You Between the Lines was exactly what I needed it to be. It was a lovely rivals to lovers, almost second chance, romance. It was written quite well. The characters were each distinct enough to play their role, and that was lovely. I found the audiobook narrator to be good *most* of the time. I did not like when she narrated the seductive spice scenes, but that is just like a personal thing and some people may be really into it. The books is three stars for me because it did what I needed it to do as a nice little romance book, but trust it didn't do anything beyond that. The side characters could have used some more exploring and the major conflicts of the book were quite forced. A nice read overall if you're looking for a nice palate cleanser.

Leigh Simon's greatest nemesis in high school was William Langford. He had nothing good to say about any of her poetry. So color Leigh horrified when she discovers Will is in the same MFA program. She should be rich from all the lemonade she's making from the lemons life throws at her. If there's anyone she wants to best, it's William. She would love nothing more than to win the coveted fellowship. But everything she writes is superficial at best. William can't help but feel this is his chance for Leigh to give him a chance. But she doesn't want the attention he's giving her, and her discovery about one of his poems could finally give her the chance to beat Will. The more time they spend together, the deeper the connection between them gets.

I have to admit that I didn't like Leigh in the beginning. She wasn't someone I wanted to get to know. She seemed superficial, never giving her true self, which seemed to be the greatest stumbling block for her poetry. Once she began really feeling those emotions and not tamping them down, her true character came shining through. I felt that the animosity she felt toward Will was what was holding her back. Only then was she able to see (or read) between the lines of William's poetry that she could be open to loving Will and him loving her.

Sarah Beth Goer was a great narrator! She is new to me, and I can see her becoming a favorite. Her soothing voice was perfect for Leigh and Will's story!

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

DNF. I gave this book 10% but was not interested in continuing the listen. I may have judged wrong, but I felt like I could see where it was going to go and was bored. They marketed it as Legally Blonde but in MFA. I don't think this is a compelling comparison because, without the disbelief that the main character can accomplish something so challenging, all that's left is a ditzy girl getting a master's degree.

I really liked this book! It was my first book by Katie Naymon. Based on some of the reviews, I thought I wanted like the addition of the poetry, but it really added to the story for me. I liked the pacing and the narrator did a great job with the fmc and the MMC voices.

This book was an adorable feel good romance. Leigh is tired of her corporate marketing job and decides to go back to college for poetry where she reunites with Will, the guy she’s had a crush on since high school and also said her poetry had no substance. As they both compete for the same fellowship opportunity they have to become vulnerable with each other and themselves as they learn to express themselves and communicate through poetry. Leigh deals with and grows a lot through the book providing things hat every person can relate too in some ways if they have insecurities and issues expressing themselves. The same can be said for will with his own self esteem issues coming into play. The wonderful thing with these main characters is the way that they portray even though our judgement of ourselves might be harsh and jaded, others can see the beauty in us and help us find it in ourselves. The narrative and voice of this book was beautiful as well, sounding like poetry in itself with the language and descriptions. This was a wonderful fun contemporary romance!

Thank you Forever & Hachette Audio for the review copies.
Quote from 85%:
Leigh:
"But it wasn't just the fight. From the very beginning, he's been wishy-washy." Gen:
"Well, maybe because you've been wishy-washy, too."
-two lines summarizing my thoughts on this whole story.
This had moments that I enjoyed - hello, we never get books that have ties to Ohio so shout out to that!! But overall I really struggled through this, specifically the main character's POV and how she dealt with nearly every relationship in her life. This will absolutely be a hit for folks who love slow burn, angsty, poetic, messy characters and books about writing - the comps to Beach Read are great and deserved. It just wasn't for me, and that's okay. With that said, I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Poetically this book was beautiful and I loved the lyrical flow of the words. It was fun to see a novel about poets written in a poetic way. But I didn't love the character developments and the characters in general felt like they could have had a more satisfying storyline overall. It just felt lacking something for me.

I am so glad I got the audiobook of this. I got the hardback in my BOTM box, but I was struggling to get into the story. The narrator of this book helped tremendously. I enjoyed listening and could easily have it on while I drove. I feel the main reason I struggled at first is I have recently read a lot of books about writing nemesis in a program together. It just seems to be done a lot lately and I was frustrated that I was getting a similar story from a different author. While I maintain that this still followed the same paths the other books did, I was glad that I got to listen to this story because it was well written, even though it was predictable.

