Meet Me in the Margins was a quick DNF for me because I just couldn't buy into the premise AT ALL so I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the book. Our heroine is a horrible person because she writes a romance novel and drops it at work. What????

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

“That’s not very publisher of you, Will Pennington.” His eyes twinkle. “Then I trust you can keep that little secret between you and me.”

When I first discovered this book, the cover and description really caught my attention. The fact that the fmc Savannah Cade was an assistant editor who wanted to publish her manuscript piked my interest even more. What she isn't expecting is for someone to find her work and even have the audacity to comment on her plot and characters by openly criticising it. She naturally responds by defending her work and somehow falls into a secret pen-pal kind of situation with her mystery editor. She's curious to know who exactly is the person helping her and why does he feel the need to help her. This is basically Savannah's story as she struggles between managing her job and finishing her manuscript with a fast approaching deadline and amidst all that, she isn't expecting to develop a budding friendship with her newly appointed boss, William Pennington.
I picked this book up because I was excited to read about the romance aspect between Savannah & Will but it wasn't anything special. The book was drama free, lighthearted, with some good side characters but I wasn't feeling the romance. Will & Savannah were cute but I was just expecting something more to be honest. The writing was engaging but sometimes the long monologues were a bit too much. Though I still enjoyed reading it!

Thank you Netgalley And Thomas Nelson for providing me this ARC.

We love a book about books. "Meet Me in the Margins" does not fall into the overused romance book about books trope. The characters are fresh and have their quirks and the love story is great!

The perfect book to get me out of my reading slump // once I started this sweet romcom, I couldn’t put it down // it was just cozy and what my book-loving heart needed // 📚

This book tells the story of a Savannah Cade, an assistant acquisitions editor and aspiring author, and her new boss, William Pennington // it’s about Savannah’s relationship with her sister and family // it’s about learning what is important in life

I found Savannah extremely relatable in her thoughts and feelings about wanting to be an author, and even found myself encouraged in my own writing journey through this story // I wish I could have read some chapters from William’s perspective because their public meet-cute was just so fun and their love story so sweet // I selfishly want to know what he was thinking with each encounter // I honestly just wanted more because I loved it so much

If you are a fan of sweet, clean romcoms and just want to be hugged by a book, then you should read this one // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson is absolutely delightful. It’s the perfect romcom and readers of this genre will be thrilled. It took me a bit to get into the story but I was quickly hooked. The setting and characters came across so clearly and the plot itself was interesting and kept the novel moving well. This novel was fun to read from start to finish. I highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable romcom. It was fun and I really liked it!

I love romance and I love books about books/publishing so Meet Me in the Margins was perfect for me!

I really enjoyed it. William Pennington is my favorite type of hero. He seems serious, powerful and a bit intimidating but you realize he has a really sweet side as well. I loved that he and Savannah get to know each other in such a unique way while also getting to know each other in real life.

This is a sweet romance with wonderful characters. I LOVE an epilogue in a romance book and this one was perfect.

Meet Me in the Margins is great if you’re a romance lover but it’s also wonderful for anyone who loves books and publishing. (How can I get a trip to that ARC room???)

As a library worker, having a romance centered in a place that brings books to life-- I really enjoyed it.

I liked the chemistry between the two characters, and it was a sweet romance, nothing explicit.

I don't think it added anything new to the genre, but if you enjoy sweet romances and the grumpy sunshine trope you'll enjoy this book !

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Melissa Ferguson's previous titles, I was eagerly looking forward to the release of Meet Me in the Margins.

This delightfully imaginative storyline was creative and offers book lovers of all kinds an insightful, often humorous, taste of the publishing world and what happens behind the scenes at a publishing house. My book-loving heart found the setting of a small publisher and the unique exchange of secret notes in the margins of a manuscript to build a love story both brilliant and clever.

However, this novel isn't your typical romance or romantic comedy (which I expected)... Instead, Ferguson offers a very slow, but comical, dance with a prominent back story and significant events happening around main character, Savannah Cade, an assistant acquisitions editor for a locally owned publishing house in Nashville. As she seeks to publish her first manuscript, her personal life and work life become increasingly surprising when changes happen all around her, causing her to find a bit of herself in her story’s own main character. Little bits of romance, several amusing predicaments and a bit of mystery is sprinkled throughout, enough to keep me just barely enticed. While always a fan of Ferguson's writing style, it wasn't until about 3/4 of the way through that I really began to enjoy this novel. It suddenly came alive, with more hilarity and romantic spark, which caused me to want to devour the remaining pages, much as I had when reading Ferguson's other books, The Dating Charade and The Cul-De-Sac War, two of my favorite must-read recommendations.

