Member Reviews

Just a fun read about relationships and how you manage them. Juggling so much and trying to have it all and then to find happiness too. The prose was lovely and the story is very interesting too.

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I really liked this book. I initially thought that it was going to be more of a romance read, and it turned out to be this incredibly powerful tale. I really value books and media that actively portray mental health in a realistic light, and that's exactly what this book did.

I strongly believe that everyone will find a sense of relatability to at least one element of the book, if not all of it, and there's no doubt in my mind that this book will be a hit amongst book clubs.

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What a lovely read. I really liked Nora, she captured the best bits of a main character, with her personality and her quirks. I was rooting for her from the off.

I really related to the need to find yourself in your career and to actually feel like you’re progressing and happy in a role, whilst actually being able to earn enough to live. Shauna Robinson really captured that and i wanted Nora to succeed and for her bosses to appreciate her worth.

Her friendship with Andrew was great. I would have loved a little more from her support network, so she didn’t feel quite so alone at times, but I completely understand why the author made the choices she did with that.

A great easy read that I know people will love.

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I really enjoyed this. I needed to know what happened next so it didn’t take me long to finish ( boo ). Would love to read more from this author

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I accidentally bought this book as well prior to reading the ebook and realised after. I really wanted to read this book it seems haha. It was a lovely read with a really cute story. Highly recommend

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I love books set in the publishing world, and the chemistry between Nora and Andrew is great. I think this is more women’s fiction than a romance, and deals with some heavier topics but over well is was a perfectly pleasant read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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A great premise and a good read, I really enjoyed this book

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

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Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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 spiralling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unliveable 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 Parsons' 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.

My Opinion

This is a powerful story, we focus on Nora and her job in publishing but Shauna Robinson has also included Nora's mental health and the lengths she must go to in order to make ends meet. With everything covered in this book I can see this working as a great book club read - there will be a lot of topics to discuss.

This was a different book to what I expected but it was a great read and gives us a fascinating insight into the publishing industry. On some level I am sure everyone will relate to this book.

Rating 4/5

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Unfortunately, I did not care for this. The cover portrays a light romance read, which was a bit more heavy and no real romance. I’m thankful for the chance to read it.

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Must Love Books
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 2/17/22
Author: Shauna Robinson
Publisher: HarperCollins
GR: 3.33

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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. Parsons 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 Parsons 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.

My Thoughts: This was a cute book but I wanted more. Overall, a fun read but I wanted more out of the characters and the plot. The author did a superb job with the mental health aspect of the book. This novel is not pure romance, but is balanced with romance, self-discovery, and women’s literature.

The story is narrated by Nora, in her POV. Nora is analytical, independent, and struggles to find her voice. Nora is an unreliable protagonist, which sometimes I do enjoy, but not sure it completely worked here. Andrew is optimistic, encouraging, and compassionate. While the MCs were lovely, I would like to have seen a bit of a direction change, maybe a third publisher scooping her up as an editor. I did not like that she “poached” authors. I do like how realistic the literary world was written and how harsh it can be. Nora has really lost her way and it takes awhile for her to figure out why she started in books. The characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but were detailed enough to get a sense of the characters. The author’s writing style was clean, easy to follow, and realistic.

This was not a bad book and many will enjoy it. I wanted more for Nora and the relationship between her and Andrew. The ending was not a Happily Ever After but a maybe hope it might happen. Again not a bad book, I did enjoy reading it and would recommend it.

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What a wonderful book. As a huge book worm I think we all hold a soft spot for books about books, well I do. And this one certainly delivered. The book follows Nora who works in publishing. Personally, I found certain parts of the book very eye opening about the things that go on behind the scenes and it definitely made me think.

The book is also hugely about a lot of other major topics which really could be a trigger for someone so please make sure you check any warnings out first.

As a stay at home mum who is hoping to go back to work after 4 years off after having my 3rd child, this book really hit home to me in Nora's struggles with knowing what she wants to do and how to go about it. It was very well addresses and honestly has made me think more about the career choice I want to make next.

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I thought this one sounded like a lot of fun, but I couldn't get behind the writing style. It felt kind of dull, a little too the point for me.

