This was not for me. I really was interested but the FMC was just too annoying and unfortunately boring. Gave up after 25%

#netgalley #YouBetweentheLines

Victims of Impostor Syndrome will find themselves in this book. Anyone who has ever felt not smart enough, not talented enough, not pretty enough, not worthy enough, or simply not enough will relate to Leigh, our angst filled FMC. She hides her insecurities behind her sorority girl, Taylor Swift loving persona and doesn’t let anyone get too close for fear of being rejected.

When Leigh starts her MFA program she is reunited with fellow poet Will, her high school crush who she almost hooked up with during her undergrad years. Leigh is still smarting from Will’s criticism of her early writing and their failed encounter, yet remains drawn to him. For his part, Will is another tortured soul who feels he has never measured up and seeks validation. Will harbors a secret obsession with Leigh and uses her as a muse for his poetry.

I initially thought both Leigh and Will were immature, thus making the start of this book a bit slow. When Katie Naymon began revealing their inner thoughts through their poetry, my heart became fully engaged. Though touted as a slow burn romance, the true heft of this book lies in the personal growth of both Leigh and Will. My only wish is that we got more of Will’s perspective to better understand his intense connection to Leigh.

The cover belies the depth of feeling in this book. YOU BETWEEN THE LINES is not a lighthearted romcom. It is a slow, sometimes agonizing, journey of personal discovery. Sarah Beth Goer delivers an expressive performance that heightens the emotional impact of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This is a debut??? Angsty romance at its finest. I had the privilege of listening to the early audiobook format and again I has zero notes on Sarah's ability to engage with her tone and pace throughout the entire book. Her narration skills to match the right tone to each conversation and scene is pretty amazing.

I love reading books about authors, writers, editors etc. but I have never read about TWO POETS?! I love this idea so much and it was written so beautifully.

Leigh is wonderfully messy, imperfect, and so incredibly relatable. Will is quiet, soft, and a bit mysterious, but in those small, precious moments between them, you really start to see how much he cares for her. There's this beautiful sense of nostalgia woven throughout the story that hits right in the feels. The chemistry between Leigh and Will had me smiling, feeling all the emotions—giddy, frustrated, hopeful, and everything in between. They’re perfectly imperfect together, and their journey was full of angsty beauty and healing. Just such a beautiful, emotional ride!

ADD THIS TO YOUR FEBUARY TBR BESTIES!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this early audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is an emotional, slow-burn romance full of angst and yearning between two poets. The narrator does a wonderful job bringing this story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me to listen to this story!
You Between the Lines is a contemporary romance to be released in February 18th. A former sorority girl, Leigh is determined to prove herself in a prestigious poetry MFA program—until she realizes her high school crush-turned-nemesis, Will, is in her cohort. Their rivalry reignites as they compete for the program’s top fellowship, but things get complicated when Will starts writing intimate poems about her. As tensions rise and old feelings resurface, Leigh must decide if their story is one of competition or something more.
Narration: A very well done job by Sarah Beth Goer, definitely a voice I have not heard before and it felt fresh and new!
I recommend this one to anyone who loved Not in My Book by Katie Holt! In both books, old rivals get to revisit their feelings for each other over literature or poetry!

Okay let’s start off with the audio part! I loved both of the narrator’s in this book. I feel like they each brought their characters to life and they both had voices that kept me entertained in the story. Now for the actual book itself, this definitely wasn’t for me. I was drawn to this book because of the cute cover and I had friends who loved it so I thought I would give it a shot. This story revolves around the two main characters, Leigh and Will, who are getting their MFAs in writing. Both of them went to high school together and were a bit of rivals back in the day. Now years later they are back in the same class but they realize there’s more to each other once they get to know the person. Leigh is definitely a very flawed person. She was a former sorority girl (and she won’t let you forget that), a huge swiftie. (There’s so many mentions of Taylor that it took me out of the book), and she makes the worst decisions. Then we have Will and honestly we barely got to know him. I wasn’t particularly rooting for this couple since I didn’t like either of them. Not necessarily a bad book but it was not for me.

I just had the absolute best time listening to this book. This was seriously a surprise I didn’t see coming. I’m certainly someone who is super picky with what romances really get me. There was a lot in this book that invoked the standard I-wanna-rip-my-hair-out-you-are-being-so-dumb-right-now vibe that romance novels tend to have. BUT there was also a bunch that I, well & truly, SWOONED over.

Leigh, a sorority girlie & known pathological people pleaser, is pursuing her dream of becoming a poet by joining in an MFA program for fiction writers & poets. She’s excited for the change & for a chance to break away from The Horrors of capitalist monotony. BUT OF COURSE. WHO SHOULD ALSO BE IN THE PROGRAM BUT HER HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH & ALMOST COLLEGE FLING—WILL. & so our scene is set.

What I loved about this was the flow & the writing. It was truly very good & I was immediately in deep while listening. Their relationship feels natural & I enjoyed seeing the progression of it. Also—the writing for the love scenes???? I was truly gasping clutching my weighted stuffy. Will is also the most fictional man to ever be fictionalized. A poet who has impeccable taste in clothes, walking around with his museum tote bag, cooks delicious food, & goes to the farmer’s market every weekend??? BUT DID I MIND??? *violently shakes head “NO”*. My honest to gosh biggest criticism of this book was Leigh, herself. Her mirrorball type people pleasing ways went VERY far. By the end, when Will was telling her what’s freaking what, I was hooting & hollering for him. Her coping mechanisms were just so aggressively frustrating to witness. But—I do feel that the reason I was so annoyed is cause I also related to her. Regardless! This was a great surprise for me with a wonderful narration, & I really did like it a lot!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for this audio ARC!!

