I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this eARC in exchange for an honest book review!

If you're looking for a warm, easy romcom read that talks about bookish romance set in a literary publishing house, THIS IS THE PERFECT BOOK FOR YOU!

What I love about this book was it made me appreciate and understand the writing process of authors and how difficult it is to thrive in their world. PLUS, I love Will! I love his character, he's mysterious, complex (in a good way) and I love how there's no toxicity in him! He's just a walking green flag.

PLUS, the other supporting characters are also cute & nice! aaah I love this book and this new discovery of Melissa Ferguson (brb gonna binge-read her other books!)

Savannah is an assistant editor at a small publishing company that fills an elitist niche of obscure topics. When she goes rogue during a meeting and works on a romance novel she’s trying to get published, her new boss catches a glimpse of her forbidden obsession! Will she get fired for working on something commercially viable *GASP!* or will she fall head over heels (literally!) for the new publishing vice president?

This is a light, easy story that reads like a rom-com. A few chapters in, I found it to be quite ridiculous and didn’t know if I’d be able to finish it. It’s predictable and the characters are over-the-top to the point of becoming caricatures. I stuck with it so I could write a fair review…………and ended up sort-of enjoying it. Beneath all the fluff and pomp this is actually a relatable story about finding your own path to happiness instead of trying to live up to the expectations of others. When Savannah and Will start to open up to each and really connect, this story begins to sing. Unfortunately, it takes a while to get there. There were a few moments sprinkled here and there that made me laugh, but I would’ve liked for the comedic and more heartfelt aspects of the story to be more balanced. I also got really tired of Savannah constantly referring to herself as just a “lowly” assistant. I was hoping for more of a character arc about her finding her confidence.

As an aside, there are several acronyms used throughout the story; ARC, LOA, etc. Even though they are initially explained, to those unfamiliar with the terms they are also easily forgotten which leads to confusion when reading.

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

This was such a creative romance idea I honestly loved it it was such a breath of fresh air from the typical romance books! I would definitely recommend this to my friends and I enjoyed reading this so much!

A rom-com that features books and is set in Nashville? Sign me up! This was a fun and happy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This sweet tale is made even sweeter by the fact that it is all about books — the main character works for a publisher. Melissa Ferguson’s writing style had me hooked from page one until the end.

A story within a story.

This was really beautiful and gave me the feels. I really enjoyed going on this story with these characters.
Loved it

A romance novel about romance novels. 4 stars.

This sweet romance is set in a literary publishing house and stars Savannah, an editor who aspires to write romance novels, First, though, she has to get her manuscript up to snuff - quickly! - without her snobby boss discovering what she' spending her spare time on. Savannah stumbles on an insightful but anonymous reviewer, whose notes not only help her refine her manuscript but spark an epistolary friendship. But who is the mystery man with whom Savannah finds herself falling in love?

Meet Me in the Margins is a fast read, but it has a lot going on. There are a number of interwoven plots - Savannah's relationship with her sister, an ex-boyfriend who treated her poorly, and the travails of the publishing house where she works, among others - that keep the story interesting. But I felt that many of these plots were underdeveloped; the novel either needed to be twice as long (which I wouldn't have minded!) or take on less material.

Perhaps most disappointingly for a romantic comedy, I wasn't particularly invested in the love story. Did I want Savannah to get her guy? Sure. But I didn't feel a conviction that he was the perfect guy for her, or any sense of urgency regarding their relationship. Still, I was happy enough to see them get together - except that it meant this enjoyable read would soon be over.

This was just a fun, easy read. It was pretty easy to determine the story line but developed nicely. I thought there were a few confusing parts, but I’m guessing editing will clear that up. The main character got herself into some funny predicaments and her sister was a hoot.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I ended up really enjoying the sweet romance with lots of nods to publishers, authors, and librarians.

Savannah Cade is an assistant editor and an aspiring writer. She deals a lot of challenges sorting out her life, her family, and her career. But when a mysterious editor helps her improve her manuscript, her world took a 360-degree turn. Just when she finds herself liking this mysterious editor, she finds out the editor is her boss. And so, the question is: Will she pursue her career as a writer or pursue the love of her life?

Melissa Ferguson’s Meet Me in the Margins is not your typical love story. It gives a cozy feeling to the readers specially to those with a knack to writing, editing, and publishing books. It also gives a refreshing touch to the art of writing love letters written in the margins. It’s a story that will warm the heart and inspire the writer inside who reads this book.

This was so sweet and exactly what I needed! I love a good office romance! A love story to books and a classic romantic comedy. I couldn’t put it down. 3.5 stars!

I wish we got just a little bit more of Will and Savannah getting to know each other outside of work. I think that would have really solidified their relationship and made it even more believable in the end.

But over all this is a fun, witty, sweet romcom!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meet Me in the Margins is such a charming, quick (I read it in two sittings), light-hearted read revolving around the publishing world. This book is the epitome of a slow burn romance and I would caution anyone looking for some steam: you won't find it here. What you will find is a warm hug of a story which leaves you with the hope that one day you'll stumble upon your own secret door to escape into.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Meet Me in the Margins will be published on February 15, 2022.

*3.5

This book is okay but I feel as though it needed a bit more to it. I don't think that Savannah and Will really spent enough time together to have the ending that it did. Don't get me wrong they were cute I just think their relationship is underdeveloped. There should have been a few more scenes of Savannah and Will just spending time together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This novel is easily my favorite discovery of the year. Warm, witty, and wistful, its two central characters took up residence in my heart and I'll never forget them. Really.