I still think the premise sounds great though so people should definitely give it a try.

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If you had spent 5 years working towards a possible promotion that would never present itself and better yet you are basically to demoted to a random guy's secretary on top of your normal job roles you'd eventually break too. But, to make up for the pay deduction Nora takes on at the same time she starts working as an Editor, a full blown editor, not an assistant editor, but for a rival company.
This book consists of a high tension jobs and the stress and the depression the book explores is extremely real in the modern work environment. The fact that the author is exploring this is brilliant as characters are often better to connect with if they have more realistic traits. However, the fictional elements that the main protagonist gets herself and others into help keep it a book for which a reader can read and feel as though they have escape from their reality.
Also the use of keywords for the book editing and business world show either the author works in that world, has done some research or with phrases like "slush pile" suggest that Robinson may watch the TV show Young which is also set in the editorial world. A must-watch companion to readers of this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley , thank you. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Sometimes a book comes along for me at the exact right time and this was the book and I didn’t even know it!

We begin by meeting Nora who works in publishing at Parsons Press. Nora has always loved books -three little words that curled around her heart and told her she belonged in publishing ‘must love books ‘ but then realises this is no dream job she needs to get out

She has realised all around her have moved on. Her work friend Beth who she started with nearly 5 years ago has recently left as well as her old boss but feels stuck and undervalued.

When she attends a conference and meets author Andrew santos is there a spark and could this be the answer to her problems

I realise that Nora is very similar to be in the fact if she asks for help she could be happier. I found her to be very relatable as I’m also single no children working 2 jobs and really and truly don’t really know what to do next with life and when to make the jump and make changes, I also find change scary actually made me question my life quite a lot which I love when a book does this!

It made me realise if you have good people around you and have hope and resilience you can learn to love life again

Must love books! Well I really loved this book :)

I will be recommending this book to others and keeping an eye out for any new ones from Shauna

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I'm a sucker for books about books and bookstores and was excited to read about Nora. Touted as a romance, this book is definitely not that. It has a small romantic element but it ultimately is more Nora's journey on getting her life in order. This was an okay read but at times, I found my attention wavering as the book did not keep me overly intrigued.

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Last week I took part in the One More chapter readalong for Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson.

Nora Hughes works for Parsons Press, it’s her dream job to be an Editor but after five years as an Editorial Assistant things are not really working out how she thought they would.

Nora is resigned to the fact that this is just the way things are when you’re an adult, but then her employer announces cuts and in order to make ends meet she begins to freelance for a rival publisher.

When she meets bestselling author Andrew Santos, she begins to realise that her situation isn’t fair and it’s not long before she will need to choose between herself and her job.

I really enjoyed this book and wanted things to work out for Nora, who I found to be a very relatable character. I particularly liked the book set in the world of publishing and this is the second book I’ve read this year with this setting.

This is a great debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

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This one caught my eye as I’m a lover of books but, the story didn’t grab me as much as I thought. Very disappointing. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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The premise of this books sounds so fun, but the whole time I was reading it I felt torn between empathising with the main character for being stuck in a rut and struggling with her mental health, and shaking my hand with her for the professional and romantic choices she's making. Overall, it is a good read, and tackles some important topics, but I didn't find Nora herself particularly likeable which put a damper on things.

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What a powerful read, a mix between a story set in publishing, and also with a much bigger theme of mental health and trying to make ends meet when you are forced into a tricky position.

Nora is just trying to get through life, but things aren't really turning out like she expected them to. She is working in a job where frankly she is treated like a doormat, and then she takes on a second job which leads to all manner of conflicts, confusion, guilt and angst.

I really wouldn't want to be working for the publisher that Nora is working for, the books are really not my cup of tea at all, and Nora is starting to feel disillusioned too with the industry.

But then she strikes up a friendship with Andrew, who is so central to so much and I really liked him, but also one of the things that is messing with Nora's mental state too.

The characters are were relatable, and the portrayal of aspects of the industry certainly felt real to me. It's an interesting story that caught my attention and that I rather enjoyed reading. A great debut novel.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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