Rating 4: Stars

What can I say, I'm a sucker for a romance book WITHIN a romance book!

Meet Me in the Margins follows Savannah Cade, an editor, and an aspiring romance author. But her publishing house has a rather unfavorable view of commercial fiction and romance, so she keeps her passion a secret. Until one day, her new boss (ahem, the chief editor's very handsome son!) gets a sneak peek at her manuscript. To keep it safe, she hides it in a hidden room in the office, only to return later to see that someone has mysteriously begun to edit it!

When I tell you this book is super adorable and wholesome, I really mean it. The plot is just so fun! Savannah's mystery editor is sarcastic and does not hold back in their criticism of her writing. The conversations they have in the margins of her manuscript are just wonderful. It's all you could ever want in an editing partner.

While I do prefer a dual POV for a romance book, staying with Savannah's POV throughout the novel is obviously beneficial to the storyline. Especially when trying to figure out just who her mystery editor is, you know only as much as Savannah does which helps to keep you in suspense. And I'm not going to lie, Savannah has me questioning even my own suspicions.

Savannah is lovely as a character and someone you want to see have her own happily ever after. Not only is she falling in love, but she's also reconnecting with her sister – and oh boy is there drama there! Full disclosure: Savannah is a much better person than I am, as there is no way I would've stood for that.

I must stress this is a s l o w b u r n! Emphasis on the slow. I was pining enough for the both of them by the end. I would've loved to have seen a little bit more physical romance for Savannah. But Melissa Ferguson certainly makes up for it with the most unforgettable Valentine's Day I think I have ever read. It was cute, spontaneous, and brought a smile to my face.

Meet Me in the Margins is perfect for you if you love a more cute, slow-paced romance to make you feel giddy inside. Plus who can say no to that cover it's gorgeous!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an early edition of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Review is posed to Goodreads and an edited version will be posted to my Instagram shortly. Both are linked below.

Meet Me in the Margins is a cute rom-com. The characters are hilarious, especially Savannah, and since we spend the entire book in her point of view, that's an excellent thing. She has some quirks, and her internal thoughts were a riot to read. I loved her insecurities and how realistic that made her. It was fun seeing Will completely through Savannah's perspective, though I'm dying to know what was going on in his head. This is one of those books that takes the reader on a fun, flirty adventure. Savannah's relationship with her family, her feelings that she would never measure up to the Cade legacy, kept her grounded when she wanted to fly, and I loved how Will gradually showed her that she deserved happiness.
My only complaint is that this is marketed as Christian fiction yet I found nothing within the book to uphold that idea. Sweet romance? Yes. Rom-com? Yes. Did I enjoy the book? Absolutely. I'm in no way opposed to a book being a sweet romance. I love all forms of romance books, but I kept waiting for a faith element to be introduced, and I was disappointed when it wasn't.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Savannah is an author who one day leaves her menu script in a secret room at the publishing house she works in and when she comes back she finds notes on her manuscript.

The premise of this story sounded promising but I wasn't a fan of the way it was executed. Savannah as a character was just not interesting and romance barely had any development. I also found Savannah*s family situation a bit extreme.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Details that I loved about this book:
💕 There is a secret book nook…oh how I want one of these now!
💕 The main character works in publishing, and I’m learning recently that while I think it would be a fantastic job, it’s maybe not all the shiny glorious thing I think it would be.
💕 There’s an unknown editor element, and I think we all “know” who it is, but it’s fun that the main character doesn’t.
💕 I laughed. A lot.

Savannah is an editor for a publishing house but is secretly writing a romance novel as well. The publishing house she works for has just brought on the owner’s son as a new manager of the business, but the stance is still the same…fiction is not okay. They publish books of substance. So Savannah’s going to have to submit her romance novel to another publisher…secretly. When she’s challenged to fix her story, she’s got a limited amount of time to do it in. When a secret editor makes comments in her manuscript, a relationship starts using the book nook and the margins of her story.

I really enjoyed the back-and-forth banter in the margins of this story. It made me laugh over and over again. The characters interact in one way in the editing portion of the story, but also interact in real life, and I loved how that changed based on their situation and the people around them.

This felt light-hearted, and I loved that. If you are looking for a not-so-heavy story, I would highly recommend picking this one up. The romance is clean, and it’s an easy read!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

In Meet Me In The Margins, Savanah Cade lives in Nashville and works as an editorial assistance at Pennington Publishing. Pennington Publishing is a small independent publishing house. Their focus is catering to the whims of the authors of high brow literature. Hugh brow is the only type of literature that is acceptable at Pennington Publishing. No commercial fiction allowed.

