This one left me with butterflies! I loved the characters and thought the enemies to lovers was perfectly done!

You Between The Lines by Katie Naymon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
368 pages
Publishing February 18th, 2025

Former sorority girl Leigh starts a journey at a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina following undergrad. Leigh quickly discovers her high school crushed-turned-nemesis is now one of her classmates. Leigh is filled with anxiety and low self esteem finding this out as she begins this new journey. She is determined to prove Will wrong and become successful. When Will submits an intimate poem to workshop, they are both forced to face the inevitable.

What a joy was it to read this book! This book is funny, the MMC is lovable, and the book is full of growth! Will’s character is everything a girl wants-smart, sensitive, kind. He fell first for her & fell HARD! I just can’t say enough about this book! Fans of Abby Jimenez, Julie Soto, and Emily Henry should checkout this debut novel! I can’t wait to meet @katienaymonwrites next week in Greensboro!

Read if you like:
✨Rivals to Lovers
✨Mental Health Representation
✨Found Family
✨”Let’s Just Get It Out of Our System”

Thank you @netgalley @katienaymonwrites @readforeverpub @hachetteus for an eARC & ALC of this amazing book!

#katienaymon #rivalstolovers #poetry #romance

Leigh is surprised when she gets accepted into a prestigious MFA program for poetry. Her surprise continues when she finds out that her high school crush (who gave her some harsh feedback on her poetry back then) is also in her program. Now they’re competing for a fellowship with her favorite poet and are forced to confront what happened in the past.

I really wanted to love this story, but I was pretty annoyed with Leigh, who felt immature to me. She’s 27, still very hung up on heartbreak from high school, and overly affected by her parents’ crumbling relationship. She also gets really mean and defensive when people close to her provide her with constructive criticism or try to help her. She felt like a teenager to me. However, I very much enjoyed the on-page therapy sessions and mental health discussions, as well as the poetry, which is so unique in a romance book.

Thank you to Katie Naymon, Forever, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
💕 Poetry
💕 Forced proximity
💕 MFA Poets
💕 Mental health rep
💕 Rivals to lovers

You Between the Lines follows Leigh as she starts an MFA program for poetry and there she encounters her high school crush William. Leigh is not too enthused to see William again because last time they saw each other William insulted Leigh’s writing. But throughout the course of the MFA program they start getting closer through their poetry and developing feelings.

I enjoyed the relationship between Leigh and William but I wish there was a more yearning from both of them. There’s one part I really liked where William writes a poem about Leigh and I loved that. I just wished it happened more than once. Poetry is the perfect medium to convey yearning and affection and I just wished it was used more to further their relationship. I liked Williams character but I wasn’t a fan of Leigh. I didn’t really connect with her character at all.

Overall a solid debut and I look forward to reading future works from Naymon.

Also if you like Taylor Swift, you’ll like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc! Katie Naymon's book is an intriguing look into a very realistic and vulnerable romance. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the characters... at times I thought Will was too fickle with his treatment and feelings, and at times I wanted to scream at Leigh for being too please-pleasing and dishonest with her feelings. Their growth into a relationship was rocky, and I missed swoon and tension. But as I continued reading, I realized very quickly this is a very authentic relationship, not a cheesy, Hallmark plot. I really appreciated both of their growth, and especially the moments with Gen (Leigh's blunt best friend) and Bridget (her therapist). While this isn't a swoony romcom, it's a coming-of-age, reflective romance, and I adored the poetry throughout. It's a unique romance that I will definitely purchase and recommend to my reader friends!

You Between the Lines was a book that I was intrigued by when I read the synopsis as I tend to enjoy a rivals to lovers trope. While I enjoyed the book, I did struggle with aspects of the story, which led to my ultimate rating.

Leigh has been accepted into an MFA program in North Carolina. There is no way she could have known that her rival and high school crush, William was also going to be in the program. Leigh has a lot going on with her parents divorce, her vying for a fellowship and also dealing with insecurities tied to her writing. How will things end up between Leigh and Will given both new and old feelings?

As I noted above, there were a few things for me that didn't quite work. I didn't feel the connection between Leigh and Will like I thought I should/would. That for me is one of the things I feel always has to be there. Also, I felt like the characters were immature for the ages they were stated to be. Some of the actions didn't lend themselves to people who are in their late 20's.

I would be willing to give upcoming books by Katie Naymon a read.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

you between the lines by katie naymon is sooo yummy!

