This was a cute, very slow burn romance. Savannah is an editor at a publishing house that absolutely does not deal with commercial fiction, so when her brand new publisher, William Pennington, sees the first page of her secret romance manuscript she's certain she's about to be fired. Instead she finds a secret editor at the company who helps her polish her manuscript in secret all while the two get closer together over their notes.

So, this book is percepted as a Christian story about a writer's journey. At least, that was how my friends percepted it to me.
I enjoyed Melissa's writing a lot, her writing is really fun and fluid, which makes us read the books the Speedy way.
However, the characters felt a little flat to me. I did enjoy how they were normal, clean and tried having fun. But I feel like they needed more development.
Even so, if you love a gentle romance, this book is definitely for you!

Dreams come true. Dreams of a common person like you and me come true. Book devotees, and beautiful messages. This is in a few words what I found in this book

I felt so related to the main character that made me realize I have to keep going, I can not stop, I can not give up, no matter how harsh this long road has been.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure it was the right book for me but it turned out it had a lot to give. It made me feel I still have the right to dream and dream big, why not? Oh I know is fiction, but I also know is not impossible.

This was my welcome-to-2022-book, that simple. I hope I have the chance to read more books by this author, she gave me that one little kick that I needed.

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

I loooooooooooooved this concept!!!!
Maybe it is because my husband is a writer and I leave notes on his manuscript 🤣Any book that has to do with authors/writers or that lifestyle always get me because of him.

Okay--to the romance! I enjoyed the chemistry between Savannah and Will is slooooow burn, but I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed the element of it being a mystery who was writing her notes on the manuscript for a bit.

If anything, this book could have been longer and I would have loved it more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Expected Publication: February 15th 2022

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Meet Me in the Margins was my first book to read by this author and now I'm hooked. What a delightfully cozy romcom! The characters are entertaining and the conclusion held a bit of a surprise in the way she chose to wrap it all up. If you're looking for a fast read and a sweet little romance with humor, this book will do it.

This book was super cute! It was fast paced and I just loved Savannah. I was not a fan of her sister and could have done without her. The rest of the characters were perfect. Loved the idea of the cute little attic room. Highly recommend everyone reading this!

Overall, I really enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins. I liked that although it's a book that fits into the romance genre, Savannah's story didn't entirely revolve around her love life. She has goals and dreams, proper character growth and real problems.

This book speaks to any true book lover - writers and readers alike. Savannah's pure love for the written word outshines all else. Savannah is an editor in a publishing agency and a writer herself, so she understands the need to be surrounded by books and how they're truly remarkable pieces of art. I loved little scenes where she spoke about books with nothing but adoration in her tone, and the little inside view into things like the ARC room. Having her perspective from both sides of the publishing industry was really interesting, and I liked how that was discussed.

The romance aspect was cute and fulfilling. It wasn't immediate, and Savannah had to work through her own issues first before committing to a relationship, which I appreciated. Life isn't always as clean and easy as it seems in fiction, and Savannah's life was real and relatable.

Additionally, some of the minor characters really had their moments in the spotlight. Lyla was a truly spectacular character and I would definitely read a book based on her own life. I also loved Savannah's relationship with her sister, Olivia, and how Olivia also faced her own growth. The pair come from a family filled with pressure and high expectations, which put a lot of strain on their own relationship.

I would have liked to see a bit more of William throughout the story, as he very rarely popped up. Some of my favourite scenes were ones with him and Savannah outside of their work environment. I'd love to see a few more of these to really help connect their characters more.

I loved the character growth and tone of reality tied into a cute and wholesome romance. This book is a wonderful escape from daily life. Sure, it's cliché at times, sure, the ending is a bit fairytale-esque, but to me, that was half of the joy.

I received a complimentary copy of Meet Me in the Margins from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book seemed to check so many of my boxes when I read the blurb. A book about books, lots of them. ARC rooms... yummy. However, this book was not really my cup of tea. Unfortunately, because the premise was quite nice.

I never really got to like the heroine. She is trying to publish a romance novel while the publisher she works for (or does she? She seems to be most busy with her own book instead of working) is not into romance at all so she has to hide her manuscript.

So I liked the idea of the book but the execution lacked something. And I absolutely hated Sav's family. Her boyfriend dumped her for her younger sister, asked her to marry him and the family sits Savannah down to 'speed things along'? Crushed my teeth. Because she just thought it totally normal.

The romance in this book is very minimal. I wished for so much more.

