3.5/5 - Must Love Books is a story about finding yourself, figuring out what to do with your life, and what makes you happy. Nora is stuck in a dead end job and is generally not feeling happy with her life. I really enjoyed that this book tackled that it is okay to not have your like figured out and its okay to change career paths if the one you're on isn't right for you. However, I felt the author almost glossed over the mental health issues Nora was facing. Nora was clearly suffering from depression and that just never got the attention it deserved as part of the plot. Thank you to netgalley for an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

First, this book is so severely mis-marketed (which feels ironic for a story about book publication). The title and cover image telegraph ROMANCE and the synopsis reads like a quirky, light-hearted, series-of-disasters romcom. Instead, Must Love Books is a slightly less heavy and more relatable "Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine" with a strong focus on the day-to-day of a publishing job.
All that aside, I liked the story even though it wasn't what I expected. Nora is stuck in a job she wants to love but doesn't, and readers have to slog through the ins and outs of her daily tasks with her. For people with a rosy view of working in publishing, this book is a much-needed wake up call! For others (me) who use books to escape reality, living vicariously through someone else's soul-sucking job is not what we're here for. As a booklover myself, I found the insight to the publishing industry interesting, but not particularly fun to read.
Nora's struggles with her seemingly impossible living situation and missing happiness are very relatable.. I understood how difficult things are for her and identified with a lot of her life. However, the exploration of her mental health dives suddenly into general discussion of her suicidal thoughts that have allegedly been present for a while, but feel very abruptly introduced. Instead of talking to a therapist (or even presenting that as an option), our self-help-averse heroine attempts to change her circumstances and relies heavily on friends and nearby acquaintances to have answers with which to fix herself. While that solution could work for some people, I'm very wary of its being presented as the sole way to heal from severe depression.
There are bright spots in the book, including Nora's relationship with several friends. Those bright areas may even make up the majority of the story! but for me personally, they're overshadowed by my memory of the more serious issues. The book does end very optimistically, which feels both uncharacteristic of the rest of the story and undeserved after the decisions that led to that point. Justified legal action? Nah, let's go with no lasting damage to career or any relationships instead.
Despite my concerns with the mental health rep, I did mostly enjoy listening to this audiobook. The narration was very well-done, and the story felt relatable. Any story involving books has a immediately higher chance of being one I like! Watching Nora be brave enough to make the changes needed to improve her mental health was satisfying and made me want to cheer her along her path of discovery. As long as you know what kind of book you're picking up, go ahead and give this one a try.

I feel like this book is trying to be two genres at once and not delivering in either of them. The story starts as the quarter-life-crisis general fiction about Nora figuring out that she needs to change something about her life and career because it doesn't work. And she starts doing things, alright. I was anxious more and more with her every step because everything one could do wrong or not so-right, she does. About 20% in, the author switches gears and the story morphs into a start of a romance, or so it seems. Enter a dreamy author, Andrew Santos, who is perfect incarnate. And when I settled into the story being a romance, after all, the book jumps at you from the left-field with suicidal thoughts of the main character and the story returns to the general fiction category.

The story itself is not bad at all but I think it tried to do multiple things but not really do justice to any of them. Especially the depression and suicidal part was discussed superficially but never truly resolved or addressed aside from the characters swapping wisdom from self-help books.

I enjoyed the discussion of the publishing industry and how it pulled aside the curtain of what is really happing behind the scenes. Those parts were interesting and enlightening.

Overall, though I had trouble with the pacing and genre-mix of this book, the writing was solid. I will definitely pick up Shauna Robinson's next book to see where she goes next. The audiobook narration was also good and made me company of quite a few walks. I think this book will appeal to some people with the right expectations (the cover is a bit misleading as it melts in with the fluffy romance books of the past two years).

