Completely enjoyed this lovely weekend read. I agree with other reviewers that two things caught me unawares that would have been better if I had known before diving in. First, this would not be catagorized as romance, but rather women’s fiction. Second, there are discussions of depression that I think should be mentioned in the blurb for those who might be triggered.

That said, I found this to be a satisfying weekend read!

Nora Hughes is overworked and underpaid - but she's so close to her dream job she can almost touch it. When she applied for the editorial assistant job at Parsons Books, one line in the advert made it seem like it was made for her - must love books. But five years later, she's no closer to being an editor, and the company has slashed her already meagre salary. So when her old boss who works for a rival publisher offers her some part time work, she tries to juggle it all and maybe even steal some authors along the way.

But when she tries to convince best-selling author Andrew to come sign at her new publisher, unexpected feelings make things even more complicated and Nora doesn't know how much longer she can balance everything in her life before it all comes crashing down.



Nora is the perfect encapsulation of of twenty-something woman lost in the world, trying to find her place but never quite making anything stick. She resonated with me right away, and I felt every high and low right along with her and watched in horror as everything starting to spiral out of control right under her nose.

The relationships in this book were simply beautiful. I loved the way Robinson depicted real friendships - affectionate, loving and meaningful relationships that don't have to be romantic to be significant. I adored the fact that while there was romance, it was definitely a side-plot - the focus being Nora's journey to self-discovery and self-worth.

Starting out rather slowly, I almost didn't find myself getting into this book but it definitely picked up around the halfway mark as we moved along and I found myself locked in. The one issue I feel the need to address is this is not the book it seems on the cover. This book addresses serious issues such as suicide, depression and debt and while it actually gave one of the most realistic portrayals of mental illness I've read in a long time, this comes out of nowhere and makes for a much heavier read than anyone who picks up this book would like. However this is more a marketing issue than a reflection on the writing itself.

If you've ever been a crossroads in your life and don't know which way to turn, you should definitely come and meet Nora.

this is such a perfect, sweet little read! i’m not usually one for the quote-unquote “inspirational women’s fiction” type book, but i am a sucker for books about writing and publishing and people who love books. this just hit the spot in exactly the right way for now—a good comforting hug. thank you!

“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.”

Okay, that’s an oversell for sure. I did not get any Younger vibes while reading this book, even with the whole premise having to do with the publishing industry. Although there were moments that I felt especially *into* this book, it very quickly began to drag and I had to force myself to finish it. I didn’t think the characters were particularly well developed and I did not like the main character at all.

I would not recommend this book and would also not read anything else by this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for sharing a digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a book that just didn't take my interest, didn't draw me in and didn't keep me wanting more.

It is the book style of the moment and one that does somewhat annoy me, It is slightly whinging in tone and and not at all like I thought it would be a better read than what it was. A bit slow, a bit dull and a bit boring.

Sorry to say it just didn't do it for me.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much.

I have to start saying that this book is more serious that I expected, when I read the synopsis I thought this book will be a rom - com/ existential crisis/ something like that book, but was more different, more mature and even though it wasn’t what I expected I like it, but I didn’t love it at all.
Here we met Nora, the last bookish assistant standing on Parsons Press, overworking, underpaid who cuestion herself if the “dream job” really exists.

Even though it wasn’t I expected as I said, I liked how Nora discovered that even though we choose what we want to do the rest of our life, and even we have a dream job on our minds, we have to open our minds and eyes to see that out there, there are more things that we can do, that we can love to do, and even the path to find it won’t be easy, we have to start little by little. Because we have options. Always.

Some points that I didn’t like about the book were that at some parts it felt quite slow. Nora needed to talk more, she had a best friend and a roommate - that disappeared after being mentioned - for around five years ahead and she couldn’t talk about all the pressure she felt? I know some people are more open than others to talk about their problems, but this is inconsistent because when she started to see what she wanted to do with her life she asked for help from people who she barely spoke to.
The lies. But in the end I think Nora has a good development.

Coming back to the good things, I liked Andrew. I think he is a good character, the story isn’t about him but he had charisma. He is so enjoyable, sweet and funny that it’s impossible that you don’t love him. The perfect love interest that left me wanting more romance in this story.

