3.5 stars! This one was cute and I liked it okay. I wish there was just a little more action in it.

Definitely for you if you enjoy:
- Pen pals flirting
- Publishing industry behind the scenes
- Cosy romance

Savannah is a low level editor at Pennington Publishing and though she loves editing, she has a secret dream. She wants to become a romance author. When the opportunity shows itself, she sends in a manuscript to the best romance publishing house only for the editor who reached out to her tell her it’s not quite ready to be published but if she can have it ready in a month and a half, she might have a chance.

Already down on her luck with the CEO’s strict and bossy son, Will, becoming her new boss, Savannah accidentally leaves her rejected manuscript in her secret book nook and finds it with all kinds of edits in the margins. She’s bewildered by the audacity this person has judging her characters and making all kinds of criticisms. She’s immediately defensive but when she realizes this could help her, she leaves it in the book nook hoping they’ll help to get it ready to send it off again.

As she and her mystery editor strike up a pen pal-ship, she also finds herself in moments with Will, proving he’s not as dejected as he seems. Subtle flirting in the margins with someone she can’t seem to pin down and warm moments with Will, she has to decide who all these feelings are for and trying to be optimistic that her romance novel can really take off too.

📚

This one was cute! I thought maybe there’d be a little more action in her personal life on top of the flirting in the margins but I didn’t find what I was looking for. I did really adore all the fun banter between Savannah and Will though. Their chemistry was sweet and I found them both loveable.

In terms of story, I found myself not able to stick to the pace or plot. In some parts it just felt a little slow. The drama with her family was wild but I really didn’t care for them or that subplot at all. Every side character just seemed so mean and/or negative and I wish Savannah had one person in her life rooting for her. That would’ve made the book a little more enjoyable for me, I think.

Thank you Netgalley and publishing for sending me this one in return for a honest review!

The plot of this one seemed right up my alley and I was excited to read it, but ultimately the writing style and lack of character development prevented me from being able to rate this one any higher than a 2 out of 5. I also wonder if the formatting was off for my ARC, as it was a bit disjointed and odd to read.

Another thing that was really tough for me was the incredibly slow burn of the MC romance and then the lack of time together.

Thank you for this gifted ARC of Meet Me In The Margins.

I really enjoyed this book! There is something about the books out there that are about books and authors that really suck you in. I thought that this was a really cute work place romance story, with a few twists and turns as well. I thought that I had figured the book out pretty quick, but Melissa’s twists had me second guessing myself. I found myself rooting for Savannah and Will from the start.

I will definitely be looking into Melissa’s other books.

Truly a great romance, especially for a book lover! Even though you know who the secret editor is and you really know how it is going to end it still is an all consuming book, I had to keep reading. Definitely worth putting on your radar and I will be recommending this like crazy even though I am pretty confident it will take-off like wildfire.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC (Advanced readers copy) of Meet Me in The Margins.

This book follows Samantha, a book editor and an aspiring author, as she navigates her life and, tries to uncover who the mysterious editor is that keeps commenting and leaving notes on her manuscript. The same manuscript that she has hidden in her ARC room.

This book was very enjoyable. The premise is a book lovers dream and the main characters were both perfectly human and the cutest people ever. While I wished we could have seen the main characters interact more, this book was a very easy, predictable and overall enjoyable read to start my 2022 year off.

This is a sweet romcom set in the world of publishing. I had a hard time getting into the flow of the book and the characters, so it wasn't for me, but I do recommend it.

Ooh what a delightful book this is. A little predictable at times perhaps? Could there have been a bit more adventure, a bit more ups and downs? Maybe. But these are negligible. It does not negatively impact upon anything in this book whatsoever.

It is warming and cosy and light-hearted and funny and happy and real. The main characters - and secondary characters to that point - are so well-rounded, you can clearly identify familiar people. In fact, the main character of Savannah is my dream future self. I have experience in copy editing, and would love to earn my keep doing it. But also - and it is no secret - my dream is to publish a book or two, and if there’s a handsome man thrown into the mix too, then all the better.

This book gave me everything I wanted. It made me happy and joyful; I read it in one sitting, and ended with a big smile on my face. This is my first Melissa a Ferguson book, but I’ll make it my aim to source her others if they’re as beautiful as this one.

This story was a little long developing but was interesting enough to keep my attention. Even though I was sure of the outcome, I wanted to keep reading to see how the characters succeeded.. The story is set in the publishing world, in a publishing house that only deals in non-fiction and "literary fiction". The main character is writing a romance novel which her boss would never approve of but she has hopes of selling it to another publisher. She brings the book to a work meeting to finish up editing it and drops pages on the floor. The boss's son, the new assistant publisher, finds one and reads it. She then hides it in a special secret room in the building to work on it later, only to come back and find that someone has begun to edit it for her. She and the publisher's son start to develop a relationship. The secret editing continues with lots of drama, mistaken identity, and angst. Of course, love never is easy but as in most romances, all is well in the end. It's a fun trip to get there.

A booklover's dream, to work as an editor and find a hidden room between ARCs. Although it was obvious who the mystery editor was, it was nonetheless very cute!

