DNF 43.1%

I’m really struggling with connecting with Nora. Her meek demeanor really tones down what could potentially be a better, more humorous plot. The romance is an EXTREMELY slow burn and by 1/3 of a story I want to see some fiery chemistry and I didn’t feel ANY hint of sparks flying. I feel the plot was molasses and got bored with it.

Well first off, how can you go wrong with this title and the cover? Anything with a book theme gets my attention and this didn’t disappoint.
Nora is stuck in a dead end job, barely making ends meet and seriously unhappy with her life. Her mental health is struggling as she tries to find her way. She needs to figure out how to make things better but she feels really stuck until she goes to a publishing conference with the hopes of getting an author to sign his contract, which her boss said would increase her likelihood of getting a new position. In spending time with the author, she finds a kindred spirit who helps her find her parachute color and see things in a new light, which leads her to make some big changes to improve her life.
I liked reading about some of the behind the scenes of what goes on in getting a book published and that making self care and making your mental health a priority was stressed is something we don’t see often enough. You don’t always have to know your career path, let what you love find your path.
The narrator did a good job of keeping me engaged in the story Ben though I had already read the book a couple of months ago.
Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

(tw: depression & suicidal tendencies/ideation)

I wanted to like it, I really did. After all, it's a book about books! It brings some much needed diversity to the table! Look at that cover! The premise sounded promising and I'm all for the feel-good, find-yourself story described in the blub, and even though I'm not a huge fan of the workplace romance setting, I was eager to give this one a go. But friends, this was NOT that.

Nora is stuck in a job she doesn't like, is forced to make tough choices in order to make ends meet, is faced with work-related ethical dilemmas, and spends her free time staring at her ceiling fan debating the meaning of life, particularly HER life. Nora painstakingly wraps her entire identity, self worth, & validation in her job, so when everything tips south, she spirals down with it. And then the reader gets a lovely info dump on how she's had undiagnosed depression since forever. Not once was there a content warning for untreated depression and suicidal tendencies and yet I found myself hardcore triggered the more time I spent listening to this book. The blurb on Goodreads suggests "touching on mental illness," but SIR I was in the TRENCHES with Nora and I did not sign up for that!!

I truly hope Nora goes to therapy and finds safe people to share her troubles with & to lean on. I hope her and writer dude figure their ish out. I hope that she doesn't expect for writer dude to solve all her problems (seemed to be where it was headed, but I'm trying to be optimistic here). And I hope she finds hope & meaning even in the small things.

To add insult to injury, the narration was rough. There was some reverb thing going on that I mostly was able to get past, but then it seemed like the actual editing of some of the audio was poorly executed, with entire words/phrases repeating or cutting out. The writing itself was fine, aside from the super slow plot movement.

2⭐️ because maybe it wouldn't be triggering for someone else, but golly gee it was for me. DNF @ 55%

**Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review**

A fun book that had emotional weight. I appreciate Nora's journey and could relate to a lot of what she was going through with her mental health. The ending was surprising but satisfying!

Nora Hughes is living the dream, well, my dream at least. Surrounded by books for a living working for a publisher, Nora is in a rut after five years. She's overworked and underpaid as an editorial assistant at Parson's Press. Her closest confidant is moving up the corporate ladder, just as Nora gets her salary cut.

I received a copy of the audiobook of Must Love Books from Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio in exchange for this honest review.

Nora can't exactly afford the pay cut, so she hatches a plan to moonlight for a rival publisher. Things start to get interesting when she sees the opportunity to pull off the ultimate coup and lure away one of Parson's most lucrative writers.

Must Love Books will appeal to a small narrow niche, books about books with romance set in a dream location. But if you like these things in a book, you will especially enjoy this read. The pace is slow, and the audiobook is a perfect companion for walking or crafting.

Must Love Books is a book which sounds like everything to a reader who loves books, doesn’t it? Wrong. If you want to read a book that’ll totally disinterest you in books and how they’re made and marketed, read this book.
Heck, if you want to fall into a pit of depression: read this book.
If you want to feel like your life is going nowhere and you’re bound to die alone: read this book.
I don’t know if it’s me, who just can’t take one more depressed heroine, or there are a lot of depressed heroines nowadays. There’s not enough romance to save this one, y’all. I simply didn’t enjoy reading it.
It was “okay” as in, the writing is bearable, and the plot is somehow there (though my favorite parts where with Andrew because he was refreshingly optimistic and had somewhat of an active voice) whilst our heroine is… a total downer… I mean, I’m depressed, too. But, wow. I wanted to stop listening. But I didn’t. I had to see if Nora would get out of the mess in which she’s landed herself; working two jobs for competitive publishers. I mean, what a mess!

