Firstly thank you so much to Harper Collins UK for a copy of this eARC!

The premise for this book is what really caught my eye. A librarian and an ex police officer set in the UK were the perfect ingredients for a contemporary romance for me.

As Kat is a librarian, there are lots of great nods to classic literature that I really enjoyed.

The side characters (Doris and Moira) were my absolute favourites. With their witty remarks about young people and dating (especially when Kat goes through her bad experience at the start). Doris is also such a legend in her own right. An older lady reading spicy books with demons and has a successful bookstagram? She is who I want to be when I grow up!

Other than this, I’m gutted to say I found the book severely lacking.

Kat goes through a bad dating experience at the start of the book and decides to ask Leo, an ex police officer, for help. However, from the point of first meeting him up, she is incredibly rude and quite unprofessional. Despite this, she still has the audacity to ask him for help and then continues to be rude to him? I know you can read books where you don’t like the FMC but there was nothing I enjoyed about her that made me want to continue.

Leo is.. understandably, frustrated at the cards he’s been given in life. However his, what I can only describe as greasy flirtation attempts at the start of the book came across as creepy and cringe and then he went straight to cold attitude towards Kat. I felt like the author couldn’t decide how she wanted to write Leo and couldn’t settle on how his personality was to be.

The writing itself was okay but felt very… meta? Quotes like ‘I do love a bit of demon action’ in relation to fantasy books with spice, or mentions of bookstagram with 10k followers and advance copies and proofs, or ‘the holy grail of fits’ and my personal favourite ‘the ref flags are so big I’m amazed you’ve not been knocked over by the strength of them blowing in the breeze’ all just felt like the author was trying to be with the times and used language that was too conversational for a book.

I honestly wish I loved this book and could finish it but the writing and the characters were just not for me.

I’ve not read any of this author before so I’m unsure if this is just a style of writing or unique to this book but if you enjoyed this author’s work before I would be interested to know if I should give her other work a go.

I stopped reading this book at 23% therefore all my views are only on this part of the book.

This is my first from this author and I thought it was such a fun premise! I love the slight mystery element and the opposites attract vibe we got. I did feel like the MMC was a bit too grumpy and a bit rude. I feel like there's a fine line of when too grumpy becomes rude and disrespectful and messes with the flow of the story. I loved the UK setting and was so intrigued by it! I also think the title name was very fitting!

What a perfect little book! I was hooked from page one. The characters, the humor, the plot, the romance, all of it was so well written and engaging. I ended up reading it all in one day. This is a book I could see myself coming back and reading again as a comfort read and is one I wish I could read again for the first time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book.

I believe that the description for this book has changed since I requested it, I remember the description including the reason behind Kat and Leo's acquaintanceship. I would have loved to revisit the original synopsis rather than see all the five star reviews. Personally the plot that I was enticed with was what drew me into the book. I thought the idea of Kat and Leo teaming up to find the scammer to be unique and appealing. I anticipated adventures and time spent together were they would get to know one another better. However, I did not anticipate that 80% of the book would be discussing the scammer with the other 20% being occasional conversation, banter, or Kat agonizing over her attraction for Leo while he constantly gives her and the audience mixed signals. While the book does describe Kat as a romantic I think that her infatuation with books and fiction makes her seem extremely naive and she fails to separate reality from fiction by using her book knowledge as law for real life situations without considering that she is extremely unqualified for any kind of sleuthing. While I like that she does acknowledge some of the flaws about her character I would have liked it more if she had done something about them. Overall, I just found her character a little inconsistent and I was never sure what to expect from her and yet all her decision were a little questionable. Leo on the other hand had some nice protective male lead moments and also some moments where he too was calling Kat out on her naivety and impulsiveness. I just didn't feel the chemistry between the characters and I feel like they spent more time arguing about how to catch the scammer and discussing their one life problem that led them to each other that they didn't really learn much else about one another. I also figured out who the scammer was the moment that they were introduced which may have lessened my enjoyment for the search but I did enjoy the idea. Overall, I was a fan of the mini mystery of finding the scammer, I was a big fan of all the side characters from the library and Kat's sister, I do think that this book worked well as a slow burn. I just really wish I liked the main characters more and that they had more time together to connect and not just to plot and argue.

