Will and Leigh met in high school, harboured crushes toward each other, met once post high school and then meet up in an MFA writing program in their late-ish 20s. Leigh is still mad at Will for his one comment he made about her writing in high school, which I thought was a lot petty on her part. I really wanted these two to sit down much earlier and work their stuff out with each other, but that isn’t what we get. We get a girl who obsessively breaks down each minuscule piece of every interaction with Will to her bestie, but struggles to acknowledges her own feelings or the possibility that Will might feel the same way. Sounds almost annoying, right? Yes, I was almost annoyed for a lot of the book. But I wasn’t. The writing is good. The characters are good. Yes, they needed to communicate with each other, but given their family dynamics, they just needed a little more time to get there. I ended up really enjoying this book. It was sweet. I really liked Will and Leigh together, once they realized they could cheer each other on instead of competing with each other or running in the opposite direction.

3 stars for making me almost annoyed. But I’m rounding it up to 3.5 for turning it around and making me appreciate the pining and obsessing in the end.

`This one started off so strong, but then started to drag a little bit. It picked back up around the 30% mark and I became super invested in the story. I was loving all the angst and the swoony moments between Will and Leigh but it got to a point where I became frustrated with both of them and the back and forth of it all. I feel like Leigh's character was all over the place. She felt more like a senior in high school instead of someone in their late 20s. I also found it hard to believe that she was this sorority/social butterfly girl who loved pop culture and was soooo different than all the other people in the writing program because we never saw that side of her. She acted the same as everyone else.
The romance fell flat for me. It started off so strong and I loved all the history between Leigh and Will and I especially loved how both of them had secretly been pining for the other since high school, but then once they actually got together it started to feel meh.

I wanted to love this one, but it just ended up being a middle of the road romance for me. Hopefully others will love it though!

This is for all the fellow tortured poets out there. Love a slow burn ,angsty romance. Lyrical writing with genuine characters. Read this!

You Between the Lines is a deeply emotional and character-driven novel that explores love, self-discovery, and the complexities of family relationships. The story follows Olivia, a young woman struggling to define herself while dealing with her family's expectations and the allure of a forbidden romance with Ethan, a mysterious figure who seems to understand her in ways no one else does.

Read if you like:
- Forbidden love
- Self-discovery and coming-of-age stories
- Complex family dynamics
- Slow-burn romance
- Characters navigating personal and societal expectations
- Introspective narratives that delve deep into emotions

Olivia's journey is filled with moments of internal conflict as she tries to balance her own desires with what others want for her. Ethan, with his quiet charm, becomes both a source of escape and emotional tension. Their connection is undeniable, but the challenges they face bring both pain and growth.

The novel also explores Olivia's relationships with her overbearing mother, who has her own vision for Olivia’s future, and Maya, her best friend who provides unwavering support, even as she deals with her own struggles. These characters add layers to the story, making Olivia’s path to self-acceptance even more poignant.

Thank you so much to Forever for my gifted ARC!

I wish I could speak eloquently about this book but I fear it has been a lot of incoherent emotional rambling so far, so please bare with me. This book turned me inside out. I started it expecting a story about two MFA students (which I got), but it's also a story about family, imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, actions and words. It is romantic, funny, hopeful, heart wrenching, embarrassing, hot, painful and a million other things. I actually had to put my kindle down and walk around my house to cool down after certain moments. Katie's writing is gorgeous and balances lyrical and quippy very well. Being in Leigh's head is not always an easy thing, but her character is constructed well and I felt very impacted by her journey as someone who can relate to her on some level. The build of the romance was a lot of forward and backward steps, but the payoff worked for me. And I'm kind of obsessed with Will and his tortured poet vibes. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I felt a lot of things. I love this book. If you like Jessica Joyce's books or January and Gus from Beach Read, I'd recommend giving this one a try!

