You Between the Lines is a charming, witty romance that blends academic rivalry with emotional growth in an unexpected setting. Leigh, a former sorority girl trying to prove herself in a prestigious MFA program, finds herself facing off against Will, her high school crush-turned-nemesis, in a literary battle for a coveted fellowship. Their tense relationship, built on old insecurities and past misunderstandings, provides the perfect backdrop for a slow-burn romance full of humor and heart. Naymon’s exploration of Leigh’s internal struggle to reconcile her past with her ambitions adds depth to the story, while the dynamic between Leigh and Will, full of rivalry and unresolved attraction, keeps the pages turning.

The story, while compelling, leans heavily on familiar tropes like the enemies-to-lovers dynamic and the “underdog” trying to prove their worth. While these themes are well-executed and relatable, they sometimes feel predictable, especially with the tension surrounding the poetry workshops. The poetic, sometimes pretentious setting may not appeal to every reader, but those who enjoy literary references and intellectual banter will find it charming. What stands out in You Between the Lines is the emotional development of both Leigh and Will as they peel back the layers of their relationship, realizing there’s more to each other than meets the eye. The book offers a satisfying balance of humor, romance, and self-discovery, making it an enjoyable read for fans of smart, character-driven rom-coms.

I was very excited to read this but it ended up not meeting my expectations. I thought the writing was a bit choppy and the story was very dragged out. Aside from that, the content mentions of Taylor Swift were annoying and cringy. It just wasn't the book for me sadly.

I really resonated with the afterword on Judaism and memories being a blessing, but I would’ve loved to see that mentioned throughout the book. This was a beautiful story on grief, and it has lgbtq characters! I was kinda shocked by how amber wronged Dina but it’s a very small part of the story

I like reading books with characters who are writers so I was looking forward to picking this up. Overall, a cute romance with good character development. Nothing too unique about this but solid read!

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. The plot was a bit slow-moving for me and characters worked my nerves just a tad bit at times which made it less enjoyable. And also I am so sick of hearing about Taylor Swift lol. Just wanted to put that out there.

You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon was an absolute joy to read! I was captured right from the start and I couldn’t put it down. It was emotional, entertaining and swoony. Honestly, the only bad thing I have to say about this book is the Taylor Swift references (it’s been done too many times and it’s tiresome at this point). The writing was well done, and I felt connected to the characters. The dynamic between all of them was also done so well. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon is an absolute gem of a romance that captured my heart from the very first page. Leigh and Will are unforgettable characters whose chemistry practically leaps off the page, but it’s their individual growth and depth that truly make this story shine.

Leigh is the ultimate girls’ girl—relatable, funny, and fiercely independent. Her journey feels so authentic, filled with moments of vulnerability, self-discovery, and unshakable strength. Will is the perfect match for her, a layered and swoon-worthy love interest who balances charm with substance. Watching their dynamic shift from cautious interactions to undeniable connection is pure magic.

Naymon’s prose is breathtaking, and the dialogue is sharp, witty, and brimming with emotion. It’s not just the romance that makes this book stand out but also the way it explores themes of identity, ambition, and the courage to embrace change.

The steamy romance is perfectly balanced with heartfelt moments, making this a story I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I already know You Between the Lines will be one of my favorite reads of the year. It’s relatable, empowering, and oh-so-satisfying. I can’t wait to read it again and recommend it to everyone I know!

I should’ve known that this wasn’t gonna be a hit for me when I read that she was a former sorority girl who knew Taylor swift songs.

It’s the year 2025, and we have yet to escape the Taylor swift references. When will enough be enough?? 😃

Leigh and her conflict with Will in the beginning was honestly quite petty?? Like girl this was a thing he said in high school PLUS he mentioned it as a critique too 🧍🏻‍♀️ and you’re still thinking about it till this day??

(Ok lowkey me and my anxiety…but I didn’t vibe with it)

I just wasn’t invested in this the way the author was portraying these characters. I think it was supposed to be angsty writers trying to find their place in the world but I received as wannabe ttpd vibes.

Thank you for the free e-arc Forever publishing & NetGalley in exchange for a review!

this was simultaneously one of the most emotional, reflective, and uncomfortable books i’ve ever read. i don’t even know how to put into words the toll that this book took on me. the entire time i read this book i felt like leigh was my reflection staring back at me and it was so unnerving and difficult to push through but it was so worth it! i hope this isn’t coming off as negative because i adore this book! it’s an unflinching look into a character who is deeply insecure, sad, and lost finding herself.

