Meet Me in the Margins

Another bookish romance under my belt.

Book Lovers drew me into romances where the main characters share some type of bookish connection – whether it's an author and an editor, an editor and an agent, or editors from the same publishing house. I want them all (Side note: where are my library romances?? Someone give me a recommendation ASAP).

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But Melissa Ferguson’s Meet Me in the Margins sealed the deal for romances, but only of the bookish type. (Another side note: is there a correct term for romances based around books/publishing/libraries??).

I want to feel like I could be the protagonist of a romance, and for me, it has to include books in some variety. Those are the romance stories I want to devour.

Meet Me in the Margins is a cute bookish romance – what I dream over – but it wasn’t the best due to a seeming lack of character building and rushed plot, but, on the flip side, I loved that it wasn’t a steamy romance and that the characters were drawn together based on personality and proximity.

Savannah Cade. Assistant acquisitions editor by day, romance author by night. Except no one knows the second part except her – and a highly respected editor-in-chief of a romance publishing imprint. William Pennington. VP and publisher of Pennington Pen – the same publishing house Savannah works for – and the son of Ms. Pennington, the CEO of Pennington Press. It’s obvious from the beginning to see how the romance plays out. It’s right in front of us, and in the margins of Savannah’s own romance novel. Savannah and Will seemingly always running into each other outside of work. Will asking Savannah to accompany him around town for work. The glaringly obvious trope of workplace romance, especially with a boss. But it works. Meet Me in the Margins is a romance, and sometimes romances are obvious. It doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s still enjoyable.

I liked the story. It just fell a little flat for me. None of the other characters really seemed fleshed out – heck, Will, the love interest, didn’t even seem well fleshed out. Why did he keep going back to New York? (In retrospect, it was probably because of the financial state of Pennington Press, but still). There was Savannah and her family, and her being the outcast, but that was it. There were no big dark secrets, and the one plot twist was mediocre at best. It’s a simple novel with a cute plot, but nothing special. But I still enjoyed it.

Meet Me in the Margins is classified as Christian fiction, which I didn’t pick up on at all. There were no overtly religious scenes or settings, if any, and overall it was a pretty contemporary novel. Besides the fact that it wasn’t a steamy romance. There were very few scenes with Savannah and Will – or really, any of the couples – that insinuated anything. There was a passage about kissing, and that was it. And honestly, I loved it. As someone who is trying to reevaluate her life and her way to approaching relationships, I appreciated a romance novel that wasn’t sexual and one that showed the girl getting the guy for who she is and not just who she is in bed. It wasn’t in your face, but there was clearly a connection between Savannah and Will, and that was enough for them. Everyone has their own preferences, and no shame if you like the steamy stuff.

The characters fell a little flat, but I think that the innocent romance will draw in the right crowd. Reading, much like relationships (and everything else in the world), is subjective. There’s something for everyone and nothing for no one.

Overall, I enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins. It was cute. There were books. There was romance. Not much more I could ask for.

(Except for more bookish romance novels).