Read Between the Lines is a sweet, cozy romcom set in Oxford, where librarian Kat teams up with grumpy ex-cop Leo to track down a romance scammer. What starts as a reluctant partnership slowly turns into a gentle, slow-burn connection.

The romance is subtle think more soft smiles than sparks, but their banter and friendship are fun to watch grow. The mystery adds a light twist, and while it’s easy to guess, it keeps things moving. The charming Oxford setting and quirky library regulars add warmth and personality.

It’s not a swoony romance, but it’s heartfelt, witty, and comforting.

A romance with a little mystery thrown in. Good story but felt like it dragged a bit in the middle.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Read Between the Lines to come out June 13, 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc! All thoughts are my own.

This was a short, easy read with a cozy setting - I barely find romances set in the UK so Oxford was nice! - and the mystery aspect of this was so fun and intriguing. However, I didn't quite enjoy the book as much as I'd hoped to. It was hard to get into with the extra dialogue and slight info dump, which didn't feel necessary to begin with and made for a slow start, but I kept reading for the mystery of it all. I think, while I thought the chats at the beginning were realistic and I could hear them in my head with familiar voices, being set in a local library, it didn't do anything for the plot and I think it just wasn't neededfor a book like this.

I also didn't quite gel with the characters and it was hard to connect with Kat, but I appreciated the slow burn of Kat and Leo's romance!

I think it was missing some heat or a bit more depth to their chemistry, but overall this was a sweet read and I enjoyed the plot more than the characters,

A sweet easy read set in Oxford. I loved the characters of Kat and Leo and the setting of Oxford. Recommended.

The premise of this book really drew me in, with it being set in a library in Oxford and including a romance with a broody ex police officer. The main character Kat is a librarian and she’s trying to figure out who the mysterious Brian she has been online dating is.

I do definitely think this book is likeable, however, I just didn’t personally gel with the writing style. There was a lot of extra dialogue and information that didn’t necessarily add to anything and the multiple pop culture references just weren’t for me.

However, this is just my personal preference so I would definitely say to try this out for yourself as there are tons of positives and I am just one of many readers.

Thank you to One more chapter and net galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read Between the Lines is a charming and lighthearted romcom set against the picturesque backdrop of Oxford, blending a gentle enemies-to-lovers romance with a surprisingly engaging mystery plot. It follows Kat Fisher, an idealistic librarian and hopeless romantic, who thinks she’s finally found love on a dating app, until the red flags start piling up. When her so-called Prince Charming fails to show and starts asking for money, Kat suspects she’s being scammed and turns to grumpy ex-cop Leo Taylor for help.

What follows is a sweet and cosy mystery-romance mashup as Kat and Leo team up to track down the scammer. The Oxford setting really adds something special. The author’s references to familiar landmarks and cozy spots give the story an endearing, nostalgic charm. It’s a lovely change from the typical big-city romcom locations.

Kat and Leo are an entertaining duo. Their dynamic begins with friction (and some mild bickering in the library), but develops slowly and naturally as the story progresses. While I didn’t feel a ton of romantic chemistry or deep emotional tension between them, their banter and evolving friendship kept things engaging. It’s more soft smiles and companionship than fireworks, but that suits the tone of the book. The romance is definitely on the slower, subtler side.

The mystery element adds a fun twist, and even though the culprit is fairly easy to guess, the investigation has enough small surprises to keep you turning the pages. There’s also a delightful cast of side characters. The quirky library regulars really give the story its heart and bring a warm sense of community to Kat’s world.

All in all, this is a sweet, easy read, perfect for fans of feel-good romances with a bit of sleuthing on the side. While the characters could have been fleshed out more, and the romance lacked a bit of spark for me, the cosy vibes, witty dialogue, and well-drawn setting made for a thoroughly enjoyable book. A great addition to your summer TBR!

Rating: 3.5 – 4 stars
Cozy, cute, and quietly clever - like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day.

Read Between the Lines by Emily Kerr

ARC Read releasing mid June, thank you as always to NetGalley for the sneak peek!

Set in the UK, this story is about sunshine librarian Kat and ex-cop grump Leo. Kat is a romantic, head up in the clouds, falls way too quickly kind of girl. She is currently waiting to meet her online Prince Charming "Brian".
Having never met in person and only talked online for the past few months, Kat is still convinced he could be her happily ever after. Until Brian starts flagging all the red flags. And Kat realizes she might be getting tricked. Cue, meeting Leo and using his cop background to start their own investigation into Brian and the dating app itself.

