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

Such a cute read! If you like hallmark movies, you'll love this book. It's a little bit romance, a little bit mystery, a little bit comedy. Not too campy but also doesn't take itself too seriously. Savannah's self-consciousness and relationship with her sister felt very real to me.

Meet Me in the Margins follows Savannah Cade, an assistant book editor and aspiring romance novelist, and Will Pennington, the new boss at Pennington Publishing where Savannah works. Will is demanding and a bit intimidating, and with the threat of consolidation looming, Savannah is determined to prove her worth. During a particularly hectic day, Savannah stashes her manuscript in a secret room at work. However, when she goes back to get it, she notices that someone made constructive notes in the margins. At first, Savannah is nonplussed, but she soon sees that the suggestions are good. With the help of her secret editor, Savannah reconstructs her manuscript, and when the notes start to become more personal, Savannah realizes she is falling for her secret editor. But who is it?

I knew I was going to love this book even before I started reading it. Between the cute cover and the premise of the story, I couldn’t wait to dive in, and I was right. Meet Me in the Margins is such a fun and sweet contemporary romance! Savannah and Will are great main characters, and I enjoyed their love story. They are both smart and determined, and I like how they develop a deep respect for each other. The more time they spend together, the more they see past their first impressions. Will is an honorable man of integrity, and he really listens to Savannah and makes her feel heard, which is unusual for her. I love how much he values her opinion. Savannah comes to realize that Will is not the arrogant and elusive man he initially appears to be. He is kind and caring and innovative. Their relationship is slow-building and burning, and their chemistry is great!

The story takes place at Pennington Publishing, and I absolutely loved that a smaller publishing firm was the primary backdrop of the story. Every time Savannah mentioned the ARC room, I salivated just imagining all those books! Plus, Savannah is surrounded by like-minded people who also love reading, writing, and everything book-related. What’s better than a book about people who are passionate about books?

There are some characters that aren’t part of the book industry, particularly Savannah’s family. They are difficult people, and I hated how unsupportive they were of Savannah. And Savannah’s ex-boyfriend, who became engaged to her sister, is horrible. It’s such an awkward situation, though Savannah handles it maturely. I like how this toxic situation helped Savannah to grow and learn what she wants and deserves in a relationship, but I didn’t find him or Savannah’s sister particularly likable. They definitely contrasted Savannah and Will well, as they are the exact opposites of each other.

Meet Me in the Margins is a super cute, fun, and charming contemporary romance. The book also addresses more serious issues like dealing with pressures at work, healing after a break-up, and trying to maneuver through difficult and unsupportive family dynamics and expectations. I think readers who like contemporary romance or rom-coms with great characters and messages will love this story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Genre: romance
Pub date: Feb 15, 2022
In one sentence: Savannah Cade has just finishing writing her debut romance novel - until she finds the margins of her misplaced draft filled with notes from a mystery editor.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance - if you like your romances light on steam and heavy on cuteness, you'll love this one! Savannah was a fun character to follow - I loved her quirky personality and her determination to get her novel published! Her coworkers at Pennington Press were very entertaining as well. If you like books about books and the publishing world, pick this one up!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Meet Me in the Margins" is most likely the best romance novel I've ever read via NetGalley!

The book tells the story of Savannah, a book editor and an aspiring author. After changes in her company, she gets a new boss, to whom she has to prove herself, while simultaneously struggling with writing her book and getting it published, with the help of a mystery editor who leaves notes on her manuscript without ever meeting her... and towards whom she starts to develop feelings.

I really enjoyed both the plot and the main characters. Savannah was a normal person, flawed like any other, and trying to measure herself up to what she believes are society's expectations of her, while also feeling down on her luck when it comes to romantic interests. The mystery editor was both a fun aspect of the book and had a nice personality, as did William, Savannah's new boss who terrified everyone, but was honorable and had integrity.

I also liked the bookish aspect, considering that Savannah's working in publishing - I specifically drooled over the idea that there are free ARCs all around in the publishing world. Do I think I made a wrong career choice? Why, yes, I do.

If I were to name any negatives, I'd point out the excessive use of the word "pivot" in the first 15-ish%, as well as Savannah's terrible parents, who basically told her to get over it when Savannah's boyfriend dumped her in favor of her sister. The sister had a redeeming arch, so I don't feel as strongly about her.

