The story and romance had potential but fell short and disjointed. The two main characters didn’t spend enough time together on the page to fulfill a romantic arc. The notes back and forth were unclear and difficult to follow. A dual POV would have helped with development of each character and their notes to each other.

I've finished this book last March but I haven't been able to construct any book reviews lately because life happens (thus, affecting my mental health and my productivity. My apologies for that).

As someone who also works in book publishing in my country, this is such a cute and very relatable book (setting wise). I adore this book so much! It's one of my most favorite reads for this year so far.

Savannah's life and work struggles, for me, are realistic. She's not perfect, she's not trying to be, and she's just being herself. She writes and works in a publishing house, which I can relate to and that made me become more drawn in the story.

There are some things that I absolutely loved with the plot of this story:
- Savannah receiving rejection for her manuscript: For me, that teaches us readers the concept of failing while dreaming, which tells us that dreams do not come true overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and some failures along the way in order to become successful.
- How they were meeting in the margins: Aaaahh, where do I begin? Such a cute concept and I loved how articulate Savannah's mystery editor was during the whole discussion about her manuscript.
- William Pennington: Period. Just... wow. Lol

What I didn't like much about the book:
- Predictable: It was too obvious who the mystery editor is.
- Savannah's ex: I honestly didn't get the point of him being around during the story. It's annoying.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. I had so much fun while reading.
Here's a mini reading thread for this book at my booktwt account: https://twitter.com/semicolonreads/status/1498614777224269828

Thank you so much for my ARC, Netgalley and the publisher!

I was delighted by this charming romance. I loved the setting of a publishing house, I found the characters quirky and interesting. I enjoyed that this book was a “clean” romance and shared messy family dynamics.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I flew through this book. I couldn't put it down and before I realized it I was almost done.
Savannah is an editor for a small publishing firm but wants to be a romance novelist. The CEO hates fiction especially romance.
William is the CEO's son and has arrived from New York to help save the company after massive layoffs.
Savannah's manuscript needs work and in a secret room in her office a mysterious editor has been helping her.
The problem: she is falling for William her boss and the mystery editor.
I liked the relationship between Savannah and William. It was cute. And while the ending was predictable, it was a fun journey.

Definitely enjoyed this story! Wish I could read it for the first time again! I would recommend this book to many of my friends.

Book Review: *****/5

Meet Me in the Margins was such a cute Rom-com! I loved it. It was such a fast read and you fall in love with the main characters so easily.

Savannah is an editor at a publishing house that doesn't print anything except non-fiction. While editing other people's books she is also writing her own romance novel. However, when she submits it to a friend in the publishing world, she tells her that it still needs work and there is a short amount of time to fix it if she wants it published. After, leaving her manuscript in her secret room at work she comes back to find that someone has took it upon themselves to give their professional opinion. While using their advice to meet her deadline she finds herself falling for her mystery editor. The question becomes who is her editor?

This book is written from Savannah's point of view. I liked it a lot but i also have to question if it had been written from the love interests' point of view as well if there would have been an even bigger pull to his character. There were moments I wondered what he was thinking. I loved the ending so much. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my advanced e-ARC of this book.

I really wanted to like this one. It was right up my alley for synopsis! Unfortunately the heroine didn’t vibe with me. And when I realized I would have to endure her living with her sister as well as her sister being engaged to her ex boyfriend… not worth the anxiety for me!

I didn't feel like this book fully explored the great premise. I found I liked it less because it felt like it could be so much more, but simply wasn't.

I DNFed Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson at 22%. The book was mostly inner monologues from the main character, with hardly any dialogue, and lots of tangents that had nothing to do with the story.. I didn't care about every little thought that entered the heroine’s mind. The descriptions were so flowery and dripped with purple prose. Also, I found it incredibly ironic that that advice the mysterious editor gave on Savannah's book perfectly described everything I felt about Meet Me In the Margins: “Slow beginning. Get to the meat. Give readers a reason to stay. If you bore them, you lose them. Awkward word choice. Drop this paragraph. We don’t need this character. Rabbit trail, stick to the point.” This quote from the book really hits the nail on the head. Nothing had happened up to the point I decided to set it aside, and I was so bored waiting to get to the meat. I had no reason to stay, and got tired of the rabbit trails. It's unfortunate, because I was really looking forward to a sweet, closed-door romance surrounding bookish people. I loved the entire idea of the two love interests communicating through written feedback. The secret room, the bonding over a romance novel... it sounded so perfect! The execution just didn't work for me, though.

This book was so cute! The premise was fun, the characters were charming, and I just love books about books and all around book-love. Also, secret rooms - especially if those rooms are filled with books. Maybe in my next life I’ll become an editor. I generally prefer my books to have at least a little steam and this book was a zero on the steam scale, but the story was sweet and I loved it, even if it was a little too wholesome for my tastes.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

A workplace romance that is more sweet that steamy, Savannah and Will's relationship evolves across the whole span of the book with some very realistic obstacles (family drama, disappointments, and HR hurdles, not to mention the whole mystery editor business). Savannah and Will have great chemistry together on the page -- both the pages of the novel and the pages where their marginalia takes place -- which makes the story move along at a good clip and feels easy. However, this book never really took off for me and the big reveals felt so well telegraphed that I saw them coming from miles away. Ultimately an easy and light, if not particularly impactful, read.

While this is a generally enjoyable clean romance, it left me wanting a little bit more. On a whole I enjoyed it. I really liked the concept of this mystery editor helping Savannah work through her manuscript. Of course she starts to fall for this person and trying to figure out who the person might be while trying to keep up the mystery. At the same time, she's interacting with Will, the new boss at the publishing house, and developing feelings for him because he seems like a really cool guy. All of that worked. There was enough of a spark that I was anxiously waiting for she and Will to get their ducks in a row to end up together. The mystery editor was a bit predictable, but it was still a fun storyline. However, I thought the mystery manuscript romance could have been more. I would have enjoyed seeing more of their interaction and what they were revealing to each other to really see the blossoming romance rather than being told she had feelings for him.

At the same time, as much as I wanted more of the romance storyline developed, the story could have done without the subplot of her family. I apologize for the ensuing rant. The novel tries to make Savannah the underdog against her perfect wonderful sister who is over the top fitness obsessed to the point of shaming her sister for not getting in her steps. The author and narrator make a note about how Savannah and her character are the same, they're mediocre, a background character - which is perfectly fine, but throwing in this sister made it too obvious that she didn't measure up. It doesn't necessarily make her mediocre or average because most average/mediocre people are dealing with such an obvious "villain." The annoying sister threatens to turn Savannah into a cliché. The contrast didn't endear me more to Savannah for what she had to put up with, especially when part of their conflict is that Savannah's boyfriend dumped her to date/get engaged to the sister. And Savannah forgives him, still acts like they're friends, and even lives with her sister, daily subjecting herself to her sister's judgement. Maybe it was all an effort to make her sympathetic, poor Savvy, but it does more to make her pathetic and weak. Then, when she finally stands up to her sister and tells her what an awful person she is, it's not because she finally grows a backbone, but because her sister has a crisis and asks what she needs to do differently. Ultimately the sister plotline weakened the main character and distracted from the story. Focusing the story at the publishing house and making her a work underdog would have been stronger and a less obvious route.

There was a lot that I liked about the story. The overall romance storyline was really worth the read. Could it have been better, yes, but I was glad I read the book. It's definitely worth it if you're looking for a contemporary clean read.

This one was just fine. Enjoyable enough to consume, but it doesn't add anything new to the romance cannon and was a very tame read - no sex scenes, barely even a kiss, which is fine, but made it read a little like YA. I have issues with the portrayal of fitness and the way they spoke about eating. Additionally I felt like the main character sort of... lacked character. I couldn't understand why the love interest would be interested. Also a power imbalance that is never addressed. Not a win for me sadly.

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

If you’re looking for a sweet & quick little romcom to read on vacation this summer, here’s one! I was sold as soon as I read the premise. Editor, Savannah Cade, writes a romantic novel in secret (which is a genre deeply despised by the boss of her publishing house), stashes it away in a hidden place at work, comes back to find notes from a secret editor—just in time since she only has a month to polish it up for the most famous editor of the most famous romantic publisher.

Savannah is a very human character. She often compares herself to her overachieving family, which gives her a seemingly internalized sense of mediocrity that, as someone in academia, I found very relatable. Meanwhile, we can see that she is doing just fine, and we root for her to succeed. Will, the strict boss’s son, comes from NYC to help out with the company. Then there’s Savannah’s ex, who is now engaged to her sister, who she lives with. And so many other zany coworkers and clients. (Some of the sub-plots are admittedly a bit unbelievable at times.)

One thing I really enjoyed about this one was how you clearly knew what the love story was, but every once in awhile, it had you second-guessing yourself. The result is this fantastic tension built by suspense and uncertainty that makes the resolution all the more fun. However! I wish the resolution itself wasn’t so quick. It felt quite rushed given the build-up, making it slightly unsatisfying. I wish there had been a bit more detail once identities were revealed. Nevertheless, it left me feeling so mushy and giddy. Recommended for romcom fans!

📖: (4.5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Meet Me In the Margins is a hilarious and heartwarming story about the journey to publish and the perfection of a secret and unexpected romance. Loved every page!

Rooting for the main couple is great, I definitely did. BUT. Rooting for the absolute destruction of a side couple, both of whom betrayed the main character… now that’s just pure fun. And winning is so very sweet.

Anyway. So adorable. Will was so sweet and serious. Savannah was adorkable and so very normal WHICH I LOVE. I love when main characters are just regular people sometimes.

This book was a perfectly warm cup of coffee first thing in morning. Just good feels and happy vibes.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Oh how I absolutely adored this rom-com! It completely stole my heart and I truly never wanted it to end. It was the perfect mix of fun and swoon-worthy, filled with tension and laughter. I loved what Ferguson did here with the unique storyline and insight into the publishing and author world and how she incorporated a love story into it all! It was so unique and fresh and for even just that this book gets all the stars from me. It appealed to and 100% won over my bookish heart.

I really enjoyed my time spent with these characters. They were individually well-developed and I feel like the reader gradually and truly comes to know them as friends by the end. Who they are and their struggles weren't cheesy as can sometimes be the case in rom-coms, but instead was realistic and really made you cheer for and with the best them. And together, phew, their chemistry came through tangibly on the pages and the witty banter kept me smiling the entire way through. The ending... oh the end ending. It was everything I wanted and more!

This was a perfectly clean rom-com and overall quick and cute. A knockout for sure! If you're looking for a cute, easy read, let this be it!

This is my first book by Melisa Ferguson and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Meet Me in the Margins is a dream for book lovers, especially romance lovers. It gives you a lot of behind the scenes on how a romance novel is written and how a publishing house works, even if it is quite a small one.

I liked the main character, Savannah, a lot. She is very fun and doesn't take life too seriously, especially taking into account her high achieving family. You can tell that she really loves books and enjoys her job, even if her workplace is not making it that easy for her.

I also enjoyed the relationship she had with her new boss. You could really see them starting to connect and they had some very fun scenes together. He really wasn't what you first might expect and I was gladly surprised at how much I liked him.

All in all, a very cute fun story that happened in the margins but also in real life. The plot was well executed and had plenty of great and special moments. I'll definitely have a look at other stories by this author.

First of all I want to say that I really love publishing house stories :) And romance in this sector is perfect combination for me.

Savannah is romance novel editor in a boutique publishing house. One day she left the file and then when she came back she saw some comments on her papers. Congratulations, she now has a secret assistant :) Savannah did not know who is he but they started to communicate this way.

Meet Me In The Margins is a sweet story. There are not really interesting plot twists but I did not need any in this story. It will be a great beach read :)