This was really depressing. I was expecting a light romance involving bookish MCs and got a book on a woman's journey to find herself, strongly centered on her clear depression and unhappiness (CW for thoughts of suicide!). And I hated some of her actions so I was difficult to push throught at times. The writing was not bad but it was overall a bit disappoiting for me given my expectations. The narration itself was good.
*Audiobook arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Nora is stuck in an unsatisfactory job, working in publishing, where she recently received a pay cut and is doing more work than she is compensated for. She meets an author named, Andrew who is trying to get his first solo book published, when she tries to poison him with avocados. Nora initially has a bad taste in her mouth about authors since they appear to her as being conceited. Andrew however is more well rounded than most people she had met in her industry.

My first impression of Nora wasn’t great. Nora has moments in this book where she definitely comes across as judgmental and snobbish. She’s in a position where she needs a new job because she can’t afford the pay cut she just received. Instead of being engaged or attempting to learn more about the company she wanted to work for she spent her prep time as judging people for their appearances or the vibe of the office. As the story went on however I learned to appreciate her more as a character trying to find her way in the world.

My main complaint was I wanted more chemistry between the two main characters. They have their “meet cute” scenario and to me they felt more like amicable friends than relationship material throughout the storyline. I needed a little more *umph* from the two of them to really sell me on the idea that these two are in love and belong together. Because of my feelings toward this I felt like this book is more categorized as “chick lit” vs “romance”.

This story had a lot of potential with the depression representation, suicidal thoughts and mental health. However I felt like there wasn’t enough work put in by Nora to achieve the zen status she was in by the end of the book. She just shrugged off her depression and decided that if she needs help in the future she will find it. My own personal experiences with mental health don’t really align with just moving on without outside assistance, whether that be medication, therapy, or both.

This book covers a lot of serious topics and tries it’s best to deliver on them all. Personally I felt like it was a good story but not a great one. If I knew someone looking for a story that had a small romance in it and wanted it to focus more on personal growth this is the book I would recommend.

2.5 stars

This unfortunately was not a book I loved. I always wonder when I don't care for the audiobook, would I have enjoyed the book had I read it? I'll never know. What I do know is that this wasn't the book for me.

As the description states, Nora is overworked and underpaid. She is an editorial assistant at Parson's Press. When she learns she is getting a pay cut, she comes up with a plan to moonlight at a rival publisher. Enter Andrew Santos stage left. He is a best-selling author at Parsons. When she gets his sandwich order wrong, she gets on his radar, and they form a friendship. Now Nora must decide, try to get him to sign with Webber, where she is moonlighting, or convince him to stay at Parsons.

Along the way she gets tripped up over her lies, and you guessed it, things begin to fall apart. What will she do? Will she get the job she wants? Will her lies be her downfall?

I'm sure many will love this about the book. But I was expecting something entirely different. That is on me and not the author. But, at the end of the day, this just didn't work for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, didn't feel any chemistry between them and didn't care what happened to them or what path they took.

Many are enjoying this book more than I did, so please seek out their reviews as well.

Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Must Love Books ended up just being ok for me. From the description I was expecting a cute rom-com, but instead got an ethical dilemma and discovering one's self story. There is nothing wrong with the plot, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for.

Nora, the main character, I also didn't find relatable or enjoyable to read. I don't feel like she helped herself or her situation along the way, and instead was continuously rude or sarcastic to authority figures or those around her trying to help.

It also go a little deep into what goes on in the publishing world. I felt like I was reading a work novel at many points, and when I'm trying to escape work stress by reading, it wasn't enjoyable for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for the listen!

This book dealt with real issues that are so necessary to discuss: unfulfilled dreams, suicidal ideations, mental health, career realties, support systems, systematic inequality. I think that the issues in this book were handled well, life really is messy and it takes some sorting out. But there can be hope and we can find the people and resources to help us through the worst of it. That being said, this wasn't my very favorite book that has dealt with these topics, but it was good.

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson is a cute, smart and heartfelt story about Nora Hughes who is trying to find herself in the publication world. As a young, educated black woman, Nora knows that there are not many people like her in the publication world but that does not stop her for pursuing a career that she knows she deserves. A look into the publication world mixed with a little romance and you have a novel that speaks to the younger crowd that is trying to find their place in the working world.

