I went into this with no expectations and was so pleasantly surprised. A wonderful debut and I'll definitely read whatever's next! Very few novels address work satisfaction and unhealthy work environments, and I found that this one did it very well.

2,5 stars.

It took me three attempts—and switching to the audiobook—to get into this book. This is mostly because although I was expecting a cute romance novel, this wasn’t that. This is a contemporary book about a woman, Nora, trying to find purpose in life. It is also not a light read at all as it deals with pretty heavy topic that aren’t glossed over in the slightest. Despite there being some great aspects like the depiction of the publishing industry and the struggles of finding a job as well as the secondary romance, the pacing was slow, which made this drag on.

The very reason I decided to read this book was that it was about a woman working in the publishing industry. Through Nora, we get to see what an editorial assistant job entails, which I found to be really interesting. However, Nora doesn’t like her job and so her journey of looking for a new one begins. The miserable yet realistic depiction of what this process is like really struck a chord but I still failed to truly empathise with our protagonist. I understood her struggle yet I didn’t really feel for her.

The romance, although much more secondary than I thought it would be, was quite sweet. Andrew, the love interest, was easily my favourite character in the novel despite how little he’s actually in it. I loved that there was no unnecessary drama or conflict and instead the characters communicated their wants and needs.

My main issue with Must Love Books was the pacing of the novel. This starts off painfully slow and it doesn’t really pick up until the very end. Usually, I really enjoy slow-paced stories but seeing as I felt to connect to Nora, I had no interest in exploring her character and I wished there had been more going on rather than focusing on her inner thoughts so much. I was glad I ended up opting to listen to this on audibook, as it made the reading more enjoyable. However, the narrator was truly slow and I had to listen to it on 2x speed—which is obviously a personal preference.

All in all, although this wasn’t the book for me, I can still see how other people might enjoy it. It is a realistic depiction of what it’s like to try to find your purpose in life and being disillusioned with your job.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a binge worthy read. Nora works in publishing and loves books. However her career is platformed, her salary is being cut, and she's living with depression. We follow Nora along her path of trying to make ends meet. There are some great scenes in here and the description of depressive episodes is on point. A great read!

We all have that famous saying… Over worked and under paid. These are Nora’s exact complaints about her job. Knowing there’s nowhere else she can go unless she wants to risk missing rent payments. Nora meets Andrew Santos one of the best-selling authors at her job. The two get a lot closer than anticipated. Once Nora is advised that she will be getting a 15% decrease in salary she is forced to obtain a second job at another publisher. Lies to jobs and lies to Santos eventually leads to Nora being jobless and friendless.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book for my honest feedback.

Nora doesn't have a lot of options if she wants to make something of herself in the publishing industry. She has that glass ceiling every modern woman hates in addition to pay cuts and threatening lay offs. In order to keep her head above water, she applies for and attempts to juggle two jobs with the hopes of achieving her dream job.
I don't need a sweeping romance or an epic plot to enjoy a book, but I do need to feel connected to the MC and, unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I'm so disappointed because I love the concept and everything about how it's been marketed. I often find it hard to believe in a heroine who refuses to believe in herself.
Just about before the halfway point, things started to pick up in pace and Nora's professional dilemmas seemed to be on the verge of a crash course. I wish it had happened sooner.
I read this book through multi-media and I didn't find that the narration by Tyra Kennedy added any excitement. Her performance was a little dry and lacked the passion I believe Nora's character would have benefited from.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a book about books, exploring the tricky behind-the-scenes world of publishing, dream jobs and if they exist, as well as themes of mental health and happiness. This is a great book club book with lots of points for discussion. Overall, it’s a great read for any book lover.

Thanks for the arc of Must Love Books!

Nora is stuck. Her job is going no where, she lives paycheck to paycheck and her mental health is suffering. She really struggles with depression which was so honest and raw to see portrayed in a book. Nora works in publishing so a large amount of this story discussed books, authors, etc. she befriends, Andrew, an author she is supposed to sign. He becomes much more than just another author to her. Unfortunately he gets caught up in her pursuit to land her dream job and well as just making enough money to survive. I loved the theme of loyalty Andrew and Nora’s friends provided in this story. It’s what every struggling person hopes for.

There was an overall sadness to this story. I was expecting a little more of a rom-com. I think it’s so important people like Nora are represented. I relate to her so much, whether I want to really admit that or not. Life can be so challenging. The reader really feels for her as she can’t achieve happiness on the path she is on but it’s financially impossible to just “follow her dream.” I loved Andrews sweetness- although I wish they moved along a little faster in the story. I’d say this was more of a self discovery book than a romance- which is a beautiful thing.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was great and made it easy to listen to. I’d recommend this to struggling students deciding their life career path.