Overall, a good read, though in my opinion not as memorable or heartwarming as Ferguson's previous titles. With that said, this novel deserves all it's own merit for setting, clever premise and laughable scenes with relatable main characters and two smile-inducing secondary characters (shout-out to Oswald and Lyla!). I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy clean, wholesome romances.

Content Note for Conservative Readers: This novel is not faith-based or inspirational. There is a bar scene and the characters consume alcohol.

This book is great. I love the characters and the banter between the main couple. Clean romance can be fun, modern, and entertaining. Readers of all types will enjoy this book.

Meet me in the Margins is a great rom-com! Savannah who works for a publishing company is writing her own book under a pen name and she mistakenly leaves a copy of her manuscript in a section of the office and when she retrieves it she finds that someone has provided feedback on the manuscript in the margins. She tried to figure out who it is as she continues to converse with the person through the manuscript which leads to several laugh out loud moments. Savannah begins to fall for this mystery person the more they converse through the manuscript.

This was a light and fun read, perfect for getting rid of the winter blues.

A romantic comedy set in a small publishing house with a You've Got Mail / Shop Around the Corner scenario? It's like this book was tailor-made for me. I especially enjoyed that the love that goes into the labor of making books, both as a writer and editor, was as much of the love story as the budding relationship between our heroine, Savannah, an acquisitions editor who dream of being published herself, and her mystery editor, who might or might not be her new boss, Will. I also loved that, in reading their editing process, we got to watch Savannah play with the scope of what a romance novel can be.

Another strength of the book: the author is excellent at setup and payoff. I'd start to worry about a) Savannah's toxic workplace, b) her dysfunctional family dynamic, c) the ethical issues of her budding romance with her boss, or d) Savannah's complicated relationship with her ex-turned-future-brother-in-law. The tension of these questions are drawn out just enough, and then they're paid off, usually by Will's thoughtful insight. Swoon.

I had some trouble believing the mystery of Savannah's unknown editor, especially since Savannah has to talk herself out of her instincts regarding his identity, but I suppose that it's part of the You've Got Mail conceit for the audience to know, while the heroine doesn't. Also, the slow burn is extremely slow. It worked nicely in this book, but it was a little slower and sweeter than I'm used to in my romances. Instead, the love affair with books shared by two bookish publishing people takes center stage. I can't complain about that.

This book was so much fun!
A book about writing a book?! Love it!
A book about an editor writing her own book?! Love it even more!
A secret room and a mystery editor writing notes in her manuscript?! Yes!!!! (We all want a secret room right?!)
I have a love for hidden identity tropes. When the characters can develop a relationship in more than one way. It’s very You’ve Got Mail. And every single book with this trope is a favourite. There’s a deeper connection that happens and I Am Here For It.
In hindsight, this story combined several of my favourite things in a story.
For starters, the characters. Will come across as scary and intimidating, but is anything but when out of ‘boss mode’. The kind of guy who it takes a little bit to get to know but is so much more beneath the surface.
Savannah is relatable, the type of girl who is still figuring out how to Adult. She is open and the type of person I would want as a friend. Which I think is one of the best characters to read about. When I genuinely like a character, I like the book as a whole a lot more!
The unique environment. For me, a small editorial company is a new one! And I really love getting an inside peek into the behind the scenes of…well anything!

Now the romance. This is my one hang up with the hidden identity trope. I want all the kisses, and the hidden identity/ passing notes aspect keeps the love interests in a more emotionally romantic side of things rather than both emotional and physical.
In other words, lots of getting to know each other and flirting, and one swoony kiss at the end.
My only other draw back was the inner monologues. Especially if the monologue came in the middle of a conversation. It was nice when the thoughts were about to the love interest, but I could’ve done without the boring aspects of the job and whatnot- I just wanted to skim those.

