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?

Just by the title alone, I knew I needed to read this book. I love books and wanted to discover what was in store for Nora.

I felt for Nora. She was in a company that was downsizing and all of her favorite people had been let go. Her workload had increased but her pay decreased. This was all having a negative impact on her mental state but she didn't realize it until much later. I could relate to her situation, I have worked for companies that things changed or the work environment became toxic and the best thing to do was leave. But it wasn't until years later that I realized all of this. Nora doesn't go about trying to fix her situation the right way, but she did what she thought she needed to do at that moment in time.

Andrew is an author that has other ideas about his newest book. However, he isn't sure if Parson's is the right publishing house for him. The friendship that he builds with Nora can be a positive one for both of them if they can just tell each other the truth. They aren't lying per se, but perhaps not telling each other the full story. But I enjoy their banter and watching their friendship develop.

I think we have all been in a situation similar to Nora, not knowing what we want to do with our lives. I like how she uses a book that we have all heard of to help guide her when times get tough. It is never easy to articulate what we want from life and sometimes it takes friends to help push us in the right direction.

This was an enjoyable debut novel and I look forward to more books from this author. We give this book 4 paws up.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Must Love Books is a heartfelt look at the concept of a “Dream Job,” and how it doesn’t really exist. And while it’s definitely a hard pill to swallow for me, as an unemployed, broke, desperate millennial who at one point seriously thought about trying to look for publishing work, only to be daunted by the barriers that most of the ones I was interested in had in place for most of their positions until recently, I think it’s a relevant one, and that getting one’s Ideal Job doesn’t necessarily mean you have everything figured out.
I really appreciated the insights about publishing. I had already gotten little glimpses, thanks to following lots of authors, agents, editors, etc. on Twitter, but getting a realistic depiction of the ins and outs really hits hard, especially considering what Nora is going through.
Nora’s struggles resonated with me. She’s struggling with what life’s throwing at her, and her once-Dream Job doesn’t seem like the dream it once was. The depiction of her struggle with her mental health issues is beautifully done, as is her ultimate quest to take chances and risks to find herself.
While definitely not Genre Romance, there is a lovely romantic subplot with author Andrew. He provides a lot of support and perspective for Nora, as well as some much-needed lightness to the overall narrative.
I enjoyed this book, even if it was a bit heavier than it promised with the marketing (cover, blurb, etc.) If you’re looking for an emotional contemporary read with a sympathetic lead, I recommend checking this out.

I wanted to love this one so much more than I actually did. It has all the elements to make a great book - behind the scenes of the Publishing world, constant references to books upon books, witty banter and open discussion of mental health issues. Yet, it was just a meh reading experience. I can't put my finger on just one thing that didn't work for me...it just didn't come together the way I'd hoped when I started it. While the cover gives the impression of a lighter romance, this one is not light as it explores (TW) depression and suicidal thoughts.

Sadly not my favorite contemporary romance with a book subplot. I'm sure others will love it but it just wasn't for me.

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson is a novel following Nora, an editorial assistant at a major publisher. While this initially seemed like a dream opportunity five years ago, Nora is now disillusioned after a lack of career growth since joining the organization and only gets worse after her salary is cut. Desperate to scrape by, Nora chooses to work for a rival publisher and works to get some authors to move over to the rival publisher. Her latest target is Andrew, one of the top authors at her initial publisher and now Nora must decide whether she is looking out for herself, Andrew, or the publishers?

When I read the premise, I was fascinated by the premise of working for a rival publisher while still working at your current day job. While this book served that, it also brought lovely characters and plot. Nora is extremely likeable and I was rooting for her the whole book. I truly could feel the desperation and stress in her situation and could relate to similar experiences when I was younger. I really appreciated reading how Nora handled a difficult situation, especially one where you get yourself in a questionable situation due to impossible choices. Nora's character development was fantastic and how she overcame her situation.

As for the romance, I enjoyed her relationship with Andrew. The two had great banter and the hurdle to their relationship made sense. While this book included a romance, I want to highlight that the romance was more of a sub-plot and instead was focused primarily on Nora's characterization, rather than their relationship. The book was "fade to black" for intimate moments and instead we saw the sweet, caring relationship between the two.

Overall I enjoyed this debut novel from Shauna Robinson and am looking forward to future work from this author!