Savannah is an editor for a literary publisher and (secretly, of course... if her publishing house found out she was writing frivolous fiction.... the scandal..... ) is facing a submission deadline for her romance novel manuscript . She is walking out of the conference room at work and falls, dropping her manuscript at the feet of her new supervisor. She might have just blown her cover, so she hustles to hide her precious manuscript in a secret hideout. When she returns, a mystery person has added some not-so-welcome editing advice. When her manuscript is rejected by the editor for deep revisions (with a 44-day due date for resubmission), Savannah starts to listen to those marginal notes.

For those of us that fall in love with and through books, this rom-com is such a welcomed escape. What I loved most about this book is that it is more about the growth of Savannah than about the romance itself. She faces some pretty difficult learning curves for herself - learning to put herself first, grow as an individual, and explore what it means to be a good friend, coworker, partner. It is about the harsh realities of chasing your dreams and your dream person and what it means to be attracted to someone.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone that has a bookish bend and is looking for a good rom-com to keep them company. :D

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

This was such a lighthearted, sweet, heartwarming and cute story.

It definitely hit the ground running! I was a bit overwhelmed at first and felt like I'd been thrown headfirst into the deep end of the pool. Everything felt very energetic and chaotic; a veritable whirlwind!

I liked the cast of characters and the flow of the story. Plot wise, I have to admit it was extremely meta reading about an aspiring author and the hardships, trials and tribulations that come with venturing into that particular field. It was a nice touch how Savannah had the dual perspective of being on both sides of the publishing industry as a green, first-time author, but also as a somewhat experienced editor. But, at times it felt like the book's author was venting her frustrations about how much work goes into writing a novel and how impossible it can be to carve a space for oneself in the literary world using Savannah as a proxy. I didn't feel like it was Savannah talking during those parts, but Melissa herself. That side of it made me feel weird and a little uncomfortable.

Everything else, I quite liked. How Ms. Pennington, the CEO of the publishing company Sav worked for was a total snob; how Savannah was the black sheep of her crazy overachieving family; the little side plot about the on-again-off-again ex-boyfriend of many years being engaged to the ridiculously successful and uber-overachieving little sister; the sincere (if maybe a little underdeveloped) friendship between Sav and BFF/co-worker Lyla.

I thought all the little interactions outside of work with William were delightful. I think that was my favorite part of this novel. How they slowly and organically got to know each other. I do wish there would have been more William, though. Every time he and Sav interacted face to face was a momentous occasion as it felt like half the time he was away on business (and therefore out of the story). I think it would be a great treat for the readers to maybe include a second epilogue at the end of the book narrating William and Savannah's first meet from his perspective.

I also feel compeled to point out that for a love story, there wasn't much romance going on. There was some vulnerability, a few candid conversations and little bonding moments, but nothing that left any sort of impression on me.

As I read an advanced copy of this book, I can't know that the final version will be like the one I was provided. But I think one necessary change would be using different fonts for Savannah and the editor during their short conversations on the margins of her manuscript. In the version I received, her parts were in italics, but his where in normal font, which made following along a little tricky at times. There were also a couple consistency issues I spotted, but those will probably be fixed before publication date, so there's not much point in bringing them up.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other works by Melissa Ferguson.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction**

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson was a romantic comedy about books. It was an okay book. I think I had too high of expectations for it since it was compared to You’ve Got Mail.

The storyline with her family was disappointing. I think it just made her seem weak and a doormat.
I enjoyed the parts about the publishing business and the editing parts were fun. I liked how he would challenge her.

Also since it was published by Thomas Nelson I was thinking there would be more faith based elements included. It is a clean book but not much on the faith front.

Light hearted romance with special appeal to all who are big readers, or have large collections of ARCs or work with librarians. While I wish our protagonist was a bit wiser, and the kiss better, I can see both as necessary errors.

very charming, but will probably be overshadowed by emily henry's similarly premised "book lovers". i suppose ferguson's has the benefit of releasing first? a 3.5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was delightful! I really enjoyed the premise, and found it quite unique. Another point for originality for setting a book about publishing in a city other than New York - a welcome change!

The characters in this were well fleshed out and charming, and I definitely found myself invested in their relationship.

The book was a bit more of a slow burn than I’m used to, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and will definitely be recommending it to those looking for books set in publishing, alongside other favourites like The Hating Game.

Not a bad story but quite predictable. I like the book editing angle and the secret hideaway at the publishing house but it was too obvious who the mystery editor was going to be that it almost felt forced to make it a mystery.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was fun and the characters and their struggles were real but interesting. A dream!

such a fun book! it was cute, the characters were lovely, but it sometimes got a little too cringey for my liking. however, i find this a perfect read for fans of this genre. it was delightful to read.

— thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book.

While the book was well written and enjoyable plot wise, it just wasn’t for me. While I enjoy romance quite a bit, if I don’t relate to, or even like, a main character, it can be difficult to get through the book. With the protagonist of Meet Me in the Margins, most of the book felt like a chore. She seems to hate her job, hate her friends, hate her hobbies, and makes no effort to change any of it? Honestly I kind of just got annoyed with her and could barely force myself through it. I purely think it has to do with my personality and opinion of her character and think this book could be a great fit for other romance readers.

I'm a sucker for a good rom-com, and Melissa Ferguson is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Like her other novels, Meet Me in the Margins is a sweet and engaging rom-com, but this time there's a bit of mystery woven in.

Savannah Cade has dreamed of being a romance author for years, and her dreams just might be about to come true--except that she works for a publisher who believes romance is the epitome of twaddle and should never be published. She's decided to submit her manuscript anyway, until she trips and sends a flurry of cheesy romance throughout the room during a staff meeting. And, of course, who else would pick up the final page but William Pennington, new publisher and son of the love-hating CEO? Horrified, she hides her manuscript in a secret room upstairs, but later returns to find it covered in someone else's very blunt opinions. When she writes back in defence of her work, she quickly finds herself with a mystery editor who seems much more experienced at this whole romance thing than she is. Enter the drama of re-writing her entire manuscript while trying to uncover the identity of her mystery editor.

While the plot was (delightfully) cheesy and relatively predictable, I loved every moment of this book. It's perfect for those times when you just need something light and easy to read, but definitely still has some substance. The characters were fantastic, although I quickly developed an intense dislike for Savannah's ex-fiance, Ferris, as well as the majority of her family. Will and Savannah's best friend Lyla were definitely my favourite characters. As a major bookworm and someone who once dreamed of writing novels myself (I've since accepted that I'm much better at reading than writing anything believable), I loved that this novel was centred around books and editing/publishing. It was fun to get to "see" the inside of a publisher's office, even it it was fictional.

If you enjoy witty rom-coms or just need an escape from reality for a few hours, you'll love Meet Me in the Margins.

*I received a complimentary copy of Meet Me in the Margins through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

Meet Me in the Margins is truly a book for book lovers - so it should come as no surprise that I was super excited to read it. But while there’s a lot I liked about it, it ultimately left me disappointed.

Savannah is an assistant acquisitions editor for a very old-school publishing company, who’s secretly working on her own contemporary romance novel. When Savannah stashes her manuscript in a secret office room before a meeting, she’s surprised to come back to find handwritten comments on it from a mystery editor, with whom she gets pulled into a back-and-forth exchange in the margins. Meanwhile, the company CEO’s son, Will, joins the company, and his arrival threatens to shake everything up - both professionally and personally.

I’ll start with the good. I really enjoyed the book- and publishing-related aspects of the story. It was interesting to read about the inner workings of a publishing company and the editors’ interactions with their authors, and the author’s descriptions of library conferences and ARC rooms were just dreamy for a book lover. The conversations in the margins were really fun; I craved more of that, it seemed to be a surprisingly small part of the book given how the plot is described.

I also really enjoyed Will’s character. I’m a sucker for a character who’s stonily professional, but can’t keep the corner of their mouth from twitching when engaging with a female lead, and Will definitely fulfills that role. In some ways, he gave me vibes of Adam from The Love Hypothesis (which is a huge compliment in my books, pun intended).

Unfortunately, there’s also a lot I didn’t love about this book. I had a hard time connecting with most of the characters. I found our narrator, Savannah, to be unlikeable. She wasn’t well filled out, the back-and-forth of her internal narrative gave me whiplash, she seemed all too willing to be a doormat for her family, and she must be allergic to work because I don’t think she does a single thing for her job in the entire book - it seems like all she does is show up late to events/meetings, where she’s constantly distracted, and run off to a hidden room to work on her own manuscript.

I also really disliked Savannah’s family. I generally enjoy a book with a family pressure/expectation element, but here it just seemed cruel. 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 somehow supporting Olivia’s engagement to Savannah’s ex-boyfriend. I wish that whole storyline just didn’t exist.

All in, this is a reasonably cute book for audiences who are into books about books, but I wish it were better executed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it!