I so badly wanted to love this, but unfortunately it was not for me😔

I thought the FMC was so unnecessary mean and judgmental. She treated Will so bad, i couldn’t believe they ended up together in the end. She didn’t take constructive criticism well AT ALL. She let one person’s constructive criticism in high school affect her dreams of being a writer (FOR 10 YEARS). I don’t think going to grad school for writing is a great choice if you cant handle criticism. Also, at the end, she was just unnecessarily mean to her best friend, again for no reason.

She also had zero self confidence and wouldn’t make any choices for herself (ex. She put on lulu lemon leggings on to go on a hike and someone made a comment like “i hope they don’t snag on anything” and she went and changed into “a pair of the most constricting jeans”)

Also, she did not handle her parents getting a divorce well AT ALL (she did admit at the end that she wasn’t handling it like an adult, so at least she became self aware). Sometimes i just feel like she acted like she was still in high school and not a 27 year old woman and she almost ALWAYS made everything about herself.

This is my first book by Katie Naymon. I absolutely adore Will and Leigh. The mental health struggles that they both face throughout shape the book into the story that it is. The love they share especially beneath their struggles both individually and together. I love the aspect the author included with the use of poetry as this really portrays the characters emotions.

While I love a good romance, this book felt more like an elder coming-of-age story. It wasn’t at all what I expected, but somehow, it was so much better. The heart of the story, for me, was Leigh—a deeply flawed character struggling with anxiety, self-worth, and thoughts she isn’t proud of. Her realness is astounding, and the fact that she can be unlikeable at times only makes her feel more authentic.

While I didn’t outwardly emote (no squeals, no crying, no laughing out loud), I was completely captivated. Naymon’s prose is clean and simple yet carries the elegance of poetry. The pacing was perfect, keeping me invested the entire time, and I found it nearly impossible to put down. I finished it in two nights—but honestly, I would have finished it in one if I didn’t have responsibilities in the morning!

I adored the romance and how it propelled the story forward—not just as another challenge for Leigh (is she worthy of Will?) but also as a catalyst for her growth. Will was a fantastic character, and while he wasn’t the focal point for me, his arc was just as satisfying.

Truthfully, this was an absolutely fantastic read. I can see myself picking it back up again one day, and I’ll definitely be reading whatever Naymon writes next!

This was so beautiful! The poetry, the messy, very real emotions and insecurities. The slowest but most intoxicating burn between Leigh and Will that will keep you turning the pages. I loved it! So many great lessons, beautiful poetry and so many gorgeous lines from Will that will melt you. What an incredible debut!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

THIS MAN Y'ALL!!!!!!!! I would die for him. Will and Leigh were fantastic in this story and I can't wait to read more from this author! Great work!

This one is for the pathological people pleasers. The ones molding and shaping themselves into whatever they perceive others want from them, and are experts at it. For the ones who self-sabotage so much that they’re a self-fulfilling prophecy of their own worst fears. Take a deep breath. Breathe in self imposed expectations and breathe out self love and kindness. Change is possible, even after all this time.

This book is a master class in yearning. In stolen touches,longing glances, the brushing of lips, and whispered, vulnerable words. So tender yet buzzing with electricity. A slow and wonderful burn leading to an explosion of light that is all consuming.

The poetry woven throughout. The memory of things said and unsaid. It’s all so evocative. Will and Leigh are everything.
They feel inevitable. In every universe they would find each other. It’s kismet. And after 10 years of missed moments and 10 years of longing for the other, this is their moment.

“Am I just supposed to do this forever?”
“Fall and get back up? Yeah, I think so. What other choice do we have, ya know?”
Everything about this book is earnest trying and resiliency.

If you’ve ever identified with or over analyzed a Taylor Swift lyric, this book is for you. If you’ve ever identified with Amy March (little women), this book is for you. If you’ve ever desperately wanted your therapist to like you, this book is for you. If you ever thought a wrist was sexy, this book is for you.

Grab an iced lavender latte, this book, and your favorite Taylor Swift album and get reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio & Katie Naymon for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh the pining. Oh the angst. This is TTPD come to life. This is a debut? Hoollllly smokes.

Truly, if TTPD is your vibe- Down Bad, The Tortured Poets Department, Fortnight, I Hate It Here, The Prophecy, I look in people's windows, The bolter-- but MINUS a Matty Healy-esque Love Interest-- then this book is for you.

Now narration- I love narrators. They always bring so much to the table but this one. This one. Her cadence was perfect while reading the poetry. She brought this to life.

I really enjoyed the male main character's storyline. I thought he had a solid, steady growth and personal development through the story- his struggles with acceptance, his mental health struggles, his poems- all captured quite nicely. I felt like Will was always AWARE of Leigh in this book which was fun for me as a reader to see- always trying to set her at ease and make her comfortable.