I loved YOU BETWEEN THE LINES so much, I don't even know where to start! I already know it's going to be one of my absolute favorites of the year, and while it deserves even higher than five stars, I suppose this will have to do. The story follows Leigh, a former sorority girl who's beginning a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina after abandoning her unfulfilling copywriting job. Leigh is thrilled to start this new chapter and tap into her creative spark again, but as someone who never felt quite at home among her fellow English majors in college, she's also worried that the type of writer she is, won't be good enough for this group—she still can't shake the "all style, no substance" comment her high school crush made back in their creative writing workshop. Her insecurities are brought to life when she (literally) bumps into Will, that same high school crush, at orientation, and finds out that he's a first-year in the program, too. Only now, Will is William, the pretentious type of writer Leigh can't stand. Leigh's determined to prove herself to Will and the rest of their cohort by landing the program's esteemed fellowship, and nothing is going to get in her way—but in such a close-knit program, she and Will can't avoid each other for long, and they begin to realize that there's more to each other than meets the eye (and the page). Will Leigh be able to let true love in, even as she's just seen her parents' marriage fall apart? And can she get out of her own way to become the person and writer she's meant to be—and take a chance on the guy she's meant to be with?

I didn't want this book to end! I could have spent hundreds more pages in Leigh and Will's world. Leigh was such a relatable character—from the more lighthearted things, like her love for Taylor Swift songs, reality dating shows, and pop culture references, to the heavier, like her people-pleasing nature and tendency toward self-sabotage. I couldn't even get too frustrated with her in those latter moments, because honestly, I knew where she was coming from. Also, the way she gravitated towards writing about pop culture/celebrity culture partly because she was afraid to show more of herself in her writing, and that none of it would measure up to the work her classmates were doing, was somehow so specifically relatable to me, and reminded me of some of my own Creative Writing classes and workshops throughout high school and college! Overall, I just loved following Leigh's journey, and she's a character that will definitely stick with me long after I've finished this book. Will was a fantastic character, too—truly swoon-worthy, but also had so much depth to him. I so enjoyed seeing him find his own voice as a writer and escape from the shadow his successful father had left behind, to fully pave his own path. And of course, the chemistry between them was just perfection! The way they wrote notes to each other in the margins of their poems! The way they were always crushing on each other from afar, for literal years! I would say more, but I don't want to be too spoilery—you'll just have to read the book and see how these two truly bring out the best in each other.

Beyond the leads and their love story, I also appreciated how well-developed the side characters were. In books with a bigger supporting cast, it can sometimes be difficult to really get to know those characters and have them feel like fully realized people, but that wasn't a problem here. All of these characters felt vivid and real, from Leigh and Will's classmates and professors to Leigh's best friend, Gen, her therapist Bridget, and her parents, and each one added a unique layer to the story. The poems were another highlight of the book for me—I loved how Katie Naymon incorporates the characters' poetry throughout the story, and it was great to get to read some of the poems Leigh wrote and see how they played into her overall journey and growth.

Needless to say, YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is a romance not to be missed! The perfect blend of academia and angst, paired with gorgeous, lyrical writing, makes it a definite must-read—I already can't wait to re-read it. And while I am a Kindle girlie through and through, I just might have to pick up a copy to add to my physical bookshelf, too, when it hits shelves in February! This was a fantastic debut from Katie Naymon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I am so, so utterly impressed by this book. You Between The Lines is a fantastic blend of witty, charming, emotional, tender, full of tension and growth, and everything else you want in a romance book.

Will and Leigh’s relationship was palpable, and built in a way that felt authentic. I had visceral reactions to their dynamic, and how utterly genuine it was. More than that, Will and Leigh were both deeply flawed. They behaved in ways that were both hurtful and yet utterly human. I really appreciated both of their own journeys and particularly their reckoning with their self worth.

Separately, I also loved the setting of the MFA program, and how that provided the perfect dynamic to explore the issues of rejection and self esteem.

This book had the special, underlying, and indescribable five star energy that so few books possess. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to whatever Katie Naymon has next.

This was an easy, quick read. But I found the plot to be slow and the characters (mostly the FMC) were too immature.