Savannah is an assistant editor at a small publishing house in Nashville--one with high standards but decreasing profitability. When the boss's son Will Pennington shows up, fresh from his prestigious New York City job and ready to prop up the dying family business, everyone is sure that he's not there to play nice. Savannah can't afford any missteps... so it's a good thing that no one knows that she's been writing her own novel. Her own romantic fiction novel, that is. Because the one thing that the publishing house would never, never, never sully its reputation with is light romantic fiction.
After her manuscript is almost exposed during an office meeting, Savannah stashes it in the most secret place she knows in the building. Her very own magical, private, bookish refuge.
So how does it come about that when she goes to retrieve it, she discovers in one heart-stopping moment that it's covered with notes from a mystery editor?

There are so many delightful moments, conversations, and exchanges in this book that it's hard to know where to start with all the things I liked.

I liked that even though there is never any question about what is going to happen in the last chapter, the story doesn't feel hackneyed. It's genuine. It has heart.
(Although, I will say, the attempt to muddy the waters and provide a possible alternative for who else could be Savannah's mystery editor fell pretty flat for me, but I'll grant that it's probably a necessary facet in this kind of "You've Got Mail" story.)

I liked that the author gave Will and Savannah a *little* edge of friction and wariness in their in-person interactions, but I'm so grateful she didn't make them enemies. Just enough tension to make things zing delightfully when they're around each other. There's also never any game-playing between them, just a refreshing innocence and give-and-take in conversation that absolutely won my heart.

I liked that even though I started the book thinking, "Oh, no, this is written in the present tense," by the end I was thinking, "You know, this present tense thing is okay."

I liked that there's a mature, thoughtful approach toward what makes a good relationship, and that it was dreamy and grounded at the same time.

The takeaway? I will be buying this book when it comes out. And I will be re-reading it. I don't know if other readers will be affected the same way I was, but when I estimated it would probably take me until 2 in the morning to finish it, I thought, "Well, that's unfortunate, but it can't be helped." It filled me with a personal angst (you know, the kind that comes from reading about a story or relationship that you want to be in) and sense of introspection that I haven't recovered from yet. This book. This book.

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Initial review:
It's an indecent hour of the night and I'm done. And dead. 5 stars.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

✍Ssooooo....this book is perfect. It's been a minute since I read something so absolutely delightful. There is a reason I love all of Melissa Ferguson's books, and as far as I can tell, she's only getting better.
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✍ I guess I'll tell you WHY this book is perfect. It's laugh out loud funny - without being over the top obnoxious. There is office banter, tension, and chemistry - without pages full of fast paced, yet witty run on sentences. The characters are super well developed - without the need to overtly describe every strength and weakness they possess - they speak for themselves. And the attraction between the two main characters is SO there without them having to ogle and daydream about each other constantly. But. The. Tension. Is. There. 🔥 Oh, and it also made me cry. The ending is absolutely perfect 👌
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✍ There are also hurdles to get over, but it's done in a realistic way and made me really love the characters even more!! In the plethora of rom-coms that I've read, I've found this balance really rare to find. I want to laugh, feel their connection, and be surprised a few times, but the writing can sometimes be overdone and annoying! Melissa Ferguson just gets it and that comes through in Meet Me in The Margins. She is definitely a favorite author of mine. (Not to mention, we're both pregnant and both have farm houses....well she has one in reality, while mine only exists in my dreams) Check her out at @our_friendly_farmhouse
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✍ If I haven't convinced you, then I give up. 🤣
This really was just so fun to read. I can't wait for what she writes next!
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✍ Something else I love about her books is they're always clean! No language or steamy content to be seen 👍👍
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✍ This one goes up February 15, but she has 2 other books you can read in the meantime, and a novella! They're all excellent! I'm so thankful @netgalley and @thomasnelson sent me an ARC to review, it would have been torture to wait until February 😆

I never thought I'd say this, but I am glad I finallllllyyyyy finished this one. I had such high hopes that my expectations just couldn't live up to. The writing was a bit clunky *checks thesaurus*, ahem, bunglesome and cumbersome. Maybe it was just because of Savannah's job that she thought with fancy words, but it was difficult to read at times. I just wanted to tell her to get to the point already.
I also found that the who-is-the-mysterious-editor got old very quickly. It seemed to be the plot for the majority of the book.
Also, there was not much humor in this book (and that I what I loved about Melissa's other books) and there also is not really romance either.
I am also wondering what happened to some of the other characters that were not mentioned in the epilogue.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and the characters were fully formed. I would enjoy reading other work by this author in the future.

Meet Me in the Margins is such a cute book full of delightful characters who possess tremendous personality. It is a fun, light read that kept me entertained the whole time I read it. It’s a book I feel comfortable recommending to anyone who enjoys a fun, clean romance.

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 the chance to read a digital copy of this book.

#MeetMeintheMargins #NetGalley

I read this book in almost one sitting. It is a sweet story with character depth and humor. It isn’t quite the same as Melissa’s other books with humor factor, but I almost liked it more. There were funny parts, but also very real-world parts.

Being a writer myself, there was so much about Savannah’s writing process that I throughly enjoyed and identified with. Oh, and I absolutely loved Will. He was slightly mysterious and complex in a good way. The character growth was great and realistic.

This book was clean, but I didn’t catch any specifically Christian themes and God wasn’t mentioned. The characters also frequented bars and drank alcohol, which some readers may have an issue with.

Those who love sweet, gentle romances with a touch of humor will enjoy this story!

*I received this book from NetGalley and happily provided my honest review*

I was completely drawn into this story based on the description especially one that touts a "You've Got Mail" type situation.

This one was super fun, and was a good weekend read. It was cute, good characters, fluffy, (no steam!), and a great ending.