and, like Carrie, Molly's insecurities about being "just" a silly reporter come into play), whom she met in the Hamptons. However, the fact that Molly's pithy observations about single girl life in New York City read in very much the same voice as Carrie's voice-overs on the show, was, in my opinion, one of the best qualities of the book. The "grand gesture" at the end when Molly and Cameron finally get together, was adorable! Long live chick-lit!!

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Nora Ephron movies and I've read Ephron's books, so I was very excited to request a copy of this title from NetGalley.

I was hopeful that we would get Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks or at least Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Nora's movies always featured a sweet, maybe a little quirky, girl who has settled for Mr. Bland, but deep down, wanted to find the love of a soul mate. You, as the audience, then get to go on that journey with her and watch the puzzle pieces fall into place.

That wasn't at all what this book delivered. I flat out didn't like Molly from the beginning of the book. She came across as bitter and boring herself. When Mr. Wonderful does enter the scene, she instantly dislikes him, even though I never saw a reason for her to. Also, as wonderful as Cameron seemed, he also seemed a little bit over-emotional in the "love is wonderful" department. I just couldn't reconcile these characters with my expectations of a good Nora-esque story. This felt more like an imitation of Sex in the City than Nora Ephron. I can't put my finger on it, but it just didn't feel genuine like a Nora Ephron story would. I really didn't care about any of the characters.

Though I will say that some of the inner monologue dialogue was funny...most of it seemed to go on too long in an attempt to say "look how clever and bitter I am". It just got old. I struggled to get through this book and I think the only reason I finished it was because I got a copy from the publisher and I felt obligated to get through it. Otherwise, I probably would have set it down halfway through.

When I think Nora, I think soul mates and romance and when I think chick lit, I think upbeat and sexy, and this book just didn't deliver for me.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Katy Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. In trying to be clever, this fell a bit flat for me. In trying to 'homage' Nora Ephron, Yellin's book has, to my mind, recreated the stereotypes from Ephron's films and put them into something so similar it doesn't even stand out.

We have a journalist who, burned by a bad marriage/divorce, has settled for a fairly dull but pleasant man. We have some 'best friends' who provide filler (not particularly comic). We have a scary boss who sends our heroine out on crazy assignments. And of course, we have a charming but possibly cocky ladies-man writer, whom our heroine hates and yet is strangely drawn to...

The saving grace for me was that Molly is sometimes a funny and witty narrator/lead, who can see the Ephron-like ironies of her situation. I didn't find Cameron at all realistic, much too perfect. Too contrived.

All-in-all it's a light and unsurprising trip down a well-worn path. Not as good as I was hoping for.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of love stories and of stories that take place in Manhattan and this novel is a perfect example of why. There is wonderful tension between Molly Hallberg, a journalist who works for an online magazine and does assignments that require gumption and a sense of humor and Cameron Duncan, an author of crime stories who she is drawn to at the same time she is repelled by what she sees as him being a man about town. Just as it was obvious that Meg Ryan belonged with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally, it is obvious that Molly belongs with Cameron, and just like in Nora Ephron movies, it's the "getting-there" that is such a delight. It's also fun to see all the scenes the novel encompasses from weekends in the Hamptons to speed dating in a downtown hotel. One of my favorite books so far this year.

[Nora]

DNF 45%

First book I DNF this year…
.
Let me tell you, I’m so disappointed that it’s the one with my name on it 😂
For real though, I’m so over this kind of book. You know the one: no real story, boring characters, not-so-good-not-so-bad-writing, it’s like a bad episode of Friends without the drama and that’s all we’re here for usually 😏
.
I don’t want to get in how I didn’t like this and that character and why or about the story but I’m glad to DNF this book today. It’s really not my style to not finish a book, I’ve maybe DNF 4 books in my entire life 😅, but uuurgh let’s move on!

It was clearly not a book for me, more luck next time I guess!

[Marie-Pier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ahhh je n’ai lu que les 30 premières pages, et c’était plate. Par exemple, l’histoire du personnage principal comporte trop de longueurs inutiles à mon goût, aussi on tourne trop autour du pot pour RIEN. And I was right ;) ! #BORED thanks que ce livre m’a coûté moins d’un dollars !

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Linda Yellin's What Nora Knew is a fresh, funny romantic comedy that is full of engaging characters. A bit of a madcap adventure, a touch of quirkiness and a distintive storyline are a winning combination in this fast-paced and compelling story.