“You Between the Lines” by Katie Naymon was such a delightful addition to my TBR. Leigh and Will share a complicated past and find themselves unexpectedly reunited in a graduate poetry cohort. Despite their best efforts to resist, the chemistry between them is undeniable. This romance is beautifully written, with touching poetry woven throughout the story, adding to its depth and charm.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job with the pacing and delivery. Her voice for Will, in particular, made him even more swoon-worthy. If you love second-chance romances with a literary twist, this is definitely one to add to your list!
Thanks to NetGallery and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. There were parts I absolutely loved, but Leigh drove me crazy the entire time. Without spoiling anything, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to grow up a bit. That being said, I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was fantastic! Her flow, energy, and enthusiasm brought the story to life in a way that made the experience so much better. While this book wasn’t a favorite, I still appreciated the journey, and the narration definitely kept me engaged!

Former sorority girl Leigh unexpectedly lands in a prestigious poetry MFA, only to find her high school crush-turned-nemesis, Will, enrolled too—and he won't stop submitting poems (obviously about her). Forced to confront past feelings through verse, Leigh discovers some stories are best told between the lines.

Authentic and angsty. Those two words can describe the feeling of a lot of well-written contemporary romances these days, but few carry the weight of them like this story does. I really appreciated how unaware Leigh was while she was trying to be aware. It made her anxiety and grief about her parents’ divorce feel especially real. And though I’m usually not a fan of the poetry written within stories, Leigh’s imperfect poems actually helped convey her lack of personal understanding and made her attempts to solve her life's problems even more relatable. Her final poem at the end—her vulnerable self—was my favorite, as it should be.

So here we are, nearing the end of my review of a romance ebook, and I’ve yet to talk about the romance. Well, this story is less about romance itself and more about second chances—two poets discovering what being a poet means to them.

(Also, you know a book was truly enjoyable when you suddenly want to drop everything in your life to sign up for a poetry MFA, despite there being nothing you hate more than trying to write a poem.)

Thank you @netgalley @hatchetteaudio @readforeverpub for the books #netgalley

Perfect for you if you like:
Books about grad school and poetry
Second chance romance
Anxiety rep.
Taylor Swift

Similar to:
Not in My Book by Katie Holt
How to Plot a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

⛔️chapters 15, 20 & 22 contain explicit romance scenes (open door)
⚠️explicit language, parental divorce (very present), previous death of parent, anxiety and mental health (very present), sexual harassment

Thank you NetGalley for giving me early access to this audiobook. So…. it was a cute book in the end but there were definitely parts I liked and some I didn't like so much.
A very brief summery: Leigh a MFA student finds out she’ll be spending the next 2 years in the same program with a man “she can't stand” because he gave her criticism… also he can't forget her.
Okay so there technically is more to the story, but in my opinion for it to be framed as a “she can't stand him, he can't forget her” story there really needed to be more. I don't know if I just handle criticism really well because I went to college for art and we had critiques ever week… but like Leigh is far to sensitive when it comes to criticism. The craziest part is the criticism is also so VALID! I'm not sure if Leigh was supposed to be slightly unlikable so that when she grows we are happy with the growth… but there where times when I really couldn't stand her. For starters she's constantly talking about how “she's not like other girls” in her program. True to an extent, she's not like the typical indie poet but we also meet all her classmates and talk about how they are all slightly different. She feels so different because she likes Taylor Swift, pink, and was in a sorority. For starters I really don't feel bad for a girl who doesn't have to feel othered or different in every aspect of the world. The craziest part is, she talked about how another guy in the MFA program seemed like a party boy or frat boy…. So like you're obviously not alone girl, not everyone is the same. Yes that guy was technically part of the fiction group and not the poetry one, but my point still stands! Also Leigh needs to grow up, I’m sorry she makes anything going on in anyone's life about her not being good enough. I get it, I have a lot of trauma but like… for someone who worries so much about being enough for others, she only thinks about herself. Will was a good love interest in my opinion but that option might also be bias because he reminds me a lot of my boyfriend. That being said I think he's too good for Leigh, she said some really rude stuff that they just kind of brushed past. The craziest part is, he just lets it go even though she held onto a comment he made about a poem she wrote for like 10+ years. Sorry for saying the craziest part like 10 times!

