You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon is an absolute gem! I devoured it in just five hours, completely swept up in its witty banter, emotional depth, and perfectly executed romance. The characters felt so real, their connection both tender and electric. It’s the kind of book that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. A five-star read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time!

Let the record show that when I say that I like my romances full of yearning, this book is what I mean!

In YOU BETWEEN THE LINES, we follow 27-year-old Leigh who’s been accepted to a prestigious poetry MFA program. Meeting her classmates for the first time already has her feeling out of place, but Leigh’s even more thrown off balance when she realizes that her former high school crush-turned-nemesis, Will, is also in the program.

I could write sonnets about all of the things I loved about this book, but I’ll focus on just a few.

I thought the single POV with Leigh worked so perfectly. It was a little uncomfy at times (Leigh is definitely one of those “mirror characters” for me, for better or worse) and I loved that. I thought being inside her head and not Will’s was the perfect way of showing us her (very relatable) flaws while also capitalizing on the uncertain will-they-won’t-they of it all.

And did I mention the yearning? Because OMG. The tension and the years-long pining go so crazy in this! When the scene is just them touching pinkies and you’re inwardly shrieking, you know it’s good.

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for this eARC! Trust and believe I will be on the lookout for Katie Naymon’s next book!

I am rounding up here- I fall on the 3 1/2 stars range with this one. I cheered at times and then wanted to stop at others. Will and Leigh are likable. I guess if you have liked someone for so long, you should try when no one else measures up. And please, have the conversations... feelings get hurt, but if you have lived on your own for 5 years in a big city- learn to communicate especially if you can explain why you don't like your job and the lack of creativity. But the poetry? Stay for the poetry.

Thank you, #NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for early access to You Between the Lines which comes out tomorrow! I started reading this yesterday, curled up with my cat as shown here, and I finished it today on my flight. While I tend to bounce back and forth between books, I didn’t read anything else once I started this book, which means it fully captured my attention - great work to a debut author!
You Between the Lines takes place at a small town North Carolina MFA program for poetry and fiction, with just five candidates per program per year. After realizing being a copywriter is sucking the life from her, Leigh applies to the program to build off of her English degree and tap back into her love for creative writing. At the welcome barbecue, she finds that one of the other poetry candidates is her high school crush, Will - who now goes by William. He had criticized her work in a writing semester in high school and Leigh had never forgiven her. Except for maybe when they ran into each other that one time at Middlebury… Leigh’s parents are going through a separation, which has her, the only child, questioning why their three-person unit is no longer viable. Her people-pleasing is at an all time high, while she’s supposed to be vulnerable to achieve greatness in her program. Luckily, she has a best friend and a therapist who both tell it like it is, keeping her head on straight-ish.
I appreciated the way the book showed Leigh’s struggle with her insecurity and indecision, even in terms of her choosing her outfits, as they felt realistic and made me care about her character. The sex scenes were quite steamy, and the ending felt natural. Sometimes I felt like chapters ended and time moved forward without fully finishing some experiences, but that could be because I read it quickly. I sobbed through the epilogue on my flight, but no one asked if I was okay, so that’s a plus 🤣 I don’t read much poetry, as I don’t feel it’s very accessible, but I really enjoyed the way it was presented in this book, and I feel like I should be more open to reading it. I’m excited for others to read this great debut! And if you’re a Taylor Swift fan, there are plenty of references to her and her music to enjoy in this book.

Thank you for this ARC!

The blurb for this one had me so excited. I love poetry and romance, so the combination of them sounded perfect for me. However, I ended this one disappointed. I actually almost DNF'd it around 60%. The reason is because I found the Leigh to be unbearable and the plot repetitive. We have the same argument multiple times within the story, and each time the outcome is similar. The FMC had 0% character growth for me. Which contrasts with what she says about her own character. She is a poet and wants constructive criticism, but if it comes from a white male she disregards everything and considers them her enemy. The criticism Will gave her was actually useful for her poem. Yet that made her want to never see him again? She was okay with the criticism from females though. This entire book felt like a ballooned ego of feminism but in the worst way.

Also, it's clear as day that this character hates white men lol. But her arguments were hypocritical with the character's own traits.

Vulnerability, lyrical turns of phrase, and notes in the margin combine in this flirtatious romance set amid a prestigious MFA poetry program.

✨ Book Review: YOU BETWEEN THE LINES by Katie Naymon ✨

Leigh and Will know each other from high school and even nursed a bit of a crush back then, but are forced to reexamine each other and themselves when they discover they’re in the same intimate grad school program. Between cohort gatherings, small classes, reading and commenting on each other’s writing, and a shared campus job, there’s no escaping each other or their growing feelings.

