Meet Me in the Margins - Melissa Ferguson
- Arc gifted by Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. Opinions on this book are completely my own!

This was a delightful story. Not only was it a romance with a partner but it was also a romance about finding yourself. It is an inspiring story and journey with Savannah while she navigates a secret budding romance and pursuing her dreams as an aspiring author. I definitely recommend this if you like romance, rom-coms and are looking for a feel good, lighthearted story!

This book fell a bit flat for me - I enjoyed the publisher setting and definitely enjoyed the mysterious editor component, but the end of it just didn't quite tie things together as well as I'd hoped while reading. Overall though, it was a quick and enjoyable way to pass the time in a book!

This was a cute little book but had many inaccuracies that ruined multiple passages for me.
Savannah is an assistant acquisitions editor for a smaller publishing house, with the desire to be a romance author. She leaves her manuscript in a little secret hidey hole in the mansion-turned-office, and upon returning to retrieve it, finds someone has edit some of her work. She and the mysterious editor continue to work away at perfecting her story, all the while a growing attraction is developing for her new boss… and the editor.
I struggled with a few medical inaccuracies. A comparison to a neurologist being a good doctor but bad with surgery? neurologists don’t perform surgery so this comparison really missed the mark.
Savannah and her family donate blood, all the while passing a laptop back and forth like they are at home sitting on the couch, which would never happen in the real world, nor would eating and drinking while donating, or using a butterfly needle to donate? Also things that just don’t make sense and would never be allowed to happen from a medical standpoint.

I throughly enjoyed this book, even if I did spend sometime annoyed with Sav. The “inside” look into the publishing world was a fun twist to put in the book and one that I enjoyed in the book. Sav seemed like such a relatable character and that made it very easy for me to follow her process in most things. I loved the “secret editor” from early on in the book and thought that relationship was fun to watch develop. In the end it was a cute story with romance splashed in it.

so much fun, as a reader and aspiring writer myself i loved the basic plot but more than anything i just loved savannah, she felt so genuine and real, like someone i would actually know, these romance novels often have very manufactured leads but i never felt that way here

thank you NetGalley for a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review

I have read several books by Melissa Ferguson. My favorite book of hers is The Dating Charade. Meet Me in the Margins would be a close second.

I loved the originality of the storyline for Meet Me in the Margins. I enjoyed the secret room, the way Savannah accidentally left her book behind, and the story that emerges from it.

Meet Me in the Margins had a bit of a slow start, but enough was going on to keep me engaged and wanting more. I appreciated the humor and witty banter. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I emphasized with Savannah about her family expectations and feeling like she was never enough. I really enjoyed the blunt banter between Savannah and Will. One of my favorite parts is when Will takes up for Savannah in regards to some family stuff. When I finished the story my thought was, "what a sweet story." It left me with a feel-good feeling.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love Love love this book! Savannah is your typical girl next door with a dream and it makes her feel REAL. I devoured this book so quickly and would do so again in a heart beat!

While I enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins it was not my favorite Melissa Ferguson book. To me on paper as a book it didn't work as a rom com. And that's not on the author. It's on the publisher for marketing it as a rom com when it reads more like women's fiction. It's in first person but you only get the heroines point of view. So you don't know what's going on in the hero's head while your reading it. The premise of two people in publishing falling in love over editing a manuscript by writing notes pretty much back and forth was new and different and cute. But to me based on the way it was written and marketed in writing it's more women's fiction, but as a movie the way it's written would work perfectly as a rom com. If we could get inside the heroes head just a little bit.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Ok y’all, I was so so so excited for this book!
Publishing house love!? Yes, please! I love a book about books and book lovers!

I went back and forth over how to rate this one and finally settled on 3.5 stars rounded down to 3! I enjoyed a lot of it, wished some parts had lasted a bit longer, and in the end felt it lacked in some areas.

What I liked:
-the concept. Seriously the blurb and plot hooked me. It was bound to be something I’d love!
-the Arc room nook and the back and forth with the mystery editor. Seriously the “margin” aspect of this story was my favorite and I truly wanted more of it!
-the book industry vibes that made my Bookstagrammer heart soar!

What I didn’t like:
-the romance! There just wasn’t enough of it.. especially for this to be considered a romance read. I think my clean romance friends will like it.. but I unfortunately found it lacking with not enough spark!

Overall this was okay. I was left a bit underwhelmed but I wasn’t mad I read it!

Thanks again to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this one in exchange for an honest review!

Cute, quick read rom-com. I liked the main character and the love interest. The bookish setting was unique but follows your typical rom-com formula. I could not stand the main character's family and could have done without so many details on them. By the end, there were a few plot questions I never got answered. Pick this one up if you want a cute, G rated rom-com.

