Reviews with content warning for Racism - Must Love Books

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson

17 reviews

joanmcoles's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was just what I needed to read right now. Nora’s experiences with depression, shame, uncertainty, struggling to be present with friends and loved ones due to mental illness, and feeling stuck in a job that isn’t right for her made me feel seen and understood. This story gave me hope and the sweet and playful romance was a bonus.

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fernwehlaurel's review

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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rachelschloneger's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

2.5

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meghan4's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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kshertz's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A debut novel? Excellent for a debut. It’s another book that’s more about finding yourself than romance but that’s okay. I love how books are another main character. Also Andrew is perfection and dreamy. It was interesting to have something so lighthearted with depression referenced often. I think it’s a good read if you’re feeling like you don’t know where you’re going on what you’re doing in life.

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ruffian23's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I have to admit when I first started reading this I did kind of expect a fairly lighthearted, feel-good romance set within the gruelling world of publishing; where our loveable main character (Nora) would finally find job satisfaction—and love, with a satisfying ending tied up in a HEA bow.

And though Nora (our overworked protagonist) is incredibly endearing, I wasn’t expecting her journey to be nearly as complex or emotionally fraught as it was, dealing with some pretty heavy themes such as identity, race, financial insecurity and career fulfilment.

As a reader, we often see the publishing world as a magical book-filled utopia, so to delve into a (less glamorous) side of the industry and see the not so fun parts of day-to day life was really interesting (especially when I discovered Shauna Robinson used to be an editorial assistant herself.) Just seeing how demanding the publishing sector is really makes me appreciate all the hard work that goes into getting books on shelves and into readers’ hands.

I also appreciated the poignancy and realism that mental health issues such as depression and anxiety were explored —and loved how sensitively Robinson highlights just how damaging (both physically and mentally) work-related stress can be.

Though I didn’t agree with all of Nora’s decisions (working for rival publishers simultaneously was never going to be a sustainable solution), I did sympathise with her circumstances and felt (for the most part) that she was definitely making the best of a bad situation. We do get some romance, through Nora’s flirtatious interactions and chemistry with author (and resident cinnamon roll) Andrew who I absolutely adored!

But, ultimately it’s Nora’s personal and emotional development that I found most compelling and I fans of books about books (or set in a bookish environment) are definitely going to enjoy this one—just don’t expect it to be all fluffy and sweet.

A huge thank you to One More Chapter for the e-arc.

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kb33's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

3.5

This is not really a romance. Suicidal thoughts are a *main*theme* in this book. There is a bit of closed door romance, but it’s described in such a detached way, I think because of Nora’s depression and her unwillingness to get attached.

Warnings given, I think this was a very good book - it just wasn’t the lighthearted, book loving romance I was expecting, though I admit I pulled this from my To Read pile without rereading the synopsis. Nora was a wonderfully flawed character with a lot of depth, and it was good to see her efforts to ask for help and to make changes when changes can be so hard. While she certainly doesn’t have the rest of her life planned out, she does have a ton of self-awareness.

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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buttermellow's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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