This is the perfect balance of romance and self reflection. Leigh has had a crush on Will since high school but after being criticized for her writing, she shuts down and moves through the web of being a writer. When she lands a MFA program for poetry, she is surprised to be in front of Will once again and they teeter on the tension of something unknown that is both thrilling but terrifies her. I loved this book for the dynamic of the romance and the closeness of the cohorts. Naymon writes so beautifully that every allegory and nuance was met with swooning by me. When I think of a romance book that gives equal parts yearning and molding into a better version of oneself, I will always think of this.

I cried so many times that I gave myself a headache. And like... a continual stream of tears. This book made me sooo emotional and I stayed up until 1:30 am to finish it even though I had work the next day. The writing style, the tension, and the MMC all really worked for me. THE TENSION WAS TEN OUT OF TEN AND ALL THE STARS.

Now... just because I gave this 5 stars (4.5 rounded up) doesn't mean I don't have critiques of it. I struggled quite a bit with some of the obnoxious and judgmental things the FMC would think. She was always so aware of how others *may* perceive her because she's blonde and an ex-sorority girl that she then turns around and judges every person she comes into contact with. I liked how the book actively showed her going to therapy and how her insecurities were reflected in her treatment of others and the imposter syndrome she felt, but it took her soooo long to have any sort of growth and that was frustrating. I would totally get someone not liking this book because of the FMC, which is so sad because her growth is lovely and the romance really worked.

I find MFA programs pretentious in general and didn't think the FMC's poetry was good, so that also colored how I felt about her sometimes.

So why did I like this? The author is a very good writer. Her descriptions of the characters' feelings had me all up in my feels. The tension was god tier. Like... the way I was feeling about these two even TOUCHING. Criminal. And I really enjoyed the growth I saw the FMC go through (even if I wish it was occurring more throughout the book instead of all at the end). This book is really about the romance and the FMC's journey through her insecurities. And there's just something special about a book you can't put down for hours. So I will understand and completely hold space for critiques of this story, but for me it was an excellent way to spend an evening, lost in someone else's life.

I absolutely LOVED “You Between the Lines.” It was everything I wanted and more. Both Will and Leigh were so well developed and the story itself was well-paced. It was easy to relate to the characters and their struggles, especially with mental health, throughout the novel. I appreciated Leigh’s growth, as she struggled to overcome her self-doubt.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this advanced copy!

I loved this book! It was dreamy and tender. The yearning! The angst! The romanticism! Do we love anything more than a man who’s been down bad for years and can’t hold back any longer? No, we (I) do not. All of my favorite books have MMCs who have been secretly jonesing for the FMC, so we can add this to the list.

Leigh is a very relatable character, at least to me. She’s a girly, pop-loving, former sorority member who also happens to love writing poetry. But it’s not the typical poetry that is usually lauded, leading to her imposter syndrome. She wants to do it right, so would prefer to be told exactly how to do it. (Hi, it’s me). Unfortunately, that’s not how a MFA program works and she really goes through it trying to make her square self fit into a round hole. That coupled with her parent’s recent separation has her feeling unmoored. I loved the messaging that it’s okay to like the popular things and that we can be multi-faceted in our interests.

Will is also struggling, with grief from his father’s passing and their antagonistic relationship. Unlike Leigh, he’s pretty in touch with his emotions and it translates to his poetry. He’s very vulnerable in his writing and that’s both inspiring and intimidating to Leigh.

They are like to magnets drawn to one another, but also sometimes pushing apart. Their chemistry was palpable and the tension that built up between them led to such a satisfying culmination. I loved the healing that happened not only through their relationship, but also through the use of therapy. All that to say, it’s a must read!

This cover is so gorgeous. Too bad I didn’t care for the book. The MC was hard to root for and I had no idea why her love interest liked her. While I respected her learning to accept her family dynamic it just felt like she remained immature. The ending didn’t really feel all that satisfying because I didn’t get the relationship but whatever. I did like her friend putting her in check but that’s pretty much it. The story just felt like an entitled woman who was mad that someone else was more given more opportunities than her. She trashed him, then liked him? Kinda hard to relate to that.

The official blurb per the publisher on GR currently mentions that the FMC is a former sorority girl twice in the first 3 sentences. Sorority girls deserve better representation than the neuroses in this book. The FMC is ~not like other poets~ because she was in a sorority (I have to mention it again because it was mentioned so many times in the book) and because she doesn't solely wear black. I and many others have lived experience that plenty of different walks of life can be English majors and workshop cohesively together and go to readings and form a community, etc.

