Must Love Books

by Shauna Robinson

Overview

"A heartfelt and exciting debut...a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself."—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger in a heartfelt debut following a young woman who discovers she'll have to ditch the "dream job" and write her own story to find her happy ending.

Meet Nora Hughes—the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.

When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.

With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet…and maybe poach some Parsons' authors along the way.

But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future.

Your next book club read touching on mental health, happiness, and the peaks and perils of being a young woman just trying to figure it all out. Nora Hughes is the perfect heroine for anyone looking to get past their own chapter twenty-something and build their storybook life.

"A tender reflection on finding your person while you're still desperately searching for yourself."—KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters

"A book for book lovers... It's impossible not to root for Nora!"—Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728240749
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	01/18/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	164,411
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Shauna Robinson’s love of books led her to try a career in publishing before deciding she’d rather write books instead. Originally from San Diego, she now lives in Virginia with her husband and their sleepy greyhound. Shauna is an introvert at heart—she spends most of her time reading, baking, and figuring out the politest way to avoid social interaction. Must Love Books is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

"A book for book lovers that takes a hard look at the predatory approach of the corporate world with a heroine who's easy to love and root for. I enjoyed all of the inside look at the publishing industry from the perspective of a young woman scraping together all of her wits just to get by. It's impossible not to root for Nora!" — Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties

"Honest, relatable, and real, Must Love Books is a tender reflection on finding your person while you’re still desperately searching for yourself rolled up in a thoughtful novel about the changing work world." — KJ Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters

"A compelling love story, dishy publishing goss, and a chic urban setting? Yes, yes, yes! But like the works she shepherds through publication, Shauna Robinson's true-to-life story of a struggling editorial assistant is much more than the sum of its parts. Within the pages of Must Love Books the lucky reader will find themselves on an poignant journey of a young booklover with too little support and too many dreams—a place we've all been at one point or another. With emotional honesty and a surprising wit that I found addictive, Robinson's debut is everything a book-about-books fan wants in a novel." — Kelly Harms, Washington Post bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

"Must Love Books is a heartfelt and exciting debut. With a relatable protagonist in Nora, frank discussions of the Millennial experience, and pitch-perfect sweetness, Shauna Robinson puts forth a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself." — Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising

"Readers will be rooting for Nora from the first page and experiencing her grand highs and heartbreaking lows with their entire heart. Get comfy because you won't be able to put this book down!" — Sajni Patel, award-winning author of The Trouble with Hating You

While the general tone is light, Robinson doesn’t shy away from the darker side of burnout, and Nora’s despair and frustration provide balance and realism. Must Love Books will resonate with readers who are drawn to millennial-workplace stories like Camille Perri’s The Assistants (2016). — Booklist

"A heartfelt, relatable and thoughtfully-observed story of a young woman's journey to find happiness and fulfilment." — Lauren Ho, author of Last Tang Standing

"It's refreshing to read a book about publishing with a half-Black heroine who's wryly aware of the way she stands out in a very White field." — Kirkus Reviews

"Must Love Books will resonate with readers who are drawn to millennial-workplace stories like Camille Perri’s The Assistants." — Booklist

"Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson is an absolute must-read." — PopSugar

"If you are, or have ever been, a twenty-something searching for meaning, identity or your happy ending, you will love this book. " — Ms. Magazine

From the Publisher

2021-10-13
A young woman tries to find her purpose in life while working a dead-end job in this debut novel.

Nora Hughes has been an editorial assistant at Parsons since she first got out of college. She’s been in love with books since she was small, and the idea of working with them seemed like a dream—but now, five years in, it’s become a nightmare. She works on business books she’s not excited about, and her company is downsizing, leaving her stuck covering the slack of layoffs and saying goodbye to the co-workers who kept her sane, including her best friend, Beth. To make matters worse, she’s just found out that her salary is being cut by 15%. No longer sure she can even pay the rent, she secretly takes a part-time freelance job with a rival publishing company. With the added pressure of a possible promotion riding on her getting hot young author Andrew Santos to sign a contract for his new book after she befriends him at a conference, Nora must struggle to keep her head afloat while figuring out what she truly wants. This quarter-life-crisis novel starts out a bit slowly, but it finds its footing when Nora begins to take risks, even if they don’t always pan out. The rut Nora finds herself in is not only external, but internal, and while the book starts off a seemingly light read, it turns more serious, with insightful discussions of depression and suicidal ideation. Robinson shows promise with easy prose and characterization, and it's refreshing to read a book about publishing with a half-Black heroine who's wryly aware of the way she stands out in a very White field and, in Andrew, a Filipino love interest who's the talk of the business-book world.

A slow, slightly stumbling, but ultimately hopeful look at getting out of a rut.

Kirkus Reviews