Savannah Cade may finally get all she’s ever dreamed of. The editor-in-chief at the biggest romance publisher in the country has interest in her manuscript. A manuscript Savannah has written in secret for years while working as an editor at a small publisher. One who does not believe in “frivolous” literature— such as romance.

All of her dreams could come crashing down when she drops her manuscript at an all staff meeting. Immediately Savannah rushes her manuscript in to hidden room only she seems to know. Or so she thought. That night, she returns to find comments in the margins— comments that are quite critical of her book. Savannah refuses to listen and turns in the manuscript under a pen name. But when her manuscript is denied by the larger publisher with similar critiques as the mystery editor, she turns to them for help.

Over the next six weeks, Savannah and her mystery editor bond through the notes in the margins. They divulge personal stories as they edit the book into something worthwhile and begin to fall for the other. The problem? She has no idea who he is.

Alright this was absolutely adorable and gave me <I>You’ve Got Mail</I> vibes. I loved watching Savannah fall for her editor while also gaining confidence in herself.

Likes
• <I>You’ve Got Mail</I> vibes
• falling for someone through written word
• books are a main topic
• learning more about the publishing world

Dislikes
• how predictable it was who the editor was— I would’ve liked more ambiguity between the two possibilities.

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

Meet Me in the Margins was a great concept and had cute characters, but I struggled to get into the story. Although it was a quick and easy read, I felt like the characters and their relationships fell rather flat. The writing style sometimes caused me to snap out of Sav and Will's story and have to reimmerse myself a few sentences later. Overall, a cute concept and good bones, but the story ultimately did not deliver.

PUBLICATION DATE: December 31, 2021

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this book up the other night as I wanted something to read that didn't require a lot of thought process. Meet Me in the Margins fits the bill.

(Dear TK, I hope you were able to get the editing requests done before final publication.)

The book was fun and a delight to read. A fast book, one that I'm always fond of, I started it before bed the other night and finished it the following day. Some odd bits were the stress on Savannah's shortness and her propensity to wear tall heels when that didn't get picked up again later in the story so the mentioning of her shortness, at barely five feet, seemed a bit odd, however, it helped propel her meet cute with Will.

I wish there was more development between Will and Sav which seems to have started out as a slow burn and not enough fire to keep it going. The ending just kind of happened. Sav's relationship with her ex-boyfriend now potential brother in law was too close for comfort. I know the family motto was loyalty for family and to buck up and keep your chin up but there should have been more angst and pain rather than "Oh, he brought me flowers. How kind." situation going on. Her sister, Olivia, is a nightmare and I'm glad she got taken down a peg or two.

The mix-up with Sam and his lady friend was sweet. While I was not so crazy about how Ferguson treated Sav with her family, I did love the loyalty she had for her friend Layla the soon to be country music queen and the lengths she would go to support her. Also, Layla sounds like good fun. More of her please.

tl;dr I feel like this is not an original story but I can't quite place why. I feel like the setup is not new but I do like Ferguson's version of the story quite a bit. The book was well written and except for a few nit picks, the execution was good. There is enough here to investigate reading more of Ferguson's works. Would recommend.

This a was a quick fast paced read and I enjoyed the clever plot, witty dialogue and the slow friendship to romance. At first the writing was too frenetic for me but I stayed with the story and it slowed down. Some outcome was as I expected and there were not many surprises except the other couple. The character development was nicely presented through interaction and their dialogue in the margins of Savannah’s manuscript. The message of the book is inspiring to those who struggle with their place in family dynamics, pursuing far-reaching dreams, and a finding someone to love you for who you are. My major disappointment was the lack of exploration of the faith in the characters. Overall clean and inspiring read

This was a fast read, but I just did not enjoy it. The characters weren't all that flushed out, and I wanted wayyyyyyy more development for all of them, but especially the main characters. The whole romance aspect and the "twists" weren't done very well, and it was way too predictable and cheesy. I also think the ending was extremely rushed. This just wasn't for me.

This was such a fun read! I'm such a sucker for books about books and writing and I really liked how this one focused on the editorial process. I thought it was really sweet how the two main characters connected through the edits of her manuscript, and as a romance writer myself, I really connected with the female main character. I also really liked her dynamic with her family and the way those issues were dealt with. Overall this was a really entertaining read that kept my interest and left me wanting more!

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

Rating: 3.5 to 4-ish stars (rounding up)

Meet Me in the Margins is a cute, light romance about Savannah Cade, assistant editor at Pennington Publishing and aspiring romance author, and Will Pennington, son of the publishing house's CEO and new head of Savannah's team. When Savannah's romance manuscript is almost discovered at work, she leaves it in a secret room, and when she comes back to retrieve it, someone has left edits in the margins. Thus ensues a pseudo-pen pal relationship with an unknown coworker while Sav gets to know her new boss, falling for both of them at the same time.

