Okay this isn’t the story I was expecting it to be. I thought this was going to be a light fluffy romance, and the story isn’t that. While it’s marked as a romance, I think it’s more of a women’s lit with a sprinkle of romance. It’s definitely a slow burn book though, with the main character Nora, having lots of storm clouds in her life. I liked Nora though and found myself rooting for her, and the life she wants and I liked how the book ended.

Shauna Robinson had a wonderful debut performance! The book's title and cover immediately piqued my interest. Nora Hughes's character, a low-wage worker who despises her job, was easy for me to empathize with. Everyone has been there at some point in their lives. If you work in publishing, you may suffer from mental illness, as Nora learned. The author's honest representation of depression is the book's greatest asset.

I really wanted to love this book! The name, the cover, the concept, I love a peek into publishing and I love a journey where a young woman is finding her footing in career and personal life. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book, primarily because Nora's decision to secretly freelance for a competing publisher - which is the foundation of the plot- is so resoundingly stupid that I really couldn't care one way or the other about her from then on.
There are many ways she could have had conflict or made tough choices regarding work that could have put her at risk without having her be so dumb she thinks her work lives in a vacuum, seemingly with no awareness of the concept of networking or how incestuous any profession is. Silly choice.
The book got better in the last quarter or so, Andrew was a very likable character. But also the very late in the game introduction of the fact that Nora struggles with depression just felt out of place. Did I miss that in the beginning? Did the author introduce it as a way to explain or excuse so many poor decisions? The book got more interesting as Nora explored this "struggle" but it all felt like an afterthought to me and sadly by then as a reader I didn't care, I was just trying to not put the book down without finishing.

I really enjoyed how this book focused on Nora and her struggles with depression and how that translated to her work, her relationships, and her daily life. I could relate all too well to Nora's anxiety and depression spiral and how they fed into each other. This was a refreshing read.

Must Love Books is the fascinating debut novel by Shauna Robinson. The book centers Nora Hughes, an editorial assistant going on five years in her position. To put it simply, Nora is tired. Her company has been going through pay cuts and layoffs, she’s been handed the responsibilities of multiple people, and she’s unhappy in her job. When Nora meets Andrew, things take an unexpectedly bumpy twist. This book is incredibly relatable for any twenty-something who doesn’t have their life figured out but (kinda, desperately) hopes they do soon.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Realistic, relatable, and romantic - an absolute winner. A recommended purchase for collections where WF and CR are popular.

I do, in fact, love books.

I wouldn’t quite go so far as to say that I loved this quick bookish romance, but it was mostly enjoyable.

Like many reviews, I saw comparisons to Darren Star's 'Younger.'

And the chemistry between protagonists Nora and Andrew was natural and so beautifully written.

I longed to see them together.

But many parts of the book seemed rushed, especially the depiction of Nina’s depression.

It almost seemed to manifest out of nowhere in the middle of the book.

And it was difficult to root for her when she was knowingly making decisions that hurt the people she cares about.

Certainly not a perfect read.

Nora works as an editorial assistant at a small publishing house in San Fransisco and begins to have an identity crisis when her pay is cut and her responsibilities increase. I went into this thinking it was a romance (based on the cover and description) but it's very much a women's fiction/contemporary title. There are some romance aspects but I was left wanting more of it, especially with it's open ending.
As someone who's trying to get into the publishing industry/figure out her 'dream job' (much like Nora), I related to her feelings of uncertainty about her future and what she wanted to do with her life. Part of the reason I was drawn into this book was because it was about a woman in publishing who loved books. Throughout the book, however, Nora talks about how much she loves books but isn't happy with her job in publishing. And by the end of the novel, Nora's left with a negative impression of the publishing industry, and is only beginning to figure out her next steps.

I was quite frustrated with Nora at times as she complained about her problems more often than she did something about them. She also relied on and misused other people quite often, despite complaining about them and keeping them at a distance.

The novel also talks a lot about mental health and suicidal thoughts—which I was not expecting at all. It sprang up about 40% into the book and was a prominent theme going forward.

If you love books, but aren't sure what to do with your life then you might like this book, but just be warned that the protagonist still doesn't completely figure out her life by the end of the novel. It's sort of an adult coming of age/quarter life crisis, with a hint of romance.

Thank you for this ARC. This book was very different than what I expected it to be. I was hoping for a book about books, with lovable, quirky characters. I had not expected a dark story with mostly negativity and complaints.
I DNF’d this book at 35%

I liked this book because the story flows well and is unique on it's take on the in-between-jobs worker. The process of finding where you belong is usually depicted in literature through getting the dream job, but what if you're not sure of what the dream is? Also, what if you're just not happy with your life and where you are in life? Is that okay. The book normalizes life's imperfections, from an imperfect love life, to an imperfect work situation, to crawling your way through an imperfect existence overall.

[Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions reflected are my own]

Spot on stating that this book is perfect for fans of "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill", and the TV show, "Younger". If you have an interest in working in publishing or with books, have in the past, or do currently - this book is for you!

We meet our main character, Nora, an overworked publishing assistant who is realising the concept of a dream job is not real. She is struggling to make ends meet, and takes a freelance job "moonlighting" for a rival publisher. Her life immediately gets complicated, especially when you throw a sexy author into the mix, and everything *Ahem* hits the fan.

It's fun, it's relatable, and I blew through it! Definitely recommend.

Song Pairing: Feeling Good by Nina Simone
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars

More women's fiction than romance, this imperfect human's journey is sure to make you ponder on one of my favorite lyric lines: Getting what you want can break your heart.
Real, raw, and honest, but also sweet. It's all about the journey and that's something a lot of us forget.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the world of publishing, this story centres around Nora, an overworked and underpaid editorial assistant. She finds herself caught between two publishing houses, looking to woo a writer into signing a contract for her current employer or for the publishing house she is moonlighting for. Along the way she faces up to what makes her happy, what she wants from life and the changes she wants to see in her life.

This was a pleasant enough read but I didn't really feel any depth of connection to Nora so it was hard to feel invested in her story. The ending felt too abrupt and open-ended, it left me wishing for an epilogue to revisit things a few months later.

This was a really cute book! I am not a big "romance" reader, but I like books like this- where there is a romance but there is a lot of other things going on as well. While the main character Nora made some stupid decisions, they were reasonable enough to not take me out of the story like a lot of romance tropes do.

I don't think Must Love Books is a kind of ordinary romcom. This book was a lot heavier that I anticipated. It had a great topics; work-life balance, career path, racial issues and mental health.

After five years in a dead-end job as an assistant editor at Parsons Press, Nora Hughes feels trapped and desperate because of the overworked and underpaid. In the meantime, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher as a part-timer.

She certainly not a kind of protagonist we're looking for but take it easy, this is real life all about. Thank God she has Beth and Andrew who are fair enough to understand her decision. For a debut, this is a worth reading. The ending was pleasant and everybody seems happy. I can tell Nora's indicator scale of happiness is increasing.

Thanks to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the earc inexchange for an honest review.

My personal rating 4 ⭐

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#donereading Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson #readingchallenge2022📚 #igreads #ebookstagram #goodreads #emabaca #mustlovebooks #shaunarobinson #malaysiamembaca

Thank you so much to NetGalley and sourcebook landmark for this earc!

I was initially interested in this book because in the synopsis it mentioned how the main character had a love for books and figuring out how the rest of her life is going to go. Totally relatable right?

I enjoyed the beginning a lot. Nora finding a new “side” job and having a cute flirtation with one of their authors. I was hooked. I thought andrew was adorable and the scene when he takes over the booth, only to run the payment wrong was hilarious (and cute 🥰) I know the romance wasn’t supposed to be the focus for the book or for Nora, but I wanted more. I enjoyed seeing Andrew be there for her when she was only a 3 on the happiness scale. I liked seeing them go to the touristy ice cream shop. The parts I wasn’t the biggest fan of are the parts the synopsis talks about. The book isn’t focused on romance, it’s more about finding your own happiness and what you do in your life when your having a hard time (TW for suicidal thoughts). While not my favorite parts (again I think this is a me thing and not the book) it’s hard to read. For me, it’s hard to be in that frame of mind, which is the point! Nora is going thru it emotionally, so getting that emotion thru on page was perfect.

Im very interested in seeing what this author comes out with next! I’d def recommend this book to a friend (if you’ve read the book, you get that reference)

Nora works in the publishing industry for Parsons Publishing. It has always been her goals to the an editor and to work hand in hand with authors. Yet, she is just an editorial assistant after five years. Many of her colleagues have left and now she has to take a pay cut besides doing their jobs. Besides, she is working on business titles, not fiction that she yearns for. Enter Andrew Santos author into the picture. Nora needs to sign Andrew to a new contract. But where do her loyalties lie? She has taken a second job with a rival publishing company. This book is not only an exploration of the publishing industry, but of a young woman trying to figure out where she belongs and how she wants to spend her life.

This was a great debut novel from Shauna Robinson, and I'm looking forward to more from her. While I was expecting a lighter story, I was pleasantly surprised with the depth to the characters and story. Nora is on a path to discover herself, and reminded me of my post-college graduation/pre-professional time. There are some depressing parts, but it's part of the author's ability to make Nora well-rounded and realistic.

Lots of interesting details about what it’s like to work in the publishing industry in this fiction debut. I found the book a slow start, with a protagonist, Nora, who was so passive and frustrating that I struggled to keep reading.. But things picked up slowly from there - a new job, a love interest, and some twists and turns that kept things interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.