I love a good love story, and this just had something extra sweet about it. It was fabulous! Loved the characters and the setting. It was wonderfully written. Get ready for an adorable ride with this one!

A lovely romantic read perfect for Valentine’s. I swooned over Will and wanted to shake Leigh. It made me giddy with anticipation!

This was available for read-now and all I knew about it was that it was being suggested for readers that enjoy Julie Soto’s books. As a huge fan of Julie Soto, I figured I would check this out and see. Oh, boy did this exceed my every expectation. Dare I say this is my favorite read of the year? (I’ve read over 100 books so far this year, for reference. Yes, I know that is utterly insane). Will and Leigh’s story captivated me in a way few other books have. I saw so much of myself in Leigh as someone who also went to school for English and Creative Writing and someone who also struggles with anxiety over being perceived as smart and competent in a room of others. While I have not pursued my MFA, my partner recently finished his MFA for creative writing and we were giggling over the many accurate detailings of life in an MFA program throughout the book. The romance was unbelievably phenomenal. The chemistry, the tension, and the pining. AHH. It was all so palpable. This book had me giggling, crying, hyperventilating. I cannot wait to see what comes next from Katie Naymon. I will be eagerly awaiting more from her!

You Between the Lines is the perfect title for book. Leigh and William/Will went to the same high school and years later wind up at the same North Carolina University for a Masters writing and poetry program. Each week those in the program write a piece, share it and constructively critique each other; writing this review feels like one of these workshops.

Leigh and Will are interesting characters, and seem to be written well. They are hiding who and what they are to varying degrees, and it's frustrating but it's also so true in life; how many of us hide who we are because we want to be liked.
The story wraps up well tying up the loose ends and doesn't leave any strings behind.

I wanted to love this. I wanted so badly for this novel to consume me. From the moment it was presented as a must-read for fans of Julie Soto, I was in. I had high hopes. Maybe that's where it went wrong—Julie Soto's writing is fast-paced and sends you on a roller coaster of emotions. And yes, I had a roller coaster of emotions—a roller coaster of annoyance that we were doing the same dance several times in a row.

The novel started off strong; the prologue set the tone nicely. The first time Leigh and Will decided they were better off as friends, I thought, okay, yeah, that makes sense. The second time the same thing happened, I thought: okay, sure, I don't love it, but I get it. The THIRD time it happened, I thought, are you KIDDING me???? Mind you, the same dance happened six years ago, so the same situation presented itself four or five times. And I was sick of it.

There were some quotes that I resonated with, most notably because I am also a people pleaser:

"You assign your self-worth based on your perception of what others think about you."

But ultimately, this fell flat for me. Leigh was a bit unbearable. Will had some endearing moments, but at one point, I stopped caring because it just felt like we were going in circles. This novel may resonate more with English majors. I have a friend in the English program at our grad school, so I am curious what she would think of it.

Thank you Forever for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished the book, and I found it to be a great read, especially for young adult and romance readers. I really appreciated how you captured the ups and downs of being a writer, particularly the way other people's intelligence can make you question your own. As a writer myself, I found that aspect very relatable. However, I did feel that, at times, I had to push myself to keep reading. The writing is good, but I think it could have used something more to fully captivate the reader. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read!

great story and beautiful characters. This made me swoon and I loved the main male character. The cover is beautiful

Such a lovely fall read.

The tale of two ex high school crushes that find themselves in the same MFA program.
Leigh and Will are perfect for each other, if only they can each get out of their own way. Both dealing with past and current trauma related to their parents - they must both come to terms with the fact that they are their own people and the mistakes of others and the opinions of others do not define them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC.

Thank you to ForeverPub and NetGalley for making this arc copy available in exchange for an honest review!

You Between the Lines follows Leigh as she begins a poetry MFA program in North Carolina. Enter William—Will—someone Leigh used to know in high school, a rival if you will, who now also happens to be a part of her poetry cohort. Both characters are dealing with their own issues and insecurities, and yet seem to be more similar than they realize.

