Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC of MEET ME IN THE MARGINS!

This was one of two romances I read over vacation, and it gave me all the genre escapism I needed. This book has the best parts of YOU'VE GOT MAIL and THE HATING GAME set in Nashville. As a book nerd, I loved all the writing and publishing-related details. I found the romance itself charming. A great read.

Unfortunately my review copy format was very difficult to read and it kind of kept pulling me out of the story. Other than that it was a good book and I look forward to reading it again with better formatting.

What a fun and engaging read! Absolutely loved it! I would love to read even more about these characters in a sequel!

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson is a fun book about books! This adorable romance has sympathetic characters and a fascinating look at a small book publisher all set in Nashville, Tennessee. This book has a You’ve Got Mail vibe and I just loved it!

Savannah Cade works for Pennington Publishing as an editorial assistant. Pennington Publishing is a small independent publishing house in Nashville and caters to high-brow literary books. Savannah has secretly been writing a romance novel, a genre that Pennington would never publish, as it’s considered commercial fiction.

Savannah finds a little nook, hidden away in the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) room of her building. After discovering the nook, she accidentally leaves her romance novel manuscript in the nook. When she finally gets a chance to go into the nook, she finds her manuscript with a lot of notes, handwritten in the margins. Her first response is to be angry, but after a while, she realizes that her mystery editor is right, and she starts to use his input to make her manuscript better. She knows her mystery editor is a man and using the process of elimination, she works to figure out who he might be.

Wow, this was a fun story. I love this trope where they fall in love over the writing and are also falling in love in person. These characters are so easy to care about and I was rooting for them both from the very beginning of the book. I thought the writing was excellent and I enjoyed learning about the inside workings of a small publisher. The book was fast-paced and I just flew through the pages.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A sweet “you’ve got mail” rom-com of a story.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters.
Savannah is humorous with a delightful personality. She was always finding herself in scrapes, and just a bit klutzy. I couldn't help but find myself laughing at her.
Her job was being an acquisitions editor at Pennington Press, a family-run publishing house.. She was fairly low on the totem pole, and longed to not only move up at the publishers, but become a published author.
Her work-in-process had potential, but after she'd showed to a romance editor at another publisher, and finding out how much work it would actually take to bring it up to where it needed to be, she'd almost given up hope.
Enter her mysterious editor...you see, she left her manuscript laying in her favorite hideaway, an attic room at the publishing house. When she returned, she discovered notes written in the margins. Her initial outrage turned to delight as she realized this anonymous editor could potentially help her reach her desired goal.
The resulting events are humorous, and make this story a fun read. I did have my suspicions about how it would all turn out....I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that.

If you are looking for a light-hearted, contemporary romance to read, then be sure and read this book!
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Savannah Cade edits others for a living, but she dreams of getting her own romance book published. When she accidentally leaves her manuscript out in the staff room, she gets a surprise editor that offers harsh yet constructive criticism on her work. After her manuscript is turned down by a prestigious editor that makes many of the comments that the mysterious editor made, Savannah asks for help from this unknown person. Ferguson has written a delightful rom-com that is predictable, funny, and worth reading.

This was such a sweet story. I love the concept & that it’s around books.

I feel that the end was rushed but I was glad that everything was resolved & tied together nicely with a gorgeous literary bow.

Ok, so to start with this was super cute and funny. LOVE a slow burn and it was slowwww and that was amazing <3

Characters were super likeable and loved the character development of Olivia (Savannahs Sister.)

The romance was super cute but would of preferred a little more tension and build up.

I did also find same of the plot a little predictable which I feel could of been fluffed out a little more.

I have to admit, the idea of a romance for book lovers based in the world of publishing, hooked me in! While at times vibrant, the protagonist Savannah seemed to fade in and out. There were moments of tenderness and charm and laughter. However the overall effect felt a little flat. A charming, but highly predictable read. (Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC OF “Meet me in the Margins”.)

This book was totally adorable. I loved the main characters and the way they interacted with each other, and the slow dawn of realization on "Holly's" part on what was going on. The adding in of big words had me laughing, and I am all too familiar with ruthless editing comments.

I did find it a bit hard to believe that the two love interests never ran into each other in the attic/Book Nook, and the addition of other characters affecting their story was also a little implausible; but TBH, sometimes when the story is sweet and you're rooting for them, you don't care.

I really enjoyed all the goings-on at a publishing house, and the descriptions of the old building with its wallpaper and flooring were so realistic that I could feel myself walking the same hallways.

In summary, it was sweet, fun, and a lovely light read.

This was a modern epistolary novel- though not a love formed from letters but through notes in a manuscript. The main character seemed relatable in all of her unfortunate life qualities and interesting. It seems to be common trend to be writing about book editors in romance novels and I whole-heartedly enjoyed this one. Our protagonist leaves her manuscript in a "secret" room where people go to read ARCs and when she returns someone has started editing her manuscript. There are twists to her life but overall her Dear Editor was not as surprise to me, but that made the epilogue better-many stories lack an epilogue and it makes everything, especially the romance genre, better.

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


Meet me in the margins is a romance novel about our protagonist Savannah, who works as an editor in a traditional publishing house but always had the dream to become an author herself. When one day she leaves her romance manuscript in the Arc room, a mysterious person starts editing it, and Savannah soon realizes that she will need the help of her mysterious editor to have her dream come true.