⭐️⭐️/5

Alright, here’s the thing. I never and I mean NEVER dnfed a book. But as I continued reading over the years, I realised that there are too many books to read! And that it makes no sense in forcing yourself to continue reading a book you’re not enjoying! So I DNFed this book.

Now, I’m not saying you won’t like it just because I didn’t. Here’s the description because it really is good!
🍁
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. Parson's 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 Parson's 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.
🍁

Why I didn’t like:
⭐️The book was too slow for my liking. So slow, I couldn’t even make out who was the second lead in the book!
⭐️It was more of a woman’s fiction than a romance and no, it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the arc.

There were some good moments and it gave me a lot of knowledge on the publishing world and I liked the main character’s personality but to be honest, it just didn’t fit with me.

I’m not trying to be rude but it’s really tough for me to scramble the good points. So I won’t be tagging the author or the ARC provider😚

TWs: suicidal thoughts, depression

I wish I had known going in that this isn't really a romance book, because that's what I was expecting when I started it. Our main character, Nora, is a mid-20s biracial Black woman struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts while working in the publishing industry. As someone who has struggled with both of those things and also went through a career transition (from "I've wanted to be a teacher my entire life" to being a librarian), I hugely related to Nora. She feels very untethered and jaded after 5 years of working at a publisher as an editorial assistant for business books, and everything in her life starts falling apart in a way that triggers her mental health issues. Again, all of this hit home for me, and I thought that the author did a great job of handling Nora's depression without making the book depressing to read.

It wasn't a 5-star read for me because, unfortunately, I went into it expecting more of a romance, and so I was pretty disappointed to realize that the romance isn't the focus of the book. Andrew and Nora have such cute banter but because so much of the book was focused on Nora figuring herself out, the romance couldn't be front and center. I respect that, and it was a great book, but it didn't read like a romance to me and that's what I was hoping for at the time.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of this book. I have to admit, I requested this book expecting a heartfelt rom-com, but this is not that. It is much more.
The title and the description of the book sounded like an almost typical lovey dovey book - girl has a great job, meets a guy, they fight and then they live happily ever after. However, it is not like that at all. The depth of the book pleasantly surprised me. I loved Nora, the main character and I loved the way she is described, like a real woman, and not like a character. She struggles, she makes mistakes, she has good days and bad days. I liked her and Santos dynamic, and I liked that by the end, everything isn't wrapped up in a pretty little bow for the readers. We see that actions have consequences, even though some things Nora does are warranted. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

Our female protagonist is in a rut. She is very unhappy with her workplace, her salary, struggling with the pay cuts, overwhelmed with extra responsibility, and overall feeling unappreciated. She is struggling with relatable issues and questions many (if not all of us have)
- what is my dream job
- should I quit
- is this the right career path for me

I like the book setting. We get behind the scene look of a publishing house. As someone who loves books and anything about them, I found that part fascinating.
The writing was excellent too. This is a debut novel. Congratulations to the author. In my opinion, she did well.

I was definitely drawn to the cover and the title. However, I didn't expect a lack of romance- which is my thing. The book is centered around our female protagonist and her job. As a result, we go and her self-discovery journey of finding what makes her happy, comfortable, and content.

The readers I would recommend this book to are the ones who enjoy woman fiction books centered around career and thought-provoking introspective themes.


3,5⭐

The cover art grabbed me immediately along with the book description and I was so excited to read this one!

At some point though reading this was a like lukewarm cup of my favorite tea, all of my favorite elements were there but not quite at the right. temperature. The pacing was slow, the conflict felt tepid at best, along with the romance.

Listen I LOVED a diverse central couple, frank discussion of unahppiness and being stuck in your life and career without being melodramatic...but alas the story never felt like it was driving anywhere at all. I think perhaps the cover had me thinking it was a romcom, but instead was more of a quarter life crisis discovery of self journey.

The writing its self was actaully quite good I constantly felt like I was truly listening to Nora's inner monologue as she struggled to find herself and what she really wanted from life. It aslo was well written in the sense that her mental health struggles were so relatable, I saw my own search to find meaning and purpose as an adult in my own dream career.

A good book, but certainly not the romance I thought I was reading.

