This is a tough one for me. I loved the setting of a publishing company and the honesty of working in that type of environment sometimes. I also loved Andrew’s character and the interactions between him and Nora.

However, there were things going on that I didn’t care for. TW…Suicide and depression are a big part of this book. Going into it, I was under the impression I would get a more lighthearted book with a love story and a character finding herself. Both of these things happened, but the book was a bit darker than I anticipated. I don’t mind a dark book that explores difficult topics, but a heads up is nice.

Having said that, it felt authentic the way Nora was acting in the beginning after discovering she battles depression. The writing was well done, and the longer I sat with my thoughts on this book, the more I could appreciate what the author put into it.

Thank you also to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the arc in exchange for my thoughts!

I was wowed by this debut novel from Shauna Robinson. Must Love Books is an engaging, contemporary story about a young woman whose life becomes unsettled when she realizes that what once was her dream job as a publishing assistant has now become untenable. It’s not only a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek into the publishing industry, but it’s also a book that seems especially prescient as it debuts in the midst of The Great Resignation.

Even though I’m considerably older than the protagonist, Nora, I found her to be both relatable and likable, and I was rooting for her all the way. I strongly empathized with her frustrations towards people who send emails that are just the worst, and I also greatly appreciated the ways this book engaged with honest, compassionate conversations and depictions surrounding mental health, financial stability, and racial dynamics in the the workplace.

This book is not a rom com (the original cover seemed to imply that it was, so I’m glad it was changed!) but there IS a delightful romantic subplot, which was made even better by the fact that the love interest’s name, Santos, instantly had me picturing a young Jimmy Smits, thanks to the West Wing. 😍

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this book for review.

I really thought I’d like this much more than I did. Overall it was a fairly enjoyable, easy read with an OK romance, but I think the cover might deceive a few people. It’s not exactly the light-hearted rom com it appears. I’d consider this more a book about corporate burnout, career fatigue and someone struggling with where they are in life than a romance, though that is a big and sweet element of the story.

It was really interesting to read this depiction of the publishing industry. I think the frustration and disenchantment Nora feels in her job will speak to a lot of people. And I could certainly relate to many aspects of her work life!

I did like the story & I felt the way Nora’s deception fell apart was really well done, but I’m not sure I ever really connected with the protagonist, especially when she was playing such a risky & professionally unethical game & I think that affected my reading unfortunately.

I think this would especially appeal to readers who enjoy workplace settings or corporate dramas, and bookish protagonists with a touch of romance.

Title: Must Love Books
Author: Shauna Robinson
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

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.

I liked the style and writing of this novel, and I enjoyed Andrew and Nora…except that Nora thought it was okay to be unethical, lie, and steal (authors). She was under a lot of stress, but that doesn’t excuse poor morals. So no matter how much I enjoyed her and Andrews’s banter, that made the whole book much less enjoyable than it should have been.

Shauna Robinson lives in Virginia. Must Love Books is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.)

Books about anything book related always end up on my must read list, and I was so excited to read MUST LOVE BOOKS just from the cover + concept. Thanks to Sourcebooks for my ARC!

Not only did Robinson give us such great insight into the publishing industry, but she wrote us a book that touched on so many relatable feelings for many of us. If you've ever had to work a job that may not appreciate your talents or the time you put in, or had to work two jobs to make ends meet, this book is for you. For me, how things happened to Nora at work, in her personal life, her growth as a person were such messy and real problems, I instantly found myself in her and wanted to cheer her on.

While the focus was definitely on Nora and her journey for a sense of self, I really enjoyed the relationship between her and Andrew as well. It added to the story in a realistic way while not taking over the plotline. I loved going into this book with no expectations, and having such an intimate, personal reaction to the story that made me want to take a look at my own self.

Nora's interactions with her friends and co-workers in the book made me want to reevaluate my own core words and intentions, I loved that hers were 1) Books 2) Input 3) Persuade 4) Nonprofit and how each of these were a part of the themes of the book.

