I FINISHED YOU BETWEEN THE LINES AND I HAVE THINGS TO SAY.

The things: WILL.

I am awful at reviews, as you all should know by now, but I do have to say that Katie Naymon writes beautifully, lyrically and perfectly for a novel about poetry. Her words capture the magic of a beautiful poem and while I’d easily compare her to Emily Henry, I’d also add the disclaimer that both Naymon and Henry’s voices are unique but wow, these women have a way with words.

You Between the Lines is written for the Swifties, for the lovers of poetry, for the girls who were raised to be people-pleasers and could never figure out how to stop or when it started.

Reading this was like looking into a mirror! I could relate to Leigh’s anxiety and ambition so much. I felt so seen, reading about her imposter syndrome and her insecurity when she gets into a prestigious MFA program. I don’t really get poetry but I enjoyed the poetry in the book quite a bit. I liked the tension in the book between Will and Leigh but I’m not sure I liked Will as a character. This might be because we spend so much time In Leigh’s head that we don’t really learn much about Will and what we do learn is not all that great. Leigh perceives Will to be this awesome person, someone who wouldn’t really like her but we quickly begin to see that this is not the case at all. It’s tough to see how critical Leigh is of herself but how generously she views others. Over the course of the book we see Leigh find her voice slowly with some help and gradually overcome the obstacles in her path.
This was a quick fun read and I am sure I will read more of the author’s work!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was given an ARC of #YouBetweenTheLines from #NetGalley.

Leigh Simon and Will Langford are high school classmates who share the classroom once again with each other for their MFA program by chance. A negative comment made by Will in their high school class leaves Leigh not wanting to have anything to do with him. Forced proximity lovers, this one is for you. 4 stars for a debut novel.

Thank you to the publisher for this arc. I enjoyed this book. The back and forth between the FMC and MMC was a bit annoying; however, I did like the small gestures from the MMC.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really appreciated the realness of the main character and of her relationship with Will. Sometimes the characters in a romance book are too perfect but this one felt more authentic. I didn’t particularly enjoy the self-sabotage of the relationship, however, I realize it was an integral part of Leigh’s character and development and it had to be there for the story. It’s just not a trope I enjoy. That being said, I resonated with her being a people pleaser and not really knowing who she is outside of what other people think about her and maybe that’s why she felt so authentic and real to me.

Was absolutely amazing. It was a new to me author but I cannot wait to read more. It was slow to start but the ending made up for it.

3⭐️
"There's something familiar to how he writes. His poetry feels lived-in. Like the individual pieces are part of a bigger universe and he was kind enough to cut us a slice."

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. Poetry isn't really my thing, and as this is a book all about poetry, I found it hard to connect. And that's on me! That's really not a problem with the book, but it was just a lot more poetry-focused that I thought it would be.

I pretty much knew I wouldn't love Leigh as a character right from the get go. We get a prologue of her and Will in a high-school creative writing class, where Will critiques her poem. I get that being 16 and vulnerable and putting your writing out there for others would be scary, but this was a class centred around constructive criticism! Other kids said great things about her poem, but Will said it had 'style but no substance'. Leigh barely holds back the tears and then completely writes Will off.

Leigh gave off big 'I'm not like other girl' vibes which I don't love, but ALSO gave off 'I'm not like other writers' vibes which was odd. She didn't relate to anyone in her creative writing undergrad because she was in a sorority? Sure, she didn't fit the brooding artist stereotype, but creative types party too... Like I don't understand what point the author was trying to make here. Leigh didn't fit in because she liked to drink with friends?

For that matter, I didn't understand why Leigh even wanted to be in this program. She writes poetry- great! But at a meet-and-great with the other writing candidates, she complains internally about having to talk about writing, about poetry. Isn't that the point? But she doesn't want to talk about poetry, she doesn't actually read poetry, and she doesn't know of any actual poets...

I do have to say though, that is a beautiful cover.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this because the concept sounded great, but the execution fell a bit flat. I enjoyed the insight into the MFA program as I’m not a poet myself and it was fun getting to know the other students. Initially I enjoyed the dynamic between Leigh and Will but it got tired after a while as the flip flopping between “we shouldn’t”/but we’re so hot for each other got old. Also I felt Leigh’s hypervigilance was never acknowledged or addressed despite the fact that she’s in therapy throughout the book.

This book was beautiful, emotional, and overall swoon-worthy. Naymon did a fantastic job of balancing plot and character development, and even threw in some spice! You Between the Lines kept me enthralled. This book was so good! Definitely a stand-out debut romance read.

Beautifully written romance that hits so, so close to home (ow) on the truly unending vulnerabilities of being a writer.

KATIE. MF-N. NAYMON.

This is an absolutely brilliant book. The romance is tender and stirring, the prose is gripping, and the journey of our heroine will stick with me for a very, very long time. As an admitted Taylor Swift hater, even I loved it. Highly recommend.

This sounded so good when I was planning out my next ARC read. To be fair, it was well written. I enjoyed the poems that were given from the perspectives of the other students. I also adored Will. He was inconsistent with his feelings towards the beginning of their timeline together but what teenager with father trauma isn't? Leigh on the other hand, INSUFFERABLE. I cannot tell you the number of times I screamed into the void, and my husband (who was a willing participant), about her inability to be useful to anyone but herself. I don't want to pile on but my god, I could've certainly used Dual POV on this. I feel like if I had that, it could have broken up the monotony and droning that took place. The "woe is me", self-sabotage, "I'm not like other girls" really had me questioning my choice to finish but I persevered.