Romance is considered commercial fiction so Savannah has been laying low as she writes her most recent romance novel. She finds a hidden nook within the publishing building and she goes there for peace and to write. One day she accidentally leaves her manuscript in the nook, and when she returns to pick if up there are notes all over it. At first, she is offended but then realizes her mystery editor may have a point with all the suggestions so she decides to continue leaving her manuscript and communicates through notes with her mystery editor.

Meet Me In The Margins has total You've Got Mail vibes and I was here for it. Savanah knows that her mystery editor is a man and based on this, she tries to narrow it down with who she works with at the company. Because it is such a small company, she is able to narrow her options down relatively quickly but she still wasn't one hundred percent certain who it was. I had a sneaky suspicion throughout and really enjoyed how Savanah was interacting with this character throughout the day. This is most definitely the troupe of falling in love over writing while also falling in love in person, and it is so well done.

This is such a fun story. It was well written with an easy flow to it. It kept me engaged from the beginning. I loved learning about the intricacies of the publishing world. The characters were ones that I cared about and wanted to be together. Both characters also had growth throughout which was so good and brought an important balance to the romance.

Meet Me and the Margins is an adorable romantic comedy. It had just the right amount of humor and romance. I did feel it ended kind of quickly though. I wouldn't have minded more of Savanah and her mystery man. I would most definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves books and who has a craving for a You've Got Mail type romance.

I absolutely loved this entire book. The scene where they go to the courthouse had me actually laughing out loud. Being the messy, unorganized older sibling, I could relate to Sav throughout her relationship with her family. I love how the entire time, Sam and Brittany were meeting in the ARC room and they had no idea. I will be recommending this book to so many of my friends and will be putting it on the list for my book club next month.

3.5/5

The story was enjoyable - but the description of the working environment literally gave me anxiety.

Maybe I live in a coddled country where you can't just get fired for a minor infraction, but it seemed like the most toxic, terrifying and bewildering working environment I have ever come across.

The plot about Savannah's sister and ex boyfriend getting together and engaged (and her living with them) seemed really extreme too. Like - who would still even talk to their family after that?

Overall the book was good and I did enjoy it - but there were a few things that just seemed to really push my suspension of disbelief.

Meet Me In The Margins, by Melissa Ferguson, is a lovely, unique read. Savannah Cade, junior acquisition editor at Pennington Publishing in Nashville, is not where she had envisioned. An accomplished editor, Savannah aspires to be a published author herself. However, she is alone in this knowledge.

When Savannah attends an editorial meeting where William Pennington, son of company founder Patricia Pennington, is introduced as VP and publisher, she, unfortunately, is carrying the manuscript of her novel when she stumbles in the crowd and the sheaf of paper goes airborne. As she scrambles to gather the papers she comes up short as William grabs, and scans, the last sheet. He says little, but the Pennington policy frowns greatly on romances and her book is a romance.

In a hurry to deposit the manuscript to get to a special literary event, Savannah hurries to a hidden turret room where she leaves her “baby,” expecting from her experience that it is a safe place. But when she returns to get it she finds that there are editorial messages in the margins.

This is such a fun book. As Savannah juggles unusual family occurrences with her work schedule and a quick timeline to improve her manuscript, just maybe some unexplained magic is happening. I very much enjoyed this book and very much recommend it!

Thanks to UpLit Reads for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Overall this was a cute read and a love letter for book lovers, especially romance readers! Some of the scenes in this book reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella novel, but taking place in the publishing industry. A “Sophie Meets Booksta” kind of vibe💫 The middle was a bit slow, but it picked up again towards the end. I also would have loved to see the relationship in this story more, but I understand this book was more about the journey TO the relationship!

read for:
✍🏼a book about book reviewers and the publishing industry
⁉️a mysterious, slow-burn romance
♥️you want the world to have more romance stories