While I enjoyed the plot, I did not enjoy the narration in the audio book. I felt that the narrator was a little monotone and I could not connect with the characters are much as I wanted to. There was little to no emotion in the reading which made the audio pretty "meh".

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Must Love Books - could there be a better book title for bookworms like us? Thank you to @orangeskyaudio for my ALC and @bookmarked for my ARC!

Genre: women's fiction with romance elements
Pub date: 1/18/22 (out now!)
In one sentence: When editorial assistant Nora receives a pay cut, she takes a huge risk in accepting a part-time job for another publisher.

This book was exactly what I was looking for on audio - I loved how Tyra Kennedy brought Nora to life. I think millennials will relate to Nora - she's done everything right, but she's still struggling to advance in her job and pay her rent in expensive San Francisco. She also struggles with mental health, and I was glad to see her working to find happiness and fulfillment.

There's a romance subplot with witty author Andrew Santos, but this story is really Nora's. The blurb compares it to the TV show Younger, and it has the publishing industry setting in common, but beware that it's not as breezy as the show. If you enjoy realistic character-driven and self-discovery stories, you might like this one!

Review posted to Instagram and Goodreads 2/20/22.

I wanted to like this book - I enjoyed the strong start and was glad for the ending (not a happily ever after, but the potential for one), but the middle of the book left me confused much of the time. Out of nowhere (or it felt like to me), the "monster" of depression was mentioned and became a big part of the storyline. I was conflicted, Nina seemed like a strong female protagonist, but then I felt sorry for Nina as it seemed like she was floundering through life. I really wanted to like her and to be a fan of the book, but I'm just not. Also, I liked the narrator's voice, but felt like she didn't show emotions where there should be. It may be the editing/production of the audio version, but there were several times the narrator repeated herself and I also heard a lot of keyboard clicking in the background.

brief synopsis: BIPOC twenty-something protagonist works as an editorial assistant at Parsons publishing company, feeling overworked and undervalued. she takes on a freelance side-gig at Weber publishing company primarily to make ends meet. her personal relationship with a Parsons author, however, ends up in the middle of the competing jobs. her relationships and sources of income are at stake. I found MUST LOVE BOOKS to be extremely pleasant, as well as insightful into not only only the publishing industry, but also the jobs available to young professionals and the gig economy. I enjoyed this one and expect a wide range of readers to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orange Sky Audio, and Shauna Robinson for an advance listening copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this book probably because it was primarily about books! It was interesting to learn more about the publishing world through our main character and seeing a relationship bloom for her with a sweet author. I appreciated that this one touched on how life is expensive and sometimes we need to work two jobs to afford to live- with that being said, I appreciated the author showing us that our calling is not just to make money but to do something for work that we enjoy.

2.5 stars

The first 20 percent of Shauna Robinson's debut novel Must Love Books is an absolute delight. Robinson gives her protagonist Nora a snarky and engaging voice that doesn't shy away from peeling back the curtain to show us the harsh realities of the publishing industry. The setup of Nora having to juggle work for rival publishers to make ends meet is a great one and sets the stage for a Comedy of Errors type plot with Nora as our guide.

However, what follows honestly just felt like a wash as the same few scenes seemed to repeat over and over again. There is a lot of eating and a lot of back-and-forth where Nora struggles over which competing publisher she should get her love interest Andrew to sign with. A mental health plotline introduced after the 50% mark attempts to add tension, but left me questioning how out of the blue it felt when there had been ample opportunity to weave it in throughout the story. On top of the repetition in the book itself, the audiobook also felt repetitive as the narrator didn't really differentiate the voices of the various characters.

Considering how strong the beginning of the book was, I see a lot of potential in Robinson's writing. I think I'll try a physical copy for a next release, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A book about books?! I'm all in! Nora is over worked, underpaid and not well represented. So when her salary gets cut due to budget cuts, she takes on a part time job at a competing publishing house to make ends meet. Can she balance two jobs without tipping the other off? And could the answer to all of her questions be Andrew Santos the up and coming business author who is rather friendly to her.

