That’s Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas

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That’s Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas

Contemporary fiction

That’s Not How It Happened

by Craig Thomas

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Quick Take

While a mother’s memoir is being adapted into a Hollywood movie, the real family drama hilariously unfolds off-screen.

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  • Illustrated icon, Multiple_Viewpoints

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, Family_Drama

    Family drama

  • Illustrated icon, LGBTQ_themes

    LGBTQ+ themes

  • Illustrated icon, LOL

    LOL

Synopsis

Paige didn’t set out to be a stay-at-home mom, but when her husband’s screenwriting career took off right before they had a son with Down syndrome, the decision was made for her. Now, with their children nearly grown and unsure what’s next, Paige writes a memoir about the challenges of raising a child with a disability. When a major actress-turned-producer shows up at her door eager to make her “inspiring” story into a movie, she’s shocked, excited, and a little terrified.

This movie just might be the comeback opportunity her husband, Rob, desperately needs. His career has fizzled in recent years. But the movie is going to need a screenwriter, and who better to adapt his wife’s memoir than him?... Meanwhile, their son, Emmett, doesn’t understand why people think his Down syndrome is the most important thing in his life (that’s definitely his girlfriend, Amy)—but he hopes his newfound fame might somehow get him closer to meeting his idol, Eddie Vedder. Their daughter, Darcy, couldn’t care less about the whole thing because she’s hardly even in their mom’s book. The “normal” child who nobody ever worries about is feeling more forgotten than ever as her love life implodes and college decisions loom.

As their lives are chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood machine, triggering old resentments and launching new betrayals, will any of them even recognize the “inspiring” family in this film? Or will this “feel-good” movie be the end of them?

November 2025 audio
That’s Not How It Happened
An Academic Affair
Where He Left Me
The Everlasting
Town & Country
November 2025 audio
View all
That’s Not How It Happened
An Academic Affair
Where He Left Me
The Everlasting
Town & Country