Many thanks to the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It had moments of humor, held my interest and I wanted to find out what would happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

We've all experienced in one way or another - not quite fitting in or feeling like we're making all the wrong choices. This book brings a relatable voice that struggles while being equally unsuccessful and on track. You watch with no control as her story unfolds and quickly find yourself pulling for her to get it right.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

I was expecting a lighthearted bookish romcom, and instead what I got was an incredibly real contemporary with sprinkles of romance, sarcastic humour and mental health representation.
This was an amazing debut from Shauna Robinson! I will be desperately waiting for her next project and in the meantime as ordering a copy of this book to hold close to my heart. Nora Hughes struggle hit so close to home and I will be recommending this book to all who read fiction. What an amazing book.

Original post at @shelved_ramblings (Instagram)

Thanks so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC copy!
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📖: Must Love Books
🖋: Shauna Robinson
🎧: “The Best of Me” by The Starting Line
⭐️: 3/5 stars
✨: For fans of sweet romances, sassy MCs, mental health discussions, book publishing behind the scenes
‼️: TW for depression, mentions of suicide; small spoilers
—
// 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾 //

Considering this was supposed to be a rom com, the reason I enjoyed it had little to do with the actual romance.

Don’t get me wrong - our MC, Nora’s interactions with her love interest, Andrew are sweet and at times witty, and he seems like truly a good guy. (Also the fact that Nora’s friend calls him “daddy Santos” makes me giggle because I just think of Matt Santos from the West Wing - but I digress). But they never quite had a lot of steam and their relationship kind of leaves on a question mark at the end of the book.

However, I think what Robinson does incredibly well is capturing the hopelessness many of our generation feeling being “stuck” in jobs they don’t enjoy, and how it can affect their mental health. This is where Robinson’s writing actually shines, in highlighting this vital discussion. As someone currently struggling with her job and anxiety, I really identified with Nora and some of her feelings. I also enjoyed Robinson’s semi dive into the world of publishing as I have no knowledge of it, and I thought some of the processes she had explained or featured were super interesting.

This was a speedy, rather light reading (even considering the heavier focus on mental health and finding your “destiny”), and I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a quick romance read!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark got the gifted book.

On boy. I wanted so badly to like this book. The cover is adorable, the synopsis sounded fantastic. Unfortunately, it bored me to tears and I barely made it through.

It was so predictable - both in Nora’s career path and her relationship with Andrew. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with Weber and for either Rita or Lynn to figure things out. Andrew was a minor part of the story in my mind, and just didn’t seem to fit.

And spoiler alert slash trigger warning - Nora’s suicidal thoughts? Not cool at all. The girl needed some professional help. You can’t just bring it up and then brush it under the rug.

I don’t know. Just really disappointed in this one. 2.5 stars.

Must Love Books has been described as The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger. It is about an overworked and underpaid woman, Nora Hughes, who discovers she’ll have to ditch her “dream job” and write her own story to find her happy ending.

I appreciated the premise of this book about a young woman at a crossroad in her career searching fo happiness. However, for the most part, it did not live up to the synopsis for me. It was incredibly slow... the writing style was too descriptive for me and I lost interest early on. I’m glad it explored more complex mental health issues but I feel it would have benefitted from more research and better character development.

Must Love Books is not as light and fluffy as it suggests. It is a story about self-discovery, overcoming life hurdles and learning from your mistakes. I recommend this for readers who are looking for bolder realistic reads that do not shy away from heavy feelings.

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson was just the read I needed. Nora is an editorial assistant for a sinking business book publishing company. Frankly, she is kind of sinking too. She isn't making enough money and gets in a pickle when she tells a lie. Nora faces a lot of anxiety and dark thoughts in this story. She also meets a really cute guy. I love a story with characters that feel real, pages filled with emotion and rawness, a little romance and a few laughs thrown in for good measure. Really enjoyed this story and looking forward to more by this author in the future.

Dnf @ 60%.

I could not get into this book, I did try, but something did not work for me. It might have been my own expectations going in as I thought it was a lighter rom-com and it was a bit heavier than I had hoped.
Overall, I did like the writing style and will definitely try reading something from this author in the future.

I think so many millenial women can relate to Nora Hughes. Thinking you've found a job that will end up with you in your dream career to have it all dashed when your employer just doesn't appreciate you or can't keep up with the times and slowly starts to go under. This was inspiring, relatable, and such a wonderful debut from and author I am excited to read more from.

Book Review: ****/5

This book was published yesterday, and you need to run and get a copy. I found this book to be such an easy read. However, I do need to disclose up front that the main character has thoughts of depression and suicide.

Nora is an editorial assistant who has lost all her work friends due to layoffs within the company. She is feeling overwhelmed and underpaid after taking on the increased responsibilities left over from her teams' loss. When a very important author walks into her life everything becomes increasingly more complicated. When she decides to take a freelance job with a competing publisher her feelings of anxiety and depression escalated. She begins to question if her dream job is really her dream come true. Will she find her happy ever after or will her feelings of depression take over her life.

