Meet Me In The Margins

I love books set within the publishing industry, so when I read that this book centred around a nonfiction book editor who has secret aspirations of becoming a romance writer and the plot included a secret room and romance, my interest was piqued!

The concept of Savannah and her mysterious editor was cute, but the story unfortunately fell flat in its execution. There's a lack of energy to the story and I soon became frustrated with the cliched characters, predictable plot and the twist that was obvious very early on. I didn't like being stuck in Savannah's head as she rambles on about her lack of love life, family, horrible boss etc. and I wanted more explanation about Sav's rather unique family situation. There are misunderstandings, an overly pushy sister, and a cringy future brother-in-law which make for an interesting read, but the romance was much too tame.

I had such high hopes for a fun, light romance set in the world of publishing. I liked certain aspects (hidden room, publishing world, burgeoning romance between the main character and a mystery person), but it didn't go far enough with its characters and plot, leaving me with an underwhelming read that didn't have enough romance. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Genre: RomCom, Romance

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

First Published: February 15, 2022

Opening Lines: Pacing in the back corner of the packed meeting 

room in outstandingly uncomfortable heels, I move as silently 

as possible along the three feet of available aisle space 

between my begrudgingly accommodating coworker, Clyve, and the 

horde of beady osprey staring down at me from the vintage wallpaper.

Book Description from GoodReads: Savannah Cade is a low-level editor at Pennington Publishing, a prestigious publisher producing only the highest of highbrow titles. And while editing the latest edition of The Anthology of Medieval Didactic Poetry may be her day job, she has two secrets she’s hiding.

One: She’s writing a romance novel.

Two: She’s discovered the Book Nook—a secret room in the publishing house where she finds inspiration for her “lowbrow” hobby.

After leaving her manuscript behind one afternoon, she returns to the nook only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. Savannah’s first response to the criticism is defensive, but events transpire that force her to admit that she needs the help of this shadowy editor after all. As the notes take a turn for the romantic, and as Savannah’s madcap life gets more complicated than ever, she uses the process of elimination to identify her mysterious editor—only to discover that what she truly wants and what she should want just might not be the same. Melissa Ferguson’s latest—a love letter to books, readers, and romance—will leave fans laughing out loud and swooning in the same breath.