Nora's stuck. She's been an assistant at a publishing house for business books for five long years. It's not what she though it would be but she can't seem to get free. Now, she's got a real problem because her salary has been cut and she can't afford her rent. But there's one bright spot- Andrew, an author who is both nice and. well, hot. When an old colleague who has moved on offers her the opportunity to do part time work, Nora opts to double dip, thus imperiling both jobs and her nascent relationship with Andrew. This is interesting for the details about publishing but frustrating because of Nora. Her realization that she's only a 3 on the happiness scale impels her to make a significant change in her life. Although there are bright spots and some humor, this has an overall glum tone, unusual for the genre. And then there's the last line, which without a spoiler, felt canned. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Definitely relatable for anyone who has felt trapped in their job.

Nora Hughes is an Editorial Assistant at Parson's Press. When some of her coworkers no longer work at Parsons either because of layoffs or just finding a new job, she finds herself rethinking what she wants in her life. When Nora accidentally almost kills Andrew Santos, an author at Parson's he takes an interest in her. As their relationship grows Nora realizes that the relationship could benefit her as she moves up at Parson's.

This book took me a little longer than I would have liked to read. The first part of the book is very slow. I struggled with this book because I was not a fan of Nora. She wanted to change things in her life, but instead of making them she just sat back and felt sorry for herself. I am not one who doesn't read all of a book. But with this one I got to a point where I had to skim the pages in order to get through it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book because of it's title and I love books about books! I was really drawn into Nora's story and after reading 'The Other Black Girl' (another book about books) and was seriously let down, this one was a welcome read. It's not a love story, but there's a romantic element that played out really well. Nora works in publishing, but is not in her dream roll. She's struggling with a lot of things that was very relatable, including her own mental health. I guess you could say it was a book about self-discovery and re-finding oneself. A light read, but one that also touched on a heavy topic (depression). 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

The premise of this book was good, I enjoyed reading it for the most part but found some references completely irrelevant. Which then in turn put me off slightly.

The main character, on the whole, was likeable and you wanted the best for her.

I would consider another book by this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be clear: this debut effort is not a romance, nor is it lighthearted chicklit. Instead, it's a hard look at life for a young woman on a career path leading nowhere in a terrible job. What do you do when all doors appear closed to you? What do you do when your dream job turns out to be anything but, and you face some tough choices? The first half is a bit slow, but it picks up and I loved following the path the heroine takes as she is forced to re-evaluate, and figure out what makes her happy. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I’ll be honest, I did not vibe with the beginning of this book. Nora’s depressive moods were really dragging me down and the whole description of the editorial process was just plain boring in my opinion. Once Nora and Andrew started interacting more the book became more interesting and once Nora actually started working on herself then I really became invested in the story. If you have any sort of experience with depression you know how hard it is to take that first step and seeing Nora doing it was really beautiful and left me feeling all kinds of hopeful. Overall, I enjoyed this book, though I do think it starts of kind of slow and that the ending is a little abrupt. I do not think, however, that this is in any way a romance, as I’ve seen it shelved. It’s definitely Women’s Fiction.

I received an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. I admit, I have a soft spot for these sort of lighthearted, contemporary romances. And the fact that it even had books in the title was a bonus. I enjoyed Nora as a protagonist and her mental health and existential struggles made her more dynamic. Not to mention she is a woman of color in a very white publishing industry.
I definitely think this book is intended for young women who may be trying to discover who they are, what they want in life and who to experience it with. That being said, I think a lot can be learned by her story.
Overall I enjoyed this book and will be purchasing it for our library.

This book was so much different than I expected, but in a pretty great way.

Nora is in what should be her dream job with a publishing company, but after five years as an editorial assistant; she not been promoted, she has had to take a significant pay cut while taking on more work, and she isn't interested in the kind of books her company is putting out. When she finds out about a part time freelancing position at a competing company, she enters into a conflict of interest by taking that position too.

When a best selling author comes up for a contract negotiation, she has to make some difficult decisions about her personal life, professional life, and what she wants for herself when all is said and done.

