A lot of the marketing copy had me thinking this was a rom com, and there's definitely a romance storyline. But MUST LOVE BOOKS is more accurately a novel about the publishing industry, burnout, capitalism, existential angst, and suicidal ideation. I can't overstate the last part—the author handles it perfectly and honestly, but it was still a difficult recurring theme for me to digest. That said, the writing and storytelling are superb. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Just a fun, easy read. Lover the idea of a main character who uses books to escape. Wish that she had mentioned more titles. Enjoyed the perspective of the book publishing world and what it means to find a dream job. Characters were likeable, and showed growth throughout the novel. I would recommend Must Love Books to my book-loving friends.

This books has a good premise with a solid style with humour. It is a slow pace to reach the ending and the characters aren't memorable but some events are through provoking.

#MustLoveBooks:

“Was that what it was like to be passionate about your work? To see the bright side despite the despair?”

Must Love Books is so much more than the cute cover it displays. This one really hit me hard in the best way.

The audio was great. I loved listening to Tyra Kennedy and going through as Nora. I really felt like I enjoyed the audio and really amplified the book. If you’re looking to read this, I highly recommend the audio.

Nora gave me such anxiety because I was just waiting for her to get caught. She didn’t hide her secrets well, but I didn’t want her to get caught and have her world crumble down on her. I was worried about my girl.

This took a dark turn, but it wasn’t one that wasn’t needed. It just seemed.. abrupt? But not in a bad way. I really don’t think I could have read this book at a more perfect time. As many of you know, my last day of work for a company I’ve worked over 10 years for is Friday. I understand the exhaustion, the mental health battles Nora is feeling because I’ve been in those shoes. I could sympathize with her because girl, I feel you. Now, I didn’t directly lie to everyone I worked for and freelanced our competitor, but I can understand feeling undervalued and it affecting your mental health. I was cheering for Nora and am so happy she was able to get her ducks in a row.

Overall, a solid read! Thank you so much @sourcebooks for the gifted copy. Must Love Books is out now.

Nora Hughes feels the way many of us do at one point or another - overworked and underpaid!

She thought being an editorial assistant at Parsons Press would be her dream job, but she was wrong. When the low pay is simply not enough, she seeks a second job at a rival publisher. Which publishing company is the right pick… or is it neither?

And what happens when new author, Andrew Santos, the potential love interest, is thrown into the mix?

There were many factors in this book I enjoyed, including the conversations between Andrew and Nora along the behind-the-scenes look at her as an editorial assistant.

However, I was expecting more from the ending and also was waiting for more of the romance aspect. This book focused very heavily on Nora’s career, which was fine, but I was expecting it to head in a different direction.

An okay read for anyone who likes books about books! *wink wink*

I was excited to learn more about the publishing business but found this story rather slow paced. Andrew was my favorite character particularly his sense of humor. I didn’t like how Nora took on the other job and she was lucky there weren’t more ramifications in the end. Those who are part of the “current resignation” will relate to Nora’s struggle to find her true career path.

brief synopsis: BIPOC twenty-something protagonist works as an editorial assistant at Parsons publishing company, feeling overworked and undervalued. she takes on a freelance side-gig at Weber publishing company primarily to make ends meet. her personal relationship with a Parsons author, however, ends up in the middle of the competing jobs. her relationships and sources of income are at stake. I found MUST LOVE BOOKS to be extremely pleasant, as well as insightful into not only only the publishing industry, but also the jobs available to young professionals and the gig economy. I enjoyed this one and expect a wide range of readers to love it.

Nora Hughes has what many, including herself, would classify as their dream job. However the dream job has transformed into a bit of a nightmare. She has been an editorial assistant at Parsons Press for five years and while her tasks have increased exponentially, her pay has not. When the final blow comes in the form of a pay cut, Nora knows it is time to take matters into her own hands before she finds herself destitute and homeless. Nora manages to find a job at a rival publishing house however she must be careful not to let on that she is working for the other. Somehow she must balance the two jobs for at least six months in order to earn enough income to keep her head above water. However when a cute author enters her world, her carefully laid plans to remain calm, cool and professional quickly go out the window.

Part romance and part self discovery, Must Love Books is a delightfully refreshing debut novel that is sure to win the hearts of bookworms everywhere. While there is a romance within the story, it takes a back seat to Nora's personal journey and struggles with mental health. The author does a remarkable job of tackling the difficult topic of depression in a frank but delicate manner, leaving room for introspection and hope at the end of the story. Many of the prevalent themes throughout the story, feeling lost and out of your depth, the struggle of finding your path, feeling underappreciated and overworked, are ones so many of us can relate to on a personal level. The setting is a delight, especially for those readers who love all things books and provides intriguing insight into the world of publishing. While the title and the cover will draw you in, the story is what will keep you invested until the end. Must Love Books is the perfect addition to your spring reading list.

