This was a delightful read. Leigh is a former sorority girl who has quit her soul sucking corporate job to pursue her MFA and become the poet she has always wanted to be. But when she gets there she cannot believe her eyes that her high school crush turned nemesis is also in the program. In high school he called her work “all style, no substance”, killing her crush and breaking her belief in herself. So Leigh is more determined than ever to prove herself in this program. The push and pull, will they won’t they energy was great. The poetry scattered through the book was fun. And there was some good character growth. I did take a star off because I wanted more from Leigh, I think there was potential for her to get her act together and show growth far before she did, and I would have enjoyed the book more if she had gotten it together earlier. All in all, still a very fun read. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

“You Between the Lines” by Katie Naymon is an absolute masterpiece.

I saw so much of myself in Leigh—feeling like I didn’t belong in the writing world because my love for pop culture and my seemingly “smaller” traumas didn’t feel valid. The way this book handled those emotions was beautifully authentic.

Even though I hated the breakup, it was exactly what both characters needed to grow, and their development felt so real and earned. The writing completely blew me away—every line was packed with emotion and meaning, and the poetry woven throughout added such a rich, heartfelt layer to the story.

This book isn’t just a second-chance romance; it’s a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt out of place in their own passions. I can’t recommend it enough!

This one got me. Some romances just feel realistic, and tug at your heartstrings. I loved the idea of loving someone since your high school days. We all remember the “Will” of our younger days, that giant crush we never quite got over. This book was well-written, engaging, and I really enjoyed the poetry throughout. I also appreciated learning about MFA programs, and thought it was an unique framing device. Highly recommend, especially for fans of Emily Henry or Annabel Monaghan!

Wow! A wonderful debut novel- while I really liked Leigh and connected with her as a chronic people pleaser- I sorta lost a little bit of her. I felt like we were just told she's into bachelor, love island, Taylor Swift (which hello is me) but then the author proceeded to name drop Authors and Poets... Maybe that was intentional? It just sorta leaves the reader feeling dumb (which is slightly ironic seeing as that's the FMC's complaint). I also was slightly more moved by Will's email/letter and his poems than any of her poems. Overall, it was a solid 4 star read for me!

Thank you to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

Lighthearted and heartfelt, You Between The Lines feels like a breath of fresh air. The attention to detail, prose, and emotionality of it really kept me turning pages, even though I initially wanted to read it because of the high school crush trope. And that did not disappoint either! Running into your former crush is always a big deal, and Will is THE big deal of this book - the book boyfriend of your dreams. So well executed.

I have lots of mixed feelings about this Romance debut about Will and Leigh, two poetry MFA students who went to the same Ohio high school and have a rocky history together and find themselves reunited when they are both selected for the same MFA program in North Carolina.

Lots of things were fun for me - I loved the way the characters shared their thoughts on the feedback from each other's poems. I also liked the mental health focus (Will has depression and takes medication, Leigh has anxiety and regularly sees a therapist), the friendships and the swoony, satisfying epilogue.

What didn't work as well for me was just how angsty this book felt, the characters go back and forth on whether they'll give in to their mutual desire for one another and then pump the brakes (more than once) when they get scared. It simultaneously felt like they were moving towards something inevitable with a lot of buildup but also that it happens almost unrealistically quickly? I would have like a bit more open door content too, there's lots of suggestions but nothing super explicit - just enough to tease!

That said, I did enjoy this story and look forward to seeing what the author writes next. You can definitely tell that she used her own experience as an Ohioan, a poet and an MFA grad for the content. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a parent, parental separation/divorce, depression + anxiety

A phenomenal debut!! Did I lowkey get AP English PTSD? Absolutely, but totally worth it 😂

I love when authors write (for lack of a better term) their other lives/professions. It's very clear before even reading the Author bio that Katie Naymon had to have drawn from some kind of personal experience (MFA in Poetry) and not just thoroughly researched. I think adding the assignments in the story was just a brilliant touch, she could have easily foregone it altogether and I wouldn't have batted an eye. If they're her actual original works too I would be doubly impressed she was able to add poetry into her novel. I especially loved how she wrote the intimacy scene(s) in Leigh's POV. She would say the most beautiful, lyrical things and describe these passionate moments that I almost didn't buy that Leigh, as a character, wasn't a talented poet. 🤣 it's almost meta that's she's so self deprecating.

