In several ways I had a good time with this one. At the end of the novel I felt satisfied with the romantic conclusion, but if I’m being completely honest, the more time that has passed since I finished it, the less connected I feel to the story, but particularly the FMC. I found Leigh to be whiny and morose…we get told repeatedly that she was a sorority girl and told this line how she “IS” like other girls, she DOES like pink and she does like Taylor Swift… but all of it felt so surface and a bit “told not shown”. All these ways that made her a sorority girl and not like the other poets felt very contrary to the way she actually acted. I wish we just got a more authentic portrayal of who she allegedly really was supposed to be.

I did think the narrator did a great job, and I actually switch from eye to ear reading midway through because I was struggling with how I was supposed to read some of the poetry (in the right cadence etc) and having audio was definitely beneficial there.

Listened to the Audiobook.
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The narration was perfect, the right amount of angst. I loved how the narrator showed emotion.
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This book was fantastic, I loved the setting in academia and how it starts the rival to lovers in high school, showing how it all started. I really liked how it keeps you engaged to know what else happened. Is definitely a slow burn that keeps pulling you in.
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I enjoyed the mental health rep, our FMC goes to therapy and some of the sessions are shown on the page, and how growth is shown throughout the book, from both Leigh and Will
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Thank you NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC

For Fans of Not in My Book by Katie Holt!

This novel follows two MFA candidate students in a second chance romance. Leigh and Will have known each other since high school. They thrive in their animosity but grow into an affectionate romance.

The poetry and writing is phenomenal here. I enjoyed each character's writing. The pop cultural viewpoint illustrated such creative ingenuity. It was such a fun twist to an already well-written book. Katie Naymon is incredibly talented!

I am so happy to have read this on Valentine's Day! 🩷

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC!

Really enjoyed this book! I was intrigued by this take on a rom-com because of the MFA setting, so I enjoyed that glimpse into a version of life in those programs. There are some great comedic moments but also some deeply emotional ones, too. I enjoyed the narrator as well. Overall, a great listen!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun peek into what MFA programs are like, and very nostalgic to me as a former English major. I liked the back and forth between Leigh and William, and Leigh's trauma with her parents was relatable. The narrator did a good job, as well!

I want to start by thanking the publisher and Netgalley for the audio arc!

Now as an audio production, I would say it was average. Not over the top amazing but the artist did a good job with what they were given. I wouldn't mind listening to more of their work. Very clear and good pacing.

The story itself was a 2.5 for me. Our female lead felt a bit insufferable who couldn't take criticism in a field that is HIGHLY critical.

Her fights with Will became redundant and had me rolling my eyes. I personally wasn't interested in her issues. She made me want to close the book/stop the audio.

Now that said I don't think it was poorly written. I believe this author has talent and would look for another sample of their writing to see if that topic was something I was more interested in.

Thank you Netgalley for the ability to listen to this book via audio.

There were many things I loved about this book. One the characters were older and grad students which means they are much more mature.

One thing this book really goes into is mental health and relationship issues with family (parent) and themselves. They talk a lot about anxiety and letting yourself experience life which was nice.

I feel like it was a little bit of a downer instead of a light hearted romantic book. The front cover doesn't really reflect the feelings of the book.

leigh was absolutely atrocious. she was the worse person to everyone she was around and i don’t see how this was romantic. there was an abundance of out of place and invasive taylor swift references that were completely unnecessary, on top of immature writing, characters, and conflicts. i understand this is a debut and i would potentially read her sophomore book, but the cherry on top was the narrator taking me completely out of the sorry :(

You Between The Lines by Katie Naymon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
368 pages
Publishing February 18th, 2025

Former sorority girl Leigh starts a journey at a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina following undergrad. Leigh quickly discovers her high school crushed-turned-nemesis is now one of her classmates. Leigh is filled with anxiety and low self esteem finding this out as she begins this new journey. She is determined to prove Will wrong and become successful. When Will submits an intimate poem to workshop, they are both forced to face the inevitable.

