If there's one storyline that a book lover loves more than anything, it’s one set in the glamorous world of publishing. There is something magical about what goes on behind the scenes, from manuscript to bestseller and bonus points are awarded if the book also happens to be a romance. If you’re not quite ready to give up the sparkle and love notes of Valentine’s Day, Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson is the perfect, swoon-worthy answer. When a book says it's You've Got Mail meets The Proposal, what more could you want?
Meet Me in the Margins is a tale as old as time…of sorts. The main character, Savannah Cade, is a 29-year-old assistant editor at a Nashville book publisher, who has been secretly writing a little romance novel of her own in the off hours. Sounds like a dream, right?
The downside to her work is that the prestigious Pennington Publishing looks down its nose at commercial fiction - especially romance - preferring instead to spend its money on more high-brow works of “true literature.” But things are changing, and the CEO's son, William, has been swept in from the Big Apple to save the family business.
When the editor-in-chief of a romance publisher asks Savannah for a copy of her manuscript, she flips in the best way. The deadline is quick, so Savannah sneaks in breaks to work on it in the safety of the hidden turret in her office. She soon discovers that her hiding place isn’t a secret to everyone, when she finds that someone has written notes in the margins of her work. The notes are critical but provide surprisingly good feedback. The romance editor's critiques are similar—and she demands a revised manuscript in a mere six weeks. In order to meet that deadline, Savannah has to make excruciating edits in record time.
With each new revision, her secret editor keeps coming back, reading and leaving notes about how to make the work stronger.
This isn’t just someone helping her with a manuscript though. They are someone she's connecting with on a personal level, someone who's having serious impacts on her daily life. The notes become flirtatious, and Savannah scopes out every person in the office to figure out who her mystery editor is. It couldn't possibly be big-city Will, could it? They've had too many awkward encounters over the last few weeks. But maybe?
Meet Me in the Margins is a witty, charming story of missed opportunities and second chances, full of heart and humor. Book lovers will fall in love with these characters, as well as the beauty of Ferguson's love letter to writing and storytelling. All our favorite things wrapped up in one charming package!