This was such a captivating read. I loved how dimensional Nora was. She has a very honest discussion about mental health which hit close to home. I also really related to her job woes. Andrew and Nora's chemistry was so delicious. It wasn't so obvious, but enjoyable none-the-less. And I loved the BIPOC representation! Definitely an enjoyable read for any book lover!

𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚: Must Love Books
𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧: Shauna Robinson
𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚: 18 Jan 2022
𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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This book starts off seeming like it will be a cute book focused romance. Nora Hughes is a half black woman in publishing and has been stuck in an editorial assistant position for 5 years. Then her company starts reorganizing, firing people, and issuing pay cuts.
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All the people she enjoyed working with are gone, and she can’t afford her rent on her decreased pay. Then she meets Andrew Santos, a cute and popular published author.
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This is not a rom com. There’s a romance plot line. But there’s also deep subjects such as Nora experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts.
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I loved the diversity in this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed how the two main characters address topics such as the lack of diversity in the publishing industry and for authors.

"Must Love Books" tells the story of a young woman named Nora who is searching for herself and what she wants out of life. She thought she wanted to work in publishing because of her love of books, but after 5 years at a publishing house that specialized in business titles, she is stuck as an assistant editor doing administrative jobs. This book follows her as she tried to find happiness.

Now I will say if you are looking for a straight up romance, this may not be the book for you. But if you are looking for something that has some romance and some soul searching and some grappling with mental health and institutional racism, then this is a book for you. I loved that through the story of this one woman, we see struggles that many of us have dealt with in our lives.

As a side note, I used to live in San Francisco and I loved all the references. It made me so homesick for my old home.

I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator was excellent at conveying the emotion of the text and the different character voices. The book itself is very well written and I would definitely recommend it!

Books about books are always a big yes in the story. Talking about this one, we'll it's raining hell down on Nora (the main protagonist) who is struggling to make her ends meet with a job in publishing. ( Must I say it looks like a dream job to many but it's not so fancy within)

Working into the corporate world myself, I could perfectly understand the difficulty Nora faced interacting with people and being awkward at social events 🙈. To top it up, it's filled with hiring, firing, pay cuts and more day-to-day drama that I felt absolutely like a reality check!!!

Moreover, the book focuses on key messaging that people starting out with their career path need to know. It's not necessary to know what you want to do with your life all time OR have life goals. Sometimes it's ok to go with the flow and build up things gradually with what interests you the most.

My fav quote from the book: "To feel so uncertain about her future. But some uncertainties in life are better than other certainties. Particularly if those certainties have to do anything with working at Parsons "

My reaction at the end of this story: "This is one of those books that make you feel like living the lives of characters yourself. I want a fresh start too!"

Needless to say, it was a 5/5 read
Will recommend this book to everyone. This just made me feel so happy.

When I saw I approved for this, I listened to it in practically one sitting! I was excited about the premise, the author, and the cute romantic cover. Unfortunately, I felt pretty neutral about this book, even though I was hoping to love it. Books about books are awesome, but not when they're this ... average? It just didn't make me feel a dang thing.

I really loved this book for probably the first 40% of it, but then it kind of petered out for me. Nora is unhappy in her publishing job, so her solution is to secretly get a second freelance publishing job at a competing agency in the hopes of a promotion and better pay if she can sway some authors to move with her.

While there is a romantic arc in Must Love Books, if you come to this looking for a typical romance novel, you won’t find it. This is much more about Nora’s journey, which I don’t have a problem with. My question is about the handling of Nora’s depression and suicidal ideation—these aren’t issues I’ve faced personally, but I felt like they were handled a bit more casually than I’d expect. The book doesn’t provide tons of answers or a neat ending, and I can imagine many readers might find that dissatisfying, though I have no problem with that.