You Between the Lines punches you in the face with the nostalgia of being young and vulnerable. Seeing the main character, Leigh, receiving feedback in her high school creative writing class from Will, her crush, that her poem was "all style no substance" was almost too much to bear. I was excited to see how Leigh’s (and Will’s) story would play out based off that intro and there were plenty of cute details sprinkled throughout that made you root for them to make it!

I had a little resistance in the end believing that Leigh and Will were right for each other. But ultimately the messy union is more realistic than what we see in a lot of romance books so it was still worth the read!
I’m also super picky about audiobooks but really enjoyed the production of this one. Sarah Beth Goer’s voice was perfect for the story!

This was a sweet academia romance read. The author did a wonderful job in character development and portrayed the depth of emotion very well. This felt you and very “now”. Romance is not my favorite genre but for those who like it, I think this is a good pick for you. Also, beautiful narration. Well done. Thank you for the chance to listen to the ALC

This was definitely a sweet academic enemies to lovers/second chance romance that takes place mostly during the first year of a graduate program.

I enjoyed the relationship between Leigh and Will. Their banter and chemistry was well written and the spice was a nice touch!

While I enjoyed this book I felt like Leigh's character was a little whiny and annoying. I did appreciate the discussion of Leigh's mental health was well portrayed and handled this difficult topic with care.

I listened to the audiobook and I thought that it was well performed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator was perfect. The story was the same but different and took place in my favorite setting (school!). The ending was very cute. The female character got on my
nerves here and there but overall I would recommend this book to any romance lover.

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

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I found the main female character a little insufferable and like a child. The male main character was fine. The storyline was fun and i loved how the characters were poets.

ALC Review: You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon
Pub Date: February 18, 2025
Narrator: Sarah Beth Goer

I'm marking this one solidly in the "not for me" category. I didn't hate it but I found both main characters pretty pretentious and I just could not for the life of me understand why they kept saying they couldn't be together? There was never any actual reason given other than "it would end badly". The book was pretty repetitive - the number of times Leigh talks about being a sorority girl and how much she wants to be a poet (again without any reasoning that makes me actually believe she wants to be a poet). In the beginning of the book, she's with her MFA cohort and someone asks her who her favorite poet is and she can only come up with one name because she hasn't read a lot of poetry.... it just didn't work for me. The fact that she chooses to enter an MFA program where she knows she will be critiqued but then can't actually handle any critique?? C'mon. And she also is still perseverating on a critique from the MMC from HIGH SCHOOL - 6 YEARS ago. Girl, get some confidence and get over yourself.

I also didn't love the narration for this one - I found the narrator very breathy, particularly at the end of chapters. I actually think the narration probably did fit the character well but since i didn't like the character...I'm not sure anything would have saved this one for me. I did think she did a good job narrating the poetry.

This is one of those cases where I got annoyed in the beginning and then a hard time finding anything positive to say, even if I didn't actually hate the book. I think the characters are ultimately a bit too young for me and too immature. But I can see why others are loving this!

This angsty new adult romance felt more like women’s fiction. The heroine takes herself and her literary aspirations very seriously. I loved the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book or not but decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did. The narrator was easy to listen to and the book had a nice flow to it. I was excited to see how the book was going to end.

Leigh has a lot to prove. She’s a smart girl but she lacks self confidence when it comes to her poetry. The guy she had a crush on in high school is named Will and now is a nemesis but ends up coming back into her life to help her with her writing.

In all honesty, sometimes miscommunication I find to be annoying but I did enjoy Leigh and Will. I was rooting for them.

Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook for free in return for my honest opinion.

This is a very fun angsty romance between two rivals in a masters program for creative writing. I genuinely felt interested in both characters development and highly recommend it.

*You Between the Lines* follows Leigh, a poet embarking on her MFA journey alongside eight other writers, including William, a former crush and rival from high school. As Leigh navigates the competitive program, she grapples with feelings of inadequacy, especially given how different her writing style is compared to her peers. Driven by a desire to prove her worth, she's determined to succeed and leave William behind.

The novel effectively portrays Leigh's internal struggles with self-worth and anxiety. As an only child dealing with her parents' separation, Leigh experiences a deep sense of rejection, which fuels her insecurities and affects her relationships, particularly with William. Readers who have experienced similar anxieties will likely find Leigh relatable. The author skillfully depicts these emotions and incorporates insights from Leigh's therapy sessions.

The dynamic within the writing group is another strength of the book. The diverse writing styles and critiques offer a glimpse into the creative process and the challenges of artistic expression. The unraveling of Leigh's personal life, with her parents' separation, ties directly into her artistic anxieties. Her fear of rejection permeates her writing and colors her feelings towards William, adding complexity to her character and motivations.

Overall, *You Between the Lines* is an engaging read that explores themes of self-doubt, artistic identity, and the complexities of relationships. I enjoyed the author's insightful portrayal of Leigh's vulnerabilities and the realistic depiction of the writing program environment. It's a book that will likely resonate with anyone who has ever questioned their own abilities or struggled with feelings of inadequacy.


Thank you Hachette Audio for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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.
.
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.

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.