Wow, I absolutely loved and adored this book! It actually reminded me of one of my favorite authors- Jessica Joyce. Some romance authors just have a way with words, and it’s really great when you can connect with a character. I personally felt connected to the MFC Leigh. I understood her anxiety, the people pleasing, and not feeling like you’re ever good enough- man I felt that in my bones.
I loved the relationship between Will and Leigh. The back and forth. The ANGST. He was PINING and I loved it! One of my favorite reads of the year! Can’t wait to add a physical copy to my bookshelf!

I've been hearing about this book and I was excited to read it. I just don't think this is the right book for me. I found all of the characters to be kind of immature, and maybe I just have higher expectations for a book about an MFA program. This is the second book about an MFA program that I've read lately that I really didn't enjoy. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC!

I'd classify this book as a drama/romance, heavy on the internal drama and relationship drama. The main characters have a lot of baggage that they are working through. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

oh, I absolutely adored this book. It’s already going into the 2025 favorites pile (since it comes out in 2025). Thank you to Netgalley for my early copy of this! I loved the writing style and the subject. I have such a soft spot for books about writers - and in this case, we get TWO writers in love! As someone that majored in creative writing and sat in many poetry workshops, those scenes were so fun and personal to read.

I had a love/hate relationship with Leigh, because she emotionally deprives herself of happiness to avoid future harm. It’s just not something I relate to, but I could understand her actions… I’m glad she came around though because Will utterly adored her from the beginning. I loved their dynamic. Will, also not perfect, had his flaws, but he was so fun to read for me.

I adored this book!! Leigh and Will were both such lovable characters and the tension was SO GOOD. I loved seeing the flashbacks to high school and undergrad and how they reconnected after so many years. I was kicking my feet as they communicated through their poetry to each other. The found family with their fellow students was amazing, and the characters all felt very realistic and relatable. Also, how can you resist this gorgeous cover?!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have only seen raving early reviews for this one and mine won’t be much different. I really, really enjoyed the book. What I liked especially was that poetry was such an integral part of the story and that somehow the slowness of some of the writing contributed to the dreaminess of the story to some extent, at least in my view. I liked the whole cast of characters even though I found some to not have gotten enough spotlight. The 2 main characters felt so real and relatable, and especially Leigh fulfilled that brief. She being so insecure in her inter human connections and her self doubts here and there and her underestimation of her own abilities. The reader experiences a very real person in this character and it is great to read her story. Further, Will I had my difficult time to connect with in the beginning but his character development is really great and especially how everything turns out in the end, not spoiling of course! All in all I can just add to the pool of very happy reviews for this book and I hope it gets the attention it deserves after pub day.

(A review will be posted on my accounts in February before pub date)

I have been sitting with my thoughts for a several days now on how to put into words how good this book is. I kept seeing it everywhere and when I got approved, I could finally belong and understand that all the hype is so very well deserved. Katie gave us the most beautiful and raw main characters. For a person that hadn't enjoyed poetry in the past, this book was written in a way that made me want to keep reading their poems and how they professed their loved for each other through them. Katie appealed to my senses and emotions in such a genuine way. I wish everybody could experience the absolute privilege of being changed by this book.

I brought this book for my flight and it is definitely in my top 5 reads of the year. As a former sorority girl and fellow Swiftie myself, I felt like I had to read this one. Leigh and Will both definitely have feelings for each other but they are having trouble figuring it out. So they basically spill their feelings using poems. The tension and the pining, urgh…it was so good.

Will Langford must be protected at all costs. Leigh was also a very relatable character, I loved basically who she became by the end of the book. This book will live rent free in my head forever! It’s been a while since a book gave me all the feels.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

All of my undergrad creative writing trauma just came on up to the surface with this one. I felt many feelings every time Leigh had a critique. But in my experience, there was not a hot guy staring me down or secretly in love with me. Too bad.

Trauma aside, this story was absolutely lovely. Leigh and Will’s decade long will they/wont they was swoony and full of contention and fear and feelings held onto for too long. When Will walks into the barbecue, I just knew, knew deep down, that this was going to be a beautiful story. And it was.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it!

While I enjoyed "You Between the Lines" for the most part, I feel as though a great portion of its potential was lost. The plot itself felt superficial, and being a writer myself, I understand the need to validate oneself based on someone’s opinion, but it felt a bit childish in Leigh’s case.

In my opinion, I believe the author could’ve easily written a much more compelling version of Leigh, rather than the version that’s portrayed on the page. Especially in comparison to Will, who’s definitely well rounded, and the heavy topics which are genuinely thought-provoking.

If Leigh’s self-sabotaging and “hate the white man” persona was chiefly intended to stir conflict within the narrative, then that’s a shame because there’s far more artistic ways to showcase these flaws (and/or characteristics) without the character coming off as annoying. At the end of the day, however, this is a debut, and with that in mind, there’s always room for improvement.