Despite it all, big shout out to NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC.

This is such a beautiful debut book!! Katie is now an auto-buy author of mine! I will read anything she writes! I laughed. I cried. I felt all feels reading this book! I truly connected with our main character Leigh. I found so much of myself in her character. Her journey to being vulnerable in her writing and with the people in her life was amazing to see. I loved seeing her growth and finding her voice. It was so empowering and emotional.

The way Katie writes is so beautiful. Im in awe of how it pulled me in with every moment high and low. I could not get enough of it this story. The chemistry between Will and Leigh was incredible. They had so much electricity between them. That’s truly the best way I can explain any scene they had together. The tension was intense and really portrayed the lingering feeling that they both felt but were held back.

3.75 stars

The perfect book for anyone who enjoys poetry and loves a good rivals-to-lovers romance in an academic setting.

This was a solid debut novel. I quite enjoyed it. I loved how poetic the writing was, yet also how easy it was to read. I wasn't entirely convinced about Will and Leigh at first, but it made more sense the further I got into the book. I really enjoyed the banter as well as the growing tension between the two of them throughout the book. The little outings they had were absolutely adorable. I appreciated how in-depth Leigh felt as a character. I love seeing a character with vulnerabilities being shown. Leigh's self-doubt and lack of self-worth were all too relatable. Both characters dealt with traumas in their own ways, and it was great to see them slowly resolve them together, albeit unknowingly.

The only issue I had was with the conflicts in this book. They felt repetitive, and the constant doubt between both characters was becoming slightly annoying. The final conflict had me wondering how they would ever resolve it. It made me doubt whether they would last in a relationship if the slightest bit of conflict was what ended it. Otherwise, it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, You Between the Lines was... fine. The writing was solid - I just found the characters a bit annoying. But I know there are plenty of others who will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this book early!

I have a feeling that this will be a bookstagram favorite! It follows Leigh and her high school crush-turned-nemesis, Will, as they begin a prestigious MFA program in poetry. As they write and are required to critique each other’s poetry, they realize that their attraction is mutual but memories from their past might come back to bite them.

It has plenty of literary and pop culture references (Leigh is a big Swiftie), and it’s a lighthearted read with some more serious mental health undertones. Though I really liked the book in the beginning, I got more frustrated with the characters and the central relationship as the book went on. The on-again, off-again dynamics of the relationship were a little exhausting, and I felt that Leigh’s self-deprecation was heavy handed at times. While we were constantly told that Leigh was a sorority girl who didn’t fit in with the stereotypical straight white literary world, I felt that we didn’t always see that play out on the page—there was more telling than showing.

It was a cute literary romance with a good premise, but the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me unfortunately.

Just finished my first arc read! I couldn't be more happy with this book. Katie Naymon is such an extraordinary author.
This story has everything you could want in a romance. The enemies to lovers trope is stronger than ever in this book and I love it! The development of both Will and Leigh throughout the story is heartfelt.
The book has the right amount of spice too. It doesn't have too much, and focuses more on the character development. I also love how mental health is brought up throughout the entire story, and how it is a big part of that development. The story feels very relatable because Katie Naymon creates characters that are realistic, that have traits that many of us possess.
I rate this book a beautiful 5/5
Everyone needs to read this book when it releases February 18th!!!
Again, this is one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read!! It is a must read for everyone!!
Thank you Katie Naymon for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!!!

I sooo wanted to love this, but something fell flat for me. Maybe if I was more of a Taylor Swift fan, all the references would've hit for me. I'm open to giving Katie's books another try in the future.

premise: she's a poet in a masters writing workshop with a small cohort of only 10 first years with her high school nemesis. ever since he gave her bad feedback in grade school, he triggers all of her worst fears of rejection and being a real writer. she is legally blonde but for mfas – sorority background, love of pink and pop culture, and hard-working competency at her craft. forced proximity of the mfa is where she will have to confront her fears of vulnerability and him – he can't stop writing about her.

i have to admit that i am exhausted by books by authors with writer leads, but this author avoids that. sometimes writers just get too in the weeds about the process and business of writing i didn't ask for. this book has a lot of vocabulary and vernacular here about writing and poetry that exists because of the mfa setting. it's also used in romantic scenes because they are poets. a lot of it skips right over my head but it's not annoying or in the way of enjoying our leads' journeys.

at the heart of this book are two well-rounded characters dealing with their own insecurities, fears of abandonment and rejection, and fraught relationships with their respective parents. their stories made me feel so many feels. i consumed this in a day, fighting off an appropriate bed time to stay with these characters. their push and pull is so palpable!

so many cute moments you can only get in this sort of mfa setting. they trade flirty fun notes in the margins as of their class assignments. victorian era inspired obessions with wrists and pinkies touching slightly in secret. there's even ten things i hate about you "reading proclamative poetry out loud" moments.

You between the lines

This story was absolutely beautiful and poetic.
The mental health representation for not one, but both main characters was something not often explored in romance, and here I felt it was done so well.
Leigh struggling to find her voice, and Will struggling to find the words.
The slow burning tension was written so well through poetry & I loved how both characters evolved through the story.
This wasn’t a surface level run of the mill romance by any means, it’s truly a story of finding your own place in life & where you belong, all the while finding someone to do life with, and it was absolutely beautiful.