This was a super quirky, light and fun romcom! I do wish there was a bit more romance but it was a great quick read. Nothing super significant to note, I think I was just hoping for something MORE to come out from this. Overall, I did enjoy it for a read that pretty much required no energy, but there definitely needed to be a bit more romance to have me completely hooked!

This was such an incredibly good book! All of the characters are lovable (even the ones that aren’t), and the plot is lighthearted and fun. I absolutely recommend this read!

"Told only from Savannah’s perspective, Meet Me in the Margins gives a fun glimpse into the world of a hopeful debut author.

What a fun story! While I would have loved to hear the thoughts of the mystery editor to know why he did some of the things he did, it would have spoiled the mystery. Well, kind of. Despite some misdirection, it was still clear who he was.

Savannah Cade’s family was a bit crazy. Especially her sister, Olivia. My heart hurt for how Savannah was undervalued and walked all over by them. And I couldn’t even imagine having my long-time boyfriend dumping me for my sister and then the whole family expecting me to act like everything was just fine. After all, Cades never make a scene. Ouch!

Savannah was wonderfully average, making her quite relatable. Some readers might object to the difficulty she had in standing up for herself but I found it made her more realistic.

For those who might be concerned, there are a few scenes in which the characters hang out in bars drinking.

Readers who enjoy clean rom-com will want to read Meet Me in the Margins.


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own."

I truly enjoyed this sweet romance! The book publishing aspect was super fun and the characters were charming. Their romance moves at a nice clip and their chemistry was believable. I loved the character development in this one! 4 ⭐️

This was a disappointment. I was really rooting for this book to get better, but the storyline, tone, character development and chemistry fell way short. Frankly, if this is supposed to be a sweet, feel-good romance, it's

* too boring to even be sweet
* the exchanges between hero and heroine were not plausible for a romance
* I didn't feel good trying to get through this book

In fact, in my trudge through this book, I had picked up 2 other romances to help me get through the hump. It's not even a long book -- the other 2 romances I read were longer -- but it could barely hold my attention. I thought about giving up on it, but hated the idea of this being my 1st DNF of the year. Nevertheless, it took me 8 days to get through this book.

In thinking about the last sweet, feel-good romance with a mystery pen pal-like theme that I read, I far preferred Lauren Layne's To Sir with Love.

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.