Must Love Books is the story of starting over that we all fear the most — leaving our job, changing our career, and starting anew. Shauna Robinson writes from the heart as Nora struggles through at her current job, makes her way at her new job, and ultimately identifies that neither are right for her.
I love how Robinson tackled a subject that so many of us deal with, but are scared to confront. And did so with some laughs, tears, and a touch of romance.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of Must Love Books. Thank you to the author, Shauna Robinson, publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this inspiring novel prior to publication.

The title and cover of this book is definitely what drew me in and it did not disappoint!!

I haven't read many books with bookish themes, so I was excited for this to be my first. It was a cute, light hearted read with likeable characters, and amazing development.

The beginning was quite slow which nearly did discourage me but I'm glad I persevered. For someone who struggled with finding the right career path, it told the story correctly.

Such a sweet and charming story! I had a great time with this book. Lovely characters and heartwarming moments.

Realistically this book deserves 3.5 stars but I couldn’t bring myself to round up. The story line was interesting but poorly executed. I went into this book knowing nothing and genuinely wasn’t sure if there was a romance subplot within the book until I was 25% into the book. I think this book would have hit home if the plot had more depth. I truly thought the characters were developed well but the plot was lacking. Nora is likable and her struggle is relatable to many. I have a natural love for any books that write about authors/publishers/readers. That’s the reason I am rating 3.5 stars.

Must Love Books is Nora’s story, an editorial assistant who has worked at Parsons Press for the past five years. With people coming and going from her current job, it propels her to change her career. Parsons Press specializes in Nonfiction, but Norah’s passion lies in the Fiction genre. When she was a little girl, she dreamed of publishing; however, her real-life experiences have jaded her dreams of where her career is. Being a woman of color (a minority) in publishing, layoffs, and low pay at Parsons has taken a toll on her mentally, and she wonders if she made the right career choice.

I really appreciated this story and the author’s writing because it gives a realistic view of publishing and some of the day-to-day tasks as an editorial assistant. Nora paints a portrait for readers that publishing is not all that it seems on the surface showcasing the highlights of what she loves but other tasks she finds tedious. In the book, there are many discussions surrounding race, diversity, salaries, and overall a realistic portrait of work life. When Nora meets Andrew, things change, and that simple spark in their conversation quickly turns into a flirty banter that starts to turn into something deeper.

I really felt like I could connect to Nora about her struggles with life and her career. For someone who has experienced burnout personally, I could relate to her feelings of frustration with her career and life. Nora wants to be more financially secure, wants a better job, and is unsure how to better herself. Slowly, she learns to open up about her feelings, which strengthens her bond with Andrew. I like the flirting between the two and the openness of their conversations.

She couldn’t deny that Parsons’s approach of publishing broad, easily marketable books was smart from a business perspective. But knowing that Andrew wasn’t swayed by the company logic made her feel like she wasn’t alone in seeing more than marketability in books.

Most of all, I really appreciated the ending of this book and how realistic it is. It reminds us that life is full of changes and that sometimes we need to look within to make those changes for ourselves. I think the author put her heart into this book, and inserting her experiences in publishing gave the book greater depth. Rather than this novel being a flat-out romance novel, I like that there was a romance plot but that it mainly focused on navigating through a work-life balance and that the road to a career isn’t always clear cut.

The title pulled me into this book. I began reading thinking it would be a fluffy romance with books thrown in for fun. It was so much more. Nora is trying to make ends meet at a job that she thought was her dream... but now isn't so sure. As she gets to know an author that her company is trying to publish a book for, she starts to ask herself what she really wants and tries to figure out how to get there.

The last 20% of the book was very impactful. I empathized with Nora and the difficulties she was having and loved how the ending was written. The author did a wonderful job writing a 3-dimensional character who is struggling with mental health and other tough life changes.

* I received a copy of this for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Honestly, I found this super underwhelming. Both of the main characters felt one note to me. And they fell in love... under false pretenses, but also without too many interactions? It was just strange to me. I wasn't completely satisfied with the end either. I don't know, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you for my early review copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I believe this book will be a huge bestseller.

What a charming, enjoyable read this was! It was less fluffy tan I anticipated, but I see that as a good thing. The perfect weekend read! Recommended!