I did struggle to connect with the female main character. She came off quite superficial for me and while there was a hint of growth and vulnerability towards the end I think there could have been more and a little sooner in the story. There were some parts of this book that came off as sexist and some comments that read as extremities for me that I could not connect with or relate to.

I do appreciate the therapy representation in this book and the overall mental health representation and how that plays a role in a relationship.

You Between the Lines was a really decent debut with a lot of elements I liked. The writing style was beautiful, and the poetry aspect refreshing. However, the pacing and romance just didn’t really work for me.

It’s in the heroine’s POV only and there are some great tropes like, academic rivals to lovers, found family, and let’s get it out of our systems.

The overall premise was enjoyable and the mental health representation was written beautifully. There were a lot of complex emotions, feelings, and insecurities explored throughout the story that felt very realistic. However, the pacing was very slow and there were certain subplots that felt rush and underdeveloped.

The romance was the biggest letdown for me though. While I loved the history and tension between them, their conflict and constant back and forth was just frustrating and too drawn out. I also just wasn’t sold on their relationship, there was just something missing for me.

I will say though, the side characters and friendships in the story were amazing. There were also some amusing and heartfelt moments.

Overall, this was a good read; I just didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A romance on two writers? This caught my attention immediately and never let it go. I loved the author's voice, her humor, and the romance was just everything to me! I cannot wait to read more of Naymon's work!

I loved the premise of this story and the writer’s voice throughout. Will was heady and romantic with just enough brooding to be a perfect MMC and a well flushed character. I will say that the standard miscommunication conflict at around 75-80% in made me absolutely HATE Leigh. She went from being a people pleaser with anxiety that you could relate to, to a total tantrum throwing adult brat and it was extremely frustrating to read. In addition to that, the frequent use of the word “cohort” really started pulling me out of the story. I think at one point towards the end it was used 4 times on the same page, back to back to back. It started off as a strong 4.5 for me but lost some appeal in the last 20%.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the e-arc of You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon.

This debut novel by Katie Naymon was both light hearted and heavy hearted, in a very good way. Our main character, Leigh, is a frustrated writer, who feels stuck in her copy writing job and longs for the ability to work on more serious projects. Following successful publication in a literary magazine, she applies for and is admitted to an MFA program. When she arrives, she is equal parts hopeful and suffering from imposter syndrome. This is all made worse when her high school poetry crush/nemesis, Will, surfaces as one of the 10 writers in her program.

Leigh and Will were some of the most realistic, relatable characters that I have seen in a romantic dramedy. Sure, they had petty squabbles, but their ability to support each other through some pretty tough emotional places: her insecurities as a writer and dealing with her parents’ separation and his dealing with the death of his father while feeling that his father did not respect his writing, was a big difference from some romance-based novels I have read in the past few years.

The back and forth with Will forms much of the front storyline, however, Leigh’s mental struggle and maturation is a huge part of the story. I was really rooting for her success amidst all her self-sabotage. She is helped greatly by her interactions with her fellow students and her professors (loved them all, especially the quirky writers), and ultimately her real-life bestie and her therapist. The ending was better than I hoped for. Can’t wait to recommend this as we head into publication month. 5/5 star read

📖ARC Review📓 2/18 Release

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦
💗Something I Loved: Honestly, my favorite part of the book was Gen, the best friend of the FMC, Leigh. She wasn’t in the book often but I found her to be the most likeable character.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: I’ll admit I don’t love poetry. Or get it, for the most part. So reading a book about a poet where the whole thing is centered around her getting her MFA was maybe not my smartest of decisions. Speaking of smart… similarly to how Leigh often felt like the least intelligent of her cohort, I too felt like the dumbest girl in school because I definitely didn’t get everything being said in this book. There was some decent (and of course overly intelligent) flirting/foreplay that I was into, but the rest of it… the poetry of it… right over my head. I also felt like neither main character was overly lovable and while there was some chemistry between them at times, more often than not I didn’t feel a connection whatsoever.
🥰Favorite Moment: The epilogue. Even though I struggled to see how these two could actually end up together, I was still happy that they did.
🌶️Spiciest Scene: I don’t know. Chapter 22? I’d classify this as more of a cracked door than an open one. Also be warned… there’s some cringey orgasm/poetry analogies that just did not work for me😬
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: If you’re a poetry lover, yeah, maybe give it a go. But if you, like me, often feel like you learned a very small fraction of what others learned in school, skip it. I fluctuated between feelings of frustration (at the characters) and stupidity/inadequacy (at myself) and as much as I wanted to love it, I just did not. That being said a lot of people have absolutely adored this book so if it seems like your thing, give it a try.
💬Tropes: Academic Rivals to Lovers, Poetry Banter, Found Family, Mental Illness Rep, Second (Third?) Chance

What a fun read! Leigh and Will’s story was such a blast to read as they rediscovered who they were to each other after first connecting in high school as they embark on a MFA program together.

