I fear that this book has permanently altered my brain chemistry. The yearning and pining are absolutely off the charts. The characters are clever, likeable, and flawed in ways that are relatable and not too infuriating. If your favorite Emily Henry book is Beach Read, you'll love this one. Excellent audiobook narration, too; I can't wait to read a paper copy soon so that I can hyperventilate about the pinky scene again.

My only complaint: I'm profoundly tired of constant Taylor Swift references. Otherwise, this is a total slam dunk for me, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

I wanted to get into this, but I gave up 25% of the way in. It was too much for about the writing program and not enough romance. I was bored and just couldn't connect.

A very strong debut novel with excellent writing and a unique premise. While I loved the writing style in this book and the characters were well written, I kept hoping the romance would be a little more developed. When the third act breakup began, I found I was rooting for the characters to continue to grow, but wasn't very invested in their relationship.

In the audiobook, Sarah Beth Goer did an amazing job bringing this story to life! Although there is only one narrator, her narration makes it feel like there are multiple people narrating the story.

3.75⭐️

I’ll be honest with reading so much contemporary romance lately I am drawn to comparing the different books insofar as rating them. This could be a case where if I read this book at a different time, my rating may have been higher since some outstanding romcoms wouldn’t be fresh in my mind.

One other thing is I recently discovered that to be called a Romance book it MUST have a happily ever after. This completely took the steam out of the problems that inevitably come in the third act as they have nothing beneath them since you know it’s all going to be ok. So this may also be impacting my rating.

Overall, it was a good read where ai wanted to me o what happened. I didn’t particularly like the FMC and there were things that were so repetitive that it took me out of the story but I enjoyed the poetry connection. I’m not a fan of poetry really but I thought it was fun to listen to poems in the book and also learn a bit as they got dissected.

I did however like the MMC which helped me stay with it and want to find out what happens.


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Hachette Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

The narrator did a decent job. I did have to speed it up significantly though to make it easier to listen to as it was painfully slow and she drew out certain words that didn’t match the FMCs personality. But speeding it up made it better.

This title comes out February 18, 2025 so check it out!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I think he narrator did a great job with this one, her style was nice and the difference voices were really nice.

The story itself, well, let's just say I wasn't a big fan of it. My rate here is for the audiobook narration, my rate for the actual book it's way different tho

I absolutely loved this!! It was sweet and spicy with the right amounts. I learned a ton about poetry and Will was actually DREAMING writing those poems. My favorite book this year!

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

ah jeez, i really wanted to love this romcom about two “rivals” in the same mfa program (especially for
the writing center representation — heyo!!) but all my issues stem back to our lackluster fmc leigh. she’s just ridiculously insufferable, and it seems that while i’m in the minority about this book, a few other reviewers agree that her behavior is childish.

let me start by saying if you’re going to be a hater, at least be an educated hater. multiple times leigh says she hates the “straight, white male” authors of the canon, and ok while totally valid for most of those guys she referred to, she admits she never even read their works??? as a self-proclaimed hater, at least when i say i hate something, it’s because i was originally intrigued and then either the content, creator, or both spoiled it for me. so, there’s that.

secondly, her hatred towards will was childish and petty. leigh, babe, he gave you GOOD constructive criticism ONE TIME back in high school and it dashes your hopes and dreams? idk how she made it this far in life then. at least in other academic rivalries i’ve read, whatever character that felt insulted by the other worked hard to spite them…

as for the audio, the narrator did a fine job! i think i prefer it more as a listening experience, rather than a physical reading experience.

anyways, i wanted to love this, i really truly did, but man when the fmc/mmc are foolish it takes the fun out of everything. this book clearly has found its audience, but unfortunately it’s not me.

If you’re in the mood for a good romcom read, pick up You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon. It was Soooo good!

Leigh is a former sorority girl and Taylor Swift lover, ready to take on her MFA program in poetry, bringing her own pop culture twist. The problem? One member of her cohort is none other than Will, her high school crush and ultimate nemesis/competition. The rivalry only escalates when Will embraces the “lit boy” stereotype of dark pretentious poetry, moody vibes, & the occasional sweater vest…all catching the attention of their professors when it comes to a coveted fellowship. Meanwhile, Leigh’s biggest insecurities come to the surface as the rivals try to find common ground to survive their writing program. As is this case with most poetry, there’s plenty between the lines when it comes to their shared history and future.
This was a romance with plenty of deeper topics that people can relate to, like loss & grief, divorce, insecurities, and more. The narration also portrayed all of these emotional moments perfectly.
Thank you to Forever & Hachette Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audio book.

YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is about Leigh and Will, high school classmates who each harbored a quiet crush on the other but never acted on it. After an aborted make-out session years later, they haven't spoken to one another or heard what the other was up to. Now they find themselves as first year MFA students, in poetry. This is a sweet book that benefits from the author having studied poetry herself--providing utterly absorbing poems from both Leigh's and Will's perspectives. The audiobook narrator also did an excellent job of making each character feel distinct (along with a few accents) but not like a caricature.

For those who like (semi) enemies to lovers storylines, this is a good one to try.

You Between the Lines comes out February 18, 2025

This was not for me. I really was interested but the FMC was just too annoying and unfortunately boring. Gave up after 25%

#netgalley #YouBetweentheLines

Victims of Impostor Syndrome will find themselves in this book. Anyone who has ever felt not smart enough, not talented enough, not pretty enough, not worthy enough, or simply not enough will relate to Leigh, our angst filled FMC. She hides her insecurities behind her sorority girl, Taylor Swift loving persona and doesn’t let anyone get too close for fear of being rejected.

When Leigh starts her MFA program she is reunited with fellow poet Will, her high school crush who she almost hooked up with during her undergrad years. Leigh is still smarting from Will’s criticism of her early writing and their failed encounter, yet remains drawn to him. For his part, Will is another tortured soul who feels he has never measured up and seeks validation. Will harbors a secret obsession with Leigh and uses her as a muse for his poetry.

I initially thought both Leigh and Will were immature, thus making the start of this book a bit slow. When Katie Naymon began revealing their inner thoughts through their poetry, my heart became fully engaged. Though touted as a slow burn romance, the true heft of this book lies in the personal growth of both Leigh and Will. My only wish is that we got more of Will’s perspective to better understand his intense connection to Leigh.

The cover belies the depth of feeling in this book. YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is not a lighthearted romcom. It is a slow, sometimes agonizing, journey of personal discovery. Sarah Beth Goer delivers an expressive performance that heightens the emotional impact of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This is a debut??? Angsty romance at its finest. I had the privilege of listening to the early audiobook format and again I has zero notes on Sarah's ability to engage with her tone and pace throughout the entire book. Her narration skills to match the right tone to each conversation and scene is pretty amazing.

I love reading books about authors, writers, editors etc. but I have never read about TWO POETS?! I love this idea so much and it was written so beautifully.

Leigh is wonderfully messy, imperfect, and so incredibly relatable. Will is quiet, soft, and a bit mysterious, but in those small, precious moments between them, you really start to see how much he cares for her. There's this beautiful sense of nostalgia woven throughout the story that hits right in the feels. The chemistry between Leigh and Will had me smiling, feeling all the emotions—giddy, frustrated, hopeful, and everything in between. They’re perfectly imperfect together, and their journey was full of angsty beauty and healing. Just such a beautiful, emotional ride!

ADD THIS TO YOUR FEBUARY TBR BESTIES!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this early audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is an emotional, slow-burn romance full of angst and yearning between two poets. The narrator does a wonderful job bringing this story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me to listen to this story!
You Between the Lines is a contemporary romance to be released in February 18th. A former sorority girl, Leigh is determined to prove herself in a prestigious poetry MFA program—until she realizes her high school crush-turned-nemesis, Will, is in her cohort. Their rivalry reignites as they compete for the program’s top fellowship, but things get complicated when Will starts writing intimate poems about her. As tensions rise and old feelings resurface, Leigh must decide if their story is one of competition or something more.
Narration: A very well done job by Sarah Beth Goer, definitely a voice I have not heard before and it felt fresh and new!
I recommend this one to anyone who loved Not in My Book by Katie Holt! In both books, old rivals get to revisit their feelings for each other over literature or poetry!

Okay let’s start off with the audio part! I loved both of the narrator’s in this book. I feel like they each brought their characters to life and they both had voices that kept me entertained in the story. Now for the actual book itself, this definitely wasn’t for me. I was drawn to this book because of the cute cover and I had friends who loved it so I thought I would give it a shot. This story revolves around the two main characters, Leigh and Will, who are getting their MFAs in writing. Both of them went to high school together and were a bit of rivals back in the day. Now years later they are back in the same class but they realize there’s more to each other once they get to know the person. Leigh is definitely a very flawed person. She was a former sorority girl (and she won’t let you forget that), a huge swiftie. (There’s so many mentions of Taylor that it took me out of the book), and she makes the worst decisions. Then we have Will and honestly we barely got to know him. I wasn’t particularly rooting for this couple since I didn’t like either of them. Not necessarily a bad book but it was not for me.

I just had the absolute best time listening to this book. This was seriously a surprise I didn’t see coming. I’m certainly someone who is super picky with what romances really get me. There was a lot in this book that invoked the standard I-wanna-rip-my-hair-out-you-are-being-so-dumb-right-now vibe that romance novels tend to have. BUT there was also a bunch that I, well & truly, SWOONED over.

Leigh, a sorority girlie & known pathological people pleaser, is pursuing her dream of becoming a poet by joining in an MFA program for fiction writers & poets. She’s excited for the change & for a chance to break away from The Horrors of capitalist monotony. BUT OF COURSE. WHO SHOULD ALSO BE IN THE PROGRAM BUT HER HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH & ALMOST COLLEGE FLING—WILL. & so our scene is set.

What I loved about this was the flow & the writing. It was truly very good & I was immediately in deep while listening. Their relationship feels natural & I enjoyed seeing the progression of it. Also—the writing for the love scenes???? I was truly gasping clutching my weighted stuffy. Will is also the most fictional man to ever be fictionalized. A poet who has impeccable taste in clothes, walking around with his museum tote bag, cooks delicious food, & goes to the farmer’s market every weekend??? BUT DID I MIND??? *violently shakes head “NO”*. My honest to gosh biggest criticism of this book was Leigh, herself. Her mirrorball type people pleasing ways went VERY far. By the end, when Will was telling her what’s freaking what, I was hooting & hollering for him. Her coping mechanisms were just so aggressively frustrating to witness. But—I do feel that the reason I was so annoyed is cause I also related to her. Regardless! This was a great surprise for me with a wonderful narration, & I really did like it a lot!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for this audio ARC!!

The tension between the two characters was undeniable from the start, immediately pulling me into the story. Their constant clashes and differences made every interaction feel intense and unpredictable. Over time, it became clear that beneath the animosity, there was something deeper, and watching that change unfold kept me hooked.

The poetry class added another layer to their connection. It wasn’t just about the class, but the way it allowed them to open up in ways they hadn’t before. The vulnerability that came with being in that space helped them see each other in a new light, making their evolving relationship feel authentic.

As their connection developed, there was a natural flow to how things changed between them. Every moment they shared, both in and out of class, added another piece to their bond. By the end, it was clear that they had grown together in a way that felt earned, with their shared experiences paving the way for something meaningful.

A really intriguing and interesting setting- a prestigious MFA poetry workshop and our heroine Leigh is surprised that her high school crush Will is also included. Her parents have separated and his father has passed, each of them dealing with their changing families and grief. They are also somewhat rivals in that Leigh's favorite poet is going to award a fellowship at the end of the first year. She still has feeling for him but thinks she is out of his league. Leigh would rather write poetry about pop culture references in a clever way than to get feedback on anything super personal.

I loved this book and *most* of its tropes, Leigh was insecure and a bit whiny. Absolutely loved the minor characters of the others in the MfA program. Hearing the dialogue of criticism from the other writers in the workshop was tough, this kind of environment can be kind of brutal to those of us that are sensitive to criticism. The conflict was mostly Leigh not feeling good enough. The book was pretty personal, and I would say it was a really special bonus that we were able to read wonderful poetry. The author does have an MFA in poetry. And I can say that I have read her truly wonderful poetry that she cleverly hid inside of a romcom. After 1600 book reviews, none of them have been for poetry, but about a third are romances. Well played. five stars to the poetry, four stars to the audiobook and the rest of the story.

While I didn't love the Leigh voice, I loved the other voices and the conclusion. The narrator overall was well paced and engaging.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.