I'm truly on a roll reading book(s) where the MC's are creatives, specifically writers and/or poets. I think writers writing about poets is just god-level. The men are especially swoony and the romance and tension just hits; not too hot, not overly sweet, but just right. 🤌🏼

Thank you Forever and netgalley for the eARC!!

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭.

i finished this book late last night and i’ve been in state of reflection all morning. books that have that level of impact deserve their roses and i have to applaud Kate Naymon for crafting her characters so beautifully!

the first half of this book gave me all the five star tingles. riddled with academic rivalry, tension, lingering glances and small touches all culminating to a delicious will-they-won’t-they push & pull between the two main characters. i loved will as an mmc and found him so charming, sweet, and thoughtful in his pursuit of the fmc.

i really loved when the writing would utilize literary language to describe a moment. so cleverly on theme and had me rereading those lines over & over.

leigh is an incredibly relatable fmc (for me) and in a way, it’s difficult to admit that because she makes some very questionable (and sometimes maddening) decisions in the second half of this book. but instead of getting upset with her, i did my best to understand her. her need to please every single person in a room was based in parental trauma, her fear of failure handicaps her from potential, and her desperation for some semblance of control in her life can manifest into manipulation. she’s a an absolute mess of an fmc but her breakthrough with her mental health was so powerful and left me feeling convicted to try harder on my part.

my closing thought is that towards the second half of the book, leigh’s introspective journey takes more of front seat as opposed to the relationship between her and will. i think i would have liked to see more dialogue happen between them to be fully sold on them as a couple.

i do love will oh so much though 😩🫶🏻

thank you so much to the author and Forever Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for my honest thoughts 💌

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy! You can pick up You Between the Lines on February 18, 2025.

Katie Naymon really strikes right at the heart of what all writers fear --that they're not good enough, especially compared to their peers. We see so much vulnerability from Leigh as she navigates the next step in her life that she's taking to pursue her dreams. As a writer who struggles with the same insecurities, this book hurt a little!! Ngl!!

But that's what makes it so emotional and evocative. We see Leigh and Will bare the deepest parts of themselves to each other, even if at first they were too caught up in their past. While I did find Leigh's behavior slightly immature initially (when she kept putting off important conversations with Will), it was gratifying to see them navigate their past and present together.

Def pick this up if you enjoy writers x writers and second-chance romance!

Leigh has always wanted to be a writer, even when, in high school the cute literary editor (Will) she had a crush on told her that her work was more form than substance. Fast forward to the MFA poetry program that Leigh gets into, and Will is also in the small program. Will is now totally pompous and calls himself William, and the two are completely awkward when they are near each other (maybe because they almost hooked up 6 years before). Leigh is determined to prove William wrong and nabbing the amazing fellowship the program offers - but there are still underlying feelings about Will that she just can’t shake.

This was the perfect weekend read for me and I inhaled it on a Sunday when my husband had the flu and it was just too cold to go out. I loved reading about all of the characters in the program as well as the dynamics between them all. The slow burn of the two main characters (even though you obviously knew what would happen) worked really well. Since I love all things literary, this book about writing and writers totally worked for me. It’s a perfect bookstagram romance.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC to review

couldn’t put this book down! Leigh and Will are absolutely perfect for each other. Normally, I hate the miscommunication trope, but it was executed so brilliantly here that it didn’t bother me at all. The tension was razor-sharp—so intense and emotional that I had to remind myself to breathe more than once.

The plot was fantastic, and I gained a deeper appreciation for poetry along the way. The way they poured their emotions into their writing was captivating. I also loved the inclusion of the poems throughout the pages; they added so much depth and resonance to the story.

Both characters were deeply flawed, and that’s exactly what made them feel so authentic. The book delves into profound inner struggles with insecurity and self-doubt, capturing those emotions with raw honesty. While their flaws could be frustrating at times, they were also incredibly relatable. Despite the use of tropes I typically don’t enjoy, I found myself absolutely loving this book. It struck a perfect balance between imperfection and relatability, making it an unforgettable read.

