Meet Me in the Margins is such a charming, quick (I read it in two sittings), light-hearted read revolving around the publishing world. This book is the epitome of a slow burn romance and I would caution anyone looking for some steam: you won't find it here. What you will find is a warm hug of a story which leaves you with the hope that one day you'll stumble upon your own secret door to escape into.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Meet Me in the Margins will be published on February 15, 2022.

*3.5

This book is okay but I feel as though it needed a bit more to it. I don't think that Savannah and Will really spent enough time together to have the ending that it did. Don't get me wrong they were cute I just think their relationship is underdeveloped. There should have been a few more scenes of Savannah and Will just spending time together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This novel is easily my favorite discovery of the year. Warm, witty, and wistful, its two central characters took up residence in my heart and I'll never forget them. Really.

Savannah is an assistant editor at a small publishing house in Nashville--one with high standards but decreasing profitability. When the boss's son Will Pennington shows up, fresh from his prestigious New York City job and ready to prop up the dying family business, everyone is sure that he's not there to play nice. Savannah can't afford any missteps... so it's a good thing that no one knows that she's been writing her own novel. Her own romantic fiction novel, that is. Because the one thing that the publishing house would never, never, never sully its reputation with is light romantic fiction.
After her manuscript is almost exposed during an office meeting, Savannah stashes it in the most secret place she knows in the building. Her very own magical, private, bookish refuge.
So how does it come about that when she goes to retrieve it, she discovers in one heart-stopping moment that it's covered with notes from a mystery editor?

There are so many delightful moments, conversations, and exchanges in this book that it's hard to know where to start with all the things I liked.

I liked that even though there is never any question about what is going to happen in the last chapter, the story doesn't feel hackneyed. It's genuine. It has heart.
(Although, I will say, the attempt to muddy the waters and provide a possible alternative for who else could be Savannah's mystery editor fell pretty flat for me, but I'll grant that it's probably a necessary facet in this kind of "You've Got Mail" story.)

I liked that the author gave Will and Savannah a *little* edge of friction and wariness in their in-person interactions, but I'm so grateful she didn't make them enemies. Just enough tension to make things zing delightfully when they're around each other. There's also never any game-playing between them, just a refreshing innocence and give-and-take in conversation that absolutely won my heart.

I liked that even though I started the book thinking, "Oh, no, this is written in the present tense," by the end I was thinking, "You know, this present tense thing is okay."

I liked that there's a mature, thoughtful approach toward what makes a good relationship, and that it was dreamy and grounded at the same time.

The takeaway? I will be buying this book when it comes out. And I will be re-reading it. I don't know if other readers will be affected the same way I was, but when I estimated it would probably take me until 2 in the morning to finish it, I thought, "Well, that's unfortunate, but it can't be helped." It filled me with a personal angst (you know, the kind that comes from reading about a story or relationship that you want to be in) and sense of introspection that I haven't recovered from yet. This book. This book.

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Initial review:
It's an indecent hour of the night and I'm done. And dead. 5 stars.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

✍Ssooooo....this book is perfect. It's been a minute since I read something so absolutely delightful. There is a reason I love all of Melissa Ferguson's books, and as far as I can tell, she's only getting better.
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✍ I guess I'll tell you WHY this book is perfect. It's laugh out loud funny - without being over the top obnoxious. There is office banter, tension, and chemistry - without pages full of fast paced, yet witty run on sentences. The characters are super well developed - without the need to overtly describe every strength and weakness they possess - they speak for themselves. And the attraction between the two main characters is SO there without them having to ogle and daydream about each other constantly. But. The. Tension. Is. There. 🔥 Oh, and it also made me cry. The ending is absolutely perfect 👌
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✍ There are also hurdles to get over, but it's done in a realistic way and made me really love the characters even more!! In the plethora of rom-coms that I've read, I've found this balance really rare to find. I want to laugh, feel their connection, and be surprised a few times, but the writing can sometimes be overdone and annoying! Melissa Ferguson just gets it and that comes through in Meet Me in The Margins. She is definitely a favorite author of mine. (Not to mention, we're both pregnant and both have farm houses....well she has one in reality, while mine only exists in my dreams) Check her out at @our_friendly_farmhouse
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✍ If I haven't convinced you, then I give up. 🤣
This really was just so fun to read. I can't wait for what she writes next!
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✍ Something else I love about her books is they're always clean! No language or steamy content to be seen 👍👍
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✍ This one goes up February 15, but she has 2 other books you can read in the meantime, and a novella! They're all excellent! I'm so thankful @netgalley and @thomasnelson sent me an ARC to review, it would have been torture to wait until February 😆

I never thought I'd say this, but I am glad I finallllllyyyyy finished this one. I had such high hopes that my expectations just couldn't live up to. The writing was a bit clunky *checks thesaurus*, ahem, bunglesome and cumbersome. Maybe it was just because of Savannah's job that she thought with fancy words, but it was difficult to read at times. I just wanted to tell her to get to the point already.
I also found that the who-is-the-mysterious-editor got old very quickly. It seemed to be the plot for the majority of the book.
Also, there was not much humor in this book (and that I what I loved about Melissa's other books) and there also is not really romance either.
I am also wondering what happened to some of the other characters that were not mentioned in the epilogue.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and the characters were fully formed. I would enjoy reading other work by this author in the future.

