This is a stunning novel! I will be reading all things by Katie Naymon from here on out.

The story follows Leigh, a former sorority girl, pop-culture loving poet, who has just been accepted into a mfa program. Leigh has a lot going on. Her parents are going thru a divorce, she’s dealing with a lot of self doubt and comparison, she’s struggling to find her voice and to accept that voice. Day one of starting this new program she runs into her moody high school crush turned academic rival, Will, who has just been accepted into the same program. Will is dealing with a lot right now too with the loss of his father and some insecurities of his own. Finding what he really loves and wants to do. It’s a struggle.

These two have some history. And it’s not all that great. She’s faced a few rejections from him in her past and definitely has some animosity to overcome when it comes to Will, and she wants to, but can she trust him? Can she trust herself?

While this story has a ton of heart, it’s also so funny, so angsty (the chemistry is off the charts), so much pining, there’s pop culture references, poetry flirting, mental health representation that is extremely relatable. Leigh to me felt like if Cher Horowitz was a poet. She’s so bright, so heart forward, she loves fashion and pop culture….her insecurities broke me, but it was so beautiful to see her be built back up. Will comes off at the start as cold and lacking empathy, but that was just his shield. His heart is huge and he loves so hard. Plus, they were so hot. Omg. I love them.

I absolutely loved this book. I know I will be thinking about it forever.

First, this might be the best romance fmc I’ve ever read in my entire life!! Leigh enters a poetry MFA program, arguably one of the most pretentious settings imaginable, but manages to retain her exactly-like-other-girls persona in a way that made me relate to and root for her. In among a sea of very outwardly-intellectual stereotypical poets and other mfa types, Leigh works through what it means to stay true to her pop-culture loving, sorority-girl self. In addition to these things, Leigh struggles with incredibly relatable issues, like apologizing too much and molding herself to fit the desires and comfort levels of those around her. I LOVED everything about Leigh, even while she made mistakes and made bad choices. I have never read a romance book where the FMC is so like-other-girls and where that is portrayed as an okay way to be.

Outside of the amazing characters, this book also depicts obstacles to a healthy relationship in a realistic and truthful way. The author doesn’t pull any punches or make the love story come easily, but the struggles make the whole thing feel real and earned.

Overall, this is a very easy five stars from me!

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is everything I could want in a MFA book about poets, but also so much more. The characters are so relatable, the side cast is interesting, and the setting brought me right into grad school.

This book was told in first person single POV, and I felt like this was the perfect choice - you really join the FMC along on her journey through not only romance, but also finding herself. While at times I found myself internally screaming at the FMC for being so oblivious, it was also painfully relatable - in the outside things seem so clear, but it’s hard to trust your brain when you’re in the thick of it.

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. Leigh is headed into her first year of a writing MFA program following a crash out at her marketing job and her parents announcing they will be separating which sends her down a spiral to finally put pedal to the metal and start pursing her writing for herself. And of course, at one of the first events for her new program is the guy that has lived rent free in her head since high school and beyond... The swoon fest, tortured and devastating human, Will. Subsequently after this high school mess, there was this fated meetup years after that has haunted both of them since. They decide to play nice and the friendship builds and the tension sizzles. During this time, Leigh is grappling with her suppressed emotions regarding her parent's split and frankly eminent divorce. Leigh being a Mirrorball by Taylor Swift girlie to her core is coming face to face with the downside of trying to be everything to everyone. What ends up occurring is yet another crash out that simultaneously is insanely hard to get through but deeply relatable. Naymon has perfectly captured just how hard it is to be vulnerable when you are always preparing for the worst. Post this crash out with the help of her iconic friend Gen and her no nonsense therapist Bridget you get to see Leigh get in the drivers seat of her life again and does so while having her heart on her sleeve and not constantly bracing for impact. Her relationship with Will is genuinely soo enrapturing. The way the see each other so clearly is something truly special. In this conflict moment, Will is the one to start to take down this protective shell around Leigh that has provided her with a false sense of protection. Will is an absolute swoon fest of an mmc who is honest, funny and a perfect match for Leigh. This book is definitely perfect for Emily Henry lovers as Will is a mix of Gus from Beach Read and Alex from People We Meet on Vacation.. (to me) Leigh brings that gritty realistic nature that again Emily Henry fans are sure to love. There is room for improvement in terms of more relationship building and I would love to see this Naymon explore writing in dual POV but this is a very strong debut that has put her future work on my radar and I look forward to recommending this book to all who will listen.

I ended up not finishing this. I couldn’t get into the storyline and I found Leigh to be too annoying. Also really getting sick of the TS references at this point.

I enjoyed the writing and prose! I thought the concept was interesting and fun, definitely different than a lot of romance on the market. Unfortunately the chemistry between the MCs didn't really hit as hard as I hoped it would. Overall a good read though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Leigh has been accepted into a creative writing MFA, but is surprised to see a familiar face at orientation - Will, her high school crush turned nemesis. Both are in the poetry cohort, but Leigh leans toward experimental poetry with heavy doses of pop-culture worked in while Will is a "serious poet" and pretentious to boot. This feeds into Leigh's insecurities since back in high school, Will critiqued one of her poems as being "all style, no substance." Adding to the drama, both Leigh and Will are dealing with issues with their families (Leigh's parents are in the midst of divorcing and Will is coming to terms with never being enough for his now-deceased father) and Leigh's constant need to morph her personality to meet the needs of whomever she's with. When the two end up in competition for the second-year poetry fellowship, things get interesting and both are forced to face the issues they've been avoiding.