If you've ever felt overworked and underpaid, this may well be a book for you.

MUST LOVE BOOKS features Nora, a Black editorial assistant at Parsons, publisher of business books. Nora loves books, and felt like she was really on a dream career path when she first started at Parsons. The problem? That was five years ago, and since then she hasn't gotten a promotion - just more responsibilities (i.e. work!) and her workplace support system has vanished (thanks to downsizing and people leaving for opportunities elsewhere). Not to mention, she's barely making ends meet when she finds out her pay will be cut.

I expected to like this book; I wasn't expecting it to be so entirely heartfelt. Nora's struggles, while specific to her, also felt universal. Who hasn't felt stuck? Who hasn't known, deep down, that they needed a change, but also had no idea how to go about making that happen?

Please note that Nora occasionally experiences suicidal thoughts on the page. While at times I wanted better support for her, I think this representation reflects what some people do experience.

I'm afraid this review makes this book sound like a downer, when it wasn't! I really enjoyed reading MUST LOVE BOOKS and while it's not a romance (despite some great scenes), I'd leap at the chance to read a sequel!

Note: I switched between the audiobook and e-book and would recommend either. I was a big fan of the narration by Tyra Kennedy.

I enjoyed the story but thought a different narrator would have been a better fit for the audiobook.

DNF at 28% for now. I really tried to listen to this audiobook, and usually I’m not too picky, but the narrator talked really slow and even 2x speed wasn’t fast enough, but when you turn it up past that, the recording doesn’t do well. If you don’t mind slower narration, this audiobook is for you. The narrator’s voice was nice, just slow. So if you’re autistic and need to listen at 2.5x speed on a normal audiobook, probably don’t pick this one up.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrator 5 stars

Story 2 stars

This is definitely more women's fiction than romance which is totally fine and enjoyable, but this particular story didn't do it for me on there front.

This is the first time I've tried this author and I would definitely give her another go.

4.25 stars

I keep requesting and picking up books that I think are going to be a different style (or even genre) of story than they actually are. I don’t know if it was the cover design, the title, or the blurb for this one, but I was expecting something lighter, more along the lines of a rom-com. Instead, this one was kind of heavy. There was romance, but it wasn’t always front and centre, and the book also deals with issues related to race, sexism, mental illness, suicide, financial hardship, and a few other things. I really liked the main character, once I got to know her; she was imperfect and relatable. Also, the ending of the book was unexpected. The protagonist leaves her high(er) profile career-track job to work in retail/customer service in order to do something that makes her happy while she finds herself and formulates her plans for the future; similarly, she puts her romantic relationship on hold so that she can work on her mental health and wellbeing before trying to be with someone else. These are great things that are almost never shown as worthwhile priorities, in stories or in real life. I was initially caught off-guard by some parts of the book, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Even thought it wasn’t what I expected, I enjoyed this one.

Wow, I really enjoyed this one. I felt it was more a women's fiction book than a romance and I think that worked really well. I appreciated the perspective of a Black woman in the publishing industry as well as the discussion surrounding mental health. I will definitely be recommending this book to others!

Must Love Books: Despite the cutesy rom-com cover, this is a definitely womens lit because it does not include a central love line or happily ever after. It provides wonderful insight into the publishing world, especially as a woman of color and while the characters were interesting... the pacing was glacial. I recieved this audiobook on netgalley for review but if I weren't expected to review, I'm not sure if I would have finished. So many sections dragged that I ended up listening at 2.75x speed hoping to keep the story flowing. I found the moral dilemma, mental health issues and work struggles to be interesting enough but because I was expecting a sweet, maybe even fluffy romcom from the cover, the expectation versus reality made it seem so much slower 2.5⭐

Books about books and the world of publishing always intrigue me, so Must Love Books sounded like an ideal read. I’m not sure if it was the book or the narrator of the audiobook, but the story felt flat to me. I didn’t care for any of the characters and the romance between Nora and Andrew lacked a spark. I do feel like I may have enjoyed this book more in print. I listen to audiobooks regularly, and I feel the narrator made this book more lackluster than it truly is.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an honest tale about a woman who is stuck in rut, in her career and life,. The truth behind depression, the sinking feeling a lot of us get when we aren't sure where our lives are heading, and the honesty behind jobs we hate made me like this book a lot! It had nice/light elements as well and I enjoyed the character Andrew. Overall this was a good book.

Thank you Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for this alc.

I am sorry to tell I did not like the narrator but the storynwas nice. A young woman wants to find her self. She has still all options but when you are young you are not so patient maybe, a story of depression.and how to comw out. And many things about publising.