Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title. I was intrigued by the description of "You've Got Mail" meets "The Proposal." Savannah Cade is an assistant editor for Pennington Publishing. This story follows her through the journey of being an editor while secretly penning her own manuscript.

20 pages in we make sense of who she is during the "Meet Cute" with the "piercing blue eyed" Will Pennington. Through some rough introductions the character of Savannah gets fleshed out as loyal to her family, head in the clouds, but a good-hearted character. I'm probably not the target audience as it took a few tries to get through the first 100 pages; character building was tough for me to get through. Once the narrative transitioned from the Savannah's ambling thoughts to plot-driven hilarity I found the book more enjoyable.

The best things I can say about Meet Me in the Margins are that it really lives up to its premise, and the romance is written very well. The back-and-forth banter in the margins of the manuscript is fun, and Savannah and Will work really well together, but there were some major issues in this book that I just couldn't look away from.

First, Will is Savannah's boss. Maybe even her boss's boss - I'm still kind of unclear on what the exact structure of the company was. This and the potential power dynamic issues it causes are never addressed in the book. In fact, I'm pretty sure the ending said that they got married with him still being her boss. Like, I'm glad it apparently worked out for them, but there are some serious potential red flags there.

And as if that wasn't enough to weird me out, there's a substantial subplot about a man who apparently, in the span of three months, went from being Savannah's boyfriend to her sister's fiancé. Unsurprisingly, he turns out to be a gigantic piece of shit, but even with that as an inevitability, I was just so uncomfortable whenever he showed up.

So, yeah. I realize that this sounds awfully negative for a three-star review. The romance was too good for me to give it a lower rating, but I just don't have much more to say about that part.

CW: sexual harassment, fatphobia

Savannah is an editor who has always dreamed of becoming an author. And she's making her dream a reality at last. She's written a romance, and even gotten the attention of the most highly-regarded romance editor in the business. But she has to keep all this a secret, because she works at a stuffy, old-line publishing company that refuses to consider publishing genre fiction -- particularly romance. Almost caught in the act one day, she hides her manuscript in a secret room of the old mansion that houses the publishing company's offices, then comes back later to find that someone has started to edit her book. There are notes in the margins -- really good, incisive notes that Savannah instantly realizes will help her make her book even better. But who is this mysterious editor? Could it be the son of the publishing company's owner, her new boss ? Or not? This is a terrific, fun romance with a very relatable main character and a fast-paced plot.

<b> Thank you Thomas Nelson for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. </b>

<b> rating: </b> 3.5 stars, rounded up

I absolutely adored the premise of this book. A bookish based romance taking place in a publishing house where they bond through anonymous notes in a margin? Literally sign me up RIGHT NOW. And while Meet Me in the Margins did live up to that premise, there were so many things I wish were better done that had me feeling like the book fell flat.

- While we do see bits and pieces of their interactions together, both love interests, Savannah and Will, actually did not give me enough cutesy moments for me to believe they're actually in love the way they say they are. Even though the book is told from Savannah's POV, we don't see her gradually coming to terms with her crush--its moreso written as an epiphany type thing that I wish was done differently.

- The pacing of the book felt very off. I couldn't tell how much time took place between each chapter or page, for that matter, despite the contingency that her manuscript should be finished within a set amount of time. I kept finding myself confused and going back to try to figure out time frames.

- The plotline with her sister and that fiancee. Honestly? I just deemed it unnecessary. It took up to0 much page time and took away from the plot. Once again, this goes back to how I didn't see the full appeal of the love interests. The love triangle here was just cliched and wasn't needed for a book like this one, where Savannah already was theorizing between two guys potentially being her "mystery editor". That was already enough to keep you wondering about the romance, I just don't think that this plot-line seem needed. Maybe you could argue it gave more background to Savannah as a character, but everything was on the surface, no depth.

There was too much going on in the book for there to be a deep interest, and even the romance, which was the whole grabber of the book, felt surface level. All in all, while a very fun book, I just wish it gave more.