Don't let the cover fool you, this isn't a romantic comedy or a happy go lucky book. There are a lot of real discussions of mental health, of growing into oneself, and a really interesting look into the publishing world as a whole. That being said, those are the things that make this book so good. There is a romantic element. but it is balanced into the story of a young woman's journey of self discovery, rather than being the focal point.

This was a great debut from Shauna Robinson, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else will come from her!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3 Stars! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the copy.

Wonderful Debut by Shana Robinson! I was drawn to this story because of the title and description. I love books with a focus on book lovers. I thought this book was a little more of a women’s-fiction book than a romance book because it dealt with really heavy topics. I found the pace to be a little too slow for me and I didn't find myself absorbed in the story. I really enjoyed reading about Nora and Andrews's charm and humour.

Warning, I was expecting a fun and fluffy RomCom and got a deep and very heavy read. This book is about growth and finding yourself. A great debut from Shauna Robinson.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. Look at the cover and the blurb and now forget it because you are not getting a fluffy, light hearted read about a woman at a crossroads in her professional career. That's what it's supposed to be about but instead it's very heavy and self depreciating. That would be fine if it was clear but it's very misleading. Nora is very negative about her job and life but does nothing about it. Well she does take a second job with a rival publisher which is a no-no and it just snowballs into one lie after another after another.

While I was not triggered this book definitely needs a trigger warning as it deals with mental health issues, depression and suicidal thoughts.

I hope before this goes to print a TW/CW is added.

** Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed **

Must Love Books isn't light-hearted and fluffy ... it's the story of pushing oneself beyond your boundaries, stepping outside of your comfort zone. Making mistakes and learning from them. It's the story of self discovery. It's about Nora, a woman who is at a crossroads in her life. Her job of five years has her overworked and way underpaid. Nora feels stuck.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Nora deals with a lot of really heavy feelings. I didn't feel that the synopsis really portrayed that and I found it misleading.

TW: Suicidal Thoughts. Depression.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for my gifted copy!!

Nora is stuck in life and despondent.
She's about to celebrate her fifth anniversary at Parsons Press, but feels like there is nothing to celebrate.
Her co-worker and friend has moved onto a new job and the company keeps piling more work onto her coupled with a slash in pay.
It is a series of not great choices that catapults her into a position to force change.
And, along the way she finds that she is not alone on the journey.

Overall, this was a delight to read. There's a bit of romance, but it isn't super heavy. Rather, the focus of the plot line is more about finding oneself and making change.

I really loved how relatable Nora was despite unfortunate events happening to her. It just showed how realistic mental health could be.

This book made me take a step back and assess my mental state. And I realized, like Nora, you need all the support you can get.

This book gives us a little insight into the publishing world and how Nora navigates it. This book solely focuses on Noras growth and self discovery.

Trigger Warning - mental health issues.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for giving me a copy.

TW: Depression & suicidal thoughts

I would give this book a 4.5 if it let me. While I love a good steamy, over the top dramatic romance any day of the week, this book impressed me without the need for explicit sex scenes, secret babies or jealous ex's. It is a realistic, down-to-earth story of a woman who is stuck in her life. Who doesn't have her sh*t together. Who meets the man of her dreams when she is not emotionally ready for him.

While there is a little deception, there is ultimately growth and honesty. Where there is sadness, there is ultimately hope, a rainbow after the storm if you will. Nora (the MC) is relatable to all of us who feel lost & alone when we, as adults, are supposed to know who we are and what we should be doing in our adult lives.

Robinson does a great job of making the reader both cry and smile with Nora. This book makes me empathize with the diverse characters in books and at the same time make me feel seen. I feel moved and better for reading this book and I think that's one of the highest compliments to be given.

Honestly, the title and cover draw me in to read this book 💛

Nora works as an editorial assistant for a business publisher that is constantly laying off employees and piling additional work on top of those who remain. She struggles once her salary is reduced, and she ends up secretly freelancing for a rival publisher, juggling between the two.

