Book Review: “Must Love Books” by Shauna Robinson

“Must Love Books” by Shauna Robinson (2021)

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Page Length: 336 page (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

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. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Must Love Books is Nora’s story, an editorial assistant who has worked at Parsons Press for the past five years. With people coming and going from her current job, it propels her to change her career. Parsons Press specializes in Nonfiction, but Norah’s passion lies in the Fiction genre. When she was a little girl, she dreamed of publishing; however, her real-life experiences have jaded her dreams of where her career is. Being a woman of color (a minority) in publishing, layoffs, and low pay at Parsons has taken a toll on her mentally, and she wonders if she made the right career choice.

I really appreciated this story and the author’s writing because it gives a realistic view of publishing and some of the day-to-day tasks as an editorial assistant. Nora paints a portrait for readers that publishing is not all that it seems on the surface showcasing the highlights of what she loves but other tasks she finds tedious. In the book, there are many discussions surrounding race, diversity, salaries, and overall a realistic portrait of work life. When Nora meets Andrew, things change, and that simple spark in their conversation quickly turns into a flirty banter that starts to turn into something deeper.

I really felt like I could connect to Nora about her struggles with life and her career. For someone who has experienced burnout personally, I could relate to her feelings of frustration with her career and life. Nora wants to be more financially secure, wants a better job, and is unsure how to better herself. Slowly, she learns to open up about her feelings, which strengthens her bond with Andrew. I like the flirting between the two and the openness of their conversations.

She couldn’t deny that Parsons’s approach of publishing broad, easily marketable books was smart from a business perspective. But knowing that Andrew wasn’t swayed by the company logic made her feel like she wasn’t alone in seeing more than marketability in books.

Most of all, I really appreciated the ending of this book and how realistic it is. It reminds us that life is full of changes and that sometimes we need to look within to make those changes for ourselves. I think the author put her heart into this book, and inserting her experiences in publishing gave the book greater depth. Rather than this novel being a flat-out romance novel, I like that there was a romance plot but that it mainly focused on navigating through a work-life balance and that the road to a career isn’t always clear cut.

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.