What a joy was it to read this book! This book is funny, the MMC is lovable, and the book is full of growth! Will’s character is everything a girl wants-smart, sensitive, kind. He fell first for her & fell HARD! I just can’t say enough about this book! Fans of Abby Jimenez, Julie Soto, and Emily Henry should checkout this debut novel! I can’t wait to meet @katienaymonwrites next week in Greensboro!

Read if you like:
✨Rivals to Lovers
✨Mental Health Representation
✨Found Family
✨”Let’s Just Get It Out of Our System”

Thank you @netgalley @katienaymonwrites @readforeverpub @hachetteus for an eARC & ALC of this amazing book!

#katienaymon #rivalstolovers #poetry #romance

Leigh is surprised when she gets accepted into a prestigious MFA program for poetry. Her surprise continues when she finds out that her high school crush (who gave her some harsh feedback on her poetry back then) is also in her program. Now they’re competing for a fellowship with her favorite poet and are forced to confront what happened in the past.

I really wanted to love this story, but I was pretty annoyed with Leigh, who felt immature to me. She’s 27, still very hung up on heartbreak from high school, and overly affected by her parents’ crumbling relationship. She also gets really mean and defensive when people close to her provide her with constructive criticism or try to help her. She felt like a teenager to me. However, I very much enjoyed the on-page therapy sessions and mental health discussions, as well as the poetry, which is so unique in a romance book.

I started this book as audio and other readers have loved it on audio, but I had a really hard time with it. Sarah Beth Goer has a great voice, and I would listen to other books she narrates, but her voice didnt match my vision of Leigh’s character. Leigh is portrayed as the Elle Woods of poetry. She is a pop music-loving former sorority girl, and I thought the narration for her voice sounded a little pretentious. I did really like how the narrator read the poetry and voiced Will though. Overall, I was distracted by the narration and switched to the ebook, where I enjoyed the story more.

Thank you to Katie Naymon, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
💕 Poetry
💕 Forced proximity
💕 MFA Poets
💕 Mental health rep
💕 Rivals to lovers

Leigh and Will are both twentysomethings in a creative writing MFA program in North Carolina. They knew each other in high school and have even critiqued each other’s work before in high school creative writing class. While Leigh had the courage to leave behind her job and life in Boston, she doesn’t quite have the courage to be vulnerable in her poetry. As an English major it was nostalgic to listen to these writers in class and the academia of it all. Poetry is not my genre of choice but I enjoyed the prose that was included in the novel. I didn’t like how judging Leigh was of her cohort when feeling like she didn’t fit in. Once I let go of trying to like Leigh, I was able to just go with the flow as both she and Will are very flawed. Flawed in their ability to communicate as well as share truths about themselves. I get that is where the conflict was, it just was hard always being in Leigh’s head.

Overall, I loved Sara Beth Goer’s performance in the audiobook version of this novel. She does a lovely job with all the poetry readings and bringing the characters to life.

Thank you Hachette Audio, Forever, NetGalley, and Katie Naymore for an advanced listening copy of this book.

Overall I liked this book. I thought it was thought out, written well and I enjoyed the plot, storyline and characters, I thought that the college aged setting fit well for the miscommunication and potential immature aspects of the FMC and MMC.

I would recommend this book / audio to others.

ARC REVIEW (w/ audiobook) I was lucky enough to get the audio arc of this and listen along as I read! I will always love a romance about two authors but two poets? Ugh, this was so cute and fluffy and fun I had a really good time with this! The audio was very well done, and I really enjoyed Katie Naymon's writing style as well! Overall a really cute romance with minimal spice & lots of cuteness

If you, like me, want your contemporary romance with a healthy (??? is it??) helping of angst and pain and pining this book is for you!

As someone who is basically a Taylor Swift hater, I went into this thinking I wasn’t going to like it but I was sent a book so I was just gonna try it out… and I ended up crying, relating, and loving it.

I combo read this with audio and the narrator was so great, there are a lot of characters and she did a great job of giving them distinct voices and also her Will voice uhhhh does something for me 😳.

Thank you Forever for the eARC and finished copy, and Hachette audio for the ALC!!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

I wish I had liked this one. But I think I’m a little too much of a STEM girly for most of You Between the Lines.

