I love a good workplace romance that's a solid slow burn. The characters felt completely developed and were fun to read about. This book is a steam free romance too which can be a really refreshing thing in comparison to some books that just have it for the sake of checking off a box and also getting readers, so it feels at times. I really enjoyed this story over all.

This is my first book by Melissa Ferguson, the premise was so sweet I couldn't resist wanting to read it.
I won't lie, I was 45% in and had many conflicting thoughts. Not much had actually happened and the writing wasn't my favorite. There were a few laugh out loud moments but some threads in the story could have been pulled a bit more for me... but despite any 'complaint' I might have come up with I could not make myself stop reading.
I could not put this down. It's a very sweet, easy romance about a woman who sometimes like a side character in her own light. I loved Will and Savannah together.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be checking other titles by this author.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Couldn’t put it down once I started. Reminded me very much of The Hating Game.

If you like your “rom-com” books steam-free and light on both the rom and the com, this might be for you. It’s a light and easy read if you’re looking for that. For me, it would’ve been better with a bit more depth. Turn the volume up a bit on it all. I would’ve liked less focus on the unrealistic family storylines that make the main character seem like a total doormat when she’s not represented that way anywhere else in life. That page space could’ve been better spent deepening the connection between the leads. The ending of the best friend’s storyline seemed like a really odd and disappointing choice too. None of these things made it *bad* but it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. The moments where the work roles were dropped and the characters were themselves read the best on the page - the “wait are we flirting?” moments. It all felt very…..”romance book you wouldn’t be afraid of your local church ladies seeing you read.”

Tropes: : Work place romance, boss-subordinate, possible mistaken identity, very slow-burn.

This will be released February 15, 2022. I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

Melissa Ferguson is a gem! I have loved all of her books, and 'Meet Me in the Margins' continues her winning tradition. Savannah and Will's story is not easy. Each has childhood issues that transfer into adulthood. In other words, they are real and just like the rest of us. How they solve their problems, and grow into new understandings is a delightful exercise. This heartwarming charmer stayed with me, and is a happy place to consider in difficult times. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Savannah Cade is an editor working at Pennington Publishing. She also has a secret: she is writing a romance novel, which must remain secret as her boss Ms. Pennington absolutely hates romance novels. After a disastrous situation in front of her new superior Will Pennington (Ms. Pennington’s son) she dashes to her secret nook in the company’s ARC room to stash her manuscript. When she later returns to it, she sees that it has been marked up with suggestions and commentary. What then entails is a back-and-forth between Savannah and her mystery editor as they together help bring life to her dream romance novel.

I really wanted to love this one! I just could not connect to the characters or their romance. I absolutely adored the idea behind this story and was so excited to dive in, the You’ve Got Mail similarities and never ending bookish content? sign me up! The highlight for me had to be the banter between the two in the manuscript, it was adorable! I did feel like there was a lot of inner monologue from the character that wasn’t necessary that sometimes had me skimming through. I also could not understand the dynamic between Savannah, Ferris and Olivia, it was very cringey at times. I feel like our heroine Savannah was put down a lot throughout the story, by her family and even at work and I wish we really got a chance to see her shine and stick up for herself. This was defiantly not a steamy romance which I do not mind at all however I don’t’ feel like the love connection between the two main characters was strong enough.

I want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This title will be released on February 15th, 2022.

I love this concept, a secret room with a secret editor where you write notes back and forth about your rom-com manuscript.

The mix-ups that happen throughout and the cast of secondary characters are funny. I also really enjoyed the forward thinking publishing storyline. not all publishing houses are flailing so I liked seeing a story in which staff are happy and thriving. This was a great light, happy-ending read!

On a personal note--as a librarian who recently attended a library conference in Nashville at Music City Center...I felt a little called out at the absolutely accurate feeding frenzy that is librarians at the vendor opening and all of the free ARCs.

Meet Me in the Margins releases Feb 15th.

Thank you @netgalley and @thomasnelson for this ARC!