It's all light and breezy, even with the investigative part it's not a heavy book which is nice. I felt it kind of lack chemistry between the main characters - missing some heat. The writing was good, and the characters were good also.

ARC review

3,5 stars

Kat is a librarian and she dreams of finding a guy who can live up to her book boyfriends. But she ends up being catfished by the man she met on a dating app.
Leo is a former detectiv that spends a lot of time in the library trying to make a business plan.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Kat and Leo start investigating the catfishing together and they become friends.
I did not like how she treated him in the start, but I enjoyed their banter after they started working together.
Most of the story is about the catfishing and there is only a little bit of romance.
It is even more than a slow burn, as they only get together in the last part of the book.

Overall this is a cute book, it has a good writing, but the pace is a bit slow and I wanted more tension and chemistry between Kat and Leo.

I thought the book was well written, but it just wasn’t for me. I liked the Oxford setting.
Other than that, I found that even though the book was short, the pacing felt slow.
I was more interested in the mystery (who is Brian even if it was pretty obvious) than in the romance. The characters lacked chemistry imo, and I didn’t connect with them.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute little romance with some mystery involved. I laughed quite a few times! I loved how fierce and determined Kat was. She was great. Leo was perfect in his own way. It would have been fun to hear his side as well. I wish the ending would have went a little longer but it was still good!

Set in Oxford, this bookish romance follows librarian Kat Fisher as she navigates unexpected romantic developments. Praised for its humor and likable characters, it's an escapist read that offers both laughter and heartwarming moments.

A cute, slow burn romance. Kat is a librarian in Oxford. She loves her job, and think she's found the one on a local online dating app. However, she finds out that he's catfishing her. The app doesn't do anything about it when she complains, so she gets former police officer Leo to help her find and stop the catfisher. In return, she will help him develop a business plan. But the sunny Cat and cynical Leo clash as they trace their target. Cat and Leo are fun and realistic characters. Overall, a good story.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This was rough.
In the beginning my first thoughts were that a lot of the writing was info dumping and not necessary information for the storyline. It was a lot of internal thoughts and musings that had no purpose.
Kat was a decent character! She said what she wanted, she didn't shy from confrontation, and she was well spoken. Leo, however, made my soul angry. Every time he was on the page with Kat he was exasperated, sighing, or criticizing her. I hated him with a fury. I did not like their relationship or him as a character. He was more annoyed with her than he was in love with her.
There was even a scene 40% into the book where Kat walks out to go to a party and she's wearing a polka-dot dress and Leo has the audacity to give her a backhanded compliment. I was FUMING. I haven't hated a male love interest so strongly in a long time.
The plot line of hunting down a romance scammer and making him fess up to what he'd done was a really unique story. I did think it could have been done in a different manner with more intrigue, it was still something I'd never read before.
The banter between Kat and her friends and co-workers at the library was adorable and relatable and I loved how easy the female friendships were, but I just couldn't get on board with the writing style and the infuriating male love interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book had it all! I wish I could cozy up and read it all over again it was THAT good.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kat Fisher is a librarian looking for love. In the hopes of finding the one, she set up a profile on a local dating app that promises extra security. Without realizing she begins a correspondence with a scammer. Once the truth comes out, she’s determined to stop him from scamming other women. With the help of ex-policeman, Leo Taylor, the two set off to capture the culprit and make him pay. On the hunt to uncover the scammer’s true identity, feelings between the pair begin to surface. But what will happen once justice is served, and they go on their separate ways?

This was such a cute, cozy novel. Kat and Leo make quite the pair. Their banter was fun, though I didn’t quite feel any chemistry between them. While I understood that Kat would feel insecure as to the status of their relationship, given everything that happened to her, I still felt frustrated it. For that reason, the development of their relationship felt very flat to me. The plot itself is fast paced. I loved going along with them on their investigation as they get closer to uncovering who’s behind the profile scamming women, though I will admit the culprit is pretty obvious early on. While I would categorize this more as women’s fiction with a romantic subplot, I still enjoyed myself and would recommend this novel.