This was a very cute romance. I thought Leigh was extremely relatable regarding her people-pleasing and insecurities in her writing abilities and comparing herself to her classmates. There were times that I thought Leigh was a little annoying about how judgmental she was towards her classmates and how “pretentious” they were compared to her. But it was all important to her character development which I loved how she managed to work through her issues and open up to write about her feelings.

Although it wasn't a dual POV, I loved how we were able to see some of Will’s insecurities with himself as well. I also loved the inclusions of the poetry, it definitely went way over my head but I still loved it.

I also thought the mental health rep was really well done. Especially the open conversations between Will and Leigh about taking antidepressants and seeing Leigh’s therapy sessions with Bridget and working through her insecurities.

I think the one thing I didn’t love was how their fight happened. I really didn’t see how they could come back from that but they managed to work through it.

insecure poets in an MFA program, *cue TTPD album*

As a former sorority girl, like our FMC herself, I can say truly no one cares once you leave undergrad about that. Her constantly referring to her love for pop poetry whilst being a “dumb sorority girl” stereotype did nothing to help anyone but instill a “pick me” (poetry version) feel to her character. Also, she refers to “straight white literary man” so much as if she isn’t three out of the four words used!

I did enjoy most of the story. There were lots of swiftie references, pining and yearning (kind of repetitive in that). It did lose me in some moments of mfa-ness/poetry classes. I didn’t love or invest much into the side characters.

Overall, a fun debut, I’m eager to see more from this author!

Thank you Forever Pub and Hachette Audio for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for You Between The Lines from friends. I really enjoyed this and binged it in about a day.

Leigh and William went to the same high school, had an almost romance in college and are reunited when they attend the same MFA program. Leigh is convinced as a former sorority girl that she’s never good enough. She’s also dealing with the separation of her parents. In the meantime she’s competing for a fellowship with her favorite poet.

This has very similar vibes to me as Not an My Book by Katie Holt. I wish they’d be been published further apart because I liked that a bit more. I liked seeing Leigh learn and develop as a poet. I really liked William. He was so swoon worthy. I enjoyed how they both grew and learned to be better for each other. I enjoyed the narration and didn’t want to stop listening.

I will definitely read future books from Katie Naymon.

This was truly such a special book. Is Katie a therapist? She was able to write characters with such depth and clarity that I felt like I was reading parts of myself in a story. I honestly felt emotional at some points! I can’t wait to see what Katie writes next.

As a writer myself, I was very intrigued by this story, and while I did like the general premise and the romantic tension between Leigh and Will, I was not a huge fan of this story. In the beginning, I seriously considered DNFing. This book clearly has feminist undertones and constantly criticizes “straight white men” for no real reason. The main character, Leigh, seems very immature and petty, and while I could relate to her in some small ways, I mostly just found her irritating. I did like Will for the most part, and I liked their flirty, romantic moments together (although, there’s a good bit of miscommunication between them, as well). Overall, I’m glad I didn’t DNF as there were aspects I enjoyed, but I don’t know if I’d recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for sending me an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

I went into You Between the Lines hoping for an emotional, engaging romance, but unfortunately, it completely missed the mark for me. There was absolutely no chemistry between the characters, making it hard to invest in their relationship. The entire book felt like a repetitive cycle of "I want to be with you, but I don’t want to get hurt," which got exhausting after the first time it happened. Instead of meaningful development, it was just the same conflict rehashed over and over.

The ending felt incredibly rushed, as if the author suddenly realized she had to wrap things up and threw something together without much thought. And between the lack of real character growth and the frustrating back-and-forth, I felt like I had wasted my time reading this.

I really enjoyed this one for the most part. I really liked the idea of Leigh being this poet who breaks the mold and pushes what it means to be a poet. Instead, I felt that Leigh was a bit dismissive of the amount of work others put into their craft and refused to actually take feedback. This does develop a bit as the story continues, but I found it hard to feel empathy for her because of her judgment.

And although I loved Leigh and Will together, I did not feel as though I was rooting for Will as an individual by the end of it. I am glad he found his calling but I didn't love some of the choices he made.

Ultimately what made this book a four star for me was the writing. I loved the feelings it evoked and the character development that occurred. This novel was very enjoyable and easy to read.

Leigh and William went to high school together and are now in the same writing course. She always felt judged by him so will be still be the same? A great read.

Short synopsis: Leigh is accepted into a masters program for poetry, when her teen crush turned nemesis walks into the class.

My thoughts: I am not a big poetry reader, but I do love some good song lyrics, which are basically the same thing. My personal favorite was the random TS lyric drops, and pop culture references.

