Must Love Books - Shauna Robinson

Genre: Fiction | Womens Fiction | Romance

Release Date: Expected 18th January 2022

Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Landmark

Nora Hughes is overworked and underpaid - but she's so close to her dream job she can almost touch it. When she applied for the editorial assistant job at Parsons Books, one line in the advert made it seem like it was made for her - must love books. But five years later, she's no closer to being an editor, and the company has slashed her already meagre salary. So when her old boss who works for a rival publisher offers her some part time work, she tries to juggle it all and maybe even steal some authors along the way.

But when she tries to convince best-selling author Andrew to come sign at her new publisher, unexpected feelings make things even more complicated and Nora doesn't know how much longer she can balance everything in her life before it all comes crashing down.

Nora is the perfect encapsulation of of twenty-something woman lost in the world, trying to find her place but never quite making anything stick. She resonated with me right away, and I felt every high and low right along with her and watched in horror as everything starting to spiral out of control right under her nose.

The relationships in this book were simply beautiful. I loved the way Robinson depicted real friendships - affectionate, loving and meaningful relationships that don't have to be romantic to be significant. I adored the fact that while there was romance, it was definitely a side-plot - the focus being Nora's journey to self-discovery and self-worth.

Starting out rather slowly, I almost didn't find myself getting into this book but it definitely picked up around the halfway mark as we moved along and I found myself locked in. The one issue I feel the need to address is this is not the book it seems on the cover. This book addresses serious issues such as suicide, depression and debt and while it actually gave one of the most realistic portrayals of mental illness I've read in a long time, this comes out of nowhere and makes for a much heavier read than anyone who picks up this book would like. However this is more a marketing issue than a reflection on the writing itself.

If you've ever been a crossroads in your life and don't know which way to turn, you should definitely come and meet Nora.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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