Leigh is a really interesting character to follow because I was rooting for her so bad even when she made the wrong decisions. She’s harsh, judgmental, self sabotaging, and in desperate need of validation from others. she hold grudges and refuses to face issues head on. it’s so frustrating to read her pov because you can see her make a decision, knowing it’s the wrong one out of anger, spite, or fear. she continuously follows this cycle over and over but i think this is something this book does so well. it doesn’t shy away from the ugly thoughts and feelings but instead shows you an unedited version of someone deeply sad and vulnerable. since we get leigh’s pov there’s so many moments where she knows she’s going to make the wrong choice but does it anyway. she makes so many snap judgements but hopes people don’t make snap judgements of her. she’s hypocritical and she knows it but she can’t stop doing it. she constantly seeks validation from her classmates because she desperately wants to know from others that she deserves a spot in the mfa program.

at first reading leigh’s thoughts was making me so upset because she could so easily make the right decision. she could choose not to judge, not to say things in moments of anger or stress, she could talk about her feelings and all of these issues could be resolved. but then i thought about how i would respond in these moments and i was distraught to realize i would act the exact same way. leigh is uncomfortably relatable because she doesn’t feel like she’s enough and she projects this though on to her relationship with others. she prioritizes other people’s feelings and puts herself last and then gets upset because she did this to herself.

while i say all of this about leigh i need you to know while she’s messy and imperfect i love her so much. something this book does so well is show leigh’s growth slowly but surely. she’s in therapy and her discussion with her therapist felt so similar to some i’ve had. i love her openness in these sessions and moments of reflection where she realizes things about her patterns of behavior and what she needs to do to fix it. her growth is so honest and realistic because she’s trying so hard to better herself and while she makes progress sometimes she slips up. when she does the author takes the time to show that leigh realizes she shouldn’t have reacted this way and reflect on why she self sabotages. leigh desperately wants people to like her for who she is but as the story begins you can tell she has no idea who that is. her desperate attempt to avoid vulnerability is so sad and honest. by the end i feel like i know who she is and her relationship with others and therapy help her find herself.

i absolutely adore will langford, a man who yearns!! will is reserved yet forceful. will and leigh have such great tension, there were so many times i just wanted to push these two stubborn people together!! the flashbacks to their previous meetings were in the exact right spot where we got the info enough to give us insight into their current relationship and propel the story forward. at the beginning their relationship feels like one of just tension needing to be released but as the story progressed and they opened up to each other i really felt like they started something new and honest with each other. they’re so alike but so different and they’re perfect for each other. i’m hesitant to compare them to other book couples but they kind of felt like a january and gus prequel while being their own thing.

i feel like i could talk about this book for hours but this book is so special. my only wish is that we sat with leigh’s growth for a bit more, it was gradual and realistic and then felt like it happened all at once towards the end. this book is relatable, and honest and doesn’t shy away from ugly emotions. the romance is flirty and hot while also being gentle and exactly what the other person needs, someone who sees the other for who they are and loves them for all of their faults.

Thank you to netgalley and forever publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited for this book because of the cover art and the blurb but I really didn't like the plot execution 😭 there is more miscommunication than there is communication and chemistry between the MCs.

There's also a fair amount of miscommunication with the READER - the prologue is an interaction between the MCs in high school and there's a jump to 6 years later when they join the same MFA program; it is to be assumed that that is all the history between them? But no, from the minute they see each other again, the MC keeps vaguely referencing an unknown intermediate interaction between them which colors all their scenes and we as the reader have no clue what happened. This interaction which happened two years before the present is not shown to the reader until a fair amount of the book is done (I'm not able to find the chapter now so idk the exact place in the book), and this made their interactions till that point in the book really confusing (ok now I'm saying "interaction" too much 😭). Chronologically, all this makes perfect sense BUT it was very confusing to me reading it out of order, and I ended up not being convinced about them as a couple.

I still liked the author's writing style and the MC's character growth by the end - I just did not get the romance and it made it a not great for me 🥲

TWs - divorce of parents (preceded by a lengthy separation and couples counselling) all narrated on page, anxiety, panic attacks, verbal abuse by a parent, death of a parent

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

You Between the Lines
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks so much to @readforeverpub for the free eARC!

Oh, this was LOVELY. I adored so many things about this story and I’m so impressed by it being a debut novel!!! Amazing!
To be totally transparent, I’ve never been into poetry, and that is primarily because I’m not great at dissecting the deeper meanings. So, when I realized this book focused on poetry, I got a tad bit worried.
Luckily, the poetry in this book worked for me. I saw the author advertise this as “poetry as banter” and I agree!
The poems in this book become such a lovely way of communication between the two main characters and it made their love story so beautiful.
This book was so well done in terms of writing and representation. There was so much mental health representation in this book and it was written PERFECTLY. There were mentions of medication, therapy, and hard emotions. All of these topics were discussed with care and were written so realistically.
The characters were so lovable, and I loved the dynamic of the classmates together. The main characters did have my heart though. While the main character is working through a lot, and some of her inner monologues can feel redundant at times. I loved her feminist energy and motivation. I appreciate the way she dreams, and there are so many times when I just wish I could hug her.
The MMC was swoon-worthy. I would let him read poetry to me all day. What a wonderful man. So sweet and considerate.
The last thing I will say is that I really loved the ending of this book. The way she wrapped up their journey was great!
This book comes out on February 18th, so add it to your TBR now!