Meet Me in the Margins is such a cute book full of delightful characters who possess tremendous personality. It is a fun, light read that kept me entertained the whole time I read it. It’s a book I feel comfortable recommending to anyone who enjoys a fun, clean romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the chance to read a digital copy of this book.

#MeetMeintheMargins #NetGalley

I read this book in almost one sitting. It is a sweet story with character depth and humor. It isn’t quite the same as Melissa’s other books with humor factor, but I almost liked it more. There were funny parts, but also very real-world parts.

Being a writer myself, there was so much about Savannah’s writing process that I throughly enjoyed and identified with. Oh, and I absolutely loved Will. He was slightly mysterious and complex in a good way. The character growth was great and realistic.

This book was clean, but I didn’t catch any specifically Christian themes and God wasn’t mentioned. The characters also frequented bars and drank alcohol, which some readers may have an issue with.

Those who love sweet, gentle romances with a touch of humor will enjoy this story!

*I received this book from NetGalley and happily provided my honest review*

I was completely drawn into this story based on the description especially one that touts a "You've Got Mail" type situation.

This one was super fun, and was a good weekend read. It was cute, good characters, fluffy, (no steam!), and a great ending.

This is an adorable rom-com that provides both fun and romance together with a little mystery. Set in a publishing company in Nashville, TN, Savannah is an editor who is secretly writing a book on the side. She's been using a small room in the attic of the publishing house where they store ARCs (Advance Reader copies of books) to make edits. She left her manuscript behind one day and when she went back to retrieve it, it was covered in notes in the margins, but she has no idea who wrote them. At first she didn't like the criticism, but eventually decides it is helpful and leaves her manuscript again hoping for more. There ensues a period of notes back and forth - but Savannah still doesn't know who is writing them!

I had so much fun reading this book - and unfortunately it ended all too soon. I would like to read much more about Savannah's life and her pursuits in publishing - I was totally absorbed. I'm going to try to grab some of Melissa Ferguson's previous books since I liked this one so much. A good plot, good solid characters, and humor too.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson - FICTION through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book with be published on February 15, 2022.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the editing and publishing world. I did find parts of it to be a bit predictable but overall it was a great book to curl up with for the weekend..

Not bad at all! Super cute and fluffy, although no steam which is :( but understandable! Fjsjjddkdkdjfjdjfbenfbsnfnsnfndnnd

#meetmeinthemargins #netgalley

This is a cute storyline with a little romance. I enjoyed reading it!

oh my god "Meet Me in the Margins" took me by such heartfelt surprise. Savannah is just such a flawed human being which knows and understands herself in such a way that I couldn't do anything except love her and appreciate her. While I found the plot kinda predictable it was written in such a good way that engaged me and made me love the side characters just as well.
If you like Hallmark cutesy vibes, fun times, hidden arc rooms (can I join?!), new friends and people who surprise you this is definitely for you!

This book is likened to "You Got Mail" but I can't say if it's true or not because while I have seen that movie, it has disappeared from my mind like things usually do after a few weeks.

This book is clean, has a romcom feel, is fast paced, talks about publishing a lot, weird family bonds and loyalty.

I absolutely loved and devoured this book! Enemies to lovers, book publishing and so many book references. I just adored the realistic, flawed characters. Such a great read and my first by this author! I can't wait to read more by this author. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Totally predictable but unputdownable!! I really enjoyed this - it was a perfect rainy day read. I’d really recommend this to anyone who loves a romcom!

This was a breezy, clean read that put a smile on your face!

From the pacing and plotting to the characters themselves- this book was charming and heart-warming. Would recommend to anyone looking for a wholesome romance!

This was such a cute romance, and I’m just a sucker for books about books. I liked that this one was light, focused on Sav’s character development and confidence, and enjoyed watching her grow in her career and goals without her being overly obsessed with her mystery editor. Despite guessing who was
Mystery Editor, there were still some fun twists and turns, and it was really enjoyable to see how everything would play out.

Enemies to lovers? Secret Narnia room? Well thought out side characters? I'm in! I've always been such a big fan of Melissa Ferguson and I could not love this book more.

I am always looking for bookish romance and this one was fabulous. I laughed out loud a few times, which I don't do very often!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this book! It had just the right touch of, well, everything I like in a story. The characters were well thought out and the setting, for me, was pretty fun. As an editor myself, reading about what goes on in a publishing house was something that you don’t get in a story very often and it resonated with me. There was a secret room, some misunderstandings, and just the right touch of romance. Highly recommended.