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"You Between the Lines is an absolute gem—a heartfelt, swoon-worthy romance that perfectly blends humor, longing, and emotional depth. The characters leap off the page with such authenticity that you feel like you’re living their journey right alongside them. The banter is sharp, the tension is electric, and the emotional moments hit you right in the heart.

What sets this book apart is its ability to balance wit and warmth. Naymon crafts a love story that is not only captivating but also deeply relatable, making you reflect on your own experiences with love, vulnerability, and second chances. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and their slow-burn romance unfolds in a way that keeps you eagerly turning pages.

Whether you’re a fan of flirty, feel-good romances or stories with emotional weight, You Between the Lines delivers on every level. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished the last page. Highly recommended!"

This book was really cute. I liked it except for Leigh’s constant repeating at the start that “it’s not going to work out” without any real reasoning. The conflict that arises did seem believable, and I appreciated the self-awareness the author gave Leigh about different areas of conflict with her family and with Will. I enjoyed the narration as well for this audiobook. The emotion and character development made this a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ARC!

This book! I absolutely loved every single minute of it. It was definitely a cute romance but different than most of the others. It definitely spoke to my writer heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for access to this ALC!

When Leigh starts a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina, the last person she expects to see is her high school rival, Will (who, annoyingly, now goes by William because of COURSE he does). Leigh and Will are competing for the same fellowship, and through their rivalry become friends somewhere along the way. Leigh's high school crush on Will never *really* went away she finds, and as it turns out Will's didn't either. When Will submits a poem that seemingly goes deeper than what is on the page, he and Leigh are forced to face their true feelings for each other.

I adored this book. The writing, the banter and the spice was all *chef's kiss*. I was NOT expecting the scenes to be as spicy as they were, which was an extremely pleasant surprise. Will and Leigh had a complicated relationship throughout the book, and it was so interesting to see it unfold. I loved the audio narration throughout the book, I thