Name: Must Love Books
Rating: 3.555555555555555 (18 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008539023

Shauna Robinson

'A heartfelt and exciting debut . . . a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself' Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Must Love Books

"After five years working at Parson's Press, an old-school business book publisher, Nora is the last editorial assistant standing, desperate to get out. But she can't leave until she finds another job to cover rent, especially when Parsons cuts already unlivable salaries. That's when Nora is forced to lie her way into moonlighting for a rival publisher...and maybe poaching a few authors along the way. But when Nora accidentally falls for Andrew Santos, an author Parsons Press can't afford to lose, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Parsons Press, Andrew, or herself and her future"--

Anyaconda

DNF at 30%

It seems like I'm not the only one who went into this book with different expectations set by the cover and the blurb.
What annoyed me the most was Nora's constant complaining and whining. I'm not saying that people don't feel trapped or hung up on their "dream job" and deal with lots of stuff at work, but to say she's "dreading" going into work stumped me. Nobody bullies her or she doesn't get any verbal abuse from customers like many of us do nowadays. She complains that she's not invited into the meeting (she didn't ask to be part of it because she feels like it would be presumptuous of her and she can't handle the rejection). She complains that everyone dressed up nicely and that IF she would have been invited, she would have dressed nicely too. Seriously?! 
You could just dress nicely everyday if you really wanted to.

Then we get complaints about how she cannot afford to buy lunch out like many of the other people. Let me tell you that most of the people on this planet cannot afford to buy lunch out every single day... and you need to get your priorities straight. You're in your late 20's. Grow up.
All this just happened in the first 7% of the book.

I skim read through to 30% because I hoped it would get better. It didn't. I wanted to yell at her and tell her to find another job, even if it's not in publishing and read your books in your free time. I know that mental illness doesn't help you problem solve properly in situations and you can focus on the wrong things, but by god, this book and Nora as a character riled me up.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘A heartfelt and exciting debut . . . a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself’ Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but I was not disappointed at all with what I found and in fact really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the setting of the book as well. This is a Debut book and I know instantly that I’m going to have to check out whatever Robinson writes next. Set around a Publishing house this gave me such and insightful look at that world and a book that is about self-discovering and learning to listen to yourself. 

Nora believes she’s landed her dream job in publishing. But five (long) years later, she’s come to the realisation that dream jobs don’t exist. Pushed to her wits end when her salary is cut, she takes a risk moonlighting for a rival company. But will her risk pay off? 

I like the book setting. We get behind the scenes look of a publishing house. As someone who loves books and anything about them, I found that part fascinating and was insightful to see within the industry. It's well written, riveting, genuine, lovely novel I absolutely enjoyed reading! What plays out in this book is a lot more than that but I’m not going to say much more as I think you need to experience this all for the first time within the book itself? 

Ian Brakspear

I didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but I was not disappointed at all with what I found and in fact really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the setting of the book as well. This is a Debut book and I know instantly that I’m going to have to check out whatever Robinson writes next. Set around a Publishing house this gave me such and insightful look at that world and a book that is about self-discovering and learning to listen to yourself. 

 

Nora believes she’s landed her dream job in publishing. But five (long) years later, she’s come to the realisation that dream jobs don’t exist. Pushed to her wits end when her salary is cut, she takes a risk moonlighting for a rival company. But will her risk pay off? 

 

I like the book setting. We get behind the scenes look of a publishing house. As someone who loves books and anything about them, I found that part fascinating and was insightful to see within the industry. It's well written, riveting, genuine, lovely novel I absolutely enjoyed reading! What plays out in this book is a lot more than that but I’m not going to say much more as I think you need to experience this all for the first time within the book itself? 

Alyssa Huffman

i found nora's struggles (and her 3) to be very relatable. i just hate miscommunication trope :(

Megan Leprich

This was exactly the book I needed to read right now.  I love books about books theme, they’re some of my favorite books to read because the character in the book is just as obsessed with books as I am.

Nora Hughes has been working the same job title for 5 years while increasingly receiving more and more responsibilities, without the promotion and actually getting a pay reduction instead of a raise.  Not knowing how to make ends meet, Nora takes on a secondary job with another publishing company, a big no-no in the industry.  Nora is trying to simultaneously juggle both jobs while also starting a relationship with an author that if she can get signed onto her publishers, could mean a lot for Nora and her career going forward. 

When Nora gets caught having the two jobs, she must figure out her next step forward and what will truly make her happy in life.  

This was such a feel good novel, I emphasized with Nora so much with everything she was going through.  It was heartbreaking to read her thoughts of suicide but the author portrayed it in such a great way that I was rooting for Nora the whole time she was having her dark thoughts about her internal monsters.  

I loved how this book touched so much on a Black woman working in publishing and the struggles the main character Nora felt with that.  I don’t feel like it’s talked about enough in books, especially in romance books.  

This romance is also one of my favorite types of romance because of the spice level.  There weren’t too many details and it had more of the fade out moments which I love to read.  The romance was more based around support and sweetness and I loved reading it between the two characters.

I cannot wait to see what Shauna Robinson comes up with next, she is now an auto-buy author for me.

*Many thanks to Sourcebooks for the gifted copy for my honest review!*

Candyce Kirk

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger in a heartfelt debut following a young woman who discovers she'll have to ditch the "dream job" and write her own story to find her happy ending. Meet Nora Hughes—the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now. When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist. With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parson's is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet...and maybe poach some Parson's authors along the way. But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future. Your next book club read touching on mental health, happiness, and the peaks and perils of being a young woman just trying to figure it all out. Nora Hughes is the perfect heroine for anyone looking to get past their own chapter twenty-something and build their storybook life.

Ellie Mas

A worthy and well-written story!
This is the kind of book that keeps my heart beating fast until the end. Kept me intrigued in every single one of its pages. 

Once I got engaged all I wanted was to help figure out what has happened and be there to help. 

I had my heart ripped off into a million pieces by the main characters so many times I can not help but grieve now. I am here lost in sadness and sorrow. 

This book opened my mind to the possibilities of evil and danger that I had never considered before. It will definitely stay with me from now on. 

📑This ARC was granted to me through NetGalley and approved by Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Anika | @chaptersofmay

Must Love Books is a story of self-discovery and unexpected love. I was drawn to this book for its cover and title, with the premise showing potential for a great women’s fiction read. Books about books are nearly always a guaranteed win for me, and this novel is set in the exciting world of publishing. 

Nora is an easy protagonist to follow and I like the way the author uses her story to portray the struggle of balancing big aspirations and stability in reality. Robinson’s approach to mental health is very warm and inviting, which makes the narrative relatable. Nora is stuck in a job that is holding her back, but reaching out for more means risking financial security. As a result, she’s stuck in a life slump, and struggles to maintain a positive hope for her future.  

Sadly, the pace is too slow for this to be the absorbing read I wanted it to be. I’m a fan of self-discovery storylines, because they usually promise good character development. But the growth in this book was irregular and dragged, which dampened my enthusiasm way too early. If the book was a romance alone, it could work as a slow-burner. But despite the chemistry between Andrew and Nora, the romance didn’t play a very strong role. Since a lot of focus is on Nora’s internal struggle and journey to happiness, there needed to be a stronger sense of evolution for this to feel like a well-rounded read. 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the author’s relaxed writing style, Nora’s relatability, Andrew’s charm and humour, and the insight into the world of publishing. Although I expected a light-hearted romance based on the cover, Must Love Books turned out to be an introspective read which I think will resonate with many. 

Must Love Books

Reviews

Highlights