Leigh felt relatable, struggling with self-doubt, feeling as if not worthy of being part of the program. There were moments where she was scared of people judging her, invalidating her work, and in the process of this insecurity she ended up doing the same to others (and later becomes self-aware of course). It felt realistic to have someone so wrapped up in their head that they closed themselves off to possibilities.
I was probably one chapter in when I knew how special this book was going to be. I could feel the characters and the humor coming off the page. I was quite literally giggling and kicking my feet, okay? I couldn’t get enough of it.

Don’t even get me started on Will. “I was born eight pounds, eight ounces, and eighteen inches long—which is to say, both too much and not enough.” What a sentence! The passing of notes in the margins of their assignments. Stolen glances. Moments where they find themselves alone (halloween party I’m looking at you). A farmers market and a corn maze. I was (and still am) obsessed!
I loved the writing cohort as a whole, the way they felt truly like a found family—they had my heart! I loved the scenes where they discussed their work in length, it’s probably the English major in me.

The setting and the circumstances felt all very raw and real and I couldn’t get enough of it. I read this in a 24 hour time frame which is extremely rare for me, so let that be a testament to how obsessed I was with the characters and the writing. Katie Naymon you have my heart and I will read anything you write from now on! This book is out February 18, 2025, trust me you’ll want to read it!

Poetry, angst, chemistry - I loved it!

Leigh can’t quite believe she got into a MFA program that accepts five poetry students a year. She is intimidated and excited until she finds out that her high school crush, whose criticism she has never forgotten (or quite gotten over), is part of her cohort. Things are awkward for a while, then they become a little friendly, and there seems to be potential for more if only Leigh and Will can learn to open up.

This was a joy to read. I adored the MFA/poetry writing plot. Leigh’s analyses of Will’s work to see if he was writing about her was funny (and somehow relatable). I also loved the little written comments and messages back and forth during workshop sessions and how their relationship progressed (though it also zigzagged, perhaps one too many times). Leigh and Will are so different and yet make so much sense together thanks to the author’s thoughtful storytelling. 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

A woman and a man in a writing program, where the woman has a grudge against the man for being too critical of her writing. Am I talking about Beach Read by Emily Henry? No, lol.

Leigh feeling so dumb and inadequate on the first day of class brought back such a visceral memory of being in law school and feeling completely out of my depth.

I still don’t understand what took these two so long to get together. They explicitly tell the other how much they think about them, and for how long they’ve desired the other. And then just…? Both of them refusing to believe the other genuinely likes them? Over and over, across 10 years. Exhausting.

Leigh’s insecurity and anxiety and inaction are so stressful to read, but at least the author knows what’s up, with the stone cold reads delivered by William, Gen, and Bridget the therapist. (I really liked William a whole lot.) Like this line from William:
“Leigh, sometimes I feel like this is just a self-fulfilling prophecy with you. You’re looking for reasons why this won’t work, and I have to be honest, it’s pushing me away.”
(this quote is from an advanced copy, so it may change)

Taking all of that together, it sounds like I didn’t like the book, which is not accurate. I liked that Leigh matured and grew more confident interpersonally and in her writing. By far her biggest flaw was her insecurity, so seeing her work through it felt rewarding. I also enjoyed a lot of the side characters (not Leigh's parents, god). And, surprisingly, I didn't mind all the poetry, which I normally hate reading in a book (though I definitely agree that Leigh's earlier poems seemed surface-level).

The debut novel is a powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching read, yet beautifully written. Kate Naymon writing in truly fantastic, leaving me in awe that this is her first book. The way in which she crafts her characters is done so beautifully, adding depth to the story in a way that enhances the overall experience.

This book follows two characters Leigh and Will who were once ‘rivals ‘ in highschool but years later they met each other at a MFA program. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about both the , as their characters were incredibly relatable. Both were dealing with personal challenges , making the progression of their relationship understandable and natural. things in their life’s so understanding the progress of their relationship taking it slowly to get into a relationship was really understandable. At times you might question Leigh’s actions and notice how she tends to self sabotage in certain situations . However the more you read the book , you gain a better understanding of her behavior and the reasons behind it . Will is simply just perfect. Honestly he is now included in my favorite book boyfriend category.