I had a hard time feeling empathy for Leigh, she was a bit immature and had some things she needed to let go of. Which is also part of growing up, and finding yourself. She held on to the grudge with Will for way too long. Will had so many internal wounds, and I liked watching the growth in him too.
By the end of the book I did really like Leigh and Will together.

Read if you love:
* Writing and poetry
* Taylor Swift lyrics
* Pop culture
* Forced proximity
* College life
* Men in glasses

Oh my gosh, this book was near perfection for me. Will and Leigh have known each other since high school, and now 10 years later, find themselves a part of the same MFA poetry program. Will and Leigh were so believable as characters and the tension between the two was crackling. I am always a fan of anxiety representation in books and this was handled in such a positive way, and I loved Leigh's therapist. One thing I would have loved would have been a chapter or two from Will's point of view, but other than that, I have no complaints. I am eager to see what Katie Naymon writes in the future since she knocked it out of the park with her debut!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

We loved this book! It was so angsty and the push and pull between Leigh and Will had us turning the pages. They were both flawed and full of insecurities which made them so real. And their slow burn love story was messy but oh so satisfying.

We’re so happy we took a chance on a book about poets. But we have to be honest, a lot of the poetry stuff went over our heads 😆 however it didn’t take away from our enjoyment of the book.

If You Between the Lines isn’t on your radar, this is your sign to add it to your TBR!

Read if you like:
▪️academic rivals to lovers
▪️second chance
▪️angst, yearning & pining
▪️slow burn plus lots of spice
▪️mental health & therapy rep

Leigh is a pop-culture loving, former sorority girl who has left her Boston marketing job to enroll in an MFA program in North Carolina. She isn’t like her classmates who are covered in cool tattoos and familiar with all the latest poets, and her high school feedback of “all-style-no-substance” is still rattling around in her head. While fighting almost constant imposter syndrome, Leigh is determined to win the coveted fellowship with her favorite poet, but she is worried that it will go to her high school crush, Will. William (as he now goes by) is exactly the kind of pretentious writer Leigh hates, and she can never forgive him for the critical feedback he gave her poem years ago. As the year goes on, Leigh and Will work side by side, and when Will submits a very intimate poem that is almost definitely about Leigh, she starts to see what might really be between the lines.

This debut novel is very reflective, reminding readers that careers and the paths we take to find them are always different. While completely in Leigh’s POV, there are great character arcs for both main characters, who are each tackling questions about vocation, family, and self-worth. The grad program described took me right back to graduate school and the close group of friends I found over the two years I lived in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio.

Thank you to Forever for the chance to read and review this book!

🍿 Get your popcorn. This review is a long one. And you know I’ve got a 5 star read for you when I let my yap flag fly.

Have you ever wanted to read a book as fast as you can but also want to simmer in it on low heat to get all the umami flowing? That’s how I felt while reading this book.

I read two lines on the subway before closing my kindle because I knew this deserved more attention. It deserved to be more than a morning commute read to pass the time. And I’m glad I waited & gave it its due ♥️.

If you know anything about me, I love “romance but more.” I love when characters aren’t clean & sparkly. And I love it even more when they don’t have their shit together. And it’s safe to say that neither Leigh or Will have their shit together.

I feel like Leigh and I are similar in that we are a little (or a lot) afraid of letting things happen. Of opening the latch, watching feelings stretch to the surface, & stumble out. What are the consequences of being your full self? What are the consequences of letting your emotions breathe and for people to see? For most of the book, we see Leigh’s potential as she’s confined herself in a thorny box. We can feel what she wants to say in her poetry; what she wants with Will; what she won’t allow to start because she thinks she’s not good enough. And as a reader I love the tension of knowing what the character wants before they come to their realization. It’s like being a stage mom on the side of their performance.

I’ve seen some comments hating on Leigh, and did I think she was too much at times & judgey? Yes. But that’s being human. We’re all a little ugly & don’t love all parts of ourselves. And I appreciate writing that makes me feel & makes me flip judgment calls around in my head.

As for the romance? I almost felt like it was a subplot. Which I’m totally okay with because I felt like I got to know Leigh personally. Yes yes, we love broody Will Langford. Smash. 100%. Let me fix you. Or maybe it’s just the weight distribution I’ve assigned this book? I was pulled more to Leigh’s character development- ANYWAY IM BABBLING! They’re hot!! There’s years of pent up yearning!! But aside from the spice, their relationship was kismet. Excuse the corny analogy, but it’s like they were writing in tandem on different pages of the same book. And then they clumsily, finally, meet somewhere in between.

I’m sure I’ve lost you by now, but just go read this is you’re anything like me. If you want an easy read, this isn’t it. If you want something that makes you think, this is it.

This book was so full of angst and longing, such incredibly imperfect protagonists, that the author really had to sell the love story...and I was sold.