3.5 stars

Before I go into details about what I liked and didn't like about this title, please let me lead with this: this FMC will NOT be for everyone. Leigh is very flawed, imperfect, and makes decisions that might make you want to scream at your book. But by the end of the book, she unlearns the habits that limit her own growth and emotional maturity. I think a lot of people will be irritated by her, mainly because they see too many of their own flaws within her.

Will has his own flaws that he navigates throughout the book as well, but it felt as if this was Leigh's book and Will was a supporting character, rather than this book being about their relationship.

This might be my least favorite book of the year. I was so looking forward to reading this book but reading it felt like pulling teeth. This was likened to Julie Soto who is my favorite but I can tell you, no I don’t think these writers compare.

This had the makings to be amazing. Two writers, an MFA program (hello that sounds amazing) but no I hated everything about this book. Being in Leigh’s head was truly so terrible and exhausting. I ended up really hating her and it never got better for me. Will was about as fun as a wet paper bag.

I feel bad writing this review because I try to keep things positive as much as possible everywhere but, I hated this book lol.

This book has a beautiful writing style that makes it clear why the plot revolves around the intricacies of poetry and the power of words. I love the depth of some of the workshop scenes and the view inside the MFA program and its difficulties.

Unfortunately, Leigh, the FMC, was the most irritating character in this book. Her self-sabotage, while relatable in many ways, was overwhelming to read on a repeated cycle. Also, the on and off relationship with Will was exhausting, because it also always revolved around Leigh's self sabotaging.

The best part for me was in the final 15% when she finally starts to actually process, well, anything that's been happening to her and makes those changes to allow herself to be happy. She spent the entire book in "woe is me" stage and I loved getting to see her put her life to rights afterward. But it took so long of back and forth, endless waffling of emotions to get there.

Will was... moderately boring as a singular character. BUT I did love the chemistry between Will and Leigh. I just wish it had not been so rollercoaster-y for so much of the book. I think I got whiplash.

Overall, there were a lot of really good scenes that had me invested and loving the story. But the character arcs were just too long winded and exhausting to get through in the meantime. But the ending felt really good and I loved where the characters ended up.

This book had me SWOONING!

After quitting a dead-end advertising job, aspiring poet Leigh does an MFA program. Her imposter syndrome tells her she's going to be the worst writer in her cohort. What she doesn't expect is Will Langford, a former high school classmate with whom she has a...history.

Throughout the year, Leigh and Will are pushed together and pulled apart, seemingly trying to sabotage the obvious chemistry between them before it can ignite.

This book was so good! I loved both of the main characters, and was rooting for them the entire time. Will is truly THE tortured poet, and Leigh, despite thinking otherwise, is perfect for him.

Liked:
*the premise - grabbed me instantly
*the MMC
*well written

Issues:
*”not like other girls” MFC
*not all plot points are as fleshed out as I want in a book
*repetitive
*highly immature MFC
*lack of chemistry between the MC’s
*sorry for going on about her but - intensely unlikable MFC (this ordinarily isn’t an issue but Leigh was insufferable)

While I would definitely read the author again, this particular book was not for me (other readers seem to adore this one, so I think this was a case of me not being the right reader).



Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC

I want to thank the author and Netgallery for allowing me the chance to read the ARC of this book!

First: OMG!!!! Such a freaking cute book.

Secondly: I really liked this book because of the characters. Nobody overpowered the other, and it allowed for charavter development to happen.

Thirdly: I wanted to push both main characters together and say, "KISS!" multiple times. The author wrote sex scenes that aren't descriptive and fade to black (meaning the author skips the descriptive sex scenes).


Fourthly and finally: There were so many things I related to this book. I am an anxious person like Leigh, so to have a character whose mind works like mine was refreshing. The "not handling rejection well" aspect of this book hits so hard for me because I had to learn how to handle rejections without tesring myself down. I really also liked that I could relate to Leigh's feelings about her parents' separation and having to go back-and-forth between them.

This is a beautiful book. I have never read something quite like it. It’s definitely not your traditional romance. It has a literary vibe that was really refreshing and new. There were a couple of times, mostly within the first 35% of the book, where the story moved a little slower than I prefer. Outside of that it was a beautiful love story to be a part of. The poetry aspect of the book was so interesting and unique. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

RATING: 2/5

I wanted to like this Taylor Swift coded poetry romcom but the characters fell flat for me. Loved the idea but didn't vibe with the execution on this one.

I can't believe that this is a debut! This book was one that was a highly anticipated read of early 2025 and it met every expectation and more. Hit has hints of familiar favourites, specifically You With A View, and yet Leigh and Will are so uniquely their own characters. Leigh is multifaceted and as you get to know her, you can't help but relate or sympathize with her. Looking forward to what Naymon releases next!

You Between the Lines is a mature debut. Expect multifaceted characters with complex issues in addition to an alluring and sexy romance between two MFA poetry students who have a rocky shared past and undeniable attraction for one another despite their differences. While at times I tired of how each character self-sabotaged, it felt realistic and relatable. I can't wait to see what else Katie Naymon writes!