(3.5 stars) Must Love Books is a story of self-discovery and unexpected love. I was drawn to this book for its cover and title, with the premise showing potential for a great women’s fiction read. Books about books are nearly always a guaranteed win for me, and this novel is set in the exciting world of publishing.

Nora is an easy protagonist to follow and I like the way the author uses her story to portray the struggle of balancing big aspirations and stability in reality. Robinson’s approach to mental health is very warm and inviting, which makes the narrative relatable. Nora is stuck in a job that is holding her back, but reaching out for more means risking financial security. As a result, she’s stuck in a life slump, and struggles to maintain a positive hope for her future.

Sadly, the pace is too slow for this to be the absorbing read I wanted it to be. I’m a fan of self-discovery storylines, because they usually promise good character development. But the growth in this book was irregular and dragged, which dampened my enthusiasm way too early. If the book was a romance alone, it could work as a slow-burner. But despite the chemistry between Andrew and Nora, the romance didn’t play a very strong role. Since a lot of focus is on Nora’s internal struggle and journey to happiness, there needed to be a stronger sense of evolution for this to feel like a well-rounded read.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the author’s relaxed writing style, Nora’s relatability, Andrew’s charm and humour, and the insight into the world of publishing. Although I expected a light-hearted romance based on the cover, Must Love Books turned out to be an introspective read which I think will resonate with many.

Must Love Books, Shauna Robinson’s debut novel, is a wonderful piece of women’s fiction & makes for a perfect read for anyone looking for a story centered around a young woman in a phase of personal & professional self-discovery interspersed with some romance.

What I really loved & appreciated about this book, is definitely the balance that the author manages to accomplish;
it is lighthearted, but also strikes some very serious & thought-provoking notes throughout.

Nora’s character is so likable and her struggles very relatable. I emphasized so much with her!

Some of the challenges she’s facing are:
~ am I on the right career path?
~ how can I make ends meet?
~ should I quit my job or just pull through?
~ what is it that I really want?
~ what makes me truly happy?

And haven’t we all asked ourselves questions like these?!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is expected to be published on January 18, 2022.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.

The description of this book led me to believe that this would be fluffy romance novel about a woman who works in publishing and who falls for one of her authors. While that does happen... that is not the whole story. This novel is much more "heavy" than I anticipated.
Nora is working in a job she does not love and many of her coworkers and mentors have either quit or have been let go. She is feeling lonely in her position and is then told her publishing company is going to be cutting her salary (which is already very low). She starts to feel as if her life is out of her control which is a trigger for her depression and anxiety. Without giving too much away, she makes some career and personal choices that put her job, and her livelihood in jeopardy and we read in detail how things play out.
Going into this book expecting a fluffy romance novel, I was caught off guard with the depth of the characters and the way the mental health aspects were handled. At the same time, the novel felt very dark and sad for a large portion and I kept hoping that things would work out and get better for the main characters. While the book ended on a happy note, I was left wishing there were more happy moments throughout (though I acknowledge that life is not always sunshine and rainbows).
I liked the writing and I liked many aspects of the novel, but I cannot honestly say that I loved it and I probably wouldn't have this on my list of books to recommend to my friends.

I think this was a very honest look at trying to get into the publishing industry. It was refreshing that not everything was perfect. The issues were realistic and the underlying mental health was well done.

Overall a good read that I would recommend to those looking for a realistic take on life.

Okay first; this book had a lot of potential, the writing was completely fine, the premise was what hooked me originally. But it could have been done a bit better and it wasn’t what I was expecting.

It was so so so slow. Even though I’m more a fan of fast paced books, I do like my slow-burns occasionally. But this was a bit too much.

Second; I was also expecting a lighthearted romance book and that is not what I got. Even though the romance was cute it wasn’t at the forefront of the plot. And as for the characters; they were fine but nothing spectacular.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Must Love Books follows Nora Hughes, an editorial assistant stuck in a rut, experiencing depression, and generally unsure of what she wants in her future.

Based on the book's description I was somehow expecting more of a lighthearted romcom but instead, Must Love Books is more focused on Nora's disillusion with her job and her struggle to make ends meet.

I always enjoy reading about people working in publishing and this was no exception. The romance, while not central to the story, is very charming and there is cute banter and chemistry between Nora and author/rising star Andrew. I think the portrayal of Nora's state of mind throughout the book was handled in a nuanced and sensitive way.

While this was not what I originally expected, it was an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars. I would recommend this to readers looking for a story with a likable main character doing their best to figure out what makes them happy.

The expected publishing date is January 18, 2022.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Loved it. Characters were real and relatable and the pace of the story was perfect. Definitely written by somebody who loves books.

This was such a cute book! I like how it focused more on growth rather than the love story (though I quite liked that part too!). Super cute!!

Three and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒
Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson is a contemporary fiction book about a woman who is at a crossroads in her life and her career.

Nora Hughes is an underpaid, underappreciated, editorial assistant at a small press publishing company in San Fransisco named Parsons Press. She’s been working hard hoping to become an editor but doesn’t see a path to editor opening up any time soon.

After Parsons Press cuts the pay of all the editorial assistants, Nora realizes she’ll never be able to live on the reduced salary. She decides to moonlight at a rival publisher as a freelancer in hopes to make enough money to pay the rent and also to find out if she can eventually move up to editor at the new job. She meets author Andrew Santos who is the highest-selling author in the business division at Parsons. Their friendship develops and their relationship becomes a conflict of interest for Nora.

I enjoyed Must Love Books for the most part, and I’m very glad I read it. However, it was a bit slow for the first half of the book. Nora has a terrible job, and her frustration and depression with her life are very evident during the first half of the book. But, it did pick up and I liked that Nora started looking at her job, and her life in a much better light. Must Love Books is a good look at what it’s like to find out your dream job, is not a dream at all, and it’s time to re-evaluate your life and make some tough decisions.

I recommend Must Love Books to anyone who enjoys contemporary women's fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

TW: Suicidal thoughts, depression

DNF

I'm seeing lots of reviews that are calling this a "feel good" novel or an "adorable" story. This didn't feel like either of those things. The heroine deals with some heavy and hard stuff.

This book is a tough one for me to review, but I do feel like I need to warn others since I wasn't warned prior to reading. I like the mental illness rep and learning more about the publishing world, but I think the book cover and the blurb are misleading. It's described as similar to "Younger" and "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill", but I really didn't get either one of those vibes. The story talks heavily and directly about the depression and suicidal thoughts that the heroine, Nora, is dealing with during her quarter-life crisis. Depression, and certainly suicide, weren't even on my radar after reading the blurb. The challenges with mental health that Nora is going through needs to be mentioned in the blurb as there is triggering content. The blurb mentions that her life is "spiraling" but that's it. Also, the thoughts of suicide were never really fully addressed and she appeared to get better just from reading a book given to her from a romantic partner??? I felt like when Nora worked up the courage to tell her friend she was struggling, her friend just texted her and tried to give her "quick" fixes. Her friend didn't really listen to her.

I certainly understood Nora's depression when dealing with her job. I've been overworked and struggling at my day job before too. So much that it's made me physically and mentally ill, so I felt for her. I think probably most of us have been there if we've been at a dead-end job that doesn't appreciate us. Had I known Nora was going to be facing thoughts of suicide though while she dealt with her career, I would not have picked this book up to be honest. I don't need to see those thoughts right now with something that hits so close to home. I had to put the book down at 55% and didn't finish because I wasn't sure of what might happen with how she dealt with her thoughts.

If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy, this is probably not going to be it. There is romance, but it's not the main part of the book. Nora also does some morally questionable things in her job nothing illegal, but enough for me to have a hard time rooting for her. There was some deceit going on that didn't sit well with me. I think overall it was just hard to connect to Nora. Maybe that was because it was told in third person and not first person, the plot was slow, or maybe because I thought the story was something else entirely. I think this book just wasn't for me.

I was provide an e-ARC from the publisher/Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, she thought it was leading towards her dream job. But after five years of doing higher ups unwanted work and not actually publishing Nora finds herself in a rut. When her salary is cut 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.

This is a cute book touching on mental health, happiness, and the ups and downs of being a young woman figuring out life. The book is well written and has well developed characters. A cute little Chick lit read. I honestly found it quite long in areas and a little too fluffy but I can see the general chick lit population finding it a fun read.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy.

Lovely light hearted book for any romance readers. Brilliant to get insight to the publishing world with Nora. Slow burn read and took a while to get into the story until 50% into it. Great humour to this book.

Any book about books is going to pique my interest. I went in expecting a sweet romance but was surprised to find I was reading a deeper narrative about the main character’s journey to finding her path in life.

That said, there are some cute and funny moments – and yes a little romance as well.