I would rate this book like 3.75/4 stars! I loved the premise, and that it’s definitely a book about books! I really found myself relating to the avoidant measures taken in this book, and the defensive nature you can take when you get scared. I found myself at times being beyond frustrated with Leigh, I think her judgmental nature makes her a bit unlikable at times. However, I say this knowing that I am very similar to her so I know my frustration was at seeing someone act how I would act. Lol. That being said, this book felt a bit cathartic for me!

Such a fantastic read! It was splendidly sweet and heartfelt and the slow burn romance was such a fun touch for this academia based novel.

As someone who is also in grad school, I LOVE reading books where the setting is academia themed (hi love hypothesis).

First, Leigh is completely relatable. You definitely question her choices and self sabotaging behaviors but after reading more and more, you come to understand the why in a different light. She’s someone who is looking forward to a fresh start after witnessing the downfall of her parents’ marriage and leaving a job that wasn’t right for her. She never would have thought she’d end up in the same program as Will, her old high school crush.

Will, what can I even say. The tension between these two: I was living for it. He is someone who I WISH had a pov in this book because he is someone who has also struggled and is looking to find his voice after some regrettable choices.

There’s angst, tension, romance, sooo lyrical as the characters are literal poets so the writing just flowed insanely well. Their relationship also progressed in such a natural and realistic way that I appreciated.

You Between the Lines is beautifully written. It has captivated me and I’m so excited for what Katie Naymon writes next. Leigh and Will’s story is beautiful and I find both of their characters very relatable. The best read to close out my 2024 reading year.

I really went into this book with high hopes. I loved the first few chapters and looked forward to getting to know the characters. But then I really started to get to know the two main characters and I wasn’t in love. I really couldn’t get past how immature the FMC was. She acted like a spoiled child through most of the book. It almost made me put down the book several times. I knew we would get to see her grow and change by the end, but it was honestly too much for me. She judged every single character in a negative way during the book. I kept thinking she was the pretentious one, not the other way around.

I also didn’t feel much for the MMC for most of the book. I wanted more to why they fell for each other as teenagers. What drew them to each other? Maybe some flashbacks to their high school days would have allowed me to see more of a connection between them from the start.

I honestly bumped this up to 3 stars because of the ending. I liked how we finally get to see the FMC see the good in people. It’s just a shame that she was so unlikeable for most of the book. I will give this author another try since I liked the writing style. I also liked the concept of the book, but these characters were a major miss for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever, and Katie Naymon for an advanced copy of this book.

I wanted to like this novel more but unfortunately it felt very similar to "Not in my Book" by Katie Holt but with a second chance feel as Leigh & Will are from the same high school.

The two are enemies from high school who find themselves in the same poetry MFA program years later. Leigh is a party girl turned poet after experiencing a quarter life crisis and I just couldn't relate to her at all as I found her immature and dismissive. Will was very pretentious and rude to everyone in this book so from the first few chapters I didn't really care about either character 🤣

This is probably a me problem and not a problem with this book but it wasn't for me.

You Between the Lines* by Katie Naymon

You Between the Lines was the perfect final read for 2024! Katie Naymon absolutely nailed it with her debut novel. This book is packed with angst and tension that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Leigh and Will’s story completely drew me in. Their struggles and growth felt so authentic, making it easy to root for them both individually and together. Leigh is a wonderfully complex character—you might find yourself frustrated with some of her choices, but the deeper you go into the story, the more you understand the layers of her personality and the pain she’s working through. And Will? He’s such a beautifully written character, supportive and kind, yet so real that he leaps off the page.

It gave me all the Gus and January feels in the best way. Watching their relationship develop was deeply satisfying, and I couldn’t get enough of their dynamic. If you’re looking for a heartfelt, tension-filled read to end the year on a high note, this one’s for you!