Just a delightful little romance, with the premise of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Savannah was used to always making sure that everyone else was happy and told herself that because of that, she was too. But in reality, her family and those in her life did not respect her or put her first for happiness. No one has ever asked her what would make her happy. Savannah is an assistant editor in a publishing house and living with her perfect little sister who is now engaged to her ex-boyfriend. Will, the entitled son of the CEO of the publishing house, is now in charge. Savannah secretly wants to be a writer of romance novels, a genre never tolerated at the publishing house where she works. Savannah discovers a secret room hidden in the ARC room, where she hides her manuscript so she can work on it during breaks at work. However, she discovers that someone else has also found the secret room and her manuscript. Savannah finds editing notes in the margins and so begins a secret relationship between Savannah and her mystery man that helps her to write her book. In the meantime, she and Will begin to develop feelings for each other which conflicts with her growing feelings for the mystery editor as well. The author portrays Savannah as a true heroine, deserving of a happy ending and Will as a noble hero. The characters are well-developed and the storyline flows, allowing the reader to now somethings that the characters have yet to discover. I thoroughly enjoyed this romance and would look for other books by this author.

Many thanks to #netgalley #mmetmeinthemargins #melissaferguson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I think we all dream of having a secret room inside of an ARC room. I think I was sold on just that.

Melissa Ferguson is a new author to me, even though they've been recommended multiple, multiple times by other fans of this genre. When I got the opportunity for an ARC of this premise, I jumped straight for it!

Savannah works at a publishing office that regards romance to be a lower genre. Pennington Publishers' CEO loathes the idea of any commercial fiction, and romance is the lowest bar - which is not conducive to Savannah's secret manuscript.

She's been working on her manuscript for years, and is editing it in a meeting to meet the new boss when, in a true bought of clumsiness, all the papers go flying, the last of the bunch ending up in one Will Pennington's hands.

Her new boss, and the CEO's son.

He doesn't say anything, but Savannah's immediately put on edge, dumping all the discarded pages in her secret room before rushing off to attend an event. The catch? When she comes back, they're all neatly stacked again - with notes written in the margins that are definitely not hers.

While Savannah works with her mysterious editor, she also grows closer to Will on the side, and the conflict that forms between these two facets of Savannah's life - and with herself as she deals with an overbearing sister, a douchebag ex, and parents who never seem to see her for her - cultivates the plot into something relatable to everyone.

The premise of this book is as unique as it is endearing, with a rom-com type meet-cute that has a new twist to it. Honestly, I just wish that I could have a secret editor who gives feedback eerily similar to some of the top fiction publishing agencies. The aspect I enjoyed the most about this book was that off the bat, you knew who the mystery editor was. It was watching Savannah try to figure it out that was interesting.

I love the little notes passed between the editor and Savannah, because some of them were so adorable and <i>knowing</i> of each other despite never having seen each other through anything but a page. I also really loved the way Savannah does grow into her skin and puts steel in her backbone as the story progresses.

However, the conflict fell flat for me. I am not sure if the author even intended there to be a big conflict, but I didn't realize that we had reached the apex of the narrative peak until well into the resolution, just by virtue of how similar Savannah's turmoil at the end looked to the turmoil at the beginning. Some of the scenes also felt rather unnecessary, with no links to the plot, or any clear purpose as a filler scene, so that left me a little blank.

This was a great afternoon read, and I'm looking forward to reading more books from Melissa Ferguson!

[Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review!]

“The perfect date doesn’t have anything to do with me. It’s entirely about finding a setting that highlights who she is and seeking to learn about each other within that amenable atmosphere.”

I love romcoms. And Melissa Ferguson proves once again that she is a queen in this genre with her newest book. The author skillfully combines delightful banter and sweet enchanting romance through the written word with the chaotic, almost circus-like comic daily happenings at a small publishing company. I’ve secretly wanted to be an editor and totally fell in love with Savannah’s job and who she is. An editor wanting to be an author is a popular trope but felt fresh and fun through Savannah’s first person perspective. Will is a wonderful hero in every sense of the word. Though the reader doesn’t get his perspective, his character clearly shines through in his actions and words. The thread of forgiveness and reconciliation woven through the story is heart-warming. It’s truly a perfect romcom to curl up with on a cold, lazy Saturday morning.

I received the book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one. Fun setting, Great Characters, so funny, It was so good. Great Rom-Com. Highly recommend.

Meet me in the Margins is a super cute romcom set in a publishing house. I loved the setting, and I totally loved what was in the filling cabinet.

I adored this book, it was fun, full of laugh out loud moments.

I loved the insight this book gave in to the world of publishing, and how much would I love to have access to an ARC room!