I felt this book in my bones, felt the trials, and pain that Leigh went through. I loved how much Will and Leigh loved each other, how they couldn't stay away...this invisible string tying them together for 10 years.

My only wishes were that we got some sort of POV for Will, because he seemed to play mind games and I wish I understood why, and that there was more focus on Leigh's "redemption".

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

This book is for the Beach Read lovers who fell in love with literary rivals, the writing process, and are true tortured poets. You Between the Lines is beautiful, steamy, and poetic and I devoured it right up. This is an incredible debut romance.

I love how it handles the discussions of people pleasing in academia and career progression. Leigh is the epitome of anyone who has ever molded and shaped themselves into whatever they think others prefer from them. The journey and growth she has was beautiful to see, especially since she’s like many of us who wants their therapist to like them and doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone else with their feelings.

This book is also pinning taken to the extreme. It has note writing in margins of class, longing glances, soft touches that build into a truly yummy slow burn romance.

The only thing I felt didn’t need to be mentioned so many times was her sorority affiliation or being a sorority girl. It was almost like the author was trying to reclaim the cliche.

Vibes:
Rivals to lovers
Slow burn
She hates him, he’s always been into her
Poetry
Grad school
Perfectionism / people pleasing
Grief
Taylor swift lovers
Emily Henry lovers

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy and to Hachette Audio for the advance listener copy. These opinions are my own.

This was an excellent debut. Leigh and William went to high school together and have a history. They're both surprised when they meet up again on the first day of their shared MFA program in poetry.

Leigh writes poems inspired by popular culture. Will's poetry follows the more formal style. I really appreciated the reflection on what counts as worthy of poetry and literary acclaim. Indeed, I loved the included poems as much as the story. And the writing throughout featured such lyrical gorgeous prose.

I felt I got to know the many characters at their school campus. And I quite appreciated the secondary plotlines featuring them. I also felt that the way in which Leigh and Will's parents influenced their own choices was so well written. But I wanted the end to speed up a bit and get to better growth and communication faster.

The audiobook was performed very well by Sarah Beth Goer. She especially excelled at reading the poems, which is a whole amazing skillset.

4.25 stars

I LOVE me a little academic rivals to lovers. That trope is just going to absolutely hit EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I really enjoyed this book so much. I adored the main character, will, and the past/present timelines so much. The characters felt so real to me and I really bonded with them!!

While this wasn’t my favorite, I also didn’t hate it. I really enjoyed Will but I felt myself not loving Leigh’s character so much.. Now, while I’m always down to clown some men… i felt like she pushed about how much she hated straight white males works while also simultaneously never reading them?

Anyways, Leigh had some anxiety which i totally could related with. I also felt for her inner self which seemed to harbor a lot of self doubt. I think we can all relate to that in some point in life. I wanted Will to be certain on his decisions and at times I felt he was indecisive. I wish Leigh wouldn’t have pushed Will off so much for his one criticism but I also know she was a high schooler and honestly i would’ve held a grudge too😂 i really wanted to love this so much, but it fell a bit short for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Forever for this ARC!!❣️ (i love y’all fr)

🪻You Between the Lines 🪻

4/5 ⭐️
3.5/5 🌶️ (2+ open door scenes)


She can’t stand him.
He can’t forget her.



*tap tap tap* Is this thing on? 🎤

HELLO!! All my fellow “yearning, slow burn, it’s always been you” lovers, why have you not picked this up? I AM UNWELL.

I absolutely fell in love with this story & @katienaymonwrites writing. Meet Leigh and William, her high school nemesis. Both accepted into the same prestigious MFA program in North Carolina after years of not seeing one another. The claws are out you guys.

I loved being in Leigh inner monologue, she’s sassy but unsure of herself. I loved where her characters ended, with a lot of self discovery. But man was it a bumpy ride. And can we just protect Will at all costs? Any man who writes poetry about losing it over a woman’s wrists deserves the world. Seeing them interact and avoid each other, I FREAKING LOVED IT.

I couldn’t give it a full five stars because a lot of the yearning (which I LOVE), steamed from a lot of miscommunication. Which might be my least favorite trope. 🫣 but other than that, I whole-heartedly recommend this! And a debut Miss Katie?! 👏🏻👏🏻 How on earth did you produce something so wonderful right off the bat? You Between the Lines is out now! Thank you @readforeverpub for the advanced copy. 🫶🏼🌼

“i can’t write a single poem where you don’t exist.”

feeling the vulnerability of leigh while simultaneously falling in love with will had me feeling like the main character (sub law for mfa)

a million & ten stars this book was so poetic & so absolutely perfect i have to go stare at the wall for a bit.