This book was different than what I’ve read previously. I had a fun time while reading it, it just wasn’t for me. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a poetry romance book. Good debut novel!

I love books about writers, so as soon as I saw that it was an instant need to read! And enemies to lovers (rivals to lovers?) is probably my favorite trope. And this one did not disappoint! I loved it!

It’s ok. Felt a little slow at times and lots of filler. I feel we focused more on the academics of it all rather than the romance. Overall a cute story about two academic rivals. I really enjoy when both characters are in the same field and this had that. The mmc was such a cutie

Thank you so much Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for this copy of You Between the Lines. I was so excited to read it but unfortunately it just didn’t meet the expectations I had. I found myself consistently wishing that Leigh had just a bit more confidence in herself. And I hated that the only time Will’s dad was “proud” of him is fraudulent. And a few other moments that didn’t particularly land with me. I really wanted to love this one.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Forever, Grand Central Publishing for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

One thing about me, if it takes place in an academic setting, I’m gonna read it. Second thing about me, if it second chance, I’m gonna read it. I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love it. I do think that if I read it in print, I’d like it more but the audio production is very good. The poetry elements were surprisingly my favorite aspect!

Synopsis:

“No one’s more surprised than Leigh when a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina accepts her. A former sorority girl, Leigh’s the first to admit she knows more about the lyrics of Taylor Swift than T.S. Eliot, and she’s never been able to shake the “all-style-no-substance” feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop. Bad enough that her tattooed, New Yorker tote bag-carrying classmates have read all the right authors and been published in the country's leading literary journals, Leigh's insecurities become all too real when Will, that same high school crush-turned-nemesis, shows up at orientation as a first-year in the program, too. And now, he’s William, exactly the kind of writer Leigh hates, complete with his pretentious sweater vests and tattered Moleskine.Leigh’s determined to prove herself—and William—wrong by landing the program’s highly-coveted fellowship. But Will’s dead-set on it, too, and in a small cohort, they can't keep apart for long. When Will submits an intimate poem (that's maybe, probably, definitely about Leigh) to workshop, they’re both forced to realize there’s more to the other than what’s on the page. And what’s between the lines may be even more interesting.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Academic Setting—As a creative, I love creative academic settings. I found the MFA program and cohort to be competitive and high energy, giving the story a lot of drama.

The Poetry—I loveeeeeee disecting poetry and finding meaning “between the lines” of poetry and all writing. I really really enjoyed this aspect.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Pacing—This is a second chance romance which is normally my jam, but it just didn’t work for me this time.

The Stakes—I wasn’t as emotionally invested in this story as I wanted to be! From other reviews I was very excited but I just didn’t connect to the hot and cold nature of the relationship. However, I did find that aspect to be very realistic.

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

abandonment, death of a parent, grief

Leigh is surprised when she gets into a prestigious MFA program, but she is even more shocked to find Will, her high-school crush who broke her heart with the feedback he gave her poetry, is also in the program. With such a small cohort, there is no way to avoid Will, and it isn’t long before old feelings come back.

First of all, I would totally read a book of Leigh’s poetry - she’s a pop culture loving girlie after my own heart! I loved this debut - it was a great second chance romance and the MFA setting was a fun setting for them to reunite. I loved getting to know their classmates as well and the depth the side characters added to the storyline. I look forward to reading more from Katie Naymon.

I loved Sarah Beth Goer’s audiobook performance. It was easy to lose track of time while listening to her narration and I didn’t want to stop listening!

Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Loved Will and Leigh, some of my new favourite characters...EVER. Will was literally the perfect book boyfriend and this author has jumped up as one of my favs very quickly.

I adored the first half of this book, it reminded me of my time studying english literature for my undergrad. The insecurity of sounding smart enough, or reading between the lines enough, in a space filled with wildly creative and intelligent people was such a real driving thing throughout the book. But it reached a point where the conflict between the main characters just became petty and insecure. It dragged on much, much longer than necessary and it became borderline childish. This is an adult woman and she's holding onto grudges and insecurities from high school. The second half of the book began to drag on and on the longer these two just circled around their issues when all they needed to do was sit and have a serious conversation.

Loved this debut! Such a great idea for a romance and loved being able to pair it with the audio. Storyline flowed really well, although some pop culture references were a bit much. Overall can’t wait to see what else Naymon publishes in the future!

Thank you to Naymon & Forever Pub for the e-arc!!

Leigh is thrilled and nervous to start her MFA program. What's a little imposter syndrome? But showing up and seeing her crush turned nemesis is a terrible way to begin. And she certainly doesn't understand why his work could be about her.
I wanted to love this and found myself somewhat disappointed. It features bookish main characters - that should be an auto-win! I found the writing to be good but Leigh to be fairly unlikeable for the majority of the book. She is simply blind to those around her and her constant jump to conclusions was frustrating. The grand gesture though? Incredibly sweet and the perfect way to a bookish heart.
Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the alc. All thoughts are my own.

*Thank you Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the free e-arc!*

When I tell you this book felt monumental to me! Katie's prose is so stunning, there were so many moments when I was reading when I had to stop and let things sink in because her writing was just so significant in a way that I don't often see in romance. Experiencing her regular prose coupled with her poetry was an incredible experience, I honestly feel grateful for it.

Now, Leigh and Will? Hot messes!! And I mean they're both hot and both messes but you know what, I love them and I support their rights and wrongs!!!!!! Their journey was long and tumultuous but ultimately so worth it and so necessary. And THE poem is a bit of writing I will be thinking about for a long time.

I loved this book from start to finish and I can't wait to see what Katie gives us next.

The debut novel is a powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching read, yet beautifully written. Kate Naymon writing in truly fantastic, leaving me in awe that this is her first book. The way in which she crafts her characters is done so beautifully, adding depth to the story in a way that enhances the overall experience.

Fun and flirty! The enemies to lovers trope is fantastic and I devoured this book in a day! Great for other romance readers and highly recommend!

I really tried to get into this, but the main character is insufferable. Having had a similar education/career background, I thought I’d relate to her a lot but her personality was very frustrating to me. It’s hard to connect her self-proclaimed passion for writing with her disinterest in engaging in writing discussions with her peers and her admittance that she doesn’t read poetry in her free time and is only really familiar with one poet. Her narration is so judgmental of others and insecure of her own merits that it’s hard to find anything likable about her or enjoyable about reading from her perspective.

This was soo good. I loved it, honestly books like this remind why I love romance. If you are itching for Emily Henry style writing - you will devour this!!

3.5 stars overall! I really enjoyed pockets of this, but I struggled with the characterization of both Will and Leigh's characters. I think I specifically struggled at the length at which it took for both Leigh and Will to get to a point where I didn't want to shake their shoulders (90%).

When the self discovery and the willingness to be vulnerable was finally in Leigh's grasp I was thrilled that she was taking the chances, but while I think it was intended to feel hard-earned, it ultimately just made it difficult for me to like Leigh I think. I could tell that there were moments intended to shed light on everything going on in Leigh's head but I think the structure of allowing the reader to view into these windows felt placed poorly.

all in all, I did come to enjoy the overall book once I sat with it and may recommend, it just didn't *fully* work for me. I'm still interested in reading more from Katie Naymon because I think her voice is really special!

I'm going to start by saying I loved this book so much. From the gorgeous cover to the characters and pacing, Katie Naymon really hit the mark. I finished this in one 24 hour period (and I have two young kids, so that's saying a lot!).

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Romance novel I’m absolutely loving? Hello YOU BETWEEN THE LINES! This book is following two MFA students with a past, and I’m obsessed. I majored in creative writing as an undergrad, and I freaking love books set in academia, especially that were the same major as I had, because I can envision it all so well. The workshops are truly authentic, and I feel like I’m 20 again. But there were no hotties in my classes 🤣🙈 what can I say, I had a thing for the business major… 😘😏 LOL! Do you like books set in academia?

I won’t bury the lead here: You Between the Lines is now my favorite contemporary romance.

Two poets, one MFA program. An exploration of imposter syndrome and what healing looks like. A book about how impossible it can feel to be vulnerable — on the page, in love - and why it matters so much that you try anyway.

Most importantly for me, Naymon gives the English major permission to also love romance novels - reminding us that:
🌸just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it can’t be profound
🌸just because you adore Love Island, doesn’t mean you aren’t also a scholar

And, as a Taylor-Swift-loving PhD in literature with new Bookstagram account, THIS was the book I didn’t know I needed.

📝If you are a romance reader, you’re going to love it.

📝If you are - or were - in a grad program, you’re going to love it even more.

📝And if you were also majoring in English in said program, this book is about to become your entire personality.

I think everyone who reads contemporary romance is going to adore YBTL, but if you’re an English major, it will hit on another level, taking you you out with nostalgia (in a good way).

When I was in these programs it always felt like there was such a huge divide between critical (where I was) and creative tracks, between the MA and MFA.

YBTL convinced me that isn’t actually the case.

Did we all have the same brand of imposter syndrome? Yes, we did.

Did we use absolutely cringy esoteric language in class comments? Yes, we did.

Did we also pick a sushi place and make ridiculous cohort toasts when left to our own devices at academic conferences? Yes, we did.

Y’all. Did Katie Naymon just write my favorite Contemporary romance I’ve read this year?

Yes, she did.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC of this incredible read in exchange for an honest review.