Leigh’s self discovery through therapy (love on page therapy!) and investigating who she was through her work was amazing to see her self worth.

Overall, the pacing was fantastic and felt realistic, because the story took place over the entire first year of the MFA program, which I appreciated!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Between the Lines is a heartfelt love story full of pinning and Taylor Swift references. Will and Leigh find themselves in the same MFA program after a previous crush and failed connection 10 years earlier. The MFA setting gives us a great environment for both of them to tackle their demons and grow. All in all it makes for a sweet love story. Thanks for Forever and NetGalley for this eARC!

As a former sorority girl/English major who got an MA in writing, I loved this book! It had all the things I love—academia, poets, sad-lit-bros, people-pleasing heroines, decades-long PINING, and a happy ending. Leigh’s propensity for making others comfortable at the expense of her own comfort was palpable and I saw myself in that somewhat (loved the interactions with her therapist). Will’s inability to just freaking communicate was frustrating but also a bit delicious. There’s something about a writer/poet who can’t say the words out loud but will lay his heart bare on paper 🥵. I got angry with Leigh’s parents for involving her too much in their marital issues and Will’s dad for putting too much pressure on him and never giving him validation. Expect some (okay, a lot of) miscommunication. And I admit, I’m not big into poetry but I enjoyed the poetry shared. It wasn’t just talked about. There were actual portions of poems and some of them were 🤌🏻. All this to say, I felt all the feels and it was worth it.
P.S. I love the cover and thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

"You deserve better than what I could ever give, even though I wanted to give you everything you wanted and everything I had."

YUP THIS IS IT. I want to imprint every word Will said on my eyelids so when I close my eyes they are still with me. Dramatic? Yeah. Warranted? Also yeah.

This book was everything I could have asked for. The tension had me fidgeting & yelling at my book "JUST KISS ALREADY!!!!" I really enjoyed Leigh & Will as their own separate characters which made me enjoy this story that much more because it wasn't hindered only on their romance. I cannot recommend this book enough for when it releases!

Also, I absolutely hated the poetry section in my AP English class, so the fact I am raving about this book should tell you just how good it is.

I've been putting off this book for months—and maybe I should have kept doing so. I really wanted it to work; the premise was so captivating: two ex-high school classmates/"rivals" reunite 10 years later in a writing program. I was fascinated by the idea of them being part of the "tortured poets department" lololol.

This book really suffers from insufferable characters—and that applies to both of them. Two adults stuck in their high school phase; all the push and pull, mixed signals, and silly dramas just didn’t make any sense for me. Leigh is the worst kind of "pick me girl." She's in a writing program, but she's not like everyone else ☝🏼—she’s not obsessed with the classics and she likes Taylor Swift. Her initial issue with Will was a trivial matter from their high school days, and she still held grudges. I couldn’t stand how every time he rejected her, she would chase after him, demanding and seeking him out, as if, “Girl, maybe he's not that into you!” At one point, I stopped caring about Will altogether; he didn’t give me any good vibes and behaved like an indecisive, clueless idiot.

In the end, I wasn’t that interested in how their story would conclude—I was hoping they wouldn’t end up together because, tbh, I just don’t see much of a future for them.

I initially gave it 2 stars and then dropped it to 1 because Leigh was too much for me. If you're going to suffer the consequences of your own actions, you don’t have the right to treat or make others feel bad when they’re only trying to help you. I don’t know, maybe it just hit a sensitive nerve. The cover is pretty tho!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC of this book (+) the audiobook; it was an experience.

A sizzling, dramatic, emotional and deeply romantic book. This book has a little bit of everything from years of pining, found family, academic shenanigans and an accurate portrayal of mental illness.

what a debut! this truly was a delight and while the pop culture references made me cringe at times (please let's leave TS references to the past), i thoroughly enjoyed the writing. naymon does a fantastic job at building the tension between our two main characters. will is so down bad and i lived for it, his way with words *chefs kiss*

i do think this story will be a bit divisive amongst readers, mainly due to leigh's coping mechanisms and the way the third act conflict transpires. nonetheless, i found her to be relatable and honestly, just human. she is going through a very big transition in her life during this novel so on top of reuniting with her high school crush and family troubles, i can understand her self-sabotage-y tendencies. i think we can all say we've made mistakes and have questioned our careers/love lives; leigh is a character who at least realizes it, acknowledges it, and takes a step forward to be better. i had a lot of empathy for her.

will, what a man honestly. i think i legitimately swooned at some of the things he said. he has his faults too in this book, but he's honestly a dream. i loved his character and how he deeply he loves and cares for leigh. i would have loved his povs.

overall, a fantastic debut! naymon is on my radar and im excited to see what's next. thank you foreverpub for the e-arc!