Overall, this was a refreshing and fun read. I recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Things I liked about this book:
-Nora's love of books
-The focus on figuring your life out
-The setting in San Francisco and publishing company
-Nora's friends

Things I disliked about this book:
-That it was written in the third person. It was hard to connect to Nora because of this.
-The story had a slow pacing

Nora definitely makes multiple morally ambiguous choices and she is forced to deal with the aftermath. The book also deals with mental health issues.

3.5 Stars

A book about books and a girl who loves books? Yes please! Who could not love a premise like this? I loved the realistic characters and I felt for Nora, she captured my heart. I was really cheering a romance on for her but alas, it was not meant to be I guess. I appreciated that the author handled the mental health issues with sensitivity and care, who of us has not need to dig deep and make a hard decision based on what is best for us. It was very brave of the author to put working for a publishing house in a bad light and we all know this is fiction! Even though the book started off a bit slow for me it was a great way to spend a cozy Sunday afternoon and I found it very entertaining.

Must love this book! I'm a fan of dark humor and Must Love Books nails it. I laughed throughout and lost sleep staying up just a little (ahem, hours) longer to keep reading. I quickly became invested in Nora's happiness. Your 20s is such a special mess of uncertainty, and I enjoyed how it was put underneath a magnifying glass, exposing bleak bits we keep hidden.

A book about books…whats not to love? And I did love it….the main character, Nora, was very relatable and while this was definitely more about Nora and her life moving forward (or trying) there was a little romance. I very much enjoyed the smart back and forth between Nora and Andrew and it added to the book. A fun read!

Nora is an editorial assistant at a publishing company, and she hates her job. She thought this was her dream job or a step ladder to making her dreams come true, but five years later and she’s on the same step. While trying to figure out her professional life, she also has a crush on an author, Andrew Santos, whose new contract could give her everything she dreamed of… but can she convince him to sign?

I was under the impression this book was a romance; however, it was more of a coming of age (in her twenties) story, while the romance storyline took a backseat.

I’m not sure I love this book, but the tension, banter, and palpable chemistry between Nora and Andrew is my favorite part of the book.

In the beginning, I hated Nora. I found her to be whiny and a pessimistic, self-fulfilling prophetic. She was 100% unlikable, and I couldn’t relate to her. Over time she grew on me, especially when the author mentions mental health issues. These issues seemed to have come out of nowhere, and I wish they had touched on them in the beginning. It would’ve made me understand the character on a deeper level earlier. For some, Nora’s pessimism, may be a deal breaker unless they have the full picture; it almost was for me.

Throughout Must Love Books, there was a lot of the same, and I found myself skipping monologues and soliloquies from Nora. They were uninteresting and could’ve been cut out. I wish the Nora & Andrew storyline was at the forefront because that is the storyline I mostly cared about. I want more focus on that and less about what color parachute Nora needed.

In the future, I would like to read a sequel where the main storyline was Andrew and Nora, and her professional life was the back burner storyline!

The perfect book about books! This story is all about Nora, a hardworking employee who is stuck at her job and finds a path for a happier workplace elsewhere. The only catch is she needs to work both jobs for six months. Soon Nora is faced with a dilemma, being truthful or helping her job when it comes to a competitive author.

I enjoyed this book as it takes a look into the publishing industry and the responsibilities of authors and publishing executives alike. It was a tad slow moving, but I appreciate the way it addressed mental health (depression) and talked about the toll that work takes on those who are underpaid and overworked (man, can I relate to that...been there, done that!).

All in all I thought it was an enjoyable read! I could've used a bit more romance for my taste, but I can appreciate the skill of author and the cute cover that drew me in to the story. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was about an Editorial Assistant working for Parsons Press publishing business books set in San Francisco.
Nora has been in the same job as Editorial Assistant for five years. After recent restructures Nora struggled to come to terms with the changes in her workplace where she is expected to do more work with less pay. Nora longs to work in a different capacity with fiction books instead of business books. She has lost her zing and is too overwhelmed to be bothered reading.
Nora manages to get part time work as a remote freelance acquisitions editor. The extra income helps Nora pay her bills but makes her life more complicated as she is faced with the moral dilemma of deciding which job she should focus on. Nora juggles her responsibilities between two jobs all the while trying to keep secret about the extra job.
This was about the love of reading, publishing, workplace relationships and friendships. I loved the way the characters interacted.