This was a very angsty (in all the best ways, I promise!) rivals-to-lovers romance. Both main characters were complex and well written, and I truly enjoyed the journey. My only complaint was feeling slightly underwhelmed at the ending. Maybe it's a me problem as I've noticed this isn't the only romance book lately that has left me wanting something more at the end, but I deducted a small amount for that. Overall, a fantastic debut and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Overall: 4.5/5 rounded up
Spice: 2/3

This was a delightful read. Leigh is a former sorority girl who has quit her soul sucking corporate job to pursue her MFA and become the poet she has always wanted to be. But when she gets there she cannot believe her eyes that her high school crush turned nemesis is also in the program. In high school he called her work “all style, no substance”, killing her crush and breaking her belief in herself. So Leigh is more determined than ever to prove herself in this program. The push and pull, will they won’t they energy was great. The poetry scattered through the book was fun. And there was some good character growth. I did take a star off because I wanted more from Leigh, I think there was potential for her to get her act together and show growth far before she did, and I would have enjoyed the book more if she had gotten it together earlier. All in all, still a very fun read. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

“You Between the Lines” by Katie Naymon is an absolute masterpiece.

I saw so much of myself in Leigh—feeling like I didn’t belong in the writing world because my love for pop culture and my seemingly “smaller” traumas didn’t feel valid. The way this book handled those emotions was beautifully authentic.

Even though I hated the breakup, it was exactly what both characters needed to grow, and their development felt so real and earned. The writing completely blew me away—every line was packed with emotion and meaning, and the poetry woven throughout added such a rich, heartfelt layer to the story.

This book isn’t just a second-chance romance; it’s a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt out of place in their own passions. I can’t recommend it enough!

This one got me. Some romances just feel realistic, and tug at your heartstrings. I loved the idea of loving someone since your high school days. We all remember the “Will” of our younger days, that giant crush we never quite got over. This book was well-written, engaging, and I really enjoyed the poetry throughout. I also appreciated learning about MFA programs, and thought it was an unique framing device. Highly recommend, especially for fans of Emily Henry or Annabel Monaghan!

Wow! A wonderful debut novel- while I really liked Leigh and connected with her as a chronic people pleaser- I sorta lost a little bit of her. I felt like we were just told she's into bachelor, love island, Taylor Swift (which hello is me) but then the author proceeded to name drop Authors and Poets... Maybe that was intentional? It just sorta leaves the reader feeling dumb (which is slightly ironic seeing as that's the FMC's complaint). I also was slightly more moved by Will's email/letter and his poems than any of her poems. Overall, it was a solid 4 star read for me!

Thank you to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

Lighthearted and heartfelt, You Between The Lines feels like a breath of fresh air. The attention to detail, prose, and emotionality of it really kept me turning pages, even though I initially wanted to read it because of the high school crush trope. And that did not disappoint either! Running into your former crush is always a big deal, and Will is THE big deal of this book - the book boyfriend of your dreams. So well executed.

I have lots of mixed feelings about this Romance debut about Will and Leigh, two poetry MFA students who went to the same Ohio high school and have a rocky history together and find themselves reunited when they are both selected for the same MFA program in North Carolina.

Lots of things were fun for me - I loved the way the characters shared their thoughts on the feedback from each other's poems. I also liked the mental health focus (Will has depression and takes medication, Leigh has anxiety and regularly sees a therapist), the friendships and the swoony, satisfying epilogue.

What didn't work as well for me was just how angsty this book felt, the characters go back and forth on whether they'll give in to their mutual desire for one another and then pump the brakes (more than once) when they get scared. It simultaneously felt like they were moving towards something inevitable with a lot of buildup but also that it happens almost unrealistically quickly? I would have like a bit more open door content too, there's lots of suggestions but nothing super explicit - just enough to tease!

That said, I did enjoy this story and look forward to seeing what the author writes next. You can definitely tell that she used her own experience as an Ohioan, a poet and an MFA grad for the content. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a parent, parental separation/divorce, depression + anxiety

A phenomenal debut!! Did I lowkey get AP English PTSD? Absolutely, but totally worth it 😂

I love when authors write (for lack of a better term) their other lives/professions. It's very clear before even reading the Author bio that Katie Naymon had to have drawn from some kind of personal experience (MFA in Poetry) and not just thoroughly researched. I think adding the assignments in the story was just a brilliant touch, she could have easily foregone it altogether and I wouldn't have batted an eye. If they're her actual original works too I would be doubly impressed she was able to add poetry into her novel. I especially loved how she wrote the intimacy scene(s) in Leigh's POV. She would say the most beautiful, lyrical things and describe these passionate moments that I almost didn't buy that Leigh, as a character, wasn't a talented poet. 🤣 it's almost meta that's she's so self deprecating.