I usually don't like the second chance romance but this one pulled at my heart strings! I love Will & Leigh so much, They will live happily ever after in my head forever.

Description
A former sorority girl starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her classmates is her high school crush-turned-nemesis—​and he can't stop writing about her.
No one’s more surprised than Leigh when a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina accepts her. A former sorority girl, Leigh’s the first to admit she knows more about the lyrics of Taylor Swift than T.S. Eliot, and she’s never been able to shake the “all-style-no-substance” feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop. Leigh's insecurities become all too real when Will, that same high school crush-turned-nemesis, shows up at orientation. And now, he’s William, exactly the kind of writer Leigh hates, complete with his pretentious sweater vests and tattered Moleskine. Leigh’s determined to prove herself—and William—wrong by landing the program’s highly-coveted fellowship. But Will’s dead-set on proving himself too, and in a small cohort, they can't keep apart for long.
When Will submits an intimate poem (that's maybe, probably, definitely about Leigh) to workshop, they’re both forced to realize there’s more to the other than what’s on the page. And what’s between the lines may be even more interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book!

You Between the Lines
by Katie Naymon
Narrated by Sarah Beth Goer
Hachette Audio | Forever

This book just wasn’t for me! Leigh was immature and stuck in the past. I want to be able to root for an HEA in a romance and I just couldn’t. Will was deserving of so much more.

I have lots more thoughts about this book, but I’ll just say it wasn’t for me and move on! Cute cover though!

This book is a great debut. It’s sweet, has good tension and stakes, and I love the past between them. I enjoyed the narrator. I thought it was a strong debut and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book was the cutest! I couldn't put it down and the narration was perfect!

I tried so hard to finish this book. There is nothing I hate more than DNFing a book but how many rejections can you take from a man before you let him go? How many times can you read the lack of confidence in an FMC before you put the book down? Maybe it is the angst that I couldn't handle or maybe it was Leigh's insufferable character and lack of growth throughout the 75% that I read. From start to 75%, I saw no growth in the FMC… I couldn't even figure out what she has seen in Will all these years. The chemistry was not there.

I did love how the author wove in poetry that was really beautiful. Her style of writing over all I really enjoyed. I also think the narrator did a great job but I just couldn't go on with the consistent angst.

This story was wonderfully written. The little plot twists felt so natural and not forced like many do these days. I love the full circle nature of Lee and Will's relationship.
In regards to the audiobook production however I do have one little caveat. While I understand that the first chapter is supposed to take place during the FMC's hogh school years, I found the narrator's voice so overly angsty, whiny and annoying that I will admit that I was ready to DNF the audiobook right there cause it was just so grating. I'm glad I stuck in however as the story was so good, but seriously the narration of that first chapter was rough.

Thank you for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.


I really enjoyed listening to this on audio. This was very easy to listen to. This was a fun concept of a book. I did get a little confused sometimes with the poetry mixed in with audio. I think I would have enjoyed those parts more if I physically read them. This was low on the spice level but still gave a little.

2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leigh is a super villain. Is she 17 or 27? I’m okay with a main character you drives you crazy at first if there’s growth but Leigh displayed zero growth. She is so insecure, jealous, immature and unlikable. The man that she “loves”, she can’t even look at him because all she can think how she wants to sabotage him and how she can’t even clap or be happy for him. She constantly generalizes authors and how “straight, white men” write but won’t read anyone or give anyone a chance. Her parents’ divorce absolutely rocks her world and makes It all about her and makes It about herself. A 27 year old poet who only writes about Taylor swift and one direction? It’s bizarre.

I liked the narrator and i did finish the book. But i utterly hated Leigh. If you like poetry, you might really like this because it’s very poetry heavy even during the sexual scenes. This just wasn’t a read for me, but please check out other 4/5 star reviews to see what others have said.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.