1.5 stars because at least I finished it.

TW: depression and suicidal thoughts/ideation

Within the first 50 pages, I was ready to be done. Nora hates her job, perpetually complains and whines and does nothing about it. She needs therapy (as so many of us do). Too bad I don’t DNF.

Normally don’t mind books that take place in the publishing world, knowing it’ll get stuff wrong. But this was quite odd and not correct. Everyone saying this is good insight into the publishing industry - pick any other book. And what she does - working for two competitive publishers and stealing authors from none to the other - is extremely sketchy. She starts to feel guilt but it has to explode in her face.

I like Andrew but I feel like I barely know them together. There’s little dialogue and not much of any detail, and she’s disconnected and mostly lying to him.

Least favorite lines:
Organizing books by aesthetics was a sin as far as Nora was concerned. — I’ve color-coordinated my shelves for 6+ years and they make me happy. Stuff your superficial beliefs.

This was a fun, quick read highlighting an aspect of the publishing industry that isn't always shown on #bookstagram. I appreciated how Robinson showed Nora's struggle with disliking her job but not seeing a way out. This book is not a light and fluffy rom-com; it discusses heavy topics like depression and how shows how it can affect every aspect of your life. If you're looking for an inside look into the publishing industry, I recommend checking this one out!

3.5 stars

A title with “books” in it will always catch my eye. Make it about the publishing world and I’m definitely intrigued.

Nora is stuck in a dead-end job and her mental health is not in a great place. Can the nonfiction books her employer publishes help her? Even though she would rather be reading fiction? How about the author she is courting to sign a new contract?

This is not the lighthearted romance I was expecting from the cover, but I think that made me like more.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital ARC through NetGalley.

With the abundance of booked themed stories being released nowadays this one was a DNF for me. A hard to like main character and couple. There were better other options.

Who doesn’t love a good book about books? A cute read, but I wasn’t in LOVE with the Nora. I wanted to YELL at her for more than half the books to get up and CHANGE her dead-end situation.

I wanted to love this book and couldn’t. It dragged. It took me so many more days than it should have. I would get so annoyed with Nora as a main character or as an adult that I’d put it down and play games on my phone instead. The emptiness that was this character and constant struggle to just behave like a compassionate friend to anyone was exhausting for me. She would sugarcoat the concepts of love and passion and suicide, it just felt detached from reality and like there could have been so much greatness to this book. I really wanted to shake Andrew Santos and tell him to ask Beth out on a date.

I generally love, LOVE books about books; unfortunately, this book fell short for me. Maybe that was on me for expecting a rom-com, not a book about the protagonist being situationally depressed.

TW: depression and suicidal ideation.

Publishing assistant Nora Hughes is underpaid and overworked, which is not what she expected when she was hired five years ago and thought of working in publishing. Overworked may even be underselling it, she's doing the work of a million people with all the layoffs in the office, and on top of it all, there is no career progression in sight. She's unhappy, she's broke, and she's over it.

But then she meets Andrew., a successful author. The two become unlikely friends when she is tasked with convincing him to resign his contract... at a publishing company she has grown to resent.

Does she do the job she's been paid to do and sign with the publishing company, or does she freelance and take him elsewhere?

Must Love Books
Shauna Robinson

Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Review

This book was so deep and ao realistic, when I first saw the cover and the blurb I expected a RomCom but this book was that and so much more! I loved how the author has brushed on so many important topics that are yet grey areas in writing.

Nora is an editorial assistant and she's good at what she does, her once dream job is now feeling boring and she feels stagnant, she comes to the conclusion that she only loved the people whom she worked with and not the job itself! When a freelancing opportunity knows on her door she grabs it with both hands while forgetting that it's kinda illegal, to make things even messier she falls in love! With whom you may ask and to that I say GRAB YOUR COPY and READ IT YOURSELF!! 😜

A well written book that has all of the fun elements but with realism sprinkled for good measure! The way the characters evolve is beautiful, the plot is steady and developing till the climax, the themes are relevant and addresses the current age and the written style is just impeccable!!

