An interesting look inside the world of publishing and the pressures that go with it. The book revolves around the theme of happiness and finding your dream job, but has a darker underside of the main character who entertains suicidal thoughts. But overall a hopeful book

This was a very cute read and being a book lover myself I could relate to this book at a whole another level. I can’t wait to read more from the author. They did such an amazing job with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2 STARS

Ugh, this book was just not for me. I found it to be underwhelming overall. The plot felt predictable and lacked any real originality, which made it hard to stay engaged. The characters were the biggest drawback for me, they were difficult to connect with and often came off as overly whiny, making it hard to root for them. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t do it for me.

Shauna Robinson's debut novel follows Nora, a twentysomething who has become disillusioned by her dream job of working in publishing because she's been pigeonholed into the position of editorial assistant and is facing pay cuts. I actually left a job recently so I could definitely emphasize with Nora's plight. However, I couldn't help but feel that Nora's job issues as the main conflict wasn't dramatic enough to really keep me engaged. Robinson excels in writing a contemporary novel that feels realistic, but it could have benefitted from some higher stakes. ⁠
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I also thought that this was a romance novel at first and was confused when there was not more tension between Nora and her clear love interest Andrew, but nonetheless Robinson writes a fun dynamic between them. Andrew is an up-and-coming author being courted by the publishing house that Nora so desperately no longer wants to work for, and Nora ends up taking up a part-time freelancing position at another publishing house that is also courting him so they end up running into each other a lot. ⁠
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I personally love it when two love interests' paths keep crossing (I think it's so fun and in more romance-centric novels can be a great source of tension) so I could appreciate Nora and Andrew's romance for that even if it was not the focus of the story like I'd thought. Nora's relationship with Andrew obviously crosses a lot of professional boundaries and while I'm willing to suspend my disbelief in these situations, the fact that Nora doesn't handle it maturely was pretty off-putting.⁠
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Must Love Books is overall a solid debut novel, and I wanted to love it, but sadly I didn't.

A cute book. I enjoyed the plot and the characters just seem relatable. I definitely would recommend this to my fellow book lovers! :)

*Must Love Books* by Shauna Robinson is a delightful and engaging read that deftly explores the complexities of career, relationships, and self-discovery within the backdrop of the literary world. The novel centers on Nora Hughes, a bookish thirty-something who finds herself navigating the tumultuous waters of the publishing industry while grappling with her own aspirations and romantic entanglements.

The book's exploration of the impact of literature on personal identity and relationships is both thoughtful and insightful. While the plot can occasionally follow familiar tropes, Robinson’s engaging writing style and well-developed characters keep the story fresh and compelling. The novel's setting and references to the literary world will particularly resonate with book lovers, adding an extra layer of enjoyment.

Overall, *Must Love Books* is a feel-good, entertaining novel that combines romance, professional drama, and a love for literature in a way that is both satisfying and heartwarming.

This is a lovely, feel good novel. I'm a sucker for books with a books theme! I love the realism behind the story, how things weren't great, but turned out okay in the end. It gave 500 Days of Summer vibes, which is one of my favorite movies.

Cute book. I appreciated how real Nora felt. She was dealing with a lot, but the anxiety and angst wasn’t super overwhelming for me, the reader. The book made me laugh and smile.

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Nora always wanted to work in publishing but after five years as an editorial assistant and a pay cut, she isn’t sure it is truly for her. ARC from NetGalley.

Nora has done the same crappy job that she doesn't even like for the last five years and is too scared to move out of it until she has literally no other choice than to find something to help make money to keep living her same life. At 10% in, nothing felt like it was moving, and it's just not the book for me. However, our average library goers would easily enjoy at a solid three to four stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

"Must Love Books" by Shauna Robinson takes on heavier subject matter than your typical rom-com. TW: the main character deals with low-level suicidal ideation pretty much constantly. And it handles a plot device that normally stresses me out so much I avoid it: high-stakes lying and deception. But it feels like a very authentic look into the world of small press publishing and navigating a predominantly White space as a person of color. Not to give too much away, but I enjoyed the ending a lot as it showed how when we catastrophize that we've burned all our bridges, that's often not true (but actions do have consequences).

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Must Love Books was such a treat — ESPECIALLY the mental health themes throughout. I’ve always loved books centered in the publishing industry, so for a book to do that AND touch on depression, job pressure and industry standards was so nice to read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Nina Hill strives for the perfect job, but this book explores the reality of "perfect" especially with a publishing setting. Despite her efforts, she is unable to achieve what she sets to do. Enters Andrew Santos, the love interest but the romance and "sparks" set between the two is only a minor piece of the plot. I did enjoy parts of this, but will neither adopt it for my classroom nor will I seek this title out after publishing.

You might be fooled by the cover and the title, but this is definitely not a rom-com and not much com.

This book deals with very serious mental health issues and there could be some trigger warnings in her for people.

If you want to read something relatable, however, about depression and being caught in a dead end job and just being generally unhappy - you will feel uncomfortable reading this but you will also feel seen and understood.

I really love to read books about books or people who work with books. So this was a definite on my to be read list.

However, I think it fell a little short for me. It felt a bit repetitive at times, and super heavy, I love hearing/reading how people cope and deal with mental health struggles, especially since I deal with my own. However, I felt at times this got too emotionally intense at times. Which is probably more about my reading likes and dislikes than anything to do with the authors writing.

I loved seeing the main character balance her work life as well as her well being. The romance was relatable and fun and worked well with the main characters growth of finding her joy and self worth.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Lovely, cozy book that took me away from the stressors of every day life! I especially loved the publishing work environment being covered within this one. As a total book lover, getting to peek behind the curtain was really enjoyable. I haven't read many books that have covered that topic / setting.

Nora's life isn't going quite as smoothly as she was hoping. And when her pay gets cut she has to figure out how she can survive. A book that is ultimately about a woman finding herself and figuring out what she is worth. With a smattering of romance readers will enjoy this book. Nora is relatable and many readers will connect with her. This was a good read.

A fun book about a woman who has to decide how to juggle two jobs to stay afloat in the world and where she wants her future to go. A perfect finding yourself novel.

This was a cute, bookish book about a girl working in publishing. I loved the insights into the industry and enjoyed reading about Nora!