Between the Lines is the story of teenaged Ethan and his mother, who move back to her hometown, hoping to learn more about his missing grandparents. It’s also a story about the friendships Ethan makes in the mysterious town of Havenwood, and his growing romance with Jamie, a young and talented musician. It’s finally the story of Ethan learning that he is a Realmwalker, capable of seeing and sliding into alternate realities and time periods.

The story was very engaging, with a good mix of plot and character-driven arcs. I felt that the strong connections between Ethan, Jamie, and their friends were created fluidly, even in such a short book. I empathized with all the characters, and am excited to see where the next books take them.

I think there is work that needs to be done with editing the prose. It was quite passive at times (“couldn’t help but …” appeared every few pages) and relied on telling rather than showing (“something told him …” appeared every more frequently, at times in subsequent scenes). A lot of the internal thoughts could be edited down to remove repeating themes. At the same time, I felt that the story could have been developed further to show character depth and to emphasize how much time passes within the narrative. There was some POV switching towards the latter third, and I felt it would have been nice to see those POVs earlier on.

A fun blend of small-town mystery and sci-fi twists, Between the Lines follows Ethan as he discovers his Realmwalker abilities and navigates new realities with Jamie by his side. The pacing felt a bit rushed, but the novella-length story kept things engaging. A quick, enjoyable read with a touch of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Steele Design Studio for approving my request to read an arc of this book

After moving from New York to the small town his mother grew up in, Ethan learns that there’s more to this place than meets the eye, and secrets and mysteries are hidden behind every corner.
As Ethan starts to discover these strange happenings, including his birthmark beginning to tingle and even glow, he learns that he and his family, among certain other towns folk, are what is know as Realmwalkers, and he and new crush, Jamie, must uncover what this means for them and their town.

Between The Lines was a fun and interesting take on small town mystery, with sci-fy twists and a cute romance. At times it felt a little rushed, but as the book was more of a novella length, the fast pacing was to be expected and didn’t take away from my enjoyment.