The tension between the two characters was undeniable from the start, immediately pulling me into the story. Their constant clashes and differences made every interaction feel intense and unpredictable. Over time, it became clear that beneath the animosity, there was something deeper, and watching that change unfold kept me hooked.

The poetry class added another layer to their connection. It wasn’t just about the class, but the way it allowed them to open up in ways they hadn’t before. The vulnerability that came with being in that space helped them see each other in a new light, making their evolving relationship feel authentic.

As their connection developed, there was a natural flow to how things changed between them. Every moment they shared, both in and out of class, added another piece to their bond. By the end, it was clear that they had grown together in a way that felt earned, with their shared experiences paving the way for something meaningful.

A really intriguing and interesting setting- a prestigious MFA poetry workshop and our heroine Leigh is surprised that her high school crush Will is also included. Her parents have separated and his father has passed, each of them dealing with their changing families and grief. They are also somewhat rivals in that Leigh's favorite poet is going to award a fellowship at the end of the first year. She still has feeling for him but thinks she is out of his league. Leigh would rather write poetry about pop culture references in a clever way than to get feedback on anything super personal.

I loved this book and *most* of its tropes, Leigh was insecure and a bit whiny. Absolutely loved the minor characters of the others in the MfA program. Hearing the dialogue of criticism from the other writers in the workshop was tough, this kind of environment can be kind of brutal to those of us that are sensitive to criticism. The conflict was mostly Leigh not feeling good enough. The book was pretty personal, and I would say it was a really special bonus that we were able to read wonderful poetry. The author does have an MFA in poetry. And I can say that I have read her truly wonderful poetry that she cleverly hid inside of a romcom. After 1600 book reviews, none of them have been for poetry, but about a third are romances. Well played. five stars to the poetry, four stars to the audiobook and the rest of the story.

While I didn't love the Leigh voice, I loved the other voices and the conclusion. The narrator overall was well paced and engaging.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.

Okay I really wanted to love this, but it really didn’t work for me. I appreciated Leigh and her flawed character and that she grew and developed, but I found her hard to root for in a lot of ways. And I never felt like we got enough of Will. I really never connected to the romance and didn’t fully buy into it by the end. I wanted more development in the relationships Leigh had with the side characters, too. I was never really invested in the plot and the prose was just a little too poetic and purple for me personally. I came this close to DNFing it at around 75ish%, but ended up seeing it through. I don’t think this is a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever, I had the chance to read the eARC of this book last year, and it ended up being my favorite debut romance of the year. So, I was beyond excited to get the ALC! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing Leigh to life and captured Will and the rest of the cohort members so well. The emotional depth in the narration made the story even more compelling.

I absolutely adore Leigh. Her people-pleasing tendencies felt so relatable. As someone who went through a PhD program, I loved the graduate school setting and deeply connected with the themes of imposter syndrome and cohort bonding. And Will… what can I even say? Ugh, he’s so sensitive and thoughtful. I loved that both he and Leigh were navigating their own struggles, which inevitably caused some challenges, but in the end, they realized they were meant for each other.

Ok first off, this cover is soooo cute! I was sent a copy of this from the publisher and that’s what put it on my radar, so I had to jump into You Between the Lines immediately.

So maybe I thought I was more into poetry than I am? 😅 This book does center around the poetry writing program that the heroine and hero are in, so if poetry/constructive writing criticism settings are your jam…then check out this book.

Leigh is a former sorority girl (this is very much her entire personality) who is starting a prestigious poetry MFA program and one of her fellow grad students is Will, her high school crush-turned-nemesis. Basically, Will and Leigh were in a high school creative writing class together and he gave her constructive criticism (which was part of the class) and she couldn’t handle it and immediately shut him down/felt like he hated her. Now it’s years later and they’re in this college program together. She is constantly saying she doesn’t fit in with the writing group because “she’s a former sorority girl” and she kinda just makes generalized stereotypes about poets and how she wouldn’t fit in. She likes to write poetry, but she doesn’t like critiques on her poetry or even talking about other people’s so it all just felt odd of her wanting to be in the program. The couple could have saved the book for me, but I just didn’t connect to them that much either sadly. A lot of back and forth with them and the poetry parts were just fine for me overall. Super cutesy cover though!

I received an ALC from the publisher, all thoughts in this review are my own.

This was a beautifully written, emotional romcom; the narrators were excellent.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hachette Audio for this ARC.

#YouBetweentheLines #NetGalley

I was first drawn to this novel because the cover is absolutely stunning, and I had an instinctive feeling it would be the perfect fit for me. Thankfully, I wasn’t wrong!

The story is sweet, full of charm, and offers a lighthearted yet meaningful exploration of familiar stereotypes—surprisingly refreshing in its take. We have Leigh, a witty sorority girl, and her seemingly pretentious high school crush/nemesis, Will, who, beneath his “snobby” exterior, has a heart of gold.

What I really loved was how the characters' lives were framed through the lens of two poets, each trying to navigate the world while expressing their unique artistic voices. The balance of humor, depth, and creative expression made it an engaging read, and I found myself completely absorbed in Leigh and Will's journey of self-discovery and artistic growth.

This novel is a delightful contemporary romcom that feels like a Legally Blonde-infused daydream—fun, thoughtful, and utterly charming.

This book is so incredible & the narrator for this audiobook sounds SO much like how I pictured Leigh. Hearing these two come to life feels like too much to handle -- I love it so much.