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I loved the inside look into publishing and writing a book. I wasn't expecting it to be as closed door as it was, and boy Savannah's family was...something else. I have a full review that will be posted on the Under the Covers Book Blog that talks more about what did and didn't work for me for this one.

Let's just say I don't know-how the whole being her boss dynamic worked and her ex being her sister's fiance? That was wild.

This was a really cute romance that I enjoyed, despite romance not being a genre which I read often. I enjoyed reading the behind the scenes stuff about the publishing world, and the likable characters.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really exciting story. I adore the trope in which they fall in love with the writing while also falling in love in person. These characters are easy to root for, and I was rooting for them both from the start of the book. I thought the writing was excellent, and it was interesting to learn about the inner workings of a small publisher. I flew through the pages of the book because it was so fast-paced.

Meet Me in the Margins is casually charming, funny and full of sweetness

I’m a sucker for any book or show that features publishing, and I’ve been feeling a void since Younger wrapped up. So, when I read the blurb for Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson, I was very excited to jump in. This sweet romcom gave me my fix and more.

Savannah Cade is an editor at a publishing company based in Nashville. She describes herself as “settled into mediocrity” and “perfectly adequate.” I’d rather describe her as imperfect and relatable. Her low self-worth probably comes from the fact that she’s surrounded by total jerks, starting with her type-A sister who wants to force everybody into her lifestyle, then her long-term ex-boyfriend who is now engaged to this same “perfect” sister, and finally her parents who refuse to acknowledge how much that turn of events sucks. For most of the book, I wanted to give Savannah a big hug and tell her it’s okay to distance yourself from toxic people, even if they are family. In this sense, Savannah is a little clueless.

Outside of her family circle, Savannah’s life gets more interesting. She has been secretly writing a romance novel, and the premise of that book has already caught the attention of a seasoned editor at a prominent publishing company. Unfortunately, she has to keep all this under wraps because the publishing house she works for focuses exclusively on non-fiction and literary fiction. Ms. Pennington, the CEO, has no respect for any book outside those genres. If she finds out about Savannah’s book, she’ll likely fire her.

“Ms. Pennington doesn’t just not like commercial fiction. She loathes it. And romance, according to her, is the lowest form. It is, according to Ms. Pennington herself, the stuff read aloud in Dante’s lowest level of hell. On par with pink Moscato, girls in wraparound scarves holding pumpking-spice lattes, and country music.”
After accidentally dropping the draft of her book in the middle of a staff meeting, spilling pages all over the room, Savannah has to find somewhere to hide it before anybody comes by asking questions. She stashes the pages in a hidden nook behind a file cabinet in the ARC room, but when she comes back for it, she notices somebody had provided editorial comments on the margins of her draft. Savannah initially dismisses the suggested edits, but after hearing similar notes from the romance editor who had shown interest in her book, she decides to accept the mystery editor’s help.


As her book evolves, she develops a particular interest in the person behind the insightful comments and grows curious about who it could be. Is it one of her fellow editors? Is it her coworker who she went on a date with a few years ago? Or, could it be Will, Ms. Pennington’s son, who just joined the staff and Savannah is starting to grow close to? Whoever he is, as Savannah starts to commit to her book, in part thanks to the mystery man’s help, Savannah’s stories begin to take off on and off the page. We see her grow to accept the confident, funny, and smart woman she has always been.

A bookish book about bookish love
Meet Me in the Margins was full of wit, charm, and swoon. Its twists and turns keep the story engaging, and the slow-burn romance has the perfect feel-good ending.

This was a super cute romance. I loved the setting and sweetness of it. Weirdly, it was Ferris that drew me in the most. I was so fascinated by the idea of living with your ex's fiance and having to hang out with them all the time in your own home. Can you even imagine?! Worst living situation EVER.

This is such a sweet book. I love the premise and the pacing was just right. I spotted the "miscommunication" almost immediately, there's a sentence about childhood that gives it away from the off, so the false narrative didn't really give the tension, I was more just confused as it was plainly obvious who the mystery editor was.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Melissa Ferguson for the opportunity to read Meet Me In The Margins in exchange for an honest review!