The cutest rom com read, especially for lovers of books and otherwise ! The love story at the heart of it is witty, charming and so special :)

Must Love Books is a great story about trying to find fulfillment in life. After her job was eliminated, Nora tries to figure out what her next steps are, not only in her job, but also just in life. I think everyone can relate to Nora and has had to take a step back and look into their own lives to make sure they feel fulfilled. I really enjoyed this book!

Lovely feel good story, gave me Sophie Kinsella vibes which I love. A genuine and well written story.

I really appreciated Nora's struggle to pursue her dreams in this book. I did find the mental health aspect of the story to come on a little late in the narrative. It was a surprisingly dark addition that didn't appear until about 30-40% of the way through the book. If you love books about books and don't mind your protagonist dealing with hard things, this is for you.

When I picked out this book, I expected it to be lighthearted based on the title and cover, but my predictions were far from accurate. I really wanted to love this book, but I could not connect with the protagonist, Nora. I spent too long waiting for Nora to evolve into a better version of herself.

Super cute book. Loved the diversity, the characters, and it was just well rounded. Would def read more by this author in the future

I was expecting a rom con something funny and light
This was not the book
This is a story of a woman that is struggling in the storm of depression and some win many looses and the struggle of the people that loves her
This could have been more the author tried and did not succeeded. In making this nice and bubbly neither heat wrenching and tears narration
3 stars overrated

A little more serious than I was expecting. I was looking for more RomCom and this felt more RomDram. I did enjoy the inclusion of bipoc characters and the unlikely romance of it.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All the views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own and not associate with any brand.

This was a fun book. Great for anyone who loves book. Shauna Robinson wrote a fantastic book. Her writing was excellent. The story compelling and the characters were relatable. Overall great story!

A brilliant debut novel by Shauna Robinson!

This cutesy cover doesn't do this book justice, although I truly love it!

I feel like Nora is every 20 something out there in the world right now. She chose a career based on something she loves - books! But the career turns out to not be what she expected and corporate America is eating up all her happiness.

Add to that, significant mental health issues, isolation from friends and family and a fear of having any type of real, committed relationship and I could describe every 18-29 year old I know today.

This story is completely relevant to our current society and would be a perfect woman's fiction read for all of our younger generations.

How do you balance what you love with what you do to survive? What happens when you find out that what you have been chasing doesn't make you happy? I think Robinson has hit the nail on the head with this one!

I love the peek behind the curtains of the publishing world, something we all probably assume is really glamorous and fun, and finding that it's just like any other corporate business.

I love the male counterpart, Andrew, and how open he is for Nora.

But most of all, I loved that Nora was a hot mess, as most of us are, and that we get to see her arc as she tries to put the pieces of her life together to make a new, happier puzzle.

I loved everything about this one and can't wait for Robinson's next book!

Thank you to #Sourcebooks for this gifted book. I will really treasure this one!

This was a quick read about a young woman trying to find herself while tripping down her career path. Holding on tightly to her love for books and the relationships she had developed with some friends along the way she still begins to find her way to a workable future after a near disastrous episode. If you understand a love for books, book stores, libraries, etc. read this you'll love Nora and her journey!

Nora Hughes always dreamed of working with books, and on paper, it would look like she's living that dream. However, the reality of her situation is that she is nearly five years into a seemingly dead-end job as an editorial assistant at a dying business book publisher. Nora begins to question her trajectory as her already unfulfilling job becomes untenable. After she is given a pay cut to her already meager salary Nora decides to risk it all with some ethically dubious business practices. Nora's life seems to be coming apart at the seams and all is wrong in the world except her newfound infatuation with a charming author who just might be the answer to all her problems. I loved this book, especially the way the author described Nora's bouts with mental illness. I was rooting for Nora all the way through and found the book to not only be a brilliant work of fiction but a hopeful guide for anyone wishing to hit reset on their life.

Disclosure : I received a free egalley of this book through Netgalley. My review is my honest opinion.