I'm truly on a roll reading book(s) where the MC's are creatives, specifically writers and/or poets. I think writers writing about poets is just god-level. The men are especially swoony and the romance and tension just hits; not too hot, not overly sweet, but just right. 🤌🏼

Thank you Forever and netgalley for the eARC!!

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭.

i finished this book late last night and i’ve been in state of reflection all morning. books that have that level of impact deserve their roses and i have to applaud Kate Naymon for crafting her characters so beautifully!

the first half of this book gave me all the five star tingles. riddled with academic rivalry, tension, lingering glances and small touches all culminating to a delicious will-they-won’t-they push & pull between the two main characters. i loved will as an mmc and found him so charming, sweet, and thoughtful in his pursuit of the fmc.

i really loved when the writing would utilize literary language to describe a moment. so cleverly on theme and had me rereading those lines over & over.

leigh is an incredibly relatable fmc (for me) and in a way, it’s difficult to admit that because she makes some very questionable (and sometimes maddening) decisions in the second half of this book. but instead of getting upset with her, i did my best to understand her. her need to please every single person in a room was based in parental trauma, her fear of failure handicaps her from potential, and her desperation for some semblance of control in her life can manifest into manipulation. she’s a an absolute mess of an fmc but her breakthrough with her mental health was so powerful and left me feeling convicted to try harder on my part.

my closing thought is that towards the second half of the book, leigh’s introspective journey takes more of front seat as opposed to the relationship between her and will. i think i would have liked to see more dialogue happen between them to be fully sold on them as a couple.

i do love will oh so much though 😩🫶🏻

thank you so much to the author and Forever Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for my honest thoughts 💌

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy! You can pick up You Between the Lines on February 18, 2025.

Katie Naymon really strikes right at the heart of what all writers fear --that they're not good enough, especially compared to their peers. We see so much vulnerability from Leigh as she navigates the next step in her life that she's taking to pursue her dreams. As a writer who struggles with the same insecurities, this book hurt a little!! Ngl!!

But that's what makes it so emotional and evocative. We see Leigh and Will bare the deepest parts of themselves to each other, even if at first they were too caught up in their past. While I did find Leigh's behavior slightly immature initially (when she kept putting off important conversations with Will), it was gratifying to see them navigate their past and present together.

Def pick this up if you enjoy writers x writers and second-chance romance!

Leigh has always wanted to be a writer, even when, in high school the cute literary editor (Will) she had a crush on told her that her work was more form than substance. Fast forward to the MFA poetry program that Leigh gets into, and Will is also in the small program. Will is now totally pompous and calls himself William, and the two are completely awkward when they are near each other (maybe because they almost hooked up 6 years before). Leigh is determined to prove William wrong and nabbing the amazing fellowship the program offers - but there are still underlying feelings about Will that she just can’t shake.

This was the perfect weekend read for me and I inhaled it on a Sunday when my husband had the flu and it was just too cold to go out. I loved reading about all of the characters in the program as well as the dynamics between them all. The slow burn of the two main characters (even though you obviously knew what would happen) worked really well. Since I love all things literary, this book about writing and writers totally worked for me. It’s a perfect bookstagram romance.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC to review

couldn’t put this book down! Leigh and Will are absolutely perfect for each other. Normally, I hate the miscommunication trope, but it was executed so brilliantly here that it didn’t bother me at all. The tension was razor-sharp—so intense and emotional that I had to remind myself to breathe more than once.

The plot was fantastic, and I gained a deeper appreciation for poetry along the way. The way they poured their emotions into their writing was captivating. I also loved the inclusion of the poems throughout the pages; they added so much depth and resonance to the story.

Both characters were deeply flawed, and that’s exactly what made them feel so authentic. The book delves into profound inner struggles with insecurity and self-doubt, capturing those emotions with raw honesty. While their flaws could be frustrating at times, they were also incredibly relatable. Despite the use of tropes I typically don’t enjoy, I found myself absolutely loving this book. It struck a perfect balance between imperfection and relatability, making it an unforgettable read.

Leigh & Will, meant to be together if only both of them would take a minute to communicate. Oo man mixed feelings about this book. The plot is good and the setting of an MFA program was enjoyable and vivid in my mind. I loved that they had previous history and it certainly added to the story. I feel like along the way the story got a bit long and didn’t have enough passion to make up for the slow parts. I felt like especially the MFC acted quite immature for her age. While this might have been intentional by the author it was fairly distracting to the story. Their relationship was sweet, they each had plenty of character development and I appreciated when they finally talked things through. All in all it was an enjoyable book that I think people will like! 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I could not put this book down. It was angsty & funny & emotional, all the feels! The writing was so beautiful and addicting. The FMC was definitely frustrating but I think she was written that was purposefully & is someone that people-pleasers will relate to. I loved the MMC. Some spice that fit extremely well into the rest of the book.

Second - chance (or third or fourth)
Academic enemies to lovers
Set in a NC MFA program
🌶️
Third act breakup (that I didn’t hate as much as I thought
Therapy positive