This is a good story about Nora, who is looking for exactly what she wants from her life & her adventures along the way. It starts a little slow but picks up along the way. Andrew is a great addition to the novel but their relationship is definitely not the focal point. All in all a good read.
Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read
in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a binge worthy read. Nora works in publishing and loves books. However her career is platformed, her salary is being cut, and she's living with depression. We follow Nora along her path of trying to make ends meet. There are some great scenes in here and the description of depressive episodes is on point. A great read!

Must Love Books is Women's Fiction/Romance about Nora who is struggling mightily with her lackey job in publishing. Looking for a way out and a way up, she finds a lifeline with a rival publishing house at the same time that she finds a sweet love interest in one of her author-clients.

A sweet debut.

2,5 stars.

It took me three attempts to get into this book. This is mostly because although I was expecting a cute romance novel, this wasn’t that. This is a contemporary book about a woman, Nora, trying to find purpose in life. It is also not a light read at all as it deals with pretty heavy topic that aren’t glossed over in the slightest. Despite there being some great aspects like the depiction of the publishing industry and the struggles of finding a job as well as the secondary romance, the pacing was slow, which made this drag on.

The very reason I decided to read this book was that it was about a woman working in the publishing industry. Through Nora, we get to see what an editorial assistant job entails, which I found to be really interesting. However, Nora doesn’t like her job and so her journey of looking for a new one begins. The miserable yet realistic depiction of what this process is like really struck a chord but I still failed to truly empathise with our protagonist. I understood her struggle yet I didn’t really feel for her.

The romance, although much more secondary than I thought it would be, was quite sweet. Andrew, the love interest, was easily my favourite character in the novel despite how little he’s actually in it. I loved that there was no unnecessary drama or conflict and instead the characters communicated their wants and needs.

My main issue with Must Love Books was the pacing of the novel. This starts off painfully slow and it doesn’t really pick up until the very end. Usually, I really enjoy slow-paced stories but seeing as I felt to connect to Nora, I had no interest in exploring her character and I wished there had been more going on rather than focusing on her inner thoughts so much.

All in all, although this wasn’t the book for me, I can still see how other people might enjoy it. It is a realistic depiction of what it’s like to try to find your purpose in life and being disillusioned with your job.

Words can't really describe adequately how much I love and appreciate this book. I haven't been able to read for pleasure in years, genuinely, before "Must Love Books". Nora is the perfect protagonist: sympathetic and relatable as hell even when you know she's in the wrong.
I sensed one of the main themes (not saying which for spoiler reasons) early on but did not think it would be true, let alone addressed and made a focal point. It's refreshing to see that theme in media that isn't specifically about it.
Regarding this theme but also all aspects of the plot, you can tell that Shauna Robinson comes from a place of genuine understanding and kindness, even if you don't read every word of her interview, acknowledements, and bio.
My only regret is not reading my digital ARC copy when I was approved. Incredibly thankful that I saw it at B&N and remembered that I wanted to read it.
To the author, if you ever see this: Thank you, genuinely. It's been a long time since I didn't need to pencil reading into my calendar.

Nora doesn't have a lot of options if she wants to make something of herself in the publishing industry. She has that glass ceiling every modern woman hates in addition to pay cuts and threatening lay offs. In order to keep her head above water, she applies for and attempts to juggle two jobs with the hopes of achieving her dream job.
I don't need a sweeping romance or an epic plot to enjoy a book, but I do need to feel connected to the MC and, unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I'm so disappointed because I love the concept and everything about how it's been marketed. I often find it hard to believe in a heroine who refuses to believe in herself.
Just about before the halfway point, things started to pick up in pace and Nora's professional dilemmas seemed to be on the verge of a crash course. I wish it had happened sooner.
I read this book through multi-media and I didn't find that the narration by Tyra Kennedy added any excitement. Her performance was a little dry and lacked the passion I believe Nora's character would have benefited from.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Regrettably, this book didn’t work for me as much as I wanted it to!

I do love how the author captured the frustration of trying to move up the ladder in publishing. How you can love to read and support authors and not enjoy the process in which they are published into the world.

I appreciate the examination of mental health, being a minority in the workplace, and the importance of prioritizing your self worth.