Read If You Like:
✍🏼poetry
✍🏼rivals to lovers
✍🏼opposites attract
✍🏼characters in grad school
✍🏼mental health representation

There's a trend in town and it is "romance writers writing romance books about people who want to write books." The queen, of course, is Emily Henry, but Katie Naymon's story of an MFA program romance reminds me of the recent "Not in my Book" by Katie Holt, with less simmering tension but equal recognition of the challenges that come with the vulnerability of exposing yourself to your enemy through the written word. This is a cozy mystery and one aspiring writers in particular will love.

This is a book for poets or literary readers that want to dabble in romance.

While I ultimately enjoyed this book by the end... I did struggle a bit. I wanted more of the cute moments, the bonding moments, the swoon and blush moments. Instead I was introduced to characters struggling through therapy and self-doubt - which is incredibly realistic and relatable, dont get me wrong - but not really a romance.

Since it is set in a masters program with a focus on poetry its not surprising that I struggled, but I do think there is an audience for this book and I hope they find it

Will and Leigh met in high school, harboured crushes toward each other, met once post high school and then meet up in an MFA writing program in their late-ish 20s. Leigh is still mad at Will for his one comment he made about her writing in high school, which I thought was a lot petty on her part. I really wanted these two to sit down much earlier and work their stuff out with each other, but that isn’t what we get. We get a girl who obsessively breaks down each minuscule piece of every interaction with Will to her bestie, but struggles to acknowledges her own feelings or the possibility that Will might feel the same way. Sounds almost annoying, right? Yes, I was almost annoyed for a lot of the book. But I wasn’t. The writing is good. The characters are good. Yes, they needed to communicate with each other, but given their family dynamics, they just needed a little more time to get there. I ended up really enjoying this book. It was sweet. I really liked Will and Leigh together, once they realized they could cheer each other on instead of competing with each other or running in the opposite direction.

3 stars for making me almost annoyed. But I’m rounding it up to 3.5 for turning it around and making me appreciate the pining and obsessing in the end.

`This one started off so strong, but then started to drag a little bit. It picked back up around the 30% mark and I became super invested in the story. I was loving all the angst and the swoony moments between Will and Leigh but it got to a point where I became frustrated with both of them and the back and forth of it all. I feel like Leigh's character was all over the place. She felt more like a senior in high school instead of someone in their late 20s. I also found it hard to believe that she was this sorority/social butterfly girl who loved pop culture and was soooo different than all the other people in the writing program because we never saw that side of her. She acted the same as everyone else.
The romance fell flat for me. It started off so strong and I loved all the history between Leigh and Will and I especially loved how both of them had secretly been pining for the other since high school, but then once they actually got together it started to feel meh.

I wanted to love this one, but it just ended up being a middle of the road romance for me. Hopefully others will love it though!

This is for all the fellow tortured poets out there. Love a slow burn ,angsty romance. Lyrical writing with genuine characters. Read this!

You Between the Lines is a deeply emotional and character-driven novel that explores love, self-discovery, and the complexities of family relationships. The story follows Olivia, a young woman struggling to define herself while dealing with her family's expectations and the allure of a forbidden romance with Ethan, a mysterious figure who seems to understand her in ways no one else does.

Read if you like:
- Forbidden love
- Self-discovery and coming-of-age stories
- Complex family dynamics
- Slow-burn romance
- Characters navigating personal and societal expectations
- Introspective narratives that delve deep into emotions

Olivia's journey is filled with moments of internal conflict as she tries to balance her own desires with what others want for her. Ethan, with his quiet charm, becomes both a source of escape and emotional tension. Their connection is undeniable, but the challenges they face bring both pain and growth.

The novel also explores Olivia's relationships with her overbearing mother, who has her own vision for Olivia’s future, and Maya, her best friend who provides unwavering support, even as she deals with her own struggles. These characters add layers to the story, making Olivia’s path to self-acceptance even more poignant.

Thank you so much to Forever for my gifted ARC!