I just adored Savannah! Will to was adorable! The sub-characters fitted in perfectly.

Through out the story Savannah was writing her own novel under a pen name, and much to her initial surprise someone was secretly editing her book, leaving notes for her in the margins.

And even though it was totally obvious to the reader who the editor was it seemed that Savannah was quite oblivious... which in a way made her all the more endearing.

All in all this was a wonderful read, a perfect romance read for the month of February.

A huge thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for kindly gifting me an e-arc to read and review.

Such a fabulous feel good book! I loved the realness of our heroine Savannah. I loved that the leading man has total Mr. Darcy vibes. The premise was creative and fun to read. The idea of a hidden door within a room (also love the Narnia vibes there!) was so fun to read about and opened the door literally and figuratively for a unique relationship to progress. It's so interesting to see her in person relationships progress as her relationship with her mystery manuscript editor progresses as well. This story was such a light and fun read. Every time I picked up this book I knew I could rely on the author for a delightful and entertaining story. I loved the way the HEA came about and the way the story concluded. Such a great romance and a cool peek behind the curtain of the publishing industry. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

While I enjoyed the premise-- aspiring writer reconciling falling hard for her mystery editor while having the hots for her new boss-- I didn't enjoy how the story played out. Definite ick factor in the imbalance of power between Savannah and Will, and I never really liked Savannah (her best pal was far more interesting), and the lack of Will's character development was off-putting. The epistolary parts were the best, where we got to see the actual characters, but they were too brief, and the story felt underdeveloped as a whole.

📚 r e v i e w 📚

meet me in the margins - melissa ferguson

do you know what i love more than books? people connecting over books, which is why when i spotted the arc of melissa ferguson’s new title on @netgalley i was so excited to read it.
this is the story of sav, an editor working at a small print publisher which is very firmly against “frivolous fiction.” sav though is into fiction of all kinds and has been writing her own romance novel, which she hopes to publish under a fake name after a chance meeting with another editor at a publishing conference. one day, she hides her manuscript in the office and when she returns, finds that a mystery person has left notes in the margins, offering constructive criticism. when she has just 45 days to rewrite the entire draft, she starts leaving her manuscript for her mystery editor and is that not the most bookish meetcute ever?
as much as i loved the idea of two people getting together via a shared love of reading and working through writing projects, sav was a difficult character for me to warm to. not as much as her sister, who was possibly the most annoying side character i’ve come across in a while, but still. i just couldnt get my head around some of her actions, like the fact that she loves romance but managed to write the most generic one ever. will on the otherhand had the perfect mix of grump and banter - i really enjoyed his scenes and i liked reading about the publishing world - its not something i’ve come across when reading before and would like to see more of.
this one is kind of a difficult one for me to rate because though there were aspects that i enjoyed, i wanted a little bit more from it.
meet me in the margins is out now.
thanks to @netgalley for the early copy.

#bookworm #bookblogging #bookblogger #fiction #readerlife #readersofinstagram #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #bookstagram #reading #bookstagrammer #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookreview

This book was SO cute! I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end. I love that Savannah and her editor get to know each other through the pages of her manuscript and I love that she has big dreams for her book. I also really love the relationship that she starts to have with her boss and how that develops throughout the story. I am a really big fan of clean romance and I feel this book captured the banter, and the budding relationship with a clean story line. I found myself laughing during many parts and overall feel this encompasses the perfect romantic comedy.

What a delightful book! I love the romance combined with the publishing/bookish life. I mean it’s all our dream to work with ARCs right!? That being said, there was nothing THAT memorable about it which is why I didn’t rank it higher. However I would absolutely recommend it and I think it would make a great beach read!

Meet Me in the Margins follows editor Savannah Cade's quest to become a published romance author. While things are turned upside down at her job with a new boss, William Pennington, she feels like she's striking out when it comes to her manuscript. With the deadline for her rewrites looming, Savannah turns to her mystery editor, that has been marking up her manuscript secretly.

With major Hating Games vibes (workplace romance, slight enemies to lovers trope), Meet Me in the Margins is a closed door romance with low steam. Savannah is determined and loyal. I enjoyed seeing the relationship with Will turn into love. Will was a great hero, because he had two sides to him - the rigid, uptight workaholic and then the loose, wisecrack outside of the office. It gave his character depth.

Any time you can set a book in a publishing house, I am all for it. I really liked the premise, but ultimately, there was too much going on for my taste.