Writer Molly Hallberg handles all of the zany writing assignments thrown her way with lots of enthusiasm. But her latest human interest story presents a big challenge for her-she is tasked with writing an article about finding your soul mate and living happily ever after. Divorced, romantically challenged and in a comfortable (but sparkless) relationship with chiropractor Russell Edley, Molly sets off on her latest venture to uncover the truth about romance and happily ever after.

I absolutely adored Molly. She is jaded and cynical about love and relationships but she never quite gives up on finding Mr. Right. She closely guards her heart and settles for perfectly nice, safe boyfriends. As she researches her true love article, Molly is quite contemplative of her own love life and she discovers some uncomfortable truths about herself. But it is her introduction to bestselling mystery writer Cameron Duncan that really tests some of her long held beliefs and she has to decide if she is willing to risk her heart.

Molly's approach to her approach to her career is anything but safe. She throws herself wholeheartedly into whatever goofy assignment comes her way no matter how outlandish or dangerous. Of course she does so in hopes of finally getting her own column (complete with headshot) and despite her requests being shot down time and again, Molly never gives up trying to convince her boss to give her chance.

For much of the story, Molly is enmeshed in a lackluster relationship with Russell. She become less and less enchanted with him as she works on her story but she finds it difficult to leave someone who really has nothing wrong with him. All of her friends and family keep telling her he isn't the man for her, but Molly is not yet ready to concede their assessment might be valid.

Keeping Russell in her life is a pretty handy excuse for Molly not to get involved with Cameron. Although she is pretty disdainful of Cameron in general she cannot help being drawn to him. Their paths continue to cross at fairly regular intervals and their exchanges are flirty and full of witty banter but Molly remains suspicious of his motives.

Molly is full of self-deprecating humor and she is an easy heroine to root for. She has an excellent support system and her scenes with her family and friends provide many of the novel's laugh out loud moments. Interspersed with the snarky and sarcastic comments are some very poignant observations that are thought-provoking. The romance part of the storyline is very understated and in true movie fashion, the biggest and most touching scene occurs late in the story.

What Nora Knew is a light-hearted breezy story and the overall plotline plays out like a romantic comedy movie. Linda Yellin relies heavily on Nora Ephron movie references, but they never overshadow the main story. This wonderfully written story is warm, witty and an all around fabulous read that is unique and different. I loved everything about it and heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly was a fun character and her sassy; snarky comments made me laugh. Determined not to join the family upholstery business she sets out for a career in journalism. Her resume of jobs to pay the rent are hilarious, and I loved how she described them. After her marriage failed it left her jaded regarding soul-mates, marriage and love. Molly experiences a lot of growth throughout the novel as she goes from someone who settles to taking chances. Cameron is charismatic, and I loved how conversation with him pushed her buttons. The relationship develops slowly and at times dragged for me but in the end it felt genuine. A lot of the humor and conversations between them are hilarious, but I fear those that aren’t familiar with the movies referenced might find this flat.

What Nora Knew was slow to develop with a lot of back-story before the juice of the romance began. Fans of Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail will enjoy the references. All of the characters were likable, even boring and stuffy Russell, her chiropractor boyfriend. It felt like Molly was talking to us, and I couldn’t help but draw comparison to Carrie in Sex and the City. In fact, a lot of this is similar to movies, and a few scenes were almost identical to those in Bridget Jone’s Diary giving me a sense of déjà vi. Yellin beautifully captures New York single life, from apartment life to speed dating. She creating a fun character with Molly even if she is pieced together from other characters we know and love. The ending was wonderful and just what you would expect from a fan of Nora Ephron. A tribute in part I enjoyed this quirky, hilarious walk down memory lane.


Copy received in exchange for unbiased review​. Full review originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer​​

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I love Nora Ephron movies and I've read Heartburn, so I was very excited to read this.

I'm not an expert Nora-ologist, but her movies that I've seen have featured a quirky, spunky girl who suspects deep down that she's settled for Mr. Wrong and wonders if she should hold out for her soulmate. We, the audience, believe that she'll find her Mr. Right, and sigh with happiness when the two of them finally get together.