This book was delightful, charming and sweet and I shamelessly admit that I was up until 3:30 am to finish it! It took me a chapter or two to get into it, but I quickly began to adore the characters and storyline!

Savannah is an assistant editor who is often undervalued by those she holds close, yet provides unwavering support and loyalty for others. Through a series of events, Savannah finds herself in the midst of a cute-yet-intimidating-to-everyone-else new boss, an overbearing sister, her ex-boyfriend as her future brother-in-law and a race to quietly submit her book/manuscript to a dream publishing house with the help of a secret/anonymous editor guiding her through the process. Phew! It was a joy to read and as a reader who loves ARCs, I loved the setting in a publication house, particularly the ARC room.

There were a number of typos, formatting hiccups and it was rather PG, but I enjoyed the easy-breezy nature of it all the same. I do strongly feel like there was lots of potential for stronger passion/emotional pull and was sooooomewhat let down by the fizzling out of the slow burn set up.

3.5 stars

This was so cute! I loved Savannah so much! And of course I loved Will as well. This was such a fun and unique way to get to know our main characters. The side characters were also fun and I am glad to see the family work themselves out (even though that felt a bit rushed) I did find myself questioning if we were in England sometimes? I felt like this with the authors other title as well. Not I don’t live some British slang, it just jumped up some times. But overall I smiled the whole way through and this is perfect for anyone looking for a heartfelt romance.

Initial thoughts
Stayed up till 2 am today finishing Meet Me In The Margins. I'm a sucker for the anonymous notes trope, so I knew I was going to fall head over heels for this book.
The main character is very relatable and you feel the need to just protect her from the world out there.
I do think it's a book targeted at the hardcore readers, who know the surface of how publishing houses work. A very wholesome book romance, Meet Me In The Margins stole my heart!
FTC.
Disclaimer- I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I really wanted to like this book but the writing style just did not work for me. I did enjoy the characters and plot though.

I was in a reading slump-had started several books, but couldn't get into any of them. I started Meet Me in the Margins and it was the perfect book to want to keep reading. It is fun romcom that I think fans of Emily Henry will love.
Life has been a little hard for Savannah as her sister is engaged to Savannah's ex and the small publishing house she works for is having financial difficulties and the owner's serious son has come to take over the business. Savannah loves a "hidden" room in the ARC room and hides a manuscript she has written in the room only to come back and find editing notes left in it by a mysterious reader. Savannah come to find the mysterious reader is really helpful to her and that she may be falling in love with him.
I learned a lot about the publishing business in Meet Me in the Margins. The story also had several stories woven in about Savannah, but not so many that I lost track of any of them. I recommend this book to all those who need a feel good romance.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, but all opinions are my own.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I gave it a 3.5 star rating. This is a PG story that's a workplace romance and is a quick and easy read.
Savannah is an editor for a publishing company that strictly only publishes nonfiction books and she is secretly writing a romance novel. After she drops her manuscript in a meeting, she feels the need to hide her book in a safe- and secret- place. Well, when she goes to retrieve her manuscript later that day, she notices that someone has taken it upon themselves to write notes and suggestions in the margins. This mystery editor agrees to help her fix the issues with her manuscript. While editing the manuscript, she starts to fall for her mystery editor, whom she has a suspicion of who they are.
At the same time, the publishing company gets a new VP; the owner's son. William takes over and has some plans to make some major changes. Will seems to show up when she least expects it, on more than one occasion, and he respects her opinions when it comes to the details of the office.
I enjoyed the banter and the flirting that takes place in this book. It was cute and endearing. There are a couple plot twist that blind sided me, that I ended up enjoying. I will say this is a very slow paced book and at times it felt like it was dragging a little. I would have liked there to be a little more romance than just at the end of the story. The ending was predictable but the story itself is enjoyable. I definitely would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and cute read.
I received a complementary ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*Thank you to the Netgalley, publisher and the author for the arc*

Melissa Ferguson is a go to author to me.
Once again she delivers with the charming ,sweet and easy read.
Read it in one sitting.
If you are looking for a quick and easy read ,bit of a getaway then this book is for you.
Def recommend!