Savannah is an assistant editor in a small publishing company, one which focuses on, let's say, the more serious side of literature, which makes her dream of publishing a romance novel something of a covert operation. When she leaves it in the room of the publishing house that she thinks is her secret space, only to find that someone has added edits to it, a relationship "in the margins," begins. Her mysterious editor and she work out a system of never crossing paths while working her manuscript into something publishable, but what if she wants to know her mystery man in person?

If there's one sub-genre of books that I like almost as much as books about food, it's books about books and book lovers. This story was so cute: the publishing/editing setting, the bookish banter, the secret manuscript and editor storyline - it was all so engaging and fun.

As a note, since I mostly review Christian fiction here, this would fall on the side of "clean" fiction, but don't expect any faith building or spiritual elements here.

I give this book 4 stars; without spoiling anything, I would have liked a different trail within the story, but overall I loved it!

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars. It was cute, but nothing ground-breaking. I loved the premise and I think the plot was pretty easy to guess, but that didn't bother me. I wish we had seen more interactions between Savannah and Will. Toward the end, when they realized they really liked each other, I felt a little like I was left hanging. I wanted to see more of that. I think overall, I just wanted... more.

I absolutely adored this book and everything about it! I loved the characters, the story line, the setting, everything! If you know me, you know my fave genre is romance- and this book was all about the sweeter side of it. It’s so different than the romances I usually read, but it’s so well-written that I wouldn’t want to change a thing. And bonus, it’s a book about a book- loved it!! I enjoyed it so much, that I know I’m going to but a physical copy- and how cute is the cover! 😍

Ferguson's novel is a delightful rom-com, full of laugh-out-loud and feel-good moments, that is hard to put down. I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Books AND romance?!? Swoon!! Completely enjoyed this romance set in the publishing industry. I also loved the getting to know you through a manuscript (rather than online) was super clever.

Savannah is an editor at a publishing house that specializes in non-fiction and serious fiction while she herself is an aspiring romance author. Suddenly she gets an opportunity to send her manuscript to a reputable romance editor at a major publishing house and scrambles to get her novel into a presentable shape. Once she forgets it in a secret room at her publishing house and later finds it filled with editorial notes in the margins. She decides to continue getting help from her mystery editor while slowly falling for him.

It's very hard to put into words how much I loved this book. Savannah is a likeable character and I really enjoyed her journey to being a published author. It was great to see the inner workings of a publishing house and what an editor's job might be like. The romance was sweet and the interactions between Savannah and Will brought a smile to my face more than on one occasion.

The story is PG-rated and nothing beyond a couple of kisses is shown on the page (if that is something that might influence your decision to pick up a romance novel).

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of the novel.
All opinions are my own.

I love this cute book! It was adorable, charming, and a page turner! This was such a good plot taking place close to home. I loved the characters and overall had so much fun reading this!

Absolutely adorable, witty, and the right amount of mystery. Meet Me in the Margins is the perfect read for any book lover.

Melissa Ferguson really captures your attention from the start with Savannah Cade and her journey in the publishing world. I enjoyed character growth and touches that make you feel like you can really relate to Savannah and Will.

4/5 stars | 1/5 peppers | 17 +

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a phenomenal read and a quick one too! Loved the premise of falling in love over editing notes without knowing who is making them. This was a clean slow burn romance and I appreciate that so much! Very witty dialogue and great supporting characters. I will definitely read more by this author!!!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I am obsessed with bookish books, and a total sucker for anything even remotely resembling You've Got Mail, so I definitely had very high expectations for this one.
I really enjoyed the story as a whole, but the romance to me felt a little flat. There wasn't much tension at all and you couldn't feel them actually falling for each other, you were just kind of told it was happening. It felt like there was too much other stuff going on in the book for the relationship to feel like a main plot? Readers got to know Olivia, Lyla, and Ferris more than we got to know William, which was upsetting because from what we did see of him I really loved him.
If you're in the mood for a book about books, this book is perfect for you! 10/10 would recommend. This book perfectly captures the feeling of being a book lover.
However, if you're looking for a romance I'd say it's a 7/10. The spark just wasn't there
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--Fiction for the arc!!