Leigh & Will, meant to be together if only both of them would take a minute to communicate. Oo man mixed feelings about this book. The plot is good and the setting of an MFA program was enjoyable and vivid in my mind. I loved that they had previous history and it certainly added to the story. I feel like along the way the story got a bit long and didn’t have enough passion to make up for the slow parts. I felt like especially the MFC acted quite immature for her age. While this might have been intentional by the author it was fairly distracting to the story. Their relationship was sweet, they each had plenty of character development and I appreciated when they finally talked things through. All in all it was an enjoyable book that I think people will like! 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I could not put this book down. It was angsty & funny & emotional, all the feels! The writing was so beautiful and addicting. The FMC was definitely frustrating but I think she was written that was purposefully & is someone that people-pleasers will relate to. I loved the MMC. Some spice that fit extremely well into the rest of the book.

Second - chance (or third or fourth)
Academic enemies to lovers
Set in a NC MFA program
🌶️
Third act breakup (that I didn’t hate as much as I thought
Therapy positive

An early front runner for my favorite book of the year!! This book is truly so special to me and I hope everyone who reads it has the same experience with it that I did. Not only was this romance so beautiful to watch develop, but Leigh Simon is honestly the most relatable character I have ever read about. From her people-pleasing tendencies to her need to be validated by other people to feel like she's worthy to her imposter syndrome towards everything from her career to her relationship with Will made me feel so seen I was actually nauseous at some points. Reading this felt like going through a therapy session (my therapist and I have had shockingly similar conversations to the ones Leigh and Bridget did) and I had to do a lot of self-reflecting because of it. This is one of those books that even though I may forget details of the plot, I am never going to forget Leigh or the way it made me feel.

3.5 stars

This book is perfect for readers who love an academia setting and writers!

Will and Leigh were flawed characters, like a normal human would be. This book really spoke to those insecurities about being rejected and that fear of rejection. They both had those feelings, it just presented different in both of them.

There was history between them that kept them from being together. But I think that time apart (not a second chance romance) helped them grow more and become the people that could fall in love.

The amount of yearning that was in Wills poetry??! Whew. I miss yearning in romance books.

The authors writing was so beautiful too! Truly just knew how to write those feelings, the intimate moments so romantically.

I think a dual POV would have added SO much more to this book. Leigh wasn’t my favorite FMC. Her “white literay men are the worst!” Got really repetitive. She really had a victim mentally during most of the book which was hard to get through. Plus there was a lot of miscommunication in this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I can’t even put my love for this one into words. The yearning, the pining is unreal. 10 years of being obsessed with each other from afar brewing into some friction until they finally try to “get it out of their systems.” yeah right. ate it up. will do it again. loved this.

I hund in around 30% before accepting I didn’t feel a connection to the characters. I don’t know if I just don’t get it, but it feels like the self doubt of the FMC is overwhelming and that the romance was truly never going to show up. Unfortunately it’s a miss for me :(

I highlighted every word that came out of this man’s mouth i fear i’m in love and i would die for him. also leigh is me, i am leigh and i’m not ready to talk about it. gusjanuary truthers this book is for US!!!!

I'm not really a "poetry" person. I get that other people *get* it, but I just don't.
Katie Naymon, on the other hand, is clearly a "poetry" person.
And she wrote a book that is very much about poets and their poetry that manages to be both accessible and intriguing to this "non-poetry" person.

I really enjoyed this. Characters were emotionally intelligent and well-developed. And academic-yet-athletically built MMCs? Yeah, I *get* those. Great chemistry with a well-paced burn. Interesting and multidimensional side characters, realistic conflicts.

All in all, I highly recommend if you're looking for academic rivals-to-lovers with a past and are interested in learning *a lot* about poetry construction.

A gorgeous, emotional contemporary romance that puts a fresh spin on the classic writers-in-love-with-writers setup. A poetry MFA program is such a great place for romance to thrive—fraught workshops, dramatic house parties, and of course, layers of hidden meaning in every poem! Naymon has a poetry MFA herself, so the setting feels totally lived in and realistic. Not to mention prose written by poets is always more fun to read.

Leigh and Will are such relatable characters—Leigh, careening between doubt and self-righteousness as she tries to find her voice, and Will, doing his best to outrun an overbearing father and make his writing truly his own. Their problems and flaws make them more lovable, not less, and it’s so satisfying to watch them find a safe harbor in each other.

A must read for lovers of academia, angst, and poetry!