There is so much about poetry, and composition, and writing, and I felt like my eyes were glazing over. But I think I could have persevered and continued had I enjoyed the main characters—at all.

Leigh is a ‘pick me’ girl; always judging and putting down others in her classes. Acting like she’s better because she wears pink and listens to current pop music. And she PINES for Will, despite acting like he’s the devil. It’s like whiplash at times.

And Will? He gives off so many mixed signals. While I appreciate him being open about his depression and treatment (and I wish we all could talk about it more freely), he still felt like bland and forgettable.

Sorry, despite the great narrator, I couldn’t finish.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. This on audio was so good. I loved Leigh as a main character. She was so relatable and likable. I really felt for her as she was not really feeling fulfilled at her marketing job. I too can say I don't always feel happy at work. Her parents are also going through a divorce and I myself have recently gone through a divorce. So that can be tough. So Leigh is just going through a lot and she sees Will at a MFA program and hasn't seen him since High school. The banter between the two characters was very entertaining and the way they fell for each other was done phenomenally. I would rate this a 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend checking out this book if you also like books based on writing and poetry. I love books based off books. This was a really enjoyable and fun read.

This audiobook is absolutely fantastic. The narrator does such a BEAUTIFUL job. Between having difference voices/tones for each character and brining so much emotion to Leigh’s words and thoughts and feelings. Everything is so perfect.

And I love this book so much. It’s one of the absolute best books!

Thanks so much to Hachette for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrators were nice but I was not in love with the female narrator. She played the character well but I feel like it just made me more irritated with the character. The book was good the characters were relatable but the same issue happening over and over was super frustrating and over done

This book<3

Will and Leigh are poets from the same hometown. While life brought them together once after high school, they went their separate ways before finding themselves in the same MFA program for poetry. Through some misunderstandings, they resist the pull they feel towards one another until they can't anymore.

I completely fell in love with Will and Leigh's story. They both have anxiety-related issues and they are written so well, you can really feel what Leigh is feeling throughout the book. I cannot recommend this book enough for my romantics, it is truly a fantastic read!

The wrist? The email? The feedback? I cannot wait to continue to follow Katie Naymon over her career!

3.5 stars, rounded down because I struggled to stick with this book through a large portion of it. At the end though, I was glad I did.

I was attracted to this advance review audiobook by the adorable cover and the premise. Two high school crushes turned rivals end up in the same prestigious MFA program, and the poetry he’s writing seems to pretty definitely be about her. And, overall, the book delivers.

There’s lots of lovely poetry from the MFA candidates, particularly Leigh and Will, our MCs. Leigh, though, is really struggling with her myriad insecurities. This is someone more attuned to the poetry of a Taylor Swift lyric than classic poets, and Will’s peer feedback of her work frequently centers on an all-style, no-substance critique that hits too close to home, as she knows she’s unwilling to be the level of vulnerable necessary to compete for the program’s prestigious fellowship. Will, on the other hand, is very willing to lay himself bare in his poetry. And while Leigh is struggling with feeling like she’s an outsider among the more artsy, well-read MFA candidates, that she’s responsible for her parents’ impending divorce - yes, this is an almost 30-year-old with the rather immature ability to make every situation all about her - Will is going through his own challenging personal stuff, like the recent loss of his father. This isn’t so much a will they or won’t they, but a, can I bear with these two until they hopefully get their stuff together?

In the end, I was happy with where this ended up, I really liked Will and some of the supporting characters in the MFA cohort, and both the poetry and the writing style were beautiful, as one would expect from a writer with these credentials (debut author Katie Naymon holds an MFA herself). This book had its shortcomings for me, probably largely due to a female MC that I just couldn’t relate to, but I enjoyed it overall and think the author has a voice worth following. Speaking of voices, for quite a while I felt that narrator Sarah Beth Goer was simply too low-key and chill in her delivery, but as the book went on, I couldn’t picture anyone else voicing Leigh and think she struck just the right note.

Thank you #NetGalley #HachetteAudio #Forever for the advance listen! This one comes out on Feb. 18.