I am also confused as to how these are 27-28 year olds. I can respect a petty grudge from high school but the actions and comments as a result over 10 years later were just immature.

Additionally, there are snippets of essays and poems written by the characters throughout this book. This is not based on any kind of proof so don't sue me but it makes me wonder if this author who has an MFA wanted to form a book around random snippets she had written from either real or made up class prompts. The excerpts were not always very smoothly added or really necessary in my opinion.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC. The cover is so gorgeous and this is highly recommended by authors I greatly respect so I am still grateful to have had the chance to read this.

This book is so beautiful. I loved every minute of it. Will is the ultimate book boyfriend and Leigh is highly relatable. The slow burn, their history, the poetry, all adds up to one of the best stories I’ve read in a long time. Leigh’s character growth is one of my favorite parts of this book. Her people pleasing tendencies hit close to home. The way she works through it in her therapy sessions was very realistic. Will is not perfect but he’s perfect to me. He also has to work through some of his own insecurities, but throughout the book you can tell how much he cares for Leigh. There was so much angst and so much yearning which made the pay off that much better when they finally get together. Will and Leigh learn to be open with each other and share vulnerabilities and that’s what ultimately makes them work as a couple. I can already tell this will be one of my favorites for the year. I look forward to reading more from Katie! Highly recommend!!

this was a sweet and swoony debut! I loved the MFA setting and the deeper dive into the world of poetry and first loves. the pining and yearning gave the best butterflies while the prose tickled my brain in the best of ways. so thankful for this early copy!

This was delightful. It does not feel like a debut. It was so descriptive that I felt I was there in moments. I found Leigh to be a relatable character and I wished her everything. I started off lukewarm on Will, but he grew on me through the story and I really enjoyed him by the end. I loved the character growth and the way these two loved each other.

Thank you to Forever for the arc. All opinions are my own.

A witty and heartfelt exploration of ambition, rivalry, and the blurry line between love and hate. Leigh’s journey from insecure sorority girl to confident poet is full of humor, tension, and unexpected vulnerability, especially when her old high school crush—and rival—starts writing poems that hit a little too close to home.

Calling all tortured poets this book is for you. It is also a love letter to people pleasers. This debut is so beautifully written and totally captivated me from the beginning. I think so many people are going to connect to Leigh’s character on many levels. I really loved seeing her growth throughout the book and how she has evolved from the start of the program to the end. Will and Leigh seem to have this invisible string that keeps bringing them together. He was her high school crush but utterly destroyed one of her poems in a critique, they almost dated in college and now years later are both in the same MFA program. This story is filled with tension, angst, and yearning for the other person to want you the way you want them.


“He can’t write a single poem where I don’t exist. In his stanzas, his lines, his words.”

This was such a beautiful debut with an incredibly romantic writing style. The characters were very relatable and well-fleshed out. I especially enjoyed the glimpses into the past when Leigh revisited her interactions with Will. The pining and the tension was *chef’s kiss* Ate it up, no crumbs! I will say that the back and forth, should they/shouldn’t they grated on me a bit. I would have liked for them to just communicate about their feelings instead of using the excuse of the program to keep them apart, but I suppose it was useful in creating the tension. Overall, a fantastic book and I can’t wait to add a trophy copy to my shelves!

I did not enjoy anything about this book. Especially, Leigh.

She is incredibly childish. The plot was monotonous, and just downright painful to muddle through. William was basically a wet blanket.

I am sure I'm in the minority but this is a resounding no from me.

3.5 stars
What worked:
I liked the mental health representation in this book, from medication to therapy. Many of the actions of the main male character were endearing, including protectiveness and sweet gestures.
The poetry throughout the story was incorporated well into the flow.