Must Love Books does an excellent job of giving us an intimate look at a career in publishing and how a young woman finds a path to better utilize her gifts. Funny, sweet and intriguing, a great read

4.5 stars!! A quarter way through, I thought this book was only going to be a mediocre read but at the halfway point things took a turn and I ended up loving this book so much. The raw emotions really grabbed me. I could relate to Nora in so many ways. Feeling “stuck” in life is such a hard thing to go though. I appreciated the mental health aspect of the book a lot. I also really enjoyed the romance part and I wish all real life boyfriends would be as patient and understanding as Andrew. Of course, bonus points for a book featuring books! Well done!!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to netgallery and Sourcebooks Landmark for Shauna Robinson’s advanced copy of Must Love Books. Don’t let the cover deceive you, this is not a romcom! This is the story about Nora, a black women navigating the white publishing world, who also is dealing with mental health issues and trying to figure out her life. There’s also a little bit of a love story thrown in there too! I really enjoyed this book but at times was a bit frustrated with Nora. Overall I would recommend reading!

This book was a quick read, but it wasn't that enjoyable. I honestly think I read it so fast so that I could be done with it. The main character was annoying in my opinion and I didn't like the theme of choosing between her or a boy. I also am not a fan of books talking about characters struggling with mental health due to their own choices. Just makes me angry, but thats my opinion.

A very quick read- I was going to call it a romance but with ending I'm going to classify this as contemporary fiction. This book follows Nora who's stuck in a job she no longer loves. Along the way she tries to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life. I would've like this book to wrap up nicely with a bow and it didn't so that kind of threw me off.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book because of the title, but I did not love THIS book. A few times I put it down and really didn't want to pick it up again, but I forced myself to five it a chance, hoping that the book would get better.

It didn't.

Nora just didn't resonate with me at all. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I just wasn't empathetic to her plight. Her former boss Lynn put it in context: she could have taken a part time job anywhere: a restaurant, a grocery store, the Gap, to help make ends meet but she didn't.

While I love books I didn't love this one, but who's to say that you won't? Don't skip it just because I didn't love it... you might.

I went into this book knowing nothing about it except “cute cover” and “a title with books in it!” But this was not a rom com — it was much more focused on the main character’s journey to extricate herself from a dispirited position and find happiness. As someone who worked in newspapers for a number of years and watched a lot of downsizing happen, I empathized with Nora’s hopelessness. And the book industry setting felt pretty accurate (bookish professionals in any capacity are definitely going to want to pick this one up!). I also thought the mental health rep was extremely well done — Nora’s feeling of being frozen when considering change is something that I think most people who have struggled in their life can relate to. I particularly was impressed by the way her occasional suicidal thoughts were portrayed — not as something enormous, but just as “wouldn’t giving up be easier?” because that feels frighteningly accurate to what many people experience. I feel like my review makes this book sound extremely depressing, and it isn’t! It has a lot of fun bright spots, and a cute romance subplot! I really really enjoyed it.

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson introduces us to book and reading lover, Nora. All Nora wanted was her dream job, instead after five years she is doing more and getting paid less. Now she is balancing needs versus wants. She takes on a questionable second job hoping she can get what she finally wants. Then she meets Andrew, an author at her current employment and things get more complicated. This is Nora’s story about her choices and desires.

Happy reading!

I am finding more and more that I really enjoy a book where we truly witness the main character's growth. When we first meet Nora, she is wallowing in an editorial assistant job that she doesn't really love. She hasn't moved in five years. Yes, it has to do with books but not even the fiction she loves, it's business books. When her pay is cut, she moonlights at another publishing house. It is the competition and both are vying for author Edward Santos and his new book. Sparks fly between Nora with her dark, pessimistic thoughts and ever positive Edward. So what is she to do?

We have the inevitable conflict of interest and the nagging that it will all have to crash at some point but I love how Nora turns her life around. Even if it means starting all over again, she learns from her mistakes. I love that! I would love to see what happens in the future between Nora and Edward. I would also love to see where she is after a while. I really liked her and you will just cheer for her to succeed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of this book for review.

A fun, relaxing read that gave me something else to focus on during a stressful time. Overall this was just an okay book for me--I didn't love it but I still enjoyed it. I had trouble connecting with Nora as a character but loved the setting in book publishing.

I loved following Nora's journey to find the right job, man and all the twists and turns in her life. I was surprised along the way---and really enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you so much for sharing it with me.
I look forward to more tales from Shauna Robinson.

This book was just okay. The best thing about it was the cute cover and title but the MC was really hard for me to care about. I just couldn't connect with her for some reason and I didn't feel like I was rooting for her at all. this is more women's fiction than it is romance and not a lot about this book was super memorable

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me an advanced copy of this book through #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Three stars.

Must Love Books follows Nora, an editorial assistant stuck in a career rut, struggling to make ends meet financially, and who has lost touch with happiness in her life.
When Nora’s employer, Parsons, cuts her pay, she picks up freelancing for their competition - Webers - unbeknownst to either publishing house. she continues working for them both.
Meet Andrew Santos - the accomplished author that Parsons is desperately trying to get to sign a contract with for is next book. With the promise of a promotion if she succeeds, Parsons

Nora’s process of figuring out what would make her happy in both her career and personal life is one that will resonate with readers who are looking to make changes in their life and to get back in touch with what brings them joy and makes them feel fulfilled in their career. I think that the message that your career path is not set in stone and that you can switch paths and industries to do what makes you happier is an important message for people. When it came to mental health, this book danced around and hinted at underlying problems Nora was feeling but did not address them beyond small lifestyle changes, I would have liked to see this fleshed out more.

I found the romance in this book to be sweet and lighthearted - I enjoyed the banter between Andrew and Nora. I found their connection to feel genuine and well developed. This being said, if you were looking for spice, this is not the book for you. Strictly fade to black. I was expecting there to be more romance in this book, but I think it was balanced well with the rest of the plot.

I found the climax of this book to be a bit rushed, when her boss at Webers found out about Nora never quitting Parsons, the fall-out fell flat, but I am very pleased with how the book concluded and that Nora made career and personal moves that were better aligned for her!

Overall - three stars because I think that Nora’s self discovery regarding being dissatisfied and discouraged in her career was well written, I really liked the friendship she had with Beth, and the romance made me smile!

This book was heavier than I expected, tackling deep issues, but I very much enjoyed it. I could relate to the MC in many ways, having once been stuck in a career that became soul-crushing but that I felt I couldn't leave because I needed the steady paycheck. I like that the book focused more on the MC finding herself and forging a path to happiness than on the romance, and without giving anything away, I think the fact that the ending didn't wrap everything in a neat little bow was fitting to the story. If you enjoy a book that's both sad and hopeful, this one's for you !

⭐⭐⭐.75

I received this book from the publisher on NetGalley. There may be spoilers ahead.

I loved this book. Hands down LOVED this book. Romance/Women's Lit are not my typical genres, and with a very few exceptions I tend to stay away from them. But when I read the premise of this one, I immediately requested it from the publisher. And boy am I glad I did.

Much of this book reads as a love letter to publishing and those who work in publishing, who have worked in publishing, and who dream of working in publishing. You can tell the author herself comes from the world of publishing because its nuanced and TRUE, but not to the detriment of the plot or coming off as a technical manual for publishing job seekers.

Nora Hughes, the books protagonist, could be anyone. She could be any young (or older!) person in the workforce who had a dream and has slowly seen that dream become tarnished by the realities of the workforce. Nora and her struggles spoke to me on an intimate level because I have been Nora, and I think many people can relate to her. Nora's life isn't perfect, as I feel many characters in romance/women's lit novels can seem. She has real struggles and makes real decisions that have (GASP!) real. consequences. Could that be one of the things I loved most? That when our heroine gets caught in her "web of lies" she actually has to suffer the consequences and figure out where to go from there? Maybe.

But I also loved the frankness with which Robinson wrote her struggles, from the depression she sinks into (possibly a little bit of a TW for depression and suicidal thoughts), to the money struggles that she hides from her more well-off friend and former coworker. Nothing in Nora's life was easy for the sake of plot. Are there a few obvious tropes at play? Of course, it is a romance novel after all. But (another gasp) The Romance Was Secondary to Nora's Journey.

Let me say that again THE ROMANCE WAS SECONDARY TO NORA'S JOURNEY. There was less of a focus on the central relationship in this book than others that it might be likened to or lumped in with. Nora's journey for self discovery was the heart of this book and that made the romance aspect of it feel EARNED.

I honestly cannot sing the praises of this book enough. I went into it thinking it would be a nice palate cleanser after reading a spooky historical fiction novel, and it was! but it was also something more. It was a warm blanket. It made me smile and laugh. And, unlike other romance novels, it truly made me THINK. Was I reevaluating my life and career path by the end of this book? Maybe... But is that necessarily a bad thing?