I just wasn't getting that Nora-esque heroine vibe from Molly, the protagonist of this book. Molly was supposed to be 39, but she seemed crotchety and out of touch. She doesn't approve of her friend's use of social media or her neighbors' active sex life. She's obviously dissatisfied with her chiropractor boyfriend, but when an obvious-to-Nora-fans Mr. Right is waved right under her nose, she detests him. (Yes, that feels a bit like You've Got Mail, but in that film, Kathleen has every reason to detest Joe -- he's putting her beloved bookstore out of business.) In contrast, Molly doesn't have much of a reason to dislike Cameron except for the fact that he's -- horrors! -- a crime writer. Molly, hardly one to be so judgmental, works at a gossip website (she compares it to Gawker) for a boss (straight out of Devil Wears Prada) who sends Molly out on assignment to do wacky things like jump out of planes and sneak vibrators through metal detectors. I'm not sure what any of that had to do with gossip, but okay. Shades of Bridget Jones.

I guess my main problem with the book is that I just couldn't relate to Molly. For a chick lit heroine, she came off to me as too cranky and cantankerous. (Yes, Sally had weird quirks, but Meg Ryan made them charming.) When I think Nora Ephron, I think quirky and romantic and when I think chick lit, I think fun and flirty, and this book just didn't check most of those boxes for me.

[Jessica J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not the kind of person who can drop movie quotes into every day conversation. I don’t know why, but those kinds of things don’t seem to stick in my brain.

The exception to this rule is When Harry Met Sally. To say that it’s one of my favorite movies would be an understatement. I love every scene, every line of dialogue in that movie and I can pretty much recite the whole thing from beginning to end. I’m not even much of a rom-com fan, but Billy Crystal running to meet Meg Ryan at the New Year’s Eve party gets me every damn time.

So the reason that I picked this book up at all was that it claimed to be an homage to Nora Ephron’s signature style. It’s pretty standard fare for “chick lit”: You’ve got Molly, a 39 year-old writer who has all but given up on the idea of love following her divorce. You’ve got her safe and comfortable chiropractor boyfriend Russell – Molly doesn’t let herself mind that he’s not exciting or romantic. You’ve got the best friends to guide Molly through dating and career hijinks, and you’ve got the guy you know she’s going to end up with.

I kept thinking of the scene in the bookstore where Sally and Marie are discussing “the most contemptible man I’ve ever met” line from The Lady Vanishes.

This book is really more of a three and a half star read – Yellin doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre and she has a tendency to lay out in writing exactly how she’s paying homage (her narrator will tell you exactly how this scene corresponds to something from Ephron’s oeuvre). But it’s still an easy fun read. It doesn’t quite measure up to Ephron at her best, but I still think most any fan will appreciate this book.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Nora Knew is an entertaining homage to Nora Ephron's rom-com movies, complete with The Dull but Well-Meaning Wrong Guy, The Obvious (to everyone but the heroine) Right Guy, the Big Misunderstanding, and the Grand Gesture. It garners a few chuckles but won't linger long in the memory.

Author Linda Yellin is a very funny woman. That doesn't mean she is a great writer. Her scenes contain plenty of witty dialogue and wacky predicaments, but they don't always do much to propel the story forward. And her characterizations don't have a whole lot of depth, although I appreciate the fact that her heroine is a gutsy, talented writer instead of a ditzy Meg Ryan clone.

Although I thought it was cute, the book frustrated me, much like Sleepless in Seattle, because the heroine and Mr. Right don't get much of a chance to have a real relationship. I never understood why people find Sleepless to be such a great romance, when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan don't even meet until the very end. To me a real love story shows the hero and heroine overcoming obstacles to reach a HEA, and this book's heroine has another boyfriend for almost three-quarters of the novel, so that obviously can't happen. The journey is primarily about the heroine deciding that she deserves something better than a passionless relationship, and one is left to wonder if the relationship with Mr. Right will have any staying power. But that's putting too great an expectation on a Hollywood rom-com, or on this book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book via the publisher as an ARC to review. It was a complete surprise because I didn't get notification beforehand, so I was quite psyched!

I started this book with zero expectations. I've read Nora Ephron and seen the majority of her movies, but wanted to give this author a blank slate to start from. First, she is really funny. There were several moments where I was laughing out loud at the situations this character got herself into.

Without giving away any crucial plot points, I will say that the book is a lighthearted, quick read. Something you throw in your bag for the gym, or the beach, or when you feel like reading something "fun". Yes, some of the dialogue gets repetitive (this chick was hardcore scarred by her ex-husband, and her anti-trust campaign was a little..tedious) but on the whole? I had fun reading it. I enjoyed seeing how it turned out. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite Nora Ephron movies--You've Got Mail, except the main character is way sassier and braver than Meg Ryan's character in the movie was.

Overall? I really enjoyed it, thought it was a quick read, and will be sending it along to my SIL to read as well. Once it's published, I will recommend it to friends and family looking for something easy that is enjoyable and also well written.