I enjoyed reading Savannah's story and her journey to fulfill her dream. The story was fast-paced and had quirky characters. The writing was great and the romantic relationship between the two main characters was sweet. Though I would have wished for a little more romance since it was marketed as such. There was just something lacking in terms of build-up. The characters had some sweet scenes, but before I knew it the book was over, and it felt like the characters still had not got enough time to get to know each other, but that could be my own preference, since I'm a big fan of slow-burn romances. Whilst I liked Savannah, be prepared to hate the rest of her family with their stuck up attitudes and the way they treat our main character. The family dynamic was a part of the story I truly enjoyed. I feel like every romance features a family who couldn't be closer and love each other more, but this one was more on the realistic side, showing that there are always little problems in families and that sometimes family members can feel inferior to their relatives. I also liked Savannah's position. She wasn't the typical CEO of the firm just one promotion away from being everyone's boss, but actually had a job that is realistic (not that there aren't CEO's out there, but I don't think everyone has to be one/has the opportunity to become one). It was great to see how her actual boss treated her with kindness and respected her opinion even though she wasn't on the top of the career ladder.

All in all, I liked this book and would recommend it to aspiring authors and basically anyone who enjoys a quick and sweet romance featuring book lovers.

A sweet romance for booklovers. I was especially interested in the behind-the-scenes publishing industry nuggets. It was a bit slow to start but I slowly fell in love with Savannah and Will falling in love, while editing her book through notes to each other in the margins. A cute premise!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This swoon-worthy romance had me smiling up until the very end. The witty remarkful banter between the protagonists along with their little secret manuscript I was wholly hooked.

Book: Meet Me in the Margins
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Plot Rating: ★★★★.5/5
Character Chemistry: ★★★.5/5
Overall Rating: ★★★★/5

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆-𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂.

Apart from the fact it took 7 chapters in order for me to immerse myself into this book, I enjoyed it thoroughly and mostly because of the character herself. Melissa wrote a relatable character I aligned with more than I like to admit. But the relatability in the truly normal character hooked me almost immediately because I've never truly seen a written character like that.

As for the mystery man. He was everything and more, even though there wasn't as many appearances as a normal romance has it only increased what I felt for the book because not everything revolves around the man but in this there was a perfect amount of her to him ratio. regardless, I loved it thoroughly and would very much recommend it to anyone.

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

Nia Myers

This novel is a fun read with a taste of You’ve Got Mail light in a frothy first person voice. Readers will find much to enjoy about the heroine Savannah and her missteps and miscues as she navigates being an editor by day and a writer by night. An enjoyable read for romance lovers.

were so many sweet and funny parts to this book!

I really liked Savannah as a character. She was funny and felt really relatable especially in her life stressors. I just wish we got … more. There wasn’t a ton of character growth, which is fine, but could have added a bit more depth. I also would have loved to see more about the relationships around her, like her sister and Lyla. We got a little bit but again, it could have gone deeper.

I did enjoy the pacing of the relationship between Savannah and Will. It was a slow burn for sure, but I think that felt pretty authentic for these characters. And I actually really liked the ending — it’s not going to shock anyone but it was still really heartfelt and full of genuine kindness.

Overall, I enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins and would recommend for anyone who’s looking for a fast, sweet and clean romance!

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

A cute, light read, perfect for the beach or a lazy Sunday afternoon. I would highly recommend this.

I tried, I really did. But I just could not get into the book. I couldn't connect to the chat and the story line was just kind of lacking.

Meet Me In The Margins is the fourth novel by American author, Melissa Ferguson. Savannah Cade works as an Assistant Acquisitions Editor for Pennington Publishing, known for non-fiction and literary fiction. But Savannah’s real passion is the romance novel she’s been writing since college, tentatively titled Pining For You.

Savannah is probably the least accomplished member of her overachieving family: it would be so good to succeed at something, especially beside her highly qualified younger sister. Living with Olivia, super-fit and studying for two PhDs, she (unfortunately) regularly encounters her ex-boyfriend and soon-to-be brother-in-law, Ferris, the awkwardness of which has mostly worn off.

Trying to meet a submission deadline for a romance editor she met at a conference, Savannah brings that manuscript to work to do some final edits, then has to quickly hide it away: CEO Patricia Pennington would NOT approve. When she later retrieves it, she finds someone has written comments and criticism in the margins. Savannah is miffed, but also intrigued: who at Pennington has critiqued her work?

Patricia Pennington’s son, William has recently joined the team as VP and Publisher of their Pennington Pen division (Savannah’s) and somehow, she has a number of somewhat embarrassing interactions with him. Her colleagues are worried about their jobs: William is there to save Pennington from going under, but out of hours Will and Savannah seem to connect.

When she later meets with Claire Donovan, chief editor of a romance publishing house, Savannah listens carefully to her criticism, which aligns with her mystery reviewer: she has to concede that perhaps those remarks are valid. Soon, she has returned the manuscript to its hiding place with a polite request attached for help. She’s almost convinced that Will is her mystery editor, and not unhappy when the comments turn a little flirtatious, but then she spots another colleague near the space where she usually leaves the manuscript…

Even if the outcome is predictable from the start, this is still an enjoyable journey to a sweet ending. Ferguson gives the reader some appealing characters and witty dialogue. The Cade family’s idea of loyalty is a little warped, and Savannah draws out the mystery of her editor longer than is perhaps realistic, but romance fans will appreciate the happy-ever-after ending. A fun rom-com.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction.

i was excited to read this book when i first requested and i hate to say that it didn't meet my expectations. the writing style did not click with me and the plot felt very non-directional. i so badly wanted to like it :( at least the cover is cute