I wish I could speak eloquently about this book but I fear it has been a lot of incoherent emotional rambling so far, so please bare with me. This book turned me inside out. I started it expecting a story about two MFA students (which I got), but it's also a story about family, imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, actions and words. It is romantic, funny, hopeful, heart wrenching, embarrassing, hot, painful and a million other things. I actually had to put my kindle down and walk around my house to cool down after certain moments. Katie's writing is gorgeous and balances lyrical and quippy very well. Being in Leigh's head is not always an easy thing, but her character is constructed well and I felt very impacted by her journey as someone who can relate to her on some level. The build of the romance was a lot of forward and backward steps, but the payoff worked for me. And I'm kind of obsessed with Will and his tortured poet vibes. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I felt a lot of things. I love this book. If you like Jessica Joyce's books or January and Gus from Beach Read, I'd recommend giving this one a try!

I loved YOU BETWEEN THE LINES so much, I don't even know where to start! I already know it's going to be one of my absolute favorites of the year, and while it deserves even higher than five stars, I suppose this will have to do. The story follows Leigh, a former sorority girl who's beginning a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina after abandoning her unfulfilling copywriting job. Leigh is thrilled to start this new chapter and tap into her creative spark again, but as someone who never felt quite at home among her fellow English majors in college, she's also worried that the type of writer she is, won't be good enough for this group—she still can't shake the "all style, no substance" comment her high school crush made back in their creative writing workshop. Her insecurities are brought to life when she (literally) bumps into Will, that same high school crush, at orientation, and finds out that he's a first-year in the program, too. Only now, Will is William, the pretentious type of writer Leigh can't stand. Leigh's determined to prove herself to Will and the rest of their cohort by landing the program's esteemed fellowship, and nothing is going to get in her way—but in such a close-knit program, she and Will can't avoid each other for long, and they begin to realize that there's more to each other than meets the eye (and the page). Will Leigh be able to let true love in, even as she's just seen her parents' marriage fall apart? And can she get out of her own way to become the person and writer she's meant to be—and take a chance on the guy she's meant to be with?

I didn't want this book to end! I could have spent hundreds more pages in Leigh and Will's world. Leigh was such a relatable character—from the more lighthearted things, like her love for Taylor Swift songs, reality dating shows, and pop culture references, to the heavier, like her people-pleasing nature and tendency toward self-sabotage. I couldn't even get too frustrated with her in those latter moments, because honestly, I knew where she was coming from. Also, the way she gravitated towards writing about pop culture/celebrity culture partly because she was afraid to show more of herself in her writing, and that none of it would measure up to the work her classmates were doing, was somehow so specifically relatable to me, and reminded me of some of my own Creative Writing classes and workshops throughout high school and college! Overall, I just loved following Leigh's journey, and she's a character that will definitely stick with me long after I've finished this book. Will was a fantastic character, too—truly swoon-worthy, but also had so much depth to him. I so enjoyed seeing him find his own voice as a writer and escape from the shadow his successful father had left behind, to fully pave his own path. And of course, the chemistry between them was just perfection! The way they wrote notes to each other in the margins of their poems! The way they were always crushing on each other from afar, for literal years! I would say more, but I don't want to be too spoilery—you'll just have to read the book and see how these two truly bring out the best in each other.

Beyond the leads and their love story, I also appreciated how well-developed the side characters were. In books with a bigger supporting cast, it can sometimes be difficult to really get to know those characters and have them feel like fully realized people, but that wasn't a problem here. All of these characters felt vivid and real, from Leigh and Will's classmates and professors to Leigh's best friend, Gen, her therapist Bridget, and her parents, and each one added a unique layer to the story. The poems were another highlight of the book for me—I loved how Katie Naymon incorporates the characters' poetry throughout the story, and it was great to get to read some of the poems Leigh wrote and see how they played into her overall journey and growth.

Needless to say, YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is a romance not to be missed! The perfect blend of academia and angst, paired with gorgeous, lyrical writing, makes it a definite must-read—I already can't wait to re-read it. And while I am a Kindle girlie through and through, I just might have to pick up a copy to add to my physical bookshelf, too, when it hits shelves in February! This was a fantastic debut from Katie Naymon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I am so, so utterly impressed by this book. You Between The Lines is a fantastic blend of witty, charming, emotional, tender, full of tension and growth, and everything else you want in a romance book.

Will and Leigh’s relationship was palpable, and built in a way that felt authentic. I had visceral reactions to their dynamic, and how utterly genuine it was. More than that, Will and Leigh were both deeply flawed. They behaved in ways that were both hurtful and yet utterly human. I really appreciated both of their own journeys and particularly their reckoning with their self worth.

Separately, I also loved the setting of the MFA program, and how that provided the perfect dynamic to explore the issues of rejection and self esteem.

This book had the special, underlying, and indescribable five star energy that so few books possess. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to whatever Katie Naymon has next.