Kat has been suckered in by an online cat fish and with former police officer Leo’s help she’s determined to uncover who the con artist is
The slow burn romance combined with the mystery of who the con artist is made for a nice read. I feel the romance could of been explored more and as the reader I wanted more

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter (HC) for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ I had a really enjoyable time with this book - we follow Kat who has been unlucky in love and joined a local dating site based in Oxford where she may have met the one! She has been messaging Brian for weeks and finally may be able to meet up after his busy schedule in the Army - but is he everything he seems? We also meet Leo, our grumpy MMC who is a former police officer trying to figure out his way after leaving the forces. Our two have to band together to solve the mystery of Brian and I just had a great time watching the pair sleuth around Oxford!

My few hot takes - there wasn’t enough time in the library, I would’ve loved to see them researching and investigating whilst she was working. I also wanted more on the page romance between them and seeing it blossom more - I felt like there wasn’t enough!

📚 Bookish Thoughts
This was such a cute romcom. I loved our FMC Kat, she was sunshine personified! I will always be a fan of a bookish girlie and Kat has the best job as a librarian.

This is a very low angst story, with a soft and sweet slow burn. It was a bit slower paced than I expected, but still an adorable read with charming moments throughout.

💘 What to Expect
• Sunshine FMC
• Grumpy MMC
• Librarian setting
• Forced proximity
• Low angst
• Slow burn romance

📖 Final Score: 3.75 stars
📅 Pub Date: June 13, 2025
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Meh, it got boring at times and I did not feel the romance or connection between the protagonists in this book. Okay but lacked the oomph factor.

#netgalley #ReadBetweentheLines

First off, I HATE that his name is Leo, and I hate that he used to be a police officer. Isn't that a little on the nose? I was also disappointed with the climax of the book. The banter between Leo and Kat was nice, but it didn't scratch my itch the way I needed it to. It was fine; I've absolutely read worse.

Read Between the Lines was cute and cozy read. A small-town librarian gets catfished and ropes in a grumpy ex-cop to help track the guy down. It’s part mystery, part slow-burn romance, and while the pacing dragged a bit early on, it ended up being sweet and easy to read. Not super spicy, but charming in that British rom-com kind of way. The book was light, a little slow, but still a feel-good read.

this was a fun read! the premise was very intriguing. also the cover really pulled me in.

this was a light story about a librarian and an ex cop, after getting scammed online. they start a “friendship” and start an investigation.

i wish there was more romance, more of a connection between the two. i just didn’t feel their connection.

Read Between the lines is a current day reality of the wild life of online dating and friendships. Online creepers and real life heroes make this light, funny Roma-com come to life. This was a silly, light hearted and romantic read. This also dabbled in the lovely world of libraries, bookstagram and online fun with books!

Whilst this book is not what I expected, it is an entertaining read. It explores contemporary issues and has believable characters. The romance is just part of this, which is fine and gives the story a realistic feel. Kat is an introvert but excels when she is in her comfort zone, like many of us. In the library, where she knows what she is talking about and where the boundaries are defined, she finds communication with the library users easy. Not so much in social situations where she is the focus, and online dating on a respected, local app seemed an ideal solution to her need for romance. Motivated by compassion and thoughtfulness, she finds that Leo, an ex-police officer and also a library user, antagonises her. Thrown together, when her online dating life implodes, with more than a few sparks, both of passion and temper. I like the contemporary ethos, the authentic characters and the mix of humour, poignancy and romance in this story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Kat Fisher is a hopeless romantic who dreams of a love story as perfect as those in her favourite books. Working in an Oxford library, her orderly world is disrupted by Leo Taylor, a former police officer with a messy habit and a sharp sense of humour. Their witty banter and unexpected partnership to track down a scammer bring them closer, proving that romance can be found in the most surprising places. Set against the charming backdrop of Oxford, this bookish romance is full of heart, humour, and just the right amount of mystery.

Read Between the Lines had a concept I was really excited about — the premise was fun, and I could definitely see the potential for a heartwarming, charming story. Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t quite land for me.

The first half of the book felt really slow, and I struggled to stay engaged. I found it hard to connect with the characters, and the pacing made it difficult to feel fully invested in what was happening. That said, the last 20% of the book flew by — it finally picked up some momentum, and I found myself more interested in how everything would wrap up.

Even so, I was left with a few unanswered questions, and the ending felt a little incomplete. I kept waiting for certain things to be explored or resolved, and when they weren’t, it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

I can definitely see how others might enjoy the lighthearted tone and quirky setup — the book had potential, and I really wanted to love it. But in the end, it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Read Between the Lines is a quick, clean romance with a cute premise. I loved the Oxford setting, and the book does a lovely job of immersing the reader in the charm of the city, from the cobblestone streets and centuries-old buildings to the famed rowing teams on the Thames. As I tend to really enjoy books about book lovers, it was easy to root for librarian Kat Fisher in her efforts to get to the bottom of a potential scam she'd been targeted for. So, if something on the lighter side with a great setting is what you're looking for, this would fit the bill pretty well.