I really struggled with this one... I'm sorry, I probably won't post about this story.
I don't know if it was because it was an audiobook and I couldn't skim through the very long descriptions, but this book really dragged in weird places.
Nora was so worried about money and her job that she seemed like she had no idea how to interact with people. It was painful to listen to. It took so much inner monologue for her to make the smallest decisions. Definitely not a humorous romantic comedy.

Nora is an editorial assistant that is completely miserable at her job, and life in general. Andrew Santos is an up and coming author with a lot of potential and an extremely positive outlook on life. When Nora realizes her publishing company needs to sign Andrew she grows closer to him,
but is it just business or pleasure?
Honestly I went into this book thinking it would be a romcom, and I was so wrong, but I'm glad I was! Seeing the struggles Nora had with depression and how unhappy
she was in her life was not only eye opening but also made her very real and relatable. Andrew was also an
amazing character, mature and with his head in the right path but not for that without defects. I loved the character growth and the chemistry between the main characters, and although the beginning dragged a little with how technical and into the every day it was, it soon made progress as Nora did which made it appropriate for the tone of the book!

I had already read a digital copy of this book but I’m a huge audiobook fanatic so when I saw the opportunity to listen to it I had to take it and I’m so glad because the narrator was really good!

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson was an engaging listen! Nora is so relatable as a millennial listener. She’s trying to figure out how to carve out a life in expensive San Francisco while getting salary cuts and covering the responsibilities of multiple jobs. There’s a little romance, some lovely friendships and a fun bit of drama.

Must Love Books is such a good read! The main character is relatable to my current circumstances. For anyone who is searching for that perfect job and that perfect person, this book is for you!

This is an absolute delight!! A recommended first purchase in all formats for collections where contemporary romance and lighter WF is popular.

The first half of the book was slow. I was not sure if I was going to finish it.I felt like the description was misleading. I expected a different story than what I was given.

Must Love Books is definitely a bit heavier than I expected it to be. I really went into this thinking it was going to be more of a contemporary romance but the overarching storyline truly is about the pressure of chasing your dreams and the decisions to switch careers or not when you also have to consider being able to make ends meet. I do wish the romance was a little bit more fleshed-out, along with some of the aftermath with people like the main character's former boss. I think expanding on those areas may have helped me gain a little more of a connection to the main character.

That being said, I am also happy that I didn't get exactly what I expected from Must Love Books. This story is about pressure and what chasing a dream can be like for normal people, which typically isn't this big fluffy romance. I would compare this more to a coming-of-age story for young adults or adults nearing or in their 30s who have went through career changes or a deep look into their personal understanding of what they need from their work-life structure. Note: the writing style itself is engaging and the narration by Tyra Kennedy is clear and suites the character well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this book in return for an honest review.
Synopsis

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger in a heartfelt debut following a young woman who discovers she'll have to ditch the "dream job" and write her own story to find her happy ending.
Meet Nora Hughes—the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.
When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.
With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet…and maybe poach some Parsons' authors along the way.
But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future.

Must Love Books isn't a light hearted romantic airy fluffy little novel. it's a take on Nora pushing herself beyond all of her boundaries, and stepping outside of her comfort zone. Making mistakes and learning from them. It's the story of self discovery. It's about Nora, a woman who is at a crossroads in her life. Her job of five years has her overworked and way underpaid. Nora feels stuck. Where will the next chapter in the book take her?

On the whole I enjoyed the book. Nora deals with a lot of really heavy feelings and issues I didn't feel that the synopsis really portrayed that and I felt like I wasn’t expecting any of the hard topics the story covers. That doesn’t detract though, as the book is well written, the characters well formed and the narrator clear, concise and interesting.

TW: Mental Illness, Depression and Suicidal Thoughts. Depression.