🌟 My Take: Really enjoyed the writing and definitely recommend this to anyone interested in poetry or who enjoys a university setting. Leigh and Will’s past is shared through well-timed flashbacks, all while their current experiences push onward. The structure deftly mimics the push and pull of their relationship. The author also weaves poetry into the story beyond the poems each character officially shares for class, demonstrating her own writing strength. The examination of Leigh and Will’s insecurities was a bit much at times, though, making me frustrated on their behalf. Still, a solid coming-of-age story and romance.

Read YOU BETWEEN THE LINES for
🎓 University setting
📝 Poetry and prose
🤫 Secrets
💕 Forced-proximity romance
🫠 Mental health rep
💣 Family dynamics
🥸 Coming of age

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @ReadForeverPub for the gifted #Netgalley eARC. All opinions my own.

My God. This was MARVELOUS. One of the best novels I've read it ages! It rides the line between women's fiction and contemporary romance beautifully, filled with meditations vulnerability, self-worth, and the ability to truly SEE one another. The slow burn for the first half of the book had my Kindle simmering in my hands. And yes, despite having an eARC, I went out and bought myself a copy on release day. I'm just that excited about this author's debut novel!

This story is about Leigh, an MFA poetry student struggling to find her place in the world. As she enters her new program, she finds Will, the man who she once adored in high school who ultimately made her feel unworthy. Now she has to navigate not only her place in her new cohort, but her feelings about Will. Additionally, her family is going through a period of upheaval. The result: an emotional roller coaster that Leigh is desperate to get off of unscathed. But can she?

Listen to me. I'm saying this right now: Katie Naymon is going to be BIG. Her writing is fantastic! I loved the emotional love scenes, the slow burn, the ways in which the characters grew and slowly revealed themselves. I also appreciated how she occasionally toyed with the timeline for maximum impact. I also felt that this book does an exceptional job of supporting the idea of mental health. It's steamy. It's filled with tension. It's deep. It's un-put-downable. And it's made Naymon an auto-buy author for me!

Trigger warnings: family in crisis, feuding parents, death of a father, sexual harrassment (hand on thigh, uncomfortable staring), divorce, quick passing reference to a previous eating disorder by a secondary character

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Katie Naymon, and Netgalley for the eARC of this book, even though I also went out and bought myself a copy. 🤣 All opinions expressed are my own.

Here's the thing. I am bored at 25%. Very limited interactions between the mains. I'm not even sure what the premise is here. Although there's an overwhelming imposter syndrome which I think can be crucial to Leigh's internal thoughts and Just how much words can hurt you and shape you and how overwhelmed you can be when you don't see yourself clearly. However. I am bored. Which is a bummer because i was looking forward to this.

What a cutie of a debut! I related hard to Leigh's imposter syndrome, feeling like she has to tamp down her interests since they don't fit in with her idea of who she's supposed to be in an academic space. The way she and Will see each other through all the layers and years made for a couple I really wanted to work out.

I was thankful to receive both an arc and audio copy from NetGalley.

I had a concentration in creative writing for my undergrad, and I know the workshop space. While I enjoyed the romance, I could not reconcile with the fact that Leigh could not take constructive criticism. The whole point of workshop is to receive feedback. I can sympathize with sensitivity to rejection, but if you are so affected by it, why would you sign up for many classes where you’d feel just that? I’m glad she was in therapy, because boy was it needed.

I also hated the fact that she judged literally everyone. Which, again, she was working on in therapy, but dang she really projected her own insecurities onto everyone. She did have these realizations and changed her behavior; but she had overhwelming stereotypes about writers.

Will was sweet and somewhat dynamic and honestly deserved someone who put more effort into him, who was kinder to him.

Overall, the book was okay. I wish the main character wasn’t fairly insufferable. The vibes were alright, though.

2.5 stars rounded up

You Between the Lines blends enemies to lovers romance with a sharp exploration of ambition, self-doubt, and mental health. Set in an intense MFA poetry program, it captures the creative struggles, competitiveness, and deep connections that come with it. Leigh and Will’s dynamic is filled with tension, banter, and unresolved history that makes their slow-burn romance feel authentic. The book also handles anxiety, depression, and self-esteem with care, adding depth to their individual journeys. While miscommunication plays a role, it fits the characters’ flaws and growth. The poetry woven throughout is a standout, elevating the story beyond a typical romance. With strong writing, immersive atmosphere, and characters that feel real, this is a must-read for fans of literary fiction with a romantic edge. Perfect for those who love stories about writers, ambition, and complicated relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of this book - reuniting with your high school crush in your MFA program. I had a very hard time connecting with Leigh's character. I found her character to be caught in that vicious "victim" mindset, and while there is some redemption for her through her therapy work by the end, it didn't come soon enough for me. I honestly couldn't understand why her and Will's characters would be together. It was a nice one-time read for me, but I wouldn't read it again.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the gifted eARC!

