A booklover's dream, to work as an editor and find a hidden room between ARCs. Although it was obvious who the mystery editor was, it was nonetheless very cute!

What a wonderful book! There are so many rom-com style novels out there, and it delights me to no end when I find one that is a bit deeper than the rest. "Meet Me In the Margins" is just that. Truly funny and smart with a concept that I've never come across before, this is the perfect book to pick up when you need to renew your spirit in the middle of the dark winter.

Savannah is an editor secretly dreaming of becoming an author herself. I loved this character and could relate to her on so many levels. I found the characters to be very well written and that the story really came to life. I definitely stayed up too late needing to know how it ended. This is such a fun RomCom and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved seeing a little bit of the behind the scenes in how much work goes into writing and publishing a book as well. Definitely recommend this clean romance to anyone looking for a light fun read.
#MeetMeInTheMargins #NetGalley

This was a pleasant read. I've not read any books by this author but the summary caught my attention and I'm glad it did.

This is a romance, but it's also an interesting little sneak peek into the publishing business and the world of aspiring authors as well.

I liked Savannah and Will. They were engaging, interesting characters. I liked the setting of a work environment in the publishing business and that both of them had a bit of a hidden history of challenges behind them. It was a bit of a meet-awkward, which I liked.

I was very drawn to the idea of a mystery editor–a strangers to lovers feel to it, with the bonus of getting to know each other through the pages of a book, a book being written by one of the main characters. Their notes to each other were progressively revealing and vulnerable.

I particularly loved the secret room. A place of their own, out of the day to day world that surrounded them. One that progressively seemed to become more of a cozy retreat and sanctuary.. The story behind that was an entertaining twist.

There were a few side characters that were intriguing but I was not a fan of Savannah's sister or of Savannah's ex-boyfriend. I understand they were in the story to give some credence to Savannah's self doubt and issues with self worth (her whole family contributed to that) but they felt a little thinly drawn and were somewhat caricatures of those types. I'm not sure the way that situation was resolved worked for me--I understand why it was part of the story but I think this could have been as interesting a book without that particular element/twist.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It gave me what I needed–an easy, comfortable read, with some twists, some fluff. I could take or leave the sister and ex-boyfriend as characters and plot devices but I liked Lila.

Read this if you:
*are an aspiring writer/author
*work as an editor
*like secret narnia-like places
*like to laugh out loud
*like cute swoon worthy men

This book was so cute!!! It’s a slow burn, but it was a good change up from some of the books I’ve read recently. I laughed many times reading this and loved everything about this book!

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Feb 15

This is Melissa's best book yet. Loved it. All of it. My only wish would be that it would be longer. That we could experience more of Will. Yum yum.

What a great premise - I enjoyed learning more about the publishing world and all the work that goes on behind the scenes. The meet cute was original, such a fresh and unique take on a romcom.

Melissa writes in a way that draws you into the story from the first paragraph. I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this contemporary romance novel. What a great way to end off the year.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review. I'm looking forward to recommending this read on other platforms and social media.

I loved this! It was so quirky and fun. I loved the misunderstandings and how normal Savvy felt while reading her. I was slightly disappointed that as the reader we didn't actually see the growth of the characters and that Savvy kept calling Will a "real man". Overall, if someone is looking for a fun meet (I mean the scrambling for the pages of a printed manuscript was great) with a slow build to a happy ending, I will definitely recommend.

Meet Me In The Margins is a light, easy read. Perfect for romance fans. It’s got the usual ingredients that add up to a rom-com with the added bonus of being set in the world of book publishing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an earc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! I am a sucker for books about books, so naturally I absolutely loved that our main character works at a publishing house and is an aspiring writer herself.

The romance in this book is a verrrry slow burn, but I didn't mind that at all. I loved watching our mcs slowly get closer and closer to being together. I thought their romance was very cute and additionally I did really enjoy both of their characters.

This was a really cute romance that I flew through in a matter of days. While the ending of the story could be considered predictable, I don't feel like that takes away from how fun this story was to read! If you're in the mood for a light and fluffy romance that you can read in a couple of days this one checks all the boxes!

Thank you for the ARC.

As someone who one day hopes to finish the book she started writing, this was an immediate download for me! I actually found this really useful in my own critique too!

I'm afraid I didn't love the book though, I enjoyed the plot and the characters but felt it needed more spice, it was a little too clean and nicey nice for me Think this may be a personal thing for me though and otherwise really enjoyed it and would recommend.

This was a light and fun clean rom-com. (I dont particularly love steamy novels). The lead was strong and witty, and the story moved fast. I enjoy this authors writing style and will definitely read more of her work.

Rating 3.5 rounded up
Meet me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson was a fun whirlwind in the publisher/writer world.

Will, the new boss shakes up the company and also Savannah. Will is mysterious and I like how as Savannah gets to know him more, so does the reader since it’s a single point of view. Savannah is trying to write a book while working at a publisher who does that publish that type of book. She comes across a secret editor and a friendship starts… but who is this mysterious editor?