I had a few problems with this book. First of all, Savannah's sister? And her comments about Savannah's diet and body? That whole plot point was not okay. Fat-shaming a size 6??? Fat-shaming period??? A huge no. I also didn't like how the storyline with Ferris played out. It came across as out of character, and the relationship between Olivia and Ferris was too underdeveloped to make it impactful.

That being said, I loved Will, and I loved all of the interactions between Savannah and Will. And the ending was fantastic. So, these hates and loves net out to a decent romance novel - overall, I would recommend it.

A romantic comedy with lots of twists and turns and funny situations. Savannah works for a publisher and dreams of writing a romance novel. She takes her manuscript to work while getting ready to submit it to a rival publisher. To avoid letting anyone see her manuscript she hides it in a secret room. Someone finds it and makes corrections and suggestions.
This was a fun romance full of humor and secrets as Savannah struggles to finish writing her romance novel.

I absolutely loved this book! I stayed up past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down, and I woke up excited the next day (despite getting less sleep than usual) because I was happy to read more of it!

Savannah is an editor at a small publishing house that prides itself on publishing nonfiction and literary fiction. So what’s an editor to do when she is also writing a romance novel? I loved Savannah so much, and I really related to her in many bookish ways! She was depressed after reading all the books by a favorite author and was sad to have to wait for the next release. She loves ARCs and books, and the book mentions bookstagrammers and their role in the publishing industry!

William is the son of Savannah’s boss, and he was brought in to cut positions and make hard choices for the good of the company. At first he was a little stiff around Savannah, but I loved when it became apparent he has a good sense of humor!

The contrast between always trying to rack up accomplishments and truly loving and living is done so well in this book! That is something I had been thinking about before I read this story, and this theme gave me more food for thought.

Sometimes Savannah is a little clueless about the men in her life, but there are good reasons for why she doesn’t realize things about them. I don’t always like it when characters are naive about certain things like that, but in this case I thought it was endearing, and it works for this book!

5/5 stars!

Content:
Mild swearing

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A secret room, a manuscript in need of an overhaul, and a mysterious editor consume Savannah’s thoughts as the deadline to submit her manuscript quickly approaches. Will Pennington is the new publisher at Pennington Publishing and son of the CEO who despises romance novels which is exactly what Savannah has written. As Savannah rewrites her manuscript with the help of her mysterious editor, their notes in the margins change from strictly critics to personal questions in the name of improving Savannah’s story. Savannah begins to develop a real connection to her mysterious editor but she can’t figure out who he is; could he be Sam, contract’s manager she’s seen lurking near the secret room, or Will based off the few enlightening interactions they’ve had.


Such a cute story! I truly enjoyed the concept of editors falling for each other through notes written in the margins of a manuscript and in a secret room nonetheless. Savannah and Will’s interactions were professional yet sweet and endearing and for Will to listen to Savannah showed her how valued she was to him even when she wasn’t sure if he was her mystery editor or not. This is one of those books you read when you are looking for a cute story to escape in while snuggled up on the couch.


Thank you @netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Meets Me in the Margins is a cute romantic comedy that reminded me very much of The Hating Game but better (yeah, I said what I said). While the pacing does start a bit slow, it does eventually pick up and I could not stop reading.

I absolutely adored Sav’s story and loved seeing the romance slowly unfold between her and Will. Their banter was the best and had me rolling. Loved this!

Thank you so much to the publisher and to netgalley for the arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book, It was right up my alley a romcom centered around books with the main character also being an author. I found it really easy to fall into step with the characters and the plot. A lot of people said this was a predictable story but i digress i found some of it to be a surprise for me, in some chapters. And as someone who wants to pursue writing i related to savannah in a lot of ways. Overall it was a fun cute read and I definitely recommend it especially if you’re a fan of books like the hating game where there’s a workplace romance taking places

Thank you so much to to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc of this one.