Nevertheless, this was a very nice romance and I'm happy I had the opportunity to get a copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

Ever find yourself looking for the book equivalent of those late '90s/early 2000s movie romcoms? With likeable leads, a quirky supporting cast, and a comfortably familiar format, Melissa Ferguson's upcoming novel, Meet Me in the Margins, is here to help.

Savannah Cade works at Pennington Pen, a publishing house that proudly producing Literature with a capital "L" — and woe to the unlucky employee who expresses interest in crass commercial fiction! But Savannah has a secret: in her off-hours, she's writing a romance novel. When circumstances force her to hide it in a secret corner of the office for a few hours, she comes back to find someone has left notes in the margins. After initial fury that someone would not only look at but criticize her precious novel, Savannah realizes the commenter's notes are right and asks for help. Soon, written conversations on manuscript pages turn personal, and Savannah is falling for her mystery editor. But who is he? And what if, once she figures out his identity, she realizes it's actually someone else she wants?

The start was a little rough (our heroine has a tendency to babble both in conversation and in narration), but I soon found myself thoroughly enjoying this light, endearing read. The leads are immediately likeable, with a warmth and sweetness that never veers too far into saccharine. There's also an implication that the heroine is asexual, or at least demisexual, which was a nice surprise — I'm not sure if the author meant to imply that, but I like that it's there and would have loved to explore that in a more nuanced way.

Meet Me in the Margins does nothing to reinvent the romcom wheel — and has its share of minor missteps — but what it does do is put a smile on your face and leave you with the warm fuzzies. 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--Fiction for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Savannah Cade's work life is shaken up at the promise of change when the sexy yet intimidating Will Pennington comes in as the new boss. Her company has always specialized in more intellectual topics, while disregarding commercial fiction. The Arc room is Savannah's haven at the publishing house and just happened to leave her manuscript for her secret romance novel she has been writing. However, an unexpected stranger begins to provide content notes and edits in the margins to improve the story. At first Savannah is hesitant before taking the help from her secret friend. Before long, the simple edits become more substantial and Savannah finds herself developing feelings for her mystery man. The thing is....who IS he?

**
I adored the premise going into this book. I love a good mystery-man trope when the protagonists gets to know someone for their thoughts and who they are. Don't get me wrong, the love interest was hardly a mystery and the plot was completely predictable, but I also read the point of romances is to end with the two love interests together and that's what I got. The story moved along well, with several likable supporting characters, and the book wrapped itself up with a pleasant little bow. I left this book getting exactly what I sought.

When you mix books inside of books I love it. Our main female character is an editor at a publishing company. It’s the cutest rom com. You get a little bit of everything and it’s super heart warming

What a charming read! While I wish there was more time with them together it was just so sweet. Will and Sav had such a fun mix of interactions in person and on paper. I wish I could hide away in that secret room for a few hours with a book! Highly recommend this read!

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson follows Savannah Cade who works as an editor at a publishing company whilst secretly writing her own book. She drops her manuscript and hides it, when She looks at the manuscript again she sees someone has written comments in the margins. The person who has done this is Savannah’s love interest and she needs his help to write her story. This was a really sweet romance told in first person POV that many people will love.

When I first read the synopsis I was immediately sold! I am such a sucker for meet-cutes via anonymous letters/notes. So I knew I would enjoy this book.

I will say this book is my dream life.... living in Nashville, working in publishing, and writing a book on the side?!

While there were some cute moments, it did drag in some places. But, ultimately I will recommend this book to friends who love a cute rom-com.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure how i overall feel about this book on the one hand loved the ending, it was a very slow burn and super quick ending though would have liked a little more HEA detail.

On the other hand i feel like the main character was not overall relate-able, without spoilers who she lived with was bananas and I was more angry at her situation than she was.

Quick and cute read will likely read more from this author.

This book is proof that the romance genre is not outdone. I thoroughly enjoyed all of Savannah's relationships, and felt that her world was properly fleshed out and exciting. There is a hidden gem in her relationship with her sister, and what found like a true meeting of equals with William. It is such a joy to find a fresh voice, and knowing this isn't a debut has me so excited to dip into her backlog! If you're into contemporary rom coms like I am, I absolutely recommend Meet Me in the Margins.

This is a fun Rom-Com that is both fun, and has a little mystery to it. Set in a publishing company in Nashville, TN, Savannah is an editor who is writing a book on the side. She uses a room in her publishing house for her work. One day she left her manuscript and when she went back to retrieve it, it was covered in notes in the margins, but she has no idea who wrote them. I loved the setting of this book and the romance that took place.

Meet Me in the Margins was such a cute, fun read! I am usually a fan of enemies to lovers in the workplace but this was more friends to lovers and I loved it so much. Savannah and Will had so much chemistry and their banter and conversations made me laugh many times. I enjoyed that Savannah was quirky and totally herself without it being over the top but I do wish we got to know Will a bit more. It was nice to watch Savannah grow as a writer but it would’ve been great to see more of them together as a couple or interacting in person. I adored the epilogue and only wish it was longer so we could have had a bit more of that! The writing was great and I’m looking forward to reading Melissa Ferguson’s other work now.

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

This one dragged for me. I thought there were sweet moments, but it just kept going. The overall feeling for me was 'meh'.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson- FICTION for this advance copy. This book will be published on February 15, 2022.

This takes falling in love with words on paper to a whole new level. Witty, mysterious and heart-warming.

Savannah, assistant editor for Pennigton is busy writing a romance book in secret.
As if that isn’t stressful enough, she also has a new mysterious and handsome boss and has to keep her best foot forward seeing the company has been making cuts the last few months. As she forgetfully leaves the draft of the book in the newly discovered Book Nook, she finds someone has written her a few comments in the margins on where the book has to be changed for improvement. Not impressed by this new commentator, she sends the book just as it is to a publisher- who then identically remarks the same comments the mysterious editor made. Now she has a 44 days to improve her novel so she can have her book published. But who is this mystery editor? And why does she feel butterflies every time a new comment is added… it is after all just words on paper?

Meet me on the Margins is a delicious romantic comedy that is not just hilarious, but also has a lot of substance. Not only will your toes curl about the sweet interactions on paper, but it also addresses the stress that comes with pursuing your dreams, dealing with lost love and falling in love again after that. Family matters and where to draw the line of being there for others when they aren’t there for you is discussed so elegantly you can’t help but relate and cling to every word.

I finished this book in one sitting, it was just that good! My only complaint is- that it was too short.I want a whole lot more of these characters! Its definitely one of my favorite book discoveries of the year, and I will for sure read anything Melissa Ferguson writes in the future.

Meet Me in the Margins has such a lovely “You’ve Got Mail” feeling to it without the whole traveling-across-country-to-meet-a-stranger vibe. Savannah is a leading character who is so relatable and makes us love and cheer for her. I desperately wanted her to succeed! Will is the knight-in-shining-armour we all know and love. His attention to Savannah is what every woman wants. The courthouse scene was one of my absolute favorites, from beginning to end. Such a wonderful story! Can’t wait to read more from Melissa Ferguson!

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I am all about books about books. I was hooked on the plot and excited to read this one. Sadly, it fell flat. Everything was slow. The characters were dull and I felt no connection to them or the story whatsoever. I always enjoy feeling that connection that makes me feel as if I'm in the story as well. Meet Me In the Margins left me disappointed and bored.

This book was perfect. Set in Nashville, the MC was a romance writer.
The characters were quirky and relatable, and the entire book just flowed so well. I demolished this in 48 hours.

I found the writing style to be easy and captivating. The plot was original and perfect for book lovers - this was really well thought through. I believe that the book is structured well and the cover image is very well fitted to the storyline.
I will be reading more of this author as well as recommending this book to the local contemporary romance lovers at my store.

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

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book before its release.

Unfortunately this one fell flat for me. For one the reading format was off and seemed incomplete at times. I had to keep going back because it felt like there was paragraphs missing.
Secondly there were two male characters who kept getting tangled together somehow. I couldn't remember which one the female character felt she was in love with. It just skipped all around.
The underlying story was cute but it just did not come together well, which is what is happening for the female character while writing her own book. Coincidence?