When I picked this book up, I thought I was going to read a really cute Rom-com. However, what I found was not what I expected. I got really invested in the characters and become upset listening to Nora explain to us readers the way she felt like her life had no purpose. I felt that it was really easy for everyone at some point in their lives to have similar feelings. Shauna Robinson did an excellent job at character development with this book. Robinsons' ending, though not what I expected, was a very satisfying ending in my opinion.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks and Shauna Robinson for the e-ARC of this book from Net Galley.

A painfully honest and thought-provoking debut that takes a deeper look inside the publishing world and the inner workings of a depressed girl searching for answers. Rife with thoughts on failure and the ache of loneliness, this is a book about mental illness and the fight to survive.

Nora Hughes is in a rut. Working as an underpaid editorial assistant, Nora doesn’t know what to do with her life and finds herself making questionable decisions to make ends meet. It isn’t until Nora meets the young and impressionable author Andrew Santos that Nora sees a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and tries to find her way into a life she’s happy to live.

While I found myself completely frustrated with Nora at times, the author portrays her struggles with depression and identity in a realistic manner. I identified with a lot of Nora’s moral dilemmas, including her struggle with finances and finding a career. The best part of this book is seeing a different side of the publishing world and, most of all, watching her newly developing relationship with Andrew unfold. This book is equal parts infuriating and surprising. A well written first novel about suicide, discovering oneself, and finding love.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Must Love Books follows editorial assistant Nora, whose dream job isn't feeling so dreamy anymore when all her work friends are moving onto greener pastures and her company cuts her already meager pay. Desperate to be able to still afford to live, Nora secretly gets a part-time freelance position at a rival publishing company. Enter Andrew Santos, author extraordinaire, whose choice to sign a new contract could make waves in Nora's career, although it would mean losing her budding relationship with Andrew.

I went into Must Love Books thinking it was going to skew more adult rom-com, which was a mistake. Ultimately, this book is women's fiction, and centers much more on the main character's personal journey than anything else. Although I did find myself wanting a bit more from the romance due to my own preconceived notions of this book, it was quite refreshing that, since Nora's personal struggles were at the forefront of the conflict, the romance didn't suffer from a poorly fabricated conflict in the third act. Instead, it was easy to understand and empathize with Nora's actions, especially as a working adult with student debt in the modern economy.

Aside from the fact that this book isn't a romance, it's also important to know that part of Nora's emotional struggle is dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts.

While I did generally enjoy my time with this book, there was a point where it went from well-paced to too-slow, somewhere between the 50-75% mark. Although no real-life emotional journey of self discovery actually happens over night, narratively it was difficult to watch Nora still think herself in circles after being given the tools she would ultimately need in order to make choices that would actually move the plot forward. And though I feel like I know Nora personally, I also think that her personality is juuust common/vague enough that it was easy for me to project my own anxieties and insecurities onto her story, which can be a good thing for relating to the narrative but isn't the best news for character construction.

I'd definitely recommend this for anyone interested in Nora's kind of journey, particularly the struggle to find a more-than-survivable career in the modern world.

This was exactly the book I needed to read right now. I love books about books theme, they’re some of my favorite books to read because the character in the book is just as obsessed with books as I am.

Nora Hughes has been working the same job title for 5 years while increasingly receiving more and more responsibilities, without the promotion and actually getting a pay reduction instead of a raise. Not knowing how to make ends meet, Nora takes on a secondary job with another publishing company, a big no-no in the industry. Nora is trying to simultaneously juggle both jobs while also starting a relationship with an author that if she can get signed onto her publishers, could mean a lot for Nora and her career going forward.

When Nora gets caught having the two jobs, she must figure out her next step forward and what will truly make her happy in life.

This was such a feel good novel, I emphasized with Nora so much with everything she was going through. It was heartbreaking to read her thoughts of suicide but the author portrayed it in such a great way that I was rooting for Nora the whole time she was having her dark thoughts about her internal monsters.

I loved how this book touched so much on a Black woman working in publishing and the struggles the main character Nora felt with that. I don’t feel like it’s talked about enough in books, especially in romance books.

This romance is also one of my favorite types of romance because of the spice level. There weren’t too many details and it had more of the fade out moments which I love to read. The romance was more based around support and sweetness and I loved reading it between the two characters.

I cannot wait to see what Shauna Robinson comes up with next, she is now an auto-buy author for me.

*Many thanks to Sourcebooks for the gifted copy for my honest review!*