This was an enjoyable cozy romance/mystery. I did like the mystery but felt like there was a lack of romance and chemistry. There were moments where the chemistry was showing but I was expecting a little bit more. This was a quick easy read.

Read if you like:
📚 Enemies to Lovers
📚 Cozy Mystery
📚 Libraries
📚 Small Town Romance

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really really wanted to love this book but for some reason I just couldn’t connect to it. The idea of this book was great but it just didn’t come together as well as I thought it would.

I really, really wanted to love this one and did like certain aspects. I just overall felt like the premise wasn’t reached and what could have been a swoony library romance just felt sort of… meh? I did like the social commentary on libraries and how they provide so much more to the community than books but the actual romance itself felt so lukewarm to me. Neither character felt that compelling on their own and together there really wasn’t a spark either. It was good writing - just not characters I could fall in love with. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I got about 1/3 into this book and I am struggling to finish. I am not sure why it isn't keeping my attention. I am going to put it aside and come back after a few books.

I have just finished reading this fabulously refreshing book. It’s packed with innovation and spark, and the characters are all so likeable. The romance and intrigue mix together in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Netgalley

A wonderful romance, sizzling with energy, a truly enjoyable read! Perfect to divulge in by the pool in the sunshine.

I loved the cover of this book and am always down for a cozy mystery romance. I think that this had a lot of potential and would definitely be enjoyable to a large audience. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I can fully acknowledge that I have personal reasons for really not wanting to read a scammer plot and this alone wouldn’t disqualify it from being a cute book. For my taste, it just leaned too far into being cheesy. A Law Enforcement Officer named Leo and a catfishing victim named Kat Fisher? I just had a lot of trouble getting into this one and it felt inauthentic to me.

This was so cute!! I really enjoyed reading it and was involved from the start.

I feel like I related to Kat so much! Her self-doubt and lower self esteem was very relatable, unfortunately. I loved how her relationship with Leo developed. I loved their banter and Leo was so good to her.

I laughed out loud at so many points in the book. I thought it was clever to write about romance scams. I am in the banking industry and we see the financial side of these transactions so much. Including the heartbreak and embarrassment these scams cause. Nothing makes me angrier than people preying on the vulnerable.

I think the story depicted how easy it is to fall for it and I was rooting for Leo and Kat to take down that SOB! I definitely recommend. It's a quick read. I will be looking for more books by Emily Kerr.

Kat works as a librarian in Oxford and has been searching for love on line using a local site aimed at people in the Oxford area. It's meant to be ultra safe which is why she's so happy to be matched with the perfect partner, a gravely voiced army hero of her dreams. Leo has been spending a lot of time in the library but seems to have the knack of irritating the librarian. Charming if predictable romance.

This was more of a low-stakes detective story with a side of romance, which is fine if that's what you want, but I was expecting more of a rom-com.

I enjoyed the cosy feel of the story and the setting. Although I loved the romantic moments between Leo and Kat, I just wish there had been more.

Read Between the Lines is a sweet, cozy romcom with a bookish twist and a charming Oxford setting that makes it easy to escape into. Kat, a romantic at heart and dedicated librarian, finds her life unexpectedly tangled with Leo, a gruff ex-cop who keeps taking up too much space, literally and emotionally.

Their dynamic has a fun enemies-to-lovers energy, and while the romantic chemistry builds more slowly than expected, there’s a quiet sincerity to their bond that grows on you. The story blends dating app drama with a light mystery, and though the pacing occasionally drags in the middle, the payoff is warm and satisfying.

With quirky side characters, subtle humor, and a love story rooted in mutual respect and gentle growth, this one’s a feel-good pick for fans of grumpy/sunshine pairings and low-stakes romantic intrigue. Not earth-shattering, but undeniably charming.

Just an all around fun cozy read! The constant literary references were much at times but that’s just the characters set up and I respect it!

I could not finish this book. It just missed the mark for me and didn’t capture me. I loved the cover and thought it was cute.

I picked up Read Between the Lines by Emily Kerr hoping for a fun, feel-good romcom—but unfortunately, I had to put it down about 15% in.

The writing style didn’t quite click for me. It felt a bit choppy, and I struggled to find a rhythm in the narration or dialogue. Instead of being swept into the story, I found myself distracted by awkward phrasing and a lack of natural flow, which made it hard to stay engaged.

The plot also felt overly familiar early on, hitting all the expected notes without much freshness or spark. While I usually don’t mind a predictable setup (especially in romance), I need the characters or voice to pull me in—and that just didn’t happen here.

I know every book isn’t for every reader, and this might work better for someone looking for a light, low-stakes read with familiar tropes. But for me, it didn’t offer enough to keep me turning the pages.

After being deep in fantasy reads, this charming rom-com was just the palate cleanser I needed. Set in Oxford, it follows Kat, a romantic at heart, and Leo, a former police officer, whose paths cross in the most delightful way. Their banter is witty, the chemistry is palpable, and the setting adds an extra layer of charm! A must read!!

Fantastic cover and a cute book! I will always love when characters love books; it makes the story much more relatable and feel more "real." Very cute and cozy!

It’s an easy to read book great for the beach. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

more like 3.5 stars!

To be completely honest, I didn't think I was going to like this. At first, the characters came across very cheesy/millennial core and the humor felt like it was trying too hard. (I do sometimes find that I react this way to British romances, so maybe it's a bit of a culture shock problem.)

The plot was engaging though, and with time, I warmed up to the characters and got invested. The FMC, while a bit overly insecure at times, had an edge to her that was brought out by the MMC, which made their relationship fun to read. This was an enemies to friends to lovers type of story, but, to give you an idea of the pacing, the majority of the book operates in that friend space.

I will say the mystery was a bit predictable, (I had a strong hunch a little less than halfway through) but I don't think it took away much from the overall plot. The group effort to catch the culprit was a nice setting for their relationship to develop in & parts of the mystery still remained out of my grasp for the majority of the novel.

Read this book sitting on a beach in Morocco and what a pleasure it was even though the content of scamming is not much fun. Kat is a librarian and a romantic based in Oxford. She is looking for love through a dating agency. She has done her due diligence and decided on the one which she felt suited her. Brian gets in touch, he is in the army and cannot wait to meet her. They correspond a lot and plan to meet when he returns from his duties. The meeting is arranged and she is very excited even buying a new dress. Then things go wrong – they are due to meet in a lovely hotel but he asks her to send him the train fair as he is stuck in London after a debrief. Alarm bells ring loudly. Leo comes into the story as he is doing research in the library where Kat works. For some reason he puts Kat’s back up from the beginning but she finds out he is an ex policeman. Kat decides to enlist his help to catch the scammer and he agrees very reluctantly. They seem to disagree with everything and anything but they do work together to make sure that Brian will not scam anyone else. The story moves between Kat, Leo and the librarians who Kat works with. I really liked the characters and was very happy with the ending of the book – a pleasant holiday to read

I found Read Between the Lines to be an easy, quite enjoyable story that didn't really meet it's potential. It was predictable as romcom's usually are but the various characters were great other than Kate and Leo who just didn't really come to life for me.