Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Meet Me in the Margins

put off by the way she initially reacted to Olivia’s crisis. Even after giving Olivia advice, she had almost no sympathy, and basically rushed out the door. I know Olivia wasn’t a great sister, but it felt like the author wanted the catharsis of resolving their relationship without really leading up to the change. The total lack of empathy, or self-awareness, made Savannah start to really rub me the wrong way. I feel like she learned the wrong lesson in the story

High points for me: I love the internal monologue, I found it really engaging and funny.

Lyla was my favorite character, and I wish we had seen more of her. I was immediately skeptical when Will was introduced, kind of groaning internally at yet another broody boss character, but I ended up becoming really fond of him.

I do like the Aesop of it being okay to not have life down perfectly, I found it really relatable. I think it would have gone down better if the main character

was more empathetic to others.

. She questions whether or not she’s really nice in her rejections, but it’s never resolved.

I say all this, but I finished it in a sitting. It really is such a sweet premise, and it’s really refreshing to read a closed-door romance that doesn’t skimp on humor or charm.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book had so much potential. So much and yet... it just didn't happen.

I loved the concept of two characters that work for a publishing company. YES! Give me all the books about books. Then add in a "forbidden" manuscript and a quirky You've Got Mail-style editing conversation in the margins? EXTRA YES! This was creative and cute and it was off to a good start.

Then it went absolutely nowhere... for the longest 320 pages (or in my case, 4 hours on 2.75x speed audio) of my life. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen: for the chemistry to grow, for the characters to experience a real conflict, for literally ANYTHING - and it just... didn't. I can't even say that it was necessarily a bad book, it was just so mediocre that it was almost painful.

One thing I will say was super offensive, however, was the fact that Savannah's sister is very obviously fatphobic and there's really no discussion about that or growth in the area. Throughout the entire story, she's obsessively working out, talking about needing to be skinny, and telling her sister that she needs to do the same, even commenting on her weight at times. It's really toxic and brushed off as "she's just so busy all the time" or "she's a workaholic that loves fitness." No, the girl is a bully. And towards the end of the story, you're supposed to feel bad for her. Well, honestly, I didn't. Without this plot line, I think I would have actually enjoyed the book a little more - not a lot, but at least a little more.

I can't say I recommend this one. I can't say I hate it either, but I'd never want to pick it up again.

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was really all about right place, right time. It definitely felt a little derivative, and there was some unresolved fatphobia, for which I docked a half star, but it was seriously just what I needed. A warm and cozy hug of a book.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Chaucer is… phantasmagorical.

This was such a fun, closed-door romcom! There were some loose ends that I didn’t think were wrapped up, and some of the back and forth dialogue in the margins read more like texts between two people, but despite some of those plot elements, I was extremely delighted every step of the way with this book. I was fully, regularly laughing out loud and enjoyed seeing Savannah’s triumphs along with her missteps. Will certainly be reading more from this author.

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lindseyhall44's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Meet me in the Margins is the perfect segway into rom com season, with a setting that is every book lover’s dream.
The novel follows Savanah , an assistant editorial employee at a small publishing firm, who dreams of publishing her own romance book. When Savanah hides her manuscript away in the arc room (advanced readers copy), she returns to find it edited in the margins. Together Savanah and her mystery editor work together to improve her manuscript by leaving notes in the margins, and possibly fall in love in throughout the process.
I think the setting is what I loved most about the book, since I yearned to be in the cozy atmosphere myself. That being said, while the setting development was beautifully crafted, I struggled a bit more with the pacing and characters. Savanah was a messy yet lovable character (which I appreciated) but her mystery editor seemed to be pretty obvious in my opinion, and some of the mid communication frustrated me. The pacing is another thing that felt a little stilted, though that is sometimes the case with mixed media literature.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this novel, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet PG romance.

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kb33's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Clean romance, but only because there’s no steamy scenes. It’s completely unwholesome that Savannah is gaslit into accepting the relationship of her sister and former boyfriend of eight years, immediately after their breakup, by her parents no less. It ruined the whole book for me that the reconciliation of these toxic relationships was relegated to a descriptive paragraph. Her sister is the worst human being. We also get to learn very little about the main male characters.

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. The characters were delightful; the story was fun and uplifting and not too predictable.

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