This was a good book. Not amazing, but decent. Savannah is an assistant editor at Pennington Publishing by day who has been working on writing a romance novel by night. When she leaves her manuscript behind in "the ARC room" at work, she finds scribbled edits left for her by a mystery editor. Her first thought is to shake off the criticisms, however, she is working on a deadline for her publisher. Maybe these notes are good after all. Maybe she is falling for her secret editor--who can it be?

I liked how Savannah was very relatable and funny, and her boss, Will, has a surprise around every corner and was so down to earth. Overall the book had extremely fun bookish vibes and was full of awkward fumbles to ultimately get a HEA. As I mentioned, not a profoundly extraordinary read, but it was cute. 3.5 stars that I will round to 4.

Savannah and William were a couple that I wanted to shake at times and yell at to open their eyes, in a totally good way of course. They were cute and sweet and just the type of HEA you want in a romance book. I loved how the characters were developed through the notes through the book within a book as well.

I was genuinely so excited to read this seeing the plot. But I was disappointed. I could not vibe with the writing style and was confused a little from the beginning. But the character as well as the plot felt very boring and non directional to me. Sorry but the book did not work out for me.

This is one of the best romcom books I’ve read so far this year (2022).

As a book lover, nothing is better than a book about a book and the world of books. I loved learning more about the publishing business and I dream of going into an ARC room someday.

I thought the character of Savannah was great. What a trooper she always was in this book. I loved the scene with her pretending to be a music talent scout for her friend and her family of over achievers.

I love clean romance reads that make me chuckle and swoon. This book did both! !

I rounded up to a 5 from a 4.5. A really cute romance. There’s some mistaken identities which add to the fun. Savannah Cade works at an old staid publishing house in Nashville (yeah! Not New York for once!), which only publishes highbrow non-fic and literary fictions. The son of the publisher, the aloof William Pennington, comes to work at the now struggling publishing house to run the company.His a serious sort - all buttoned up having work in the industry in NYC. Savannah is secretly working on a romance novel which she hides in a nook in the old Victorian Mansion where the business is housed. When she goes to retrieve it, she realizes that someone has found her manuscript and is making editorial comments. At first, she is taken aback at the harsh criticisms, but then she realizes the comments are well thought out and accurate. Over time, she and her mystery editor exchange person stories in the margins as well as editorial comments. Also in the background are the high expectations from Savannah’s family.

In the meantime, Will and Savannah are becoming friends, and while she finds herself falling for Will (when he is not being the serious boos), she is also developing strong feelings for the mystery editor (who she does not think is Will).

I won’t do spoilers her in NetGalley (I do that in my Goodreads), but as you know, it will somehow get figured out in the end!

Meet Me in the Margins is a delightfully adorable story about Savannah, a junior assistant at a small publishing company that only produces "the best of the best" in nonfiction and literary fiction. However, underneath it all, Savannah dreams of writing (gasp) romance novels! She has the opportunity of a lifetime when a major editor wants to see her management based on her pitch, now she just has to make it perfect. However, one thing leads to another and she finds her beloved manuscript has been edited by a mysterious editor! Though his comments are... good?
This has all the makings of You Got Mail-level cacophony and classic romcom misdirections. It also is an excellent defense against literary snobbiness. It's fun and light which is definitely not always a bad thing. This being said, I wasn't completely satisfied with the resolution. I wish that there had been more of an explosion of emotions instead of just a kiss to end the entire book. With romance, I want to feel overcome by emotion and their feelings and even that one kiss just was off. It felt like there was so much buildup that didn't go anywhere. I think it's still a fun read and will appease readers who prefer a light romance.

Perfect for the book lovers in love with love. Its a sweet, fluffy read perfect for the spring or summer months. Adorable characters who you root for from the beginning

Look, I held out high hopes and it fell flat. I thought I was going to get a romance but I didn't. Loads of positive reviews but just wasn't my kind of book.

Plot had a few holes that made me roll my eyes. I felt like I was wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Savannah Cade works at a publishing house and is secretly writing her own romance novel under a pseudonym. When she hastily hides her manuscript at work & returns to find notes, edits and criticisms in the margins, she realises this shadow editor might actually be able to help her produce a great romantic novel. As the notes between the pair become flirtatious, Savannah finds herself trying to identify the culprit amongst her workmates.

This is a sweet, fun rom com set in the bookish world of publishing - always a great setting bound to attract readers!

Though the plot’s outcome was never really a huge mystery, I enjoyed the red herrings and intrigue that played out throughout the book. The little reveal of a mystery at the end was very clever & there were some truly sweet romantic moments in amongst the hilarity and general chaos of Savannah’s work life. She was a joy to read about!

A cute, light-hearted romance in a bookish setting will always appeal to fans of contemporary romance and this one is worth checking out.

This was a cute and fun romance. It was very lighthearted and I enjoyed the storyline. Although it was definitely less spicy than I usually prefer my romances and the ending was pretty predictable from the start, readers may still enjoy this book for an easy, HEA escape and a look into the world of publishing.