However, it felt repetitive and overly heavy at times. I found myself forcing myself to finish instead of enjoying reading the story. I think the author shows so much promise and I look forward to checking out her next book!

Thanks for the arc of Must Love Books!

Nora is stuck. Her job is going no where, she lives paycheck to paycheck and her mental health is suffering. She really struggles with depression which was so honest and raw to see portrayed in a book. Nora works in publishing so a large amount of this story discussed books, authors, etc. she befriends, Andrew, an author she is supposed to sign. He becomes much more than just another author to her. Unfortunately he gets caught up in her pursuit to land her dream job and well as just making enough money to survive. I loved the theme of loyalty Andrew and Nora’s friends provided in this story. It’s what every struggling person hopes for.

There was an overall sadness to this story. I was expecting a little more of a rom-com. I think it’s so important people like Nora are represented. I relate to her so much, whether I want to really admit that or not. Life can be so challenging. The reader really feels for her as she can’t achieve happiness on the path she is on but it’s financially impossible to just “follow her dream.” I loved Andrews sweetness- although I wish they moved along a little faster in the story. I’d say this was more of a self discovery book than a romance- which is a beautiful thing.

If you've ever felt overworked and underpaid, this may well be a book for you.

MUST LOVE BOOKS features Nora, a Black editorial assistant at Parsons, publisher of business books. Nora loves books, and felt like she was really on a dream career path when she first started at Parsons. The problem? That was five years ago, and since then she hasn't gotten a promotion - just more responsibilities (i.e. work!) and her workplace support system has vanished (thanks to downsizing and people leaving for opportunities elsewhere). Not to mention, she's barely making ends meet when she finds out her pay will be cut.

I expected to like this book; I wasn't expecting it to be so entirely heartfelt. Nora's struggles, while specific to her, also felt universal. Who hasn't felt stuck? Who hasn't known, deep down, that they needed a change, but also had no idea how to go about making that happen?

Please note that Nora occasionally experiences suicidal thoughts on the page. While at times I wanted better support for her, I think this representation reflects what some people do experience.

I'm afraid this review makes this book sound like a downer, when it wasn't! I really enjoyed reading MUST LOVE BOOKS and while it's not a romance (despite some great scenes), I'd leap at the chance to read a sequel!

Note: I switched between the audiobook and e-book and would recommend either. I was a big fan of the narration by Tyra Kennedy.

4.25 stars

I keep requesting and picking up books that I think are going to be a different style (or even genre) of story than they actually are. I don’t know if it was the cover design, the title, or the blurb for this one, but I was expecting something lighter, more along the lines of a rom-com. Instead, this one was kind of heavy. There was romance, but it wasn’t always front and centre, and the book also deals with issues related to race, sexism, mental illness, suicide, financial hardship, and a few other things. I really liked the main character, once I got to know her; she was imperfect and relatable. Also, the ending of the book was unexpected. The protagonist leaves her high(er) profile career-track job to work in retail/customer service in order to do something that makes her happy while she finds herself and formulates her plans for the future; similarly, she puts her romantic relationship on hold so that she can work on her mental health and wellbeing before trying to be with someone else. These are great things that are almost never shown as worthwhile priorities, in stories or in real life. I was initially caught off-guard by some parts of the book, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Even thought it wasn’t what I expected, I enjoyed this one.

Such a lovely coming-of-age story for twentysomethings, with spot-on depictions of publishing. I love Robinson's writing style and look forward to whatever she writes next!

She held the book close to her and let the pages flutter, breathing in that paper and ink scent that made her heart swell. There was something about a book that brought such joy, but lately they seemed to be bringing a weight into her life that wasn’t welcome. Her job in the publishing world wasn’t what she had dreamed… it was resembling a nightmare more and more each day. The sense of doom loomed over her shoulder and she needed to discover a way out… she desperately needed to find that joy again.

Must Love Books shares Nora’s story, a woman working in the publishing world… but not the publishing dreams she thought she’d be experiencing. Desperate to find a spark of joy in her life, she’d do anything to find that happiness again.

I love a book about books, and this one took a bit of a different spin on that premise, focusing more on the publishing side of business books and nonfiction. The miscommunication trope was also a big part of this story, which isn’t a favorite trope of mine, but I still enjoyed the read. While this book had some very cute moments with hints of romance and flirtation, I must mention it deals with some heavy topics as Nora battles with depression and suicidal thoughts.

If you’re a fan of books about books and light romance, then you’ll want to give this one a read.