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly used to believe in passionate love until her first husband cheated on her. Now she is divorced and in a comfortable, if not mind-blowing, relationship with Russell. Several chance encounters with charming Cameron make her question her feelings for Russell and, while she doubts Cameron's sincerity, the way he makes her feel makes her question whether "comfortable" and "safe" are really enough.

I'm a huge fan of chick lit and Nora Ephron movies and so I really enjoyed this novel. In fact, I read it in a single day while on the beach in Barbados. It was laugh out loud funny at times and quite charming. I thought it was clever how the author "ripped off" scenes from Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail but fully confessed to doing so throughout the novel.

As much as I enjoyed the book, and appreciated the spunky characters of Molly and her family (especially her grandma) and her office nemesis, I wish I felt a deeper connection between Molly and Cameron. In You've Got Mail, Meg and Tom's characters have witty banter when they meet face-to-face but they connect on a deeper level when they chat online. And in Sleepless in Seattle, the attraction/connection is "magical" and a love at first sight thing. I had hoped for more of that with Molly and Cameron.

All in all, a fun read and I will definitely read this author again!

[Donna McBroom-Theriot · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT NORA KNEW is such a sweet and funny novel. It is like watching a Nora Ephron movie. You have Molly, with her quick wit and sarcasam, and you have Cameron the ladies man author. They match each other witty comment to witty comment, neither understanding in the beginning that they had just met their match.

WHAT NORA KNEW is full of laugh out loud moments as we accompany Molly through her life, her friends, her family, and her relationships. The banter between the two leading characters, Molly and Cameron, is charming and the reader cannot help but fall in love with them.

There are the Sunday dinners when everyone shows up with Mr. Right - including Grandma. There are Saturday night gatherings where adult friends cannot keep their hands to themselves. Everyone has found love, has found the right one, except for Molly.

I am a huge fan of Nora Ephron's movies, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. I put this book up there among these great movies. Linda Yellin has a hit on her hands and I'm off to buy her other books.

WHAT NORA KNEW definitely rates a 5 star.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Read book quotes and more at www.mylifeonestoryatatime.com

[Michelle Sallay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this a little more credit because it did make me laugh out loud a couple of times. And that rarely happens so good show for you book.

I think before you read this book you need to decide if you like the movies Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail. (The only Nora Ephron movie I like is When Harry Met Sally.) This book follows the formula in the movies where the characters have all these near misses until the end.

Sometimes I find it hard to judge a book when reading an ARC, because I don't know how much of the problems I had with it get cleaned up or if they stay in the published book. I just thought this went on a bit too long with nothing happening. The silly family and friend antidotes where fine in the beginning, but by 3/4 in I was hoping for something to actually happen to move our character forward. I had to start skipping through because I just wanted to know what happened.

But this does have some sassy moments with more polish this had some real potential to be a great book. But for now, as it is, it was just ok.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Gallery Books for the read.

[Sharon Redfern · Rating 4 out of 5]

After her first husband cheats on her and leaves her heartbroken, Molly settles for a ho hum relationship with Russell. Working as a writer for a magazine, Molly aims to be a columnist and be able to stop writing fluff pieces at the whim of her flaky publisher. When she meets Cameron, an established mystery writer, she is not impressed. Future meetings don't really change her mind but she does find herself involved in a witty back and forth repartee with Cameron that she does find stimulating.
Although this isn't a book with big highs and serious lows, it is an enjoyable read about a woman who has decided she won't get hurt again but isn't totally aware that she is acting on that decision. I loved the glimpses of Molly's quirky family and her nasty co-worker. Cameron can be a bit of a cad but he is also funny and insightful in many ways, as opposed to Russell who is blandly nice but also slightly self-absorbed.
References to Nora Ephron and her writings abound in the book and add to the development of Molly's character.
Linda Yellin is a new author for me but has two previously published books. I am definitely going to read her earlier works.

[Natasha Estrada · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Nora knew is a funny and quirky book about finding love. the story follows a 39 year old women named Molly who doesn't believe in love after her husband cheated on her.

The story line of Cameron remind me of the tv show Castle. they share similar personalities. they both write crime novel's and are funny with spontaneously personalities. it would of been nice to see more of the relationship between Molly and Cameron but I really enjoyed there relationship together and the many conversations they had.

a problem I found with the book is that it made looks of references to movies and books and if you don't know or are not familiar with the movies or book I found it hard to follow when it was quoting or discussing these things about Nora.