When writing a review of a book I weigh the following factors: were the characters well developed, was there chemistry between characters? Is the plot a well developed one? While reading do I find myself googling the place that the story take place and does the author transport me there? Does the pacing of the story make me want to continue reading or am I ok putting the book down? Does the book make me feel ; does it make me laugh, cry , or scream at the characters? Last but not least : for a five star book does the book make me reflect on myself , my life and would I reccomend this story to others over and over?
Must Love Books checks every single box ;⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and Shauna Robinson may remain my fave debut author of 2022.
The title and cover is misleading, a reviewer may expect a snarky romcom in the vein of The Hating Game.
What the reader gets is so much more, Nora as a MC is so much more. She dreams of being an editor, having authors send her work , and not be that person Parsons publishing sends for lunch orders or to watch book sales at conferences. She tires of upper management emails from NY office treating her like an assistant grunt worker at their beck and call. Then Parsons lays off more people, and her pay is cut. Nora makes a decision that ultimately might be her downfall. She would freelance as an Acquisition Editor for a rival company, and in her mind its all just temporary. Until Andrew Santos, the business writer everyone wants takes notice of her at the conference, till he becomes more than a friend and more than an author she is trying to get sign a contract.
Must Love Books is #blackgirlmagic. It is the hopes and dreams of Nora, and her realizing a career doesnt make you who you are. A career isnt an equation value of your worth, and a career even if it is what you love doesnt necessarily bring you happiness. A persons value is in their integrity, their dedication to themselves and others around them. A persons value is in the honesty they bring to their relationships. This book like Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams touches on self care and the importance of mental health. Nora is finally able to be honest with Andrew, and her friends. She is able to see the value in her life and begin to overcome the creature in her head, and prioritize her happiness. This book like The Other Black Girl also points out the lack of diversity in the publishing workplace, reflects on the lack of diversity in black authors , and lack of BlPOC topics overall. This is an important book one I know even at the end of the year will remain in my favorites of 2022. Bravo👏👏👏

Nora finds herself 5 years into the same job overworked, underpaid, and unsure of her direction in life. She has friends who are moving up in careers, a client that will make or break a promotion, and a lot of secrets.

Shauna Robinson had me hooked from the beginning with romance, character relatability, and a great pace to finish this book reading for the next.

I was hoping for a little more from the reader but she was easy to follow

This is the book that I needed in my early 20's. Now that I am in my 40's, I expected to be disgruntled when listening to the story of a 20-something recent college grad. Far from it. Her story is genuine and her experiences authentic. The ups and downs and wrestling with mental health are things many have experience - no matter the age. Never fear Gen X-ers, this is not a whiny 20 something. You will truly enjoy it.

ARC review!

This ended up being a painfully honest story about love, loss, and the cost of rejecting society's standards of "making it" in this world.

Norah Hughes is an "every girl", meaning that everyone will see something in her that they relate to. She is good at her job but hates it, and loathing tasks day in and day out has added up to a hefty burden on her mental health. I was pleasantly surprised at how well (and deeply) Robinson dives into talking about depression, and the ways in which she ditches the rose colored glasses for a real look at what hopelessness can be. Please use discretion while reading this book if you struggle with feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and despair as mental health struggles are frankly discussed.

I typically listen to audiobooks over two, maybe three days, but this one did take me a bit longer to get into- five days from start to finish since I was listening in between work, on commutes, etc, therefore, I interpreted the beginning as a little slow. This did change for me around the 50% mark where I was able to connect with Norah more and thus began to listen at a faster rate. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book because of its meaningful content and little to no "fluff".

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books (as the title would suggest) and who has a hard time finding the validity in their place in the literary world. There are no explicit romantic scenes making this book accessible to a younger audience, though the aforementioned mental health descriptions should be noted.

Nora gets what she believes to be her dream job in the world of publishing, assistant editor. But after 5 years, cutbacks leaving her with more work and less pay, she's not so sure anymore. She's also battling an old demon that is threatening to resurface that would be so easy to give into. What Nora really needs to figure out is where does she go from here? Is this really what she wants to do with her life? And if it is who might she hurt along the way to keep it going?

I listen to this book on audio and enjoyed the narrator. I found the characters engaging and was routing for Nora all along the way.

#MustLoveBooks:

“Was that what it was like to be passionate about your work? To see the bright side despite the despair?”

Must Love Books is so much more than the cute cover it displays. This one really hit me hard in the best way.

The audio was great. I loved listening to Tyra Kennedy and going through as Nora. I really felt like I enjoyed the audio and really amplified the book. If you’re looking to read this, I highly recommend the audio.

Nora gave me such anxiety because I was just waiting for her to get caught. She didn’t hide her secrets well, but I didn’t want her to get caught and have her world crumble down on her. I was worried about my girl.

This took a dark turn, but it wasn’t one that wasn’t needed. It just seemed.. abrupt? But not in a bad way. I really don’t think I could have read this book at a more perfect time. As many of you know, my last day of work for a company I’ve worked over 10 years for is Friday. I understand the exhaustion, the mental health battles Nora is feeling because I’ve been in those shoes. I could sympathize with her because girl, I feel you. Now, I didn’t directly lie to everyone I worked for and freelanced our competitor, but I can understand feeling undervalued and it affecting your mental health. I was cheering for Nora and am so happy she was able to get her ducks in a row.

Overall, a solid read! Thank you so much @sourcebooks for the gifted copy. Must Love Books is out now.