The premise of this book made me so excited, who doesn't love a book about books. Our main character works for a literary agency focused on highbrow and influential works but secretly writes romance 🙈

When a series of events unfolds so that a secret editor is giving her anonymous feedback on her work through a hidden room. It's a very sweet, albeit slightly convenient premise, (I know they have a schedule so they don't meet but I find it hard to believe they never crossed paths when they were going there multiple times a day)

Regardless of this I found this a super fun and quick read, it had elements of The flatshare and The hating Game (both books I adore)

There was some truly laugh out loud scenes (the one in the courthouse had me grinning)

Definitely give this one a go if your looking for a fun contemporary rom com ❤️ A solid 3.5⭐ for me xx

Sweet, adorable rom-com for book lovers and anyone who has ever wished or hoped to work in the publishing business.
Savannah is the oldest daughter in a high achiever family, but feels like the unsuccessful black sheep.
She likes her publishing job and gets to work with her best friend, but isn’t passionate about the work. (TBH she doesn’t seem to do that much actual work for her job during the book but that may just be what the book focused on. )
Her real passion is the romance novel she’s writing, but it needs major edits. She starts to communicate with a mystery editor after she leaves the manuscript in the secret room in the old Victorian where the publisher is housed.
Will Pennington comes in to take over as the new boss - and he’s the owners son. At work, he’s cold and stern. By chance, Savannah gets to know him outside of work and he’s warmer, earnest, and even a little vulnerable.
I loved the character Savannah. She was the most realistic heroine I’ve read in a long time. Their relationship had a slow build, which was complicated by a few factors that I don’t want to spoil.
Overall, the book was a really engaging romance with a sweet, rewarding end. I definitely recommend it and hope you check it out when it releases in February!
•
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

5 Stars

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

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my own review.

This was a really all-round lovely read. The book is a rom-com that follows Savannah as she struggles through a quarter life crisis, her overbearing sister Olivia and her new boss Will who excites and intimidates her. While dealing with the stress of life/family/work Sav is trying to publish her own book and discovers the stressors of the industry from the other side. She has help throughout her process from a mystery editor who she tries to find throughout the story.

It's similar to The Hating Game in that they are set in a book related industry, if you liked that you will love this. This book was definitely more in-depth publishing wise and I loved learning the ins and outs. I will also note that this book delved deeper into Savannah's backstory where I felt The Hating Game did not. My highlight was the relationship explored between Sav and Olivia (even if it was stressful).

It starts out quite slow as the scene is set but quickly picks up after the middle. Some say the plot was predictable but I was certainly surprised with a couple of the turns. I found the writing super easy to follow and fall into the world - the descriptions were sprinkled throughout but thorough enough to really set a scene.

People mention the lack of backstory for Will and I definitely feel that he could have been more fleshed out - in saying that though there is enough character interactions and backstory that I certainly feel a series could follow with different characters/stories.

Highly recommend for people fans of secret admirers, scary bosses who are sometimes lovely, women coming into their own and family's being so flipping rude it's stressful.

Age wise this is probably fine for older teen readers, it's quite clean plot-wise.

This was so my kind of book, I love a bookish romance. I didn't rate this higher, because it was a slow burn, the MC's didn't spend much time together and I would have liked to get more of the margins interactions. There wasn't the typical conflict by the third act, which I find refreshing, but if they would have gotten together sooner, maybe it could have been nice to see the relationship bloom and we could have gotten more on the new company adjustments.

It was obiously predictable, it would have been nicer if the author made us doubt who the mysterious editos was.

I love any book set in the world of publishing, and Meet Me in the Margins is no exception!

I have to note that the beginning of this book was a little too similar to The Hating Game for me, with the male lead coming into the publishing house with the intention of cutting jobs to save the company money, and the female lead's ex now being engaged to her sister. It almost read like fan fiction.

BUT once the book moved beyond the initial setting-of-the-stage (which only took a chapter or two), I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Savannah and Will's relationship felt realistic, and I enjoyed their IRL interactions just as much as the ones occurring in the margins of Savannah's manuscript.

This is the first book I've read by Melissa Ferguson, but I will now be diving into her backlist!

Books about books?! This is like the perfect book and i cannot stress enough.
Savannah is writing a book so what happens when she forgets her book one day and then finds her book with notes in the margin.
I enjoyed everything about the book. The chemistry, the characters, it was an amazing book.
I'd definitely recommend it, it is the sweet and adorable romance that i', gonna think about quite often.

I absolutely loved this book. I’m a sucker for books about books and I loved the trek this story took. Sav and Will were complex together and apart and I really enjoyed their journey in this novel.

If you wonder what it looks like from the perspective of a book editor, this is a great place to start.

Savannah is a low-level editor at a small publishing house. They only accept the purest of books with the classiest categories. No fiction in that house! But there's one secret... Savannah is in the middle of writing her own romance book. Another fun twist in the book- there is a secret room upstairs where Savannah one day leaves her book. When she returns there are notes in the margins. Thus begins a secret relationship between her and this mystery editor. She has a few ideas of who it could be in that small company, but we are kept guessing until the end.

The characters were so unique and perfectly written. I loved some, rolled my eyes at some and despised others. I really and truly enjoyed this simple book and pretty sure I read it in a day. I've already searched out another of her books, I enjoyed it that much! Plus, it's clean, which is always a bonus for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.