The story focused on the main character, Nora, dealing with her bad decisions and learning to grow from them. Nora's career troubles were the book's emphasis, but the plot moved too slow. I wanted to enjoy the protagonist, but I couldn't relate to her difficulty figuring out what she should do next.

I loved the premise of the story. Unfortunately, the story and characters do not appeal to me. I didn't agree with many of Nora's actions, but I liked the ending where she chose herself above a romantic relationship with Andrew's attractive author.

Nevertheless, takeaways from this book, it's essential for individuals to understand that it's fine to change occupations at any point in their lives and that it's also fine to start your dream job only to hate it. But, it's not acceptable to complain about it or misbehave at your current employment. I understand the pay reduction, but please consider other options to fill the blank.

Overall, this is a thoughtful novel on career choices and not rom-com. It is an okay book, and I will recommend it for those interested in finding your career path and knowing what you want in life. It also describes some stories about how publishing works and is quite interesting.  

⚠️ TW: suicidal thoughts and depression
 
My rating: 3/5

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this in exhange of an honest review ✨

This cover and title speaks to every reader. Must Love Books, who wouldn’t?

Nora is lost. She has friends and a good job, but she’s struggling with her identity. That struggle intensifies when her employer lays off her friends and cuts her pay. I think every reader can relate to the feeling of being stuck and depressed at some point in their lives. Nora takes a freelance job with a competitor, meets a cute author and cue ….life is going to get messy.

This is a wonderful book that demonstrates we are in the drivers seats of our lives. Robinson deals openly with depression and gives us a character we all can love even when she makes bad choices. Inside we know Nora is a good person and we are all rooting for her. I appreciate the story guides Nora on her path to be a happier person, leaving us hopeful for the future.

Thank you to Net Galley, Shauna Robinson and Sourcebooks Landmark for the gift of this wonderful ARC.

This debut started off slow for me but ending up packing a huge punch. I absolutely loved that this book focused on mental health and career burnout. Nora is an editorial assistant working at a publishing house that keeps losing staff and authors. I really enjoyed getting insights into the publishing world, especially from a character of color. The author wrote the book based loosely on her own experiences in publishing and I found it very relatable (think the romance version of The other Black girl).

Nora's life gets all tangled up when she takes on a secret second part-time job for a competing publisher and starts getting involved with Andrew, one of her company's best-selling authors whose contract is up for renewal. This is not a light-hearted romance, the focus is very much on Nora's struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression. Andrew her love interest does a great job trying to help Nora take steps to change the things in her life that aren't making her happy. Anyone who has struggled in a job they hate will be able to relate with Nora's journey. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Rachel Lynn Soloman's Weather girl. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

TW: suicidal ideation, depression

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Shauna Robinson for letting me read early. This book comes out January 18.

I didn’t love this one. I just didn’t love any of the characters and found it hard to stay engaged with them and their problems. The book also felt super slow to me. I was expecting a romance and I just got a lot of identity crisis with a tiny bit of mental health. Sadly, I just don’t recommend this one.

Must Love Books is a story about being in a crossroads in your career. It’s about Nora’s journey and her mental health. She should be happy but she isn’t. She’s navigating her career and trying to stay afloat and happy when she meets Andrew, a young author her publishing house is trying to win over. Will she be able to convince Andrew to sign with them? Will she be able to figure out what makes her happy?

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley & Sourcebooks. I am sucker for books about books and so was immediately drawn to the title and cover. The story follows Nora, who has worked in publishing for 5 years but her career seems to have stalled out and she feels unsure of what's next. When she takes a part time role at a rival publishing firm, without leaving her current job to make ends meet, things in her life get more complicated. Oh! And of course, a rising star author happens to add additional lovely complications to her life.

I was surprised out how melancholy this book was, since Nora suffers from depression and lot of the story is about her digging out of the sadness. Additionally, I wished there was more reflection on the race conversation that is touched on but never gets quite deep enough.

Overall, a quick and engaging read, but be forewarned that it's a bit heavier than may be expected.