All in all. I was completely hooked with this story! It was funny, relatable, unique and I loved the twists it took!
If you love books about books, rom-coms and lots of laughs, this book is one you’ll want to pick up!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Content: clean
Romance: kissing
Violence: none
Language: none

“I may just be able to do this! I may just have a writer’s soul after all! But what am I, really? Just a girl, sitting in a coffee shop, who’s completely deluded herself.”

I loved the premise of this book. It had everything about books, a secret room, a swoony romance, and so much more! It grabbed my attention right from the start. Though, I would’ve liked seeing the main characters fleshed out a little bit more, I really enjoyed this story as a whole. Savannah and William’s relationship was charming and so romantic. I loved their communicative banter, but maybe would have enjoyed seeing more from his viewpoint. I think it would have added that snap to the ending. However, I adored everything about him.

“Everything as far as the eye can see is the librarian’s dream. The booklover’s dream. The dream.”

If you love books about books. If you love romantic books with a little bit of comedy, I think you’ll enjoy “Meet Me In The Margins.” Writing, editing, and the world of working for a publisher really adds enjoyment to the plot. Overall, it was a fun and interesting read that I believe readers will appreciate.

I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher. All opinions are my own and have been given honestly.

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

This book was very good. I loved how it dealt with the publishing industry, and book world in general. It managed to provide the necessary information for people who do not already know how it all works and what the terms mean without sounding clunky and like it was delivering exposition.

The romance was nice (and clean for those who prefer that). It developed well throughout the book and didn't feel rushed. I also liked the secondary romance that crept up on you at the end. It provided a nice misunderstanding that made sense and didn't create too dramatic a situation, but seemed realistic of a misunderstanding (sorry if that isn't terribly clear; just want to avoid spoilers!).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

This was such a cute book and I absolutely loved it! Melissa Fegusen is one of my favorite authors. I love all the books she writes! This was the perfect plot for romance readers. It was a publishing house romance! It was like nothing I had read before and I LOVED it. I highly recommend checking it out.

Savannah Cade works as an editor at Pennington Publishing, a highbrow publishing company, but secret, she dreams of being a romance writer. One day, she brings the book she’s writing to work, despite the fact that it is the type of book that Mrs. Pennington would never deign to print. Hiding it in the Book Nook she has discovered in Pennington Publishing, she is astonished to see that someone has written notes in the column. At first, she is defensive about the criticism, but she soon realizes that these edits are just what her novel needs. As the notes she trades with her mystery editor grow more personal, she tries to determine who he may be and what she truly wants from her life.

I absolutely loved this clean romance. It was as much a love letter to books as to love. There are no grand plot twists in this story, just the sweetness and anticipation you expect from a romcom. I read it from start to finish in one day. I will note that the couple doesn’t get together until the final chapter, so if you’re looking for a steamy romance, this is not the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

This was a really cute book. I loved the view into the publishing house, I loved the secret room and I enjoyed the twists the story had to offer. Overall it was fine. But it was just that, fine. I didn't love the romance, though I liked both characters, and there were a few parts that really bugged me. Her whole living situation was super uncomfortable to even read about. Overall I liked it but I wouldn't read again.

This is a sweet and charming read. It was fun to see a book being writing within a book. Although, I do agree with Savannah's mystery critique editor on the edits that they gave Savannah on her book. Not that I have anything wrong with Hallmark movies.

While I figured it out very early on in the story who Savannah's "mystery" critique editor was, I still did enjoy this book. Yet, I would have liked the interaction between Savannah and her mystery editor to have been more engaging with witty banter. There was a little witty banter, but it was very tame. This was a chance for more romantic sparks to ignite between the two. Overall, I did like this book. It is a sweet meet cute rom com.

OMG I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!

Okay, I will stop screaming now!(maybe....) But I absolutely loved everything about this book. It almost made me want to quit my job and go into the publishing field to find my own Will. I absolutely loved every part of this (minus Ferris and Tom). My only qualm..... I want more Oswald. That's a lie.... there was not enough romance for me but I understood why. I felt myself in Savannah's shoes, because I too have hated every kiss I have ever had. But I do love writing about them!

But, literally, this book kept me on my toes. There were several twists and I found it very funny how we never could tell who the mystery editor was (even though we all knew :)) I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves romance (especially those who don't care for all the smut in most romance novels nowadays!)