📖 leigh isn’t your typical broody, introspective poet who writes about her thoughts. she’s a sorority girl who loves pop culture poetry. needless to say she feels out of place at her mfa program, especially when she realizes will, her high school crush-turned-nemesis, is in her cohort. now she’s even more determined to prove her talents

what i truly loved about this book (and haven’t seen much of in romance) is naymon’s exploration of jealousy between the love interests. a lot of academic rivals to lovers books tend to focus on the competition aspect, but leigh was green with envy! there was a lot of inner turmoil standing in her way of finding love, but being jealous of will was probably her biggest hurdle. we got to see those feelings take shape from a young age. her fear of judgment molding into her misconceptions of her classmates, it’s so raw and every minute of it was intriguing

and to make it even better, my boy will was DOWN BAD! every scene with will and leigh was electric! the secret flirtationship, the poetry workshops, i just craved more and more will ☺️

as far as the plot goes, this was more introspective than actionable. some of the middle felt a bit repetitive — leigh was so set in her ways and spent a majority of the book with the same mentality. it isn’t until the final act when it all clicks for her

i really understood her deep-seeded insecurities and i was rooting for her so hard! i wanted so badly to watch leigh grow and experiment with her poetry, so it’s a bit frustrating when all the pieces are clearly there but the fmc refuses to learn a lesson 😩 i have some mixed feelings about leigh, but that just means she’s complex, and isn’t that the best?

this book just had me from the start. it’s just so honest and relatable (painfully so, i saw so much of myself in leigh) 💌 i think if you like the real, messy parts of life baked into a delicious romance, then you’ll enjoy this

thank you forever and netgalley for a copy of this arc!

If you, like me, want your contemporary romance with a healthy (??? is it??) helping of angst and pain and pining this book is for you!

As someone who is basically a Taylor Swift hater, I went into this thinking I wasn’t going to like it but I was sent a book so I was just gonna try it out… and I ended up crying, relating, and loving it.

I combo read this with audio and the narrator was so great, there are a lot of characters and she did a great job of giving them distinct voices and also her Will voice uhhhh does something for me 😳.

Thank you Forever for the eARC and finished copy, and Hachette audio for the ALC!!

LOVE LOVE LOVED this book! The tension! The chemistry! The yearning!!!
Beautifully written, and I highly recommend!!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

I wish I had liked this one. But I think I’m a little too much of a STEM girly for most of You Between the Lines.

There is so much about poetry, and composition, and writing, and I felt like my eyes were glazing over. But I think I could have persevered and continued had I enjoyed the main characters—at all.

Leigh is a ‘pick me’ girl; always judging and putting down others in her classes. Acting like she’s better because she wears pink and listens to current pop music. And she PINES for Will, despite acting like he’s the devil. It’s like whiplash at times.

And Will? He gives off so many mixed signals. While I appreciate him being open about his depression and treatment (and I wish we all could talk about it more freely), he still felt like bland and forgettable.

Sorry, despite the great narrator, I couldn’t finish.

Admittedly, I had really high expectations for this. I saw a lot of good reviews, and I loved the premise-- rivals in a poetry MFA program fall in love. Ultimately this fell flat.

Leigh has always wanted to be a writer, but in her high school creative writing class, Will describes her writing as "all style no substance." As she had a huge crush on him at the time, this shatters her and is the reason for their rival status. When they end up in the same MFA program, feelings resurface.

Leigh was an unlikable main character, and her and WIll together were really toxic--this was not a couple that I can imagine surviving beyond the page. With the writing critique and workshopping plot line, I kept comparing this to Beach Read and the Roughest Draft and it came up short. Maybe thats not a fair comparison, but I couldn't stop thinking about how much better those two are. I'm also not a big fan of poetry, and did not connect with any of the poems shared in the book.

All in all I can see why some folks really love this, but unfortunately it was not for me!

2.5/5 rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you @netgalley and @katienaymonwrites for the eARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶

If your insufferable highschool crush (that you kissed 6 years ago) got into the same MFA program as you and was competing for the same prestigious writing fellowship as you, what would you do? ✍️

Leigh and Will have been writing poems since highschool, where they met. The two writers’ pens are unique and utterly different, creating much discord and tension between them - as lustful as can be ❤️‍🔥

It is Katie Naymon’s first book and I fell in love with her writing style - it clearly shows her own experience as an MFA poet herself! It was super flowery and poetic, which served the plot beautifully 🌸

I loved both of the main characters : Leigh, the people pleaser and pop culture addict (cuz same), and Will, the authentic and tender poet! They were both so fascinated by one another, it made my heart hurt ❤️‍🩹

I’d say this is around (3.5 🌟) I enjoyed the story and appreciated the mental health representation. I felt like the descriptions were well done and enjoyed the writing style for the most part but at times the descriptions were over done. Loved the side characters but sometimes I did grow a little frustrated with the FMC, she is in this program but gets so triggered by any critique. Honestly she seemed a little immature at times for the age she was. She was very focused on her parents divorce and at times felt that she was unfair to her mother. The miscommunication went on for too long and I just wanted to shake them. Will was nice. I wasn’t too invested by the end I was a bit frustrated.

The hype does not lie with this one. Wow. I say with full confidence that this is one of the best contemporary romances that I've read in YEARS. The writing was beautiful, the pacing perfect, the chemistry scorching. I enjoy a lot of books without feeling fully vested in the characters but I found myself truly vested in Leigh and Will's love story. Leigh was just so relatable! The original poetry added a little pizzazz to a book that, quite frankly, didn't need it because it was perfection.

Thank you to Forever for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own!

I picked this up after hearing a friend recommend it several times. I think this is a really strong debut for Katie and others will really enjoy this!

One thing I really enjoyed is just how angsty this book is. There is so much sexual tension between Leigh and Will and it was absolutely delicious. I also felt like there was great commentary on the concept of imposter syndrome, especially in creative spaces like an MFA program. I loved the concept of surface level vs reading between the lines in terms of personality and vulnerability.

However, I felt like the pacing was a bit strange at times (we had some pretty big time skips) and overall, I wanted even more scenes of Will and Leigh together to really emphasize their tension.

The writing in this was really romantic though and there's quite a bit of Swiftie references for the girlies, so I see this being a really popular release and I certainly look forward to what else Katie does after this one.

This is about two poets in an MFA program competing for a fellowship- BUT they were also rivals in high school.

This is your typical rivals to lovers trope- but add in poetry. It was very well written, and I enjoyed Leigh the FMC and Will the MMC. Their tension was great, and really enjoyed the dynamic between them. However I had to keep reminding myself of their age, as they read more immature than their 30's. At times I wanted to give them a shake and yell "communicate!!!".
I'm not typically into poetry and the book focuses heavily on this (obviously). I think if you are a writer or a poetry reader- you will LOVE this book.
For me-it was a quick read and well written, but not one that will stand out for me.

3.75 stars from me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever books for the early copy. This releases February 18th!

I've come to realize that I enjoy a particular type of contemporary romance and I think I like it when things are lighter and banter flows between the MCs. I loved the synopsis of this book, and it has made me rethink poetry but I found that the characters were hard to identify with, and it led to a lot.of confusion and angst in a way. William and Leigh have known each other in the past but something Will said in high school changed their relationship. The first person POV had so many mixed signals I stopped caring. I also found her whole view of being not good enough overbearing... But maybe her whole imposter syndrome hit too close to home. I found it ironic that there's so much not spoken by Will and he keeps letting her put words in his mouth and then shrug and walk away. Then they get back together (i.e. hook up) and then break it off again. I also find it hard to believe that Leigh is so sensitive to feedback on her poetry after studying it for years. Wouldn't they have done this in her undergrad program as well? Anyway, her character development seems very stunted until right near the end and then it's breakthrough city! We didn't see it coming! Neither did her therapist!

If the author wants us to feel the confusion of Leigh's emotions, then she has succeeded. The pull of Will and Leigh feel so inevitable, and when they get together it's so hot, even if it's pinkies and thighs grazing or touching... The Victorian feel of these scenes are quite fitting given they are studying poetry for their MFA. Also, who knew there was so much drinking in the program?

I'm glad they figured out their relationship and the ending and epilogue were satisfying if cheesy. This could make for a good movie as a main character's downward spiral plays out a lot better on screen for me personally. Thank you to Forever for the ARC, I was really anticipating this read.

Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️

The cover of this book instantly had my attention & once I read the blurb, I immediately requested an ARC! 💜📖

You Between the Lines follows Leigh Simon, a poet, who has just been accepted into an MFA program for poetry. When she arrives at Perrin to meet everyone else that has been accepted into the program, she sees a familiar face that she hasn’t seen in years. Will Langford, Leigh’s high school crush, has also been accepted into the program & she doesn’t know what to do when she sees him after so many years. These two are trying to navigate old (& maybe current👀) feelings, all while working side by side to compete for a fellowship with Leigh’s idol & favorite poet.

This book was really cute! I definitely found myself crying towards the end. There are so many things happening in this book outside of the romance & I loved every second of it. Don’t get me wrong, the romance was awesome & as much as I hate miscommunication or not explaining how you feel, I know it was so necessary for their story. The growth these two have as individuals is amazing to see. As someone who has a lot of similar traits to Leigh, it hit me right in the feels🥹 I felt like the therapy sessions with Bridget were for me😂

I would definitely recommend & I will for sure be reading more by Katie Naymon in the future!💜

Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Naymon & Forever Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

a million stars

I am not a writer so I do not have the words to express the absolutely gorgeous prose in this book. The writing is beautiful and poetic, it makes me want to come up with metaphors for every little thing in my life. I found this book to be not only incredibly romantic but also vulnerable and inspiring and deep. Being able to see both MCs struggle with their own self-worth, passions, and family relationships was a nice parallel between them - and honestly this is impressive as hell for a single POV romance. Will was incredibly fleshed out despite never being able to see into his mind beyond the poems he submits. I also am low-key in love with Leigh's therapist. You can tell the author has an MFA (but is also so unpretentious that I'm in love).

If you love Emily Henry, I truly think this is for you. Just so good and gorgeously written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I didn’t love this one. The MFA group was probably very accurate but they were annoying to me. Leigh’s detest of Will because of feedback on one piece of writing was so extreme and petty. I just couldn’t get into the story. I do think a lot of people will love it though and I will definitely recommend.