They ending to this book was sweet and I enjoyed how everything wasn't solved but just beginning. The book is more about learning to find love then love it self's. The book is a nice read when you want humour and a bit of romance.

3.5 stars out of 5

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT NORA KNEW is to me a romantic comedy in which Nora comes to realise she knows very little. Nora is an almost forty divorced female working as a writer for an online magazine, EYESPY. She has a comfortable boyfriend in her life. She works trying things out and reporting back to the public, ie skydiving, restaurant reviews, etc.

When we first meet Nora, she is describing her life in detail up to this moment and it is hilarious. She comes off at times as being a jaded smart mouth but at the same time you see her as a brave independent woman because she doesn't give up. She is continually closing her eyes or refusing to see what is right before her. At times you want to just grab her by the shoulders, shake her and tell her to open her eyes and get over it. Bad things happen to everyone. Several times throughout the story, I found myself laughing out loud and by the end I did want Nora to succeed. I found the ending to be best, as it could be happy or it could be sad, but they are going to give things a shot.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose a little knowledge about Nora Ephron and her work might add to the enjoyment of the story. It is a breezy and easy chic lit. It actually reminded me of the Devil wears Prada.
Molly is a little jaded after a few decades lifetime of meeting a lot of men who can only be described as Mr Not quite Right. She doesn't believe there is such a thing as true love and therefore cannot write about it when asked to do so.
She spends her time trying out various activities so she can write about them. Nothing is too odd or crazy to try out for the sake of an article.
The story doesn't really focus on a romantic aspect much, indeed there isn’t much spark between the two intended love targets, and instead it is more about the trip to finding the person you connect with. If you spend your entire lifetime looking for a soulmate you will probably miss quite a few good catches that would have fit just as nicely.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story about a journalist in New York City who is assigned to write an article on romance and to do it in the style of Nora Ephron. Well, Molly failed miserably, but author Linda Yellin has succeeded! The book contains frequent references to the movies "Sleepless in Seattle", "When Harry Met Sally", and "You've Got Mail" and would probably make a decent movie along the same lines with a similar plot, similar witty dialogue, etc. Which brings us to the reason I gave this no more than 3.5 stars: lack of originality. Yellin doesn't bring anything new to the formula. She also doesn't develop the characters enough to make us really care whether Molly and Cameron finally get together at the end or not. It is, however, a light and entertaining read with some genuinely funny moments. So if you liked the above movies, you will probably like this, just not quite as much.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yellin's novel feels like a movie unfurling right before you - and yes, like a Nora Ephron movie. The descriptions of the main characters, Molly Hallberg a magazine writer, and Cameron Duncan, a bestselling mystery novelist, even look like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Maybe that is a coincidence or me reading more into them than intended but considering how many sly and fun references to Nora Ephron's movies, I assume it was the author's intent.

As bubbly and sharp as When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless In Seattle, you don't have to be a Nora Ephron fan to still enjoy the tangled romance with the we-know-where-it's-going-ending. The fun is in watching how Molly does let herself finally fall for the right guy. Just like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. Filled with movies I loved, this is a story I loved. Great fun and romance.

[Alistair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet-natured homage to Nora Ephron, and, in particular 'Sleepless in Seattle'. Having divorced the philandering divorce lawyer, and now thirty nine, expectations have lowered for Molly Hallberg and she's settled for contentment with her boyfriend of five years, Russell. A writer for a wacky online online magazine, EyeSpy, Molly is prepared to take on any assignment her off-the-planet boss dishes out in the expectation that one day she'll be offered a column.
As the novel progresses Molly becomes increasingly uncertain whether contentment is enough. A well written contemporary romance peppered with snappy dialogue; Molly is a genuinely funny heroine with a killer instinct for the one line put-down.

[Suzanne Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin was one of the funniest books I'd read in a long while. I've been a fan of Nora Ephron, and this author carried the same type of voice and characterizations and Nora would. The book is witty and sarcastic, while at the same time romantic. After all the references to Nora's books and movies, I had to sit down and watch When Harry Met Sally after I finished the book. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys rom-com, chick lit, or a funny relationship novel.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for a review.

This quirky little story about a 39 year old writer who is divorced was a great one. The writer gets involved in a lot of funny activities while writing stories for her magazine. Trying to get a vibrator through a security check at the courthouse was definitely a funny scene.

I had quite a few laugh out loud moments with this book and would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fun love story without a lot of sex.