However, there were some elements that made this one a bit of a struggle for me to engage with. Kat is not necessarily a protagonist that I wanted to spend a lot of time with. She is so insecure that she agonizes over buying and wearing a dress that she worries is too showy, she is constantly over-explaining everything she says and does, and looks for approval at almost every turn. I found that reading her as a narrator became quite tedious, as it felt like every scenario, action, and interaction was explained to the reader ad nauseum. The reader isn't trusted to put two and two together, and instead Kat hand-holds us by explaining every single plot point and thought to the point that it comes across as neurosis. Unfortunately, we spend so much time with Kat overthinking everything, that her love interest Leo comes across as one-dimensional. There is some banter to provide some personality and chemistry, but it could have been amped up quite a bit.

I know that catfishing and scams can be part of the online dating world, but I kind of felt that the seriousness with which Kat pursues her potential scammer was disproportionate to what actually occurred. (Maybe this type of fraud is more heavily prosecuted in the UK than it is in the US?) Given the premise of the book, I think some more levity and fun would have gone a long way. It could have been a fun, zany caper, but instead it is treated with what felt like a disproportionate level of gravity and self-seriousness.

Additionally, I found the language, both in terms of the dialogue, and in Kat's narration to be odd. It was just so formal and, I don't know, maybe too elevated for the genre? It just didn't feel natural, especially for the contemporary romance genre. At first I was willing to chalk it up to differences between UK and US vernacular, but even taking that into consideration, it just felt weird and I was constantly distracted by the formality of it.

Ultimately, there were hits and misses in this one for me. It might be a great fit for you, but I struggled a bit to engage with it.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this book the way I wanted to. I’ll try again when I’m in a different reading mood!

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collin’s UK for the ARC. This book had a lot of promise but to me it fell short. I was expecting a sweet romance that’s much faster paced but I just couldn’t get into it. The dynamic between Kat and Leo I believe was supposed to be back and forth banter but it was not there. The book felt slow and there wasn’t enough of a hook to keep me engaged throughout.

I went in with the expectations of a cosy, full of fun romance as the cover was very pretty and the book is set up around a Librarian, in the UK. The premise of the story was interesting. Online dating, mystery, searching for truth, it was indeed a cosy read. However, I did not feel the connection with the main characters. It took me some time to get into the book and then to keep going. But the writing was good. It’s just the chemistry between main characters did not hit for me. But I did enjoy the setting of the book, also the way plot was set up. Hence, 3 stars.
Also, a huge thank you to Netgalley, Emily Kerr and One More Chapter for the Arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the mix of mystery and romance in Read Between the Lines. It was such a cute, light read! That said, I was hoping for a bit more romance towards the end — it felt like the spark between the characters fizzled out slightly.

I did love both characters individually, and the writing style really worked for me — engaging, easy to read, and well-paced.

P.S. That cover is absolutely gorgeous!

Read between the lines is a cute fun romance perfect for fans of the romance genre, easy read with the typical predictable elements of the genre

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Cute Rom-Com

I am a sucker for a bookstore or library on a cover. I did enjoy this one, but it did take a bit for me to warm up to the characters. Side characters on point, but I wondered if it was more of a hate-story at the beginning than a love story.

Quick recap: Kat is a librarian trying to catch a predator on a dating app and enlists the help of an ex-detective patron, Leo. Enemies to Friends to Lovers.

What I loved:
The setting - Oxford was like another character in the book
Kat is a strong lead, and I loved her sense of justice
Final resolution was satisfying, almost predictable (but I enjoy the guessing!)

What I didn’t love:
I didn’t get the connection between the two until very late in the book, and I wished for more
Somehow, the writing was troublesome for me. I am no stranger to English-set fiction, but some of the lingo was out of my normal vocabulary.

Once I got into it, I wanted to find out what would happen and if you need a short little romance, this book might be for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

While I found this book overall enjoyable, I found that the chemistry between the FMC and MMC to not be quite there. The writing was well done, and the plot was intriguing enough that it made up for what felt a lack in romance.

A witty and warm mystery-romance with a closed-door twist

This was a solid read featuring a librarian with an unfortunate name, an ex-CID officer, and a quest to unmask the man who catfished Kat Fisher. I enjoyed the slow-burn build of their relationship—it felt natural and nicely paced—but I would’ve liked a bit more steam on the romance front. It leaned more closed-door than I typically go for, and the ending felt just a touch rushed.

That said, this had a charming blend of humour, intrigue, and sleuthing that kept me turning (or clicking) the pages. If you like your mysteries light and your romance sweet (with minimal steam), this will be right up your alley. A clever and entertaining story with a satisfying conclusion.