What I didn’t like:
I did not think that the main female matured much through the book and as a result the romance didn’t hit entirely right for me. There was too much hurt and not enough happiness and that made it hard to see why this couple was really into each other beyond a surface level.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

This book was kind of a tough read for me- I'm also a graduate of a small creative writing program so it felt a bit close to home. Leigh is a very realistic character and I empathized with her fear of rejection. However, I felt like there was something missing with the secondary characters. There was an opportunity to make them more vital to the story, but Naymon's focus was narrow. Will didn't seem fully realized to me, which made him difficult to fall in love with

Oh my GODDD this book is just instantly a favorite!! I was drawn in by two of my favorite premises (academic rivals to lovers and books about books/writing)- but I stayed for the characters who felt like friends, the arcs and self-growth journeys of Leigh and Will, the beautiful poems I spent way too long reading and re-reading (which honestly, surprised me too), and the way this book made me feel.

I don't think I could even narrow this down to just one thing that worked for me- it was everything. The mix of poetry, poetic prose, and prose alone got me, it's so gorgeous and rich and tugged at my emotions; Leigh's journey through insecurities and learning to be vulnerable and struggling through impostor syndrome felt so real it kind of hurt me; and of course, all the Taylor Swift references (and poems) made me smile!

Whatever else Katie Naymon wants to write (and I'm seeing maybe a story for our best friend and well-developed side character who deserves her own plot, Gen...), I will be there. Thank you so much to Katie and to NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

First off, thank you NetGalley, Forever publishing, and Katie Naymon for the opportunity to read this book. It was an absolute delight and I loved every word.

This was such an amazing contemporary romance and a fantastic debut for Katie. There was so much raw emotion in this book the heart was aching for Leigh and Will the entire time. The story was well paced and believable. I loved their cohort of fellow MFA candidates and the relationships they built with them. It’s was the perfect fun comedic relief from the building tension between our main characters.

Will and Leigh were just perfection. From prologue when they’re in high school to the scene of them in college to their first year in the MFA their story was real and raw and filled with so much longing. The tension was so so good, and it was the perfect amount of spice! Some of those scenes definitely left me wanting more; which is what I want in a romance book.

This was such a fantastic read, and perfect for romance readers. I am so amazed that this was Katie’s first novel. Thank you again, to NetGalley and the publishers for this book. It was such a joy to read.

I fell in love with this cover and was intrigued by the premise. Rivals to lovers in a writing program? Sign me up.

There's a lot to like in You Between the Lines. The writing itself is great. I really enjoyed Naymon's writing style and her descriptions. She has great prose that doesn't feel too flowery so it doesn't take you out of the story. I definitely highlighted a lot. The MMC, Will, is good. i liked Will as an MMC and love interest. I thought he was complicated but also willing to be vulnerable. He isn't perfect which made him a relatable character. Plus, I liked the academic setting of a MFA program. It felt different and refreshing to have a romance set in the MFA writing world. I feel liked we don't see that at all. There's also a great emotional journey for both characters.

My main issue with the story was the FMC Leigh. She came off as immature/childish throughout most of the book. It made her hard to like at times.

I did enjoy the romance. It had it's ups and downs but overall the Will & Leigh had good chemistry and tension. It's low steam but has plenty of swoon!

Overall a good read, especially if you like emotional contemporary romances.

I liked this story overall. This follows Will and Leigh, who met in high school but didn't necessarily get along, then meet later in a writing program. Then end up spending quite a bit of time together because of the program and past hurts and misunderstandings start to come out.

I will say, I struggled with the first half to 60% of the book. I didn't really like any of the characters, and while I understand that we are supposed to be understanding the characters from Leigh's point of view, the personality switches at the end because she realizes how they actually are (nice!), is a bit abrupt for me. Also I feel like a lot of the book is just miscommunication and them not giving each other the benefit of the doubt (especially Leigh), which ended up being frustrating.

I do appreciate that Leigh has a lot of character growth by the end of the book and she is a very different character than who we started with. However, I do feel like there was no growth at all for most of the book and then suddenly a ton of growth all at once and suddenly she's all "fixed" with her therapist and everything is peachy now. Would have loved to see a slower, more stable growth over time.

That said, I did really enjoy the last 20-25% of the book and found the ending to be very sweet. Like I said, I am happy with where Leigh ended as a character as well as Will, and the friend group that they end up having.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

You Between the Lines was a great enemies to lovers story about two competing MFA students. Will and Leigh met in high school, but their rivalry (and flirtation) continued into grad school. Will was a great, layered character, however Leigh made me want to tear my hair out a little bit. She made many mistakes out of insecurity, and seems a little immature throughout the book. That aside, I really liked watching the two characters interact and of course, fall in love. I just yelled at her while doing it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc,