You Between the Lines was a really decent debut with a lot of elements I liked. The writing style was beautiful, and the poetry aspect refreshing. However, the pacing and romance just didn’t really work for me.

It’s in the heroine’s POV only and there are some great tropes like, academic rivals to lovers, found family, and let’s get it out of our systems.

The overall premise was enjoyable and the mental health representation was written beautifully. There were a lot of complex emotions, feelings, and insecurities explored throughout the story that felt very realistic. However, the pacing was very slow and there were certain subplots that felt rush and underdeveloped.

The romance was the biggest letdown for me though. While I loved the history and tension between them, their conflict and constant back and forth was just frustrating and too drawn out. I also just wasn’t sold on their relationship, there was just something missing for me.

I will say though, the side characters and friendships in the story were amazing. There were also some amusing and heartfelt moments.

Overall, this was a good read; I just didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A romance on two writers? This caught my attention immediately and never let it go. I loved the author's voice, her humor, and the romance was just everything to me! I cannot wait to read more of Naymon's work!

I loved the premise of this story and the writer’s voice throughout. Will was heady and romantic with just enough brooding to be a perfect MMC and a well flushed character. I will say that the standard miscommunication conflict at around 75-80% in made me absolutely HATE Leigh. She went from being a people pleaser with anxiety that you could relate to, to a total tantrum throwing adult brat and it was extremely frustrating to read. In addition to that, the frequent use of the word “cohort” really started pulling me out of the story. I think at one point towards the end it was used 4 times on the same page, back to back to back. It started off as a strong 4.5 for me but lost some appeal in the last 20%.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the e-arc of You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon.

This debut novel by Katie Naymon was both light hearted and heavy hearted, in a very good way. Our main character, Leigh, is a frustrated writer, who feels stuck in her copy writing job and longs for the ability to work on more serious projects. Following successful publication in a literary magazine, she applies for and is admitted to an MFA program. When she arrives, she is equal parts hopeful and suffering from imposter syndrome. This is all made worse when her high school poetry crush/nemesis, Will, surfaces as one of the 10 writers in her program.

Leigh and Will were some of the most realistic, relatable characters that I have seen in a romantic dramedy. Sure, they had petty squabbles, but their ability to support each other through some pretty tough emotional places: her insecurities as a writer and dealing with her parents’ separation and his dealing with the death of his father while feeling that his father did not respect his writing, was a big difference from some romance-based novels I have read in the past few years.

The back and forth with Will forms much of the front storyline, however, Leigh’s mental struggle and maturation is a huge part of the story. I was really rooting for her success amidst all her self-sabotage. She is helped greatly by her interactions with her fellow students and her professors (loved them all, especially the quirky writers), and ultimately her real-life bestie and her therapist. The ending was better than I hoped for. Can’t wait to recommend this as we head into publication month. 5/5 star read

📖ARC Review📓 2/18 Release

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦
💗Something I Loved: Honestly, my favorite part of the book was Gen, the best friend of the FMC, Leigh. She wasn’t in the book often but I found her to be the most likeable character.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: I’ll admit I don’t love poetry. Or get it, for the most part. So reading a book about a poet where the whole thing is centered around her getting her MFA was maybe not my smartest of decisions. Speaking of smart… similarly to how Leigh often felt like the least intelligent of her cohort, I too felt like the dumbest girl in school because I definitely didn’t get everything being said in this book. There was some decent (and of course overly intelligent) flirting/foreplay that I was into, but the rest of it… the poetry of it… right over my head. I also felt like neither main character was overly lovable and while there was some chemistry between them at times, more often than not I didn’t feel a connection whatsoever.
🥰Favorite Moment: The epilogue. Even though I struggled to see how these two could actually end up together, I was still happy that they did.
🌶️Spiciest Scene: I don’t know. Chapter 22? I’d classify this as more of a cracked door than an open one. Also be warned… there’s some cringey orgasm/poetry analogies that just did not work for me😬
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: If you’re a poetry lover, yeah, maybe give it a go. But if you, like me, often feel like you learned a very small fraction of what others learned in school, skip it. I fluctuated between feelings of frustration (at the characters) and stupidity/inadequacy (at myself) and as much as I wanted to love it, I just did not. That being said a lot of people have absolutely adored this book so if it seems like your thing, give it a try.
💬Tropes: Academic Rivals to Lovers, Poetry Banter, Found Family, Mental Illness Rep, Second (Third?) Chance

What a fun read! Leigh and Will’s story was such a blast to read as they rediscovered who they were to each other after first connecting in high school as they embark on a MFA program together.

Leigh’s self discovery through therapy (love on page therapy!) and investigating who she was through her work was amazing to see her self worth.

Overall, the pacing was fantastic and felt realistic, because the story took place over the entire first year of the MFA program, which I appreciated!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Between the Lines is a heartfelt love story full of pinning and Taylor Swift references. Will and Leigh find themselves in the same MFA program after a previous crush and failed connection 10 years earlier. The MFA setting gives us a great environment for both of them to tackle their demons and grow. All in all it makes for a sweet love story. Thanks for Forever and NetGalley for this eARC!

As a former sorority girl/English major who got an MA in writing, I loved this book! It had all the things I love—academia, poets, sad-lit-bros, people-pleasing heroines, decades-long PINING, and a happy ending. Leigh’s propensity for making others comfortable at the expense of her own comfort was palpable and I saw myself in that somewhat (loved the interactions with her therapist). Will’s inability to just freaking communicate was frustrating but also a bit delicious. There’s something about a writer/poet who can’t say the words out loud but will lay his heart bare on paper 🥵. I got angry with Leigh’s parents for involving her too much in their marital issues and Will’s dad for putting too much pressure on him and never giving him validation. Expect some (okay, a lot of) miscommunication. And I admit, I’m not big into poetry but I enjoyed the poetry shared. It wasn’t just talked about. There were actual portions of poems and some of them were 🤌🏻. All this to say, I felt all the feels and it was worth it.
P.S. I love the cover and thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

"You deserve better than what I could ever give, even though I wanted to give you everything you wanted and everything I had."

YUP THIS IS IT. I want to imprint every word Will said on my eyelids so when I close my eyes they are still with me. Dramatic? Yeah. Warranted? Also yeah.

This book was everything I could have asked for. The tension had me fidgeting & yelling at my book "JUST KISS ALREADY!!!!" I really enjoyed Leigh & Will as their own separate characters which made me enjoy this story that much more because it wasn't hindered only on their romance. I cannot recommend this book enough for when it releases!

Also, I absolutely hated the poetry section in my AP English class, so the fact I am raving about this book should tell you just how good it is.

I've been putting off this book for months—and maybe I should have kept doing so. I really wanted it to work; the premise was so captivating: two ex-high school classmates/"rivals" reunite 10 years later in a writing program. I was fascinated by the idea of them being part of the "tortured poets department" lololol.

This book really suffers from insufferable characters—and that applies to both of them. Two adults stuck in their high school phase; all the push and pull, mixed signals, and silly dramas just didn’t make any sense for me. Leigh is the worst kind of "pick me girl." She's in a writing program, but she's not like everyone else ☝🏼—she’s not obsessed with the classics and she likes Taylor Swift. Her initial issue with Will was a trivial matter from their high school days, and she still held grudges. I couldn’t stand how every time he rejected her, she would chase after him, demanding and seeking him out, as if, “Girl, maybe he's not that into you!” At one point, I stopped caring about Will altogether; he didn’t give me any good vibes and behaved like an indecisive, clueless idiot.

In the end, I wasn’t that interested in how their story would conclude—I was hoping they wouldn’t end up together because, tbh, I just don’t see much of a future for them.

I initially gave it 2 stars and then dropped it to 1 because Leigh was too much for me. If you're going to suffer the consequences of your own actions, you don’t have the right to treat or make others feel bad when they’re only trying to help you. I don’t know, maybe it just hit a sensitive nerve. The cover is pretty tho!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC of this book (+) the audiobook; it was an experience.

A sizzling, dramatic, emotional and deeply romantic book. This book has a little bit of everything from years of pining, found family, academic shenanigans and an accurate portrayal of mental illness.

what a debut! this truly was a delight and while the pop culture references made me cringe at times (please let's leave TS references to the past), i thoroughly enjoyed the writing. naymon does a fantastic job at building the tension between our two main characters. will is so down bad and i lived for it, his way with words *chefs kiss*

i do think this story will be a bit divisive amongst readers, mainly due to leigh's coping mechanisms and the way the third act conflict transpires. nonetheless, i found her to be relatable and honestly, just human. she is going through a very big transition in her life during this novel so on top of reuniting with her high school crush and family troubles, i can understand her self-sabotage-y tendencies. i think we can all say we've made mistakes and have questioned our careers/love lives; leigh is a character who at least realizes it, acknowledges it, and takes a step forward to be better. i had a lot of empathy for her.

will, what a man honestly. i think i legitimately swooned at some of the things he said. he has his faults too in this book, but he's honestly a dream. i loved his character and how he deeply he loves and cares for leigh. i would have loved his povs.

overall, a fantastic debut! naymon is on my radar and im excited to see what's next. thank you foreverpub for the e-arc!

ARC Review!!!!
Thank you NetGalley!!!

You Between the Lines was a good read. Leigh was a little annoying for me, annoyingly real. It makes sense the way she was due to her parents. So realistically her parents were annoying. The book was a SLOW BURN. It took forever to build up to them even kissing or touching each other. I liked Will and Leigh together after they were able to sort out their problems, well mostly Leigh. Leigh with Will before her breakthrough was so toxic. Therefore, I hated the 3rd act breakup. For a second I really thought there was no coming back. They both are completing their Masters therefore there is a lot of school mention and masters work mention. Overall the book was good, a quick read and went by quick. I enjoyed it but the Leigh made it a little boring for me.
3 Stars

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc.

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…

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.

You Between the Lines follows our main character Leigh who joins a poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her fellow grad students is her high school crush-turned-nemesis William, who once gave her negative feedback on her writing in high school, and who also broke her heart in college. I was pretty excited about this book because I love rivals to lovers romances set in an academia setting. There was a lot of push and pull between Leigh and William throughout the book, and while I could see how this could be repetitive, I lived for the drama. Every stolen glance, touch, and slip of the tongue that William made towards Leigh was very fun to catch onto. At the same time, there were moments where I felt frustrated at William for not being clear and straightforward about his feelings for Leigh (instead of playing games). This book deals a lot with rejection, both when it comes to relationships and friendships, and when it comes to school and work. Speaking to the relationships portion, the number of times that William rejected Leigh throughout their friendship made me feel so depressed LOL. I have to hand it to Leigh for not crashing out and still maintaining a amicable friendship with William after each rejection.

The subplot of her feeling negative about her own writing did feel a little like the author was trying to force the reader to feel sorry for Leigh. I'm not one to enjoy a book that has a chockfull of Taylor Swift references, so I did cringe every time that Leigh based her poetry on writing from Taylor Swift's perspective. I didn't make me feel that sorry for her when she received negative feedback on her work. I'm glad that the plot shifted to her writing poetry about her own experiences instead. I also appreciated the friendship and found family Leigh developed with the rest of her classmates.

Overall, I can see how this book would be appealing to readers who like the (*cough* white *cough*) romances who are made up of all things Taylor Swift-coded. While I haven't read Emily Henry's books, I see a lot of readers comparing this book to hers, and I can believe that is true. I don't think this book is one that is going to stick with me that long, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This is more than the usual fluffy romance. In fact, I loved it.

Leigh, a former sorority girl, is accepted into an exclusive MFA program. She's a poet, who deftly adds pop culture references to her poem. She can't help but feel less than by her 'cool' New Yorker classmates. She's hasn't read all the right people and isn't covered in tattoos like them. In fact, she still lives in the 'all style, no substance' mindset that was dictated to her by her former high-school crush.

When that high school crush walks into orientation, Leigh knows she has to prove herself, to the class and to William.

This is a book about change and growth. About pain and heartache. Yes, there are the stereotypical romance themes, but it's so much more than that. It's about two people who have grown beyond their former selves and who find there way back to each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

*3 stars*

This book was a bit of a conundrum to me. The writing was interesting and the plot was good, but I wasn’t a huge fan of our main character, Leigh.

While this book does shine a light on mental illness with our main characters, Leigh’s anxiety often makes her judgmental of others. I know that this is a real thing, and that it’s more about her insecurities than the other characters, but there isn’t enough self-reflection to counteract her judgements, so her character comes off as rude and entitled throughout the majority of the book.

Because of that, she’s often judging her love interest, Will, for being a white man in the literary world and writing more typical poetry that is seen in literature. However, she also judges another classmate who is a woman because her poetry is also written in the same “pretentious” way, but she never acknowledges that her female classmate is a woman of color. The whole thing just reeks of white feminism, and again, I know she’s insecure which is what affects her judgements, but regardless, it’s not okay.

With all of that being said, there are some really beautiful moments in this novel. I really liked the relationship between Will and Leigh and I loved that they kept encountering one another over the years. Their relationship had depth to it, and I loved the build up of it as well.

Additionally, the poetry our characters write is often featured in the novel itself, which is cool! I loved being able to see what the characters were writing, and the poetry was good! The writing in the book was great, and there were some lines that had me kicking my feet.

Overall, the book was solid but definitely could have been better if Leigh’s growth happened more throughout the novel. The plot and the writing was great though, so if it sounds like something you’d like, give it a read!

"You Between the Lines" by Nikki Erlick is a captivating exploration of love and connection through the lens of a unique relationship. The story delves into the emotional depths of its characters, highlighting the power of words and the unspoken bonds between them. With engaging writing and relatable themes, it's a heartfelt read that resonates with anyone who has experienced the complexities of love.

This is also really for the Amy March girls (I want to be great or nothing type of vibes), the type A planners, the in need of constant validation from others bc hearing it from ourselves isn't enough, you get it. I cried a lot okay! And it was so worth it, Katie Naymon has such finesse in her writing, portraying emotions that I felt through the pages. From now on, she is a must read for me.

┆ ⤿ 💌 5 stars!

My best friend Krysta loving this book was my first hint that it was going to be AMAZING. This is Katie Naymon’s debut novel and she absolutely hit it out of the park, a complete grand slam! I will be buying everything she’s writes (post it notes and all) for the rest of my life. I’m not a writer myself but I was truly able to feel the characters’ passion for the art form. I learned about the stress and work that goes into an MFA program and what it takes to making writing a full time job.

What makes the writing even more heartfelt is that it’s not Leigh and Will’s of writing we’re feeling but rather it’s Naymon’s love of it that’s shining through. I loved Leigh and Will’s relationship, I felt like I was right there with them through everything they’ve been through and even all their personal struggles. I’m not too proud to admit I finished this book crying in the bathtub with my kindle clutched in my hand.

Don’t get me started on Will by the way, he’s the perfect book boyfriend and I’m actively mourning the fact he isn’t real (thank you for the well wishes during this time) 😩 Thank you readforever and netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!