The only issue I had with this book was the time jump; at times , it felt unrealistic, especially with how quick the “months” went by . Nevertheless this was a very fantastic read and I highly recommend it . I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for the Arc . The Arc was provided in exchange for my honest review.

this was written beautifully, the prose was so descriptive and the metaphors were actual works of art. i was constantly rereading and pausing to sit with passages because they were so captivating. having actual poems included for different characters gave you deeper insight into their personalities and writing styles without having to blatantly state it, and seeing how they each analyze each others poems was interesting from a non-writer perspective. it was an enticing story that had style AND substance!

You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon is a contemporary romance full of substance and style.

Leigh Simon isn’t your normal MFA candidate and she has a lot to prove, even to herself. William Langford is your typical lit bro, or is he? The next 2 years are going to be very interesting.

They may be new cohort members, but their story started 10 years ago in a high school classroom. When William starts to submit poems about Leigh, everything changes, even them.

Read if you like:
🤎 Academia Romance
🤎 Rivals to Lovers
🤎 Poetry

you know a book is good when it takes 3 days to finish but you aren’t even mad about it because you get to sit in the way it makes you feel during it

this was a PHENOMENAL debut from katie naymon and it’s so absolutely insane i cannot fathom what her future books will bring.

if you love any book by emily henry and you love an academia setting in romance, this is a must read. the emotions from both leigh and will, together and on their own, were so real and raw and relatable, it broke my heart and put it back together.

i think this may be one of my top 10 reads of the year and katie naymon has grabbed my attention from here on out.

thank you to netgalley for this arc<3

This story was both sort of an enemies to lovers and second chance romance. I liked both aspects and connected well with the characters. I also liked the fact that Leigh went to therapy and wasn't embarrassed by it.

Sometimes the amount of mental health talk got a little tiring, but in general I really enjoyed this book.

I freaking loved this book! Katie nailed it on her first try! Bravo! I read this book in a day. I couldn't put it down!
It was so fun reading this book, especially because I grew up in Northeast Ohio (in the middle of nowhere, not in Cleveland haha) but all the references to the 216 area code reminds me of my late Grandma who lived in the Cleveland area. So many other fun references too, which made it so fun for me!
Leigh's character also touched me in so many ways. She's a people pleaser that lacks confidence in herself and fears rejection. I felt like I was reading my story (minus my lack of creativity and writing ability!) "She’s never been able to shake the “all-style-no-substance” feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop" and it really hits home that the things we say to people can really leave a lasting impact on their lives. So many times we forget the fact that most people say mean things because they are feeling badly about themselves. I feel like there were so many underlying lessons in this book. Most of the poems went way over my head, not really my thing, but there were so many times where I could totally relate to how Leigh was feeling and even Will sometimes too.
Will was one of my favorite grumpy sunshines. Everyone thinks that he's a pretentious jerk but there are so many times in the book where he proves that theory wrong. I feel like Will just wanted to bring out the best in Leigh and that he wanted the best for her. We all carry so much baggage and it can weigh us down, especially in relationships. Taking care of mental health is so important and I love how this book touches on that.
I'm so glad that I was able to read this book and I would highly recommend reading it to anyone else! If this is Katie's first novel, I can't wait to see what she does next!

The start of the book was a little slow and I found myself sad that the fmc thought so lowly of herself. However, I think a lot of the ways she thinks reminds me of myself too. Her anxiety around what other people think of her is relatable. I loved the use of writing/ poetry and how she interacted with the mmc. You could tell from the writing that he’s always liked/loved her but she’s too caught in her anxiety to really see it. I really loved this.

You Between the Lines
Author: Katie Naymon
This book would probably be your cup of tea if you like contemporary romance with cute poetry intermixed, second chance/ enemies to lovers style tropes, and relatable characters.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to have an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the cute story and relationship within the book. The poetry vibes that were intermingled throughout the book made it different and kept things fresh. I’m a fan of academia settings so this was a good read for me with the location and theme. It was cute and realistic and the energy of the book was enjoyable.

I loved this! It was so fun and sweet. I also loved the academic setting. Plus, I’m from Northeast Ohio so the references (shout out to The Learned Owl) were so much fun!