What a wonderful book! There are so many rom-com style novels out there, and it delights me to no end when I find one that is a bit deeper than the rest. "Meet Me In the Margins" is just that. Truly funny and smart with a concept that I've never come across before, this is the perfect book to pick up when you need to renew your spirit in the middle of the dark winter.

Savannah is an editor secretly dreaming of becoming an author herself. I loved this character and could relate to her on so many levels. I found the characters to be very well written and that the story really came to life. I definitely stayed up too late needing to know how it ended. This is such a fun RomCom and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved seeing a little bit of the behind the scenes in how much work goes into writing and publishing a book as well. Definitely recommend this clean romance to anyone looking for a light fun read.
#MeetMeInTheMargins #NetGalley

This was a pleasant read. I've not read any books by this author but the summary caught my attention and I'm glad it did.

This is a romance, but it's also an interesting little sneak peek into the publishing business and the world of aspiring authors as well.

I liked Savannah and Will. They were engaging, interesting characters. I liked the setting of a work environment in the publishing business and that both of them had a bit of a hidden history of challenges behind them. It was a bit of a meet-awkward, which I liked.

I was very drawn to the idea of a mystery editor–a strangers to lovers feel to it, with the bonus of getting to know each other through the pages of a book, a book being written by one of the main characters. Their notes to each other were progressively revealing and vulnerable.

I particularly loved the secret room. A place of their own, out of the day to day world that surrounded them. One that progressively seemed to become more of a cozy retreat and sanctuary.. The story behind that was an entertaining twist.

There were a few side characters that were intriguing but I was not a fan of Savannah's sister or of Savannah's ex-boyfriend. I understand they were in the story to give some credence to Savannah's self doubt and issues with self worth (her whole family contributed to that) but they felt a little thinly drawn and were somewhat caricatures of those types. I'm not sure the way that situation was resolved worked for me--I understand why it was part of the story but I think this could have been as interesting a book without that particular element/twist.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It gave me what I needed–an easy, comfortable read, with some twists, some fluff. I could take or leave the sister and ex-boyfriend as characters and plot devices but I liked Lila.

Read this if you:
*are an aspiring writer/author
*work as an editor
*like secret narnia-like places
*like to laugh out loud
*like cute swoon worthy men

This book was so cute!!! It’s a slow burn, but it was a good change up from some of the books I’ve read recently. I laughed many times reading this and loved everything about this book!

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Feb 15

This is Melissa's best book yet. Loved it. All of it. My only wish would be that it would be longer. That we could experience more of Will. Yum yum.

What a great premise - I enjoyed learning more about the publishing world and all the work that goes on behind the scenes. The meet cute was original, such a fresh and unique take on a romcom.

Melissa writes in a way that draws you into the story from the first paragraph. I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this contemporary romance novel. What a great way to end off the year.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review. I'm looking forward to recommending this read on other platforms and social media.

I loved this! It was so quirky and fun. I loved the misunderstandings and how normal Savvy felt while reading her. I was slightly disappointed that as the reader we didn't actually see the growth of the characters and that Savvy kept calling Will a "real man". Overall, if someone is looking for a fun meet (I mean the scrambling for the pages of a printed manuscript was great) with a slow build to a happy ending, I will definitely recommend.

Meet Me In The Margins is a light, easy read. Perfect for romance fans. It’s got the usual ingredients that add up to a rom-com with the added bonus of being set in the world of book publishing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an earc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! I am a sucker for books about books, so naturally I absolutely loved that our main character works at a publishing house and is an aspiring writer herself.

The romance in this book is a verrrry slow burn, but I didn't mind that at all. I loved watching our mcs slowly get closer and closer to being together. I thought their romance was very cute and additionally I did really enjoy both of their characters.

This was a really cute romance that I flew through in a matter of days. While the ending of the story could be considered predictable, I don't feel like that takes away from how fun this story was to read! If you're in the mood for a light and fluffy romance that you can read in a couple of days this one checks all the boxes!

Thank you for the ARC.

As someone who one day hopes to finish the book she started writing, this was an immediate download for me! I actually found this really useful in my own critique too!

I'm afraid I didn't love the book though, I enjoyed the plot and the characters but felt it needed more spice, it was a little too clean and nicey nice for me Think this may be a personal thing for me though and otherwise really enjoyed it and would recommend.

This was a light and fun clean rom-com. (I dont particularly love steamy novels). The lead was strong and witty, and the story moved fast. I enjoy this authors writing style and will definitely read more of her work.

Rating 3.5 rounded up
Meet me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson was a fun whirlwind in the publisher/writer world.

Will, the new boss shakes up the company and also Savannah. Will is mysterious and I like how as Savannah gets to know him more, so does the reader since it’s a single point of view. Savannah is trying to write a book while working at a publisher who does that publish that type of book. She comes across a secret editor and a friendship starts… but who is this mysterious editor?

I enjoyed how the side characters had a large role in this book and they all made the story richer. They all had their own personalities and yet didn’t take away from the story. My favorite was Lyla and her spunk!

I do wish there was more love story but I understand how there couldn’t be. Came away with trying to figure out if this was a women’s fiction, RomCom or other.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.
I will be posting this review on Goodreads, bookbub, and instagram within the first week of January.