I enjoyed how the side characters had a large role in this book and they all made the story richer. They all had their own personalities and yet didn’t take away from the story. My favorite was Lyla and her spunk!

I do wish there was more love story but I understand how there couldn’t be. Came away with trying to figure out if this was a women’s fiction, RomCom or other.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.
I will be posting this review on Goodreads, bookbub, and instagram within the first week of January.

Thank you @netgalley, @thomasnelson and @our_friendly_farmhouse for the e-ARC of Meet Me In The Margins.

First, the title of this book is absolute perfection. I ❤ it.

This book was filled with all of my favorite things: books, book publishing, book manuscripts, more things books, secret places where people hide books, and so much more.

There was even a shout out to Griswold Family Christmas. #checkplease

Savannah Cade is an editor at Pennington Publishing, an old school publishing company that finds literary fiction, especially romance, to be absolutely vile.

Not only is she an editor, but an aspiring writer, having worked for years on her manuscript for her romance novel.

While working a publishing event, Savannah is able to connect with Claire Donovan, the most sought after editor in the world, who agrees to take a look at her manuscript.

Unfortunately, Claire didn't feel Savannah's manuscript was ready, but gave her 44 days to revamp her entire story and resend for consideration.

Savannah didn't know where to start, until she discovered a "mystery editor" in her office.

She and this "mystery editor" would go back and forth, she leaving her manuscript in her secret space in the office and the editor leaving comments in the margins for her to read upon her return.

Over the next month, Savannah is not only able to revamp her novel, but also learn a lot about herself and the people in her life in the process.

There are a lot of characters in this book, but they all had a place.

This was a quick read. A fun rom-com that may just get you out of your reading slump.

Cute, clean rom-com! I loved the MC, she was a strong lead and funny! The authors writing style quickly engaged me and it became a page turner!

The book was a little bit of a slow start for me, but once it got going, I really enjoyed the characters and story! Endearing story of a girl who doesn't feel like she's on the same level as the rest of her family, but finds her way. Very cute read!

I fall in between the reviewers who loved this book and those who found the plot far-fetched and the characters underdeveloped. While I feel some of the criticism is warranted (it was definitely predictable and some points of conflict could have been better fleshed out), it also made me laugh out loud in some spots, and I enjoyed how the relationship developed. It was a sweet story full of books, publishing, and romance. Light-hearted and with a satisfying conclusion—just what I need right now! And I know just the type of customer I will recommend it to…!

Please note: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm going to start the review by saying that the author does know how to steal the reader's heart. When I requested for this book, I was just looking for an usual rom-com book. But it turned out to be one of the best books I've read in recent times. I don't know if the banter between William and Savannah was based on her own true story but it was so realistic and touching. The romance didn't feel forced or hastened and I also liked how Savannah tried to portray Cecilia's character based on her own. Overall it's a great book and I will rate it a 5-star.

This is a sweet, light romance for book lovers everywhere and reminded me so much of one of my all-time favorite rom-com’s “You’ve Got Mail”. In both, the main characters fall in love with each other through their writing. While some of the characters were perhaps a tad one-dimensional, others were very relatable, and I really grew to love Savannah as she tried to navigate the waters of a new boss and attempting to edit her own manuscript, while still having to live up to her family's expectations. The romance was very understated throughout the novel and when it did show up, it was very sweet. Melissa Ferguson knows just how much humor to add into the mix to make her novels enjoyable reads. I really disliked Savannah’s family. I didn’t enjoy Savannah’s relationship or interactions with her parents or her sister, Olivia, and I really didn’t like the idea of the family supporting Olivia’s engagement to Savannah’s ex-boyfriend, who hooked up with her sister while he was still with Savannah. They all are kind of like suck it up and just be happy for your sister, even though you’re probably still hurting. I do wish we'd had more time with the two main characters together. If you love any movie on Hallmark, then this is the book for you! It’s a very clean, sweet and charming story with a slow burn. It's a little bit romance, a little bit mystery and a little bit comedy. Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Melissa Ferguson for the e-ARC me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Meet Me in the Margins is an adorable, easy, read with characters and emotions that just feel AUTHENTIC (even when the plot feels far-fetched!). I fell in love with Savannah and her colleagues at Pennington Books and appreciated Ferguson's ruminations on what real, long-lasting love looks like.

The plot was somewhat predictable, but the Nashville setting makes Ferguson's novel feel fresh and unique (instead of another whirlwind publishing romance set in New York City). It's rare that I read anything romantic or "light," but this is just what my heart needed at the end of 2021, and it took me just one day to read!

I was really looking forward to reading this book. The plot sounded so intriguing, but it fell flat for me.

Savanna’s works at a small publishing firm that specializes in non-fiction. The owner is very against commercial fiction, especially romance. Savannah secretly loves romance and is writing her own book. Savannah accidentally leaves her manuscript at work and finds it with a lot of notes. The mystery editor and her wrote notes back and forth, rewriting her manuscript in hopes that she can get published.

I felt like there wasn’t enough development of the romantic relationship, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main character and the love interest. At first I was really into the story but quickly grew bored as the story progressed, it didn’t keep my interest at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.