When Leigh is accepted into a prestigious MFA program, the last person she expects to see is Will, her high school crush turned nemesis. The two have barely spoken since Will deemed her work “all style and no substance,” but when a coveted fellowship is on the line, Leigh must sort through her insecurities, and the return of that pesky crush on Will, to decide what she truly wants.

Katie Naymon crafts an introspective, lyrical gem with You Between the Lines. I am always happy when I find a debut I instantly connect with and such was the case with this novel. Naymon displays a deft ability to twist tropes with new perspective and the result is a tender-touched love story accentuated by gorgeous prose.

The romantic subtext in this book is EVERYTHING! There is so much yearning and flirting happening between the lines (as the title suggests) and I feel like I could do numerous rereads and catch new nuggets every single time. The prose often reads like poetry, every word intentionally placed to set the tone or drive a point home. The addition of Leigh’s actual poetry was striking and I stopped to dissect her work like I was in the seminar with her. It became a way for her and Will to communicate on common ground and there is something so swoony about the two of them using poetry to immortalize their feelings for one another.

Leigh is my soul character. Bogged down by imposter syndrome and insecurities of her own design, she is someone I think a lot of writers (myself included) will see themselves reflected in. Her arc was perfectly executed as we see her slowly come into her own and stop undervaluing her worth. The anxious, perfectionist, people pleaser in me felt very seen and I am grateful for the honest and realistic way these notions were represented. The conversation around mental health as a whole was incredibly important and I thought Naymon integrated these topics seamlessly into the story. It was cathartic watching Leigh and Will overcome their hurdles and it made their romance all the sweeter as they chose to prioritize their relationship.

With this lovely debut, Naymon proves she is one to watch and I am looking forward to seeing what she has in store for us next.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Alexa play "Lakes" by Taylor Swift cause you'll be a poet after reading this book!

When Leigh is admitted to a prestigious MFA program, she's shocked as hell as she knows she doesn't belong here. To make things worse, her once crush-turned-nemesis, Will, turns out to be her classmate. Determined to prove him and herself that she belongs here, she's set on getting that fellowship that everyone wants. And so begins the take of the tortured poets.

I must say this book is nothing like other 2nd chance romance, or should I say 3rd chance romance. Leigh & Will's ran deep not just with other but also with their respective families. Over the course of these years they were stupidly in love but also stupid enough to think that weren't good enough.

I loved the mental health rep here & how deeply the MCs' inner turmoil was written. I definitely shed some tears over time. Instead of a "will-they-wont-they" situation, I thought it was more of "push-and-pull." They were on each other's orbit one way or another, but something was never right.

Deeply romantic & absorbing, this book was one of a kind.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Former sorority girl and avid Taylor Swift fan, Leigh is ready to prove to herself that she’s a “real writer” and deserving of the coveted fellowship amongst her highly competitive MFA cohort even if she writes pop culture poetry. She especially would love to prove her worth to her high school crush turned nemesis and current cohort member, Will, who once critiqued her writing as “all style, no substance”.

Between her insecurities brought out by comparing herself to her fellow students, dealing with her parent’s on going divorce, and her resurfaced crush on Will (who may have submitted a poem to workshop that is secretly all about her), Leigh must figure out how to ask for exactly what she wants and accept all that she deserves.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading You Between the Lines. Some will find Leigh’s persistent negative inner monologue and self-sabotage-as-a-defense-mechanism hard to tolerate, but I related to her character immensely. The will-they-won’t-they between Leigh and Will creates a needed tension. The relationship between the two is a slow burn and it was delightful to watch their connection grow over the school year. But for me, the real magic in You Between the Line is watching Leigh learn to like herself and to take up space.

Overall, this is a great debut novel from Katie Naymon that I definitely recommend!

Thanks to the publisher, Forever, and NetGalley for sending an eARC copy for review. All opinions are my own.