Thanks to Forever for the ARC! WOW! This book was incredible! I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I was absolutely blown away! The book follows Leigh as she embarks on journey to get an MFA in poetry. She has always had a love for writing, and poetry specifically, but has never really seemed her self worthy or smart enough to pursue it. She loves reading and writing, but her interests seem less academic to her compared to peers. As a former High School English teacher and English major, I so relate to this! Her career as a copywriter has left her feeling stifled and so she decides to go for it. When she arrives she is definitely feeling imposter syndrome and runs into her high school crush and the "one that got away" Will. They haven't seen each other in 6 years and him being there definitely throws her off. As the book follows her journey at school, it also follows her relationship with Will. I have never read a book where I loved the "will they or won't they" so much! And goodness, who knew a scene where they almost hold hands and nothing more could be so seductive?
This one is a love story of two very imperfect people who are placing their self worth on the wrong people and things. They are flawed and they eventually come together and it is just beautiful! I saw a lot of myself in Leigh with her desire to feel wanted and desired and worthy. The ending of this one was also just beautiful as well. An added bonus was all if the poetry sprinkled throughout , too! I cannot wait to read more by Katie Naymon! Infinity stars!

“Are you drunk? I’m a poet.”

YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is a Taylor Swift coded romance. Actual tortured poets. A yearning between lovers that you’ll feel through the pages and it’ll cut right to your soul. Have I sold you yet?

It’s no secret that I love romance books. I read, like, a lot of them. I haven’t felt this way about a book in a VERY LONG TIME. It’s got great tropes, like second chance romance, academic rivals turned lovers, and fated love to name a few. There’s mental health rep, which always scores points in my book. But what really sold me was how this story tapped into a place that I didn’t realize was there in creating Leigh’s character and how X describes the emotional and mental journey of a love-hate relationship with writing. As the little girl that wrote short stories in her bedroom that inspired huge dreams revolving around writing, who won her school’s spelling bee and was rewarded for her creativity at an early age, I felt seen in so much of this story. And as someone who pursued a career in PR within an agency setting and watched the joy and passion for writing devolve with every tight deadline and client criticism, Leigh’s journey to discovering her writing roots again but in a nurturing and fulfilling way felt very relatable to my current journey (minus the brooding, sexy what if guy – still waiting for that part!). The chemistry between Will and Leigh is off the charts and I was kicking my feet the way they would communicate and flirt through writing feedback for each other in the margins of their work. Oh, to be two yearning poets in love.

As a current Clevelander (and Ohio born and raised gal), I’d be remiss not to remark on the boatload of Cleveland/Ohio rep! I couldn’t get enough of the references to 216 landmarks, from the Cleveland Museum of Art to the Rocky River Reservation, it made the story that much more special and I absolutely loved seeing my city represented!

“I wasn’t the most popular or the prettiest, but I did write Cuyahoga County’s third-best short story for a seventh grader.” Swap Cuyahoga Co. for Stark Co. and this singular quote just managed to chalk up my childhood and the start of a tumultuous relationship with writing at an early age.

Thoughts after reading included: I need a therapist like Bridget and a ride or die like Gem and a YBTL playlist would go so hard!

@foreverpub what’s a girl gotta do for a physical copy of YBTL bc I’m intensely waving all my family’s Romanian recipes and secrets in your direction but in a hopeful and filled with gratitude way.

A touching reading about second chances, accepting new family dynamics, and learning to be yourself. The characters are very likable, but have real world problems. This book caught my attention and kept it the whole time.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

This is book is exactly what I needed! The yearning and the history was written so well, you can feel the tension flying off the pages. The poetry was written o beautifully you could see the real talent of the author in the way it was weaved in throughout. The pink. scene!!!! it's giving Mr. Darcy hand; flex. The turn of phrases stood out to me and I could really visualize the writing with the potent imagery. Love it!

Will & Leigh, my soft-hearted, thirsty poets. I love them. Beautiful prose, sensitive characters, delicious romance and yearning. I couldn't put this one down.

This book rewired my brain chemistry. The slow-burn, longing, tension-filled romance set against the backdrop of a competitive MFA program was everything the bookish people-pleaser girls want—and Will! Oh, Will. The perfect secretly vulnerable and outwardly very hot book boyfriend. So many gorgeous lines, red-hot chemistry, and raw, redemptive healing. Naymon is a stunning debut to watch.