*3.5

i'm gonna say this upfront, this is like tell me three things but adult fiction & about authors/editors. it's rly cute.

meet me in the margins follows savannah, an editor for a small publishing house in nashville. the love interest, will, just came from nyc to help with the family business (the publishing house). savannah secretly working on her own romance novel and finds inspiration within a hidden room in the publishing house. one day, she leaves behind her manuscript and returns only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. at first, she's defensive, but then she realizes that she needs this mystery editor's comments after all. and then the comments take a turn to the romantic, and savannah finds herself falling for one person on the pages and a different one in real life...

when i tell you this book gives me tell me three things energy, i'm not lying. the relationship between savannah and will is so beyond cute. their banter and their dynamic is so entertaining and adorable. swoon!!! will is definitely a "i hate everyone but you" type and savannah's the only one who can get behind his shell.

i found the plot about savannah writing her own romance novel pretty interesting. there's an important comment about why savannah writes romance (because she wants to show the happy endings of perfectly normal, flawed people with a normal, flawed relationship, and she feels like sometimes romance novels "presume instant attraction magically leads to a lifetime of happiness"), and i really liked that.

my favorite part of the book was the romance and especially the mystery editor aspect, and i wish we got more of that. the mystery editor thing only began to play a bigger role about halfway through, and savannah's relationship with will also took some time to ramp up, and i would've liked to see more of that. i think sometimes the different plotlines (savannah's job, her novel, the mystery editor, will, sav's relationship with her sister) got lost in each other.

overall, cute read!

ps: this book is pretty clean (no spice)

TW: negative body image/comments about weight

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

This book is about the slow-burning romance between Savannah, an editor of a small publishing company, and Will, the son of the owner of that company. Will left the publishing company that he worked for in New York and now, he’s the publisher of his family’s company. Savannah, broke and living in a spare bedroom of her younger sister-turned-to-be-the-fiancé-of-Savannah’s-ex’s place, has been secretly working on her romance manuscript to send to another big time editor. I really loved the idea that publishing companies most likely have these advance reader copy (ARC) rooms (I would definitely die out of happiness to be surrounded by free books). Savannah hides her manuscript in that room and the next time she comes back for it, she finds out someone has read a few pages and written notes on the margin. The entire book revolves around the back and forth between Savannah and the mystery editor and in the end, she finally finds out who it is. The romance between the main characters is very innocent and refreshing. I think it could be a series because I couldn’t wait to learn how their relationship ensues.

This was a really cute and nice rom-com, quick and easy to read. I enjoyed it, especially the writing style which made this book very pleasant to read. I didn't even realize I finished it, I got through it quite fast.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Savannah Cade is an editor in a boutique publishing house, who dreams having her own novel published. Unfortunately, romance novels are frowned upon in her workplace, and cutbacks have led to a tense environment. When she is presented with an opportunity to get her manuscript in front of a publishing legend, she needs to pull out all the stops to completely rewrite her story in time. She finds herself working with the help of a mystery editor, passing notes back and forward like kids in class. As the deadline nears Savannah finds herself drawn to both her new boss and the mystery editor in her margins.

This was a fun read. There was a bit of wish fulfillment for readers/writers - with a lead working as an editor, on track to publish a novel. While the story was sweet, the way the relationships developed felt fairly superficial... Almost like a sub-plot. The relationship with her sister and friend were some of the most prominent and developed. Overall this was a chaste novel, without steam - which is not a negative, just something to know if it's what you are looking for.

I enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to people looking for a sweet romance.

(2.5) Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this eARC! This book could have been so much better. I thought the concept was so exciting, but the execution fell flat. Obviously, it's hard to show romance blossoming over paper, but I still felt no chemistry between Savannah and "mystery man." I didn't really feel much chemistry between her and Will, either. I just wish I had, because then this book would be a hit. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

How freaking dang cute was this?! I loved this so much. The story was so incredibly sweet and adorable. I cannot wait to read more from this author!