#YouBetweenTheLines #NetGalley

Thank you to netgalley and to the publisher! This book has everything I love - romance and two characters with their own passions/dreams. Our setting is at a MFA program in North Carolina where Leigh our fmc is beginning. To her surprise, her high school crush Will is also in the program. I absolutely loved how we got to read the poems and experience those emotions. Leigh was kind of whiny and did some contradicting things but I liked the overall story and romance.

I desperately wanted to love You Between the Lines. It felt like the perfect book for me, but unfortunately, I felt a huge disconnect from the story.

I have such conflicting feelings about Leigh. On the one hand, her character is messy and frustrating, and quite frankly, she is someone I relate to on certain things. But on the other, she began to annoy me with some things. I just wanted to shake her sometimes. I enjoyed her character to an extent, and I liked that she wasn't the standard "perfect" FMC, but sometimes the constant pity parties were a lot.

While I really liked Will, I felt like I didn't get to know his character a lot. In a way, I understand why that is. We were focusing on Leigh and seeing her come to terms with many things going on in her life, but being that this is a romance, I would've liked to see more from Will.

Speaking of the romance, I once again felt a disconnect between the characters. There was a lot more telling than showing between them, and once they finally got together, it seemed like the short time their relationship was shown was more spice than anything. This is not to say there were a lot of spicy scenes because there weren't, and any that did happen was towards the very end, but I felt like they were more deeply explored rather than the cute scenes between them going shopping or in the apartment.

Honestly, I just felt very wishy-washy while reading. There were things I liked, such as the writing and flow, but with the characters and romance, it felt like there was a wall between me and them. I'm not going to touch on the poetry because I couldn't really understand, but I'm not holding this against the book; it was still good even when I didn't know some of the literary stuff being discussed. This was a great debut novel, and I cannot wait to see what's to come from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with this ARC!

Review Title: A Poetic Premise That Misses the Mark

First, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of You Between the Lines! I was excited to dive into this one—an MFA setting, academic rivals with history, and poetry? Sign me up! Unfortunately, while the premise had promise, the execution left me more frustrated than swoony.

Let’s start with Leigh, our “former sorority girl” protagonist. Is that descriptor supposed to imply she’s not smart? Because… why? Why are we still acting like being in a sorority and being intelligent are mutually exclusive? Leigh spends the entire book insecure about her place in the MFA program, constantly questioning whether she belongs, and while impostor syndrome is real, it becomes exhausting when it feels like her personality is just self-doubt and Taylor Swift references.

Then we have William (formerly Will), her high school crush-turned-literary nemesis, who is the quintessential pretentious poet—sweater vests, Moleskine notebooks, and all. Their rivalry could have been electric, but instead, it’s built on a single comment he made in high school about her writing lacking substance. A comment that, years later, still fuels a one-sided grudge. When they finally start interacting, the tension isn’t sizzling—it’s just… there. And when William submits a deeply personal poem about Leigh to workshop, it’s treated as a grand romantic gesture rather than, you know, a weird invasion of privacy.

Beyond the romance, the story never fully embraces its MFA setting. There’s so much potential for witty banter, sharp critiques, and the kind of academic drama that makes this trope so fun, but instead, we get vague workshop scenes and a cast of side characters who barely register.

There are glimpses of strong writing here, and I can appreciate what the book wanted to be. But between the lackluster romance, a frustrating heroine, and a setting that felt underutilized, this one just didn’t work for me. Two stars for the concept and the poetry, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the love story I was hoping for.

Writer Leigh is off to North Carolina to complete her MFA program. What she doesn’t expect is for her high school classmate Will to be among the other writers in the program and competing for a coveted fellowship. With a lot of things left unsaid between them, Leigh and Will try to navigate their new adult relationship first as classmates and then as friends. They can’t hide the long held feelings that resurface between them, but will competing for the fellowship break Leigh and Will apart for second time?

With a realistic view of the life of a grad student as well as vulnerable, complex and compelling characters this slow burn romance is a love note to all the T Swit fans out there.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Intriguing premise, catchy title, adorable cover, plus an emotional rom-com = right up my alley. This book started out SO strong (the pumpkin patch scene?!!!?!? hello???!) but lost my attention a little before the halfway mark. While Will is a charmer and the years-long back story sets up a "will they, won't they" scenario quite well, Leigh reads as very stubborn and immature (and unfortunately, not self-aware). These traits cause some miscommunication between the pair, and, after a certain point, the whole relationship (from fights to spice) feels force. As the book went on, the plot dragged, and I was tired of both Will and Leigh by the end of it.

Will was strong enough of a love interest to raise the rating, and I did enjoy the premise -- this book just isn't my fave!