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I was initially intrigued by this book because of its setting within the publishing world. Its blurb describes it as a RomCom that centres around Nora, a young editorial assistant who works in a small publishing house and when her salary is suddenly cut, she must pick up a second job - at a rival publishing house no less. 

But this isn't the light RomCom I was expecting. Sure, there was some romance (male lead Andrew Santos is, admittedly, kinda swoony) and the banter between Nora and Santos was awesome, but Nora is a bland main character and, to be honest, I don't enjoy characters who are portrayed as doormats and lack chutzpah. I would have preferred for Nora's predicament to be handled as more of a humorous The Secret of My Success (remember that Michael J Fox 1987 movie?) kind of story as she juggles both jobs. Instead, the way she handled was anxiety-inducing for me. 

I enjoyed getting a look behind the scenes in publishing, but this was just an okay read for me. It was more of a 'self-discovery/pushing oneself outside one's comfort zone' kind of read that introduces a great mental health story line only to unfortunately graze over the issues. I would have loved more depth, more humorous romance and for Nora to be more assertive about her future as she balances her two jobs. In the end, the way both the romance and mental health aspects were handled left me wanting just that little bit more.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Shauna Robinson

Genre: RomCom, Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Publisher: Sourcebooks

First Published: January 18, 2022

Opening Lines: Would you recommend this job to a friend? 

The question echoed in Nora's mind as the silence ticked by.

Book Description from GoodReads: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger in a heartfelt debut following a young woman who discovers she'll have to ditch the "dream job" and write her own story to find her happy ending.

Meet Nora Hughes—the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.

When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.

With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet…and maybe poach some Parsons' authors along the way.

But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future.

Your next book club read touching on mental health, happiness, and the peaks and perils of being a young woman just trying to figure it all out. Nora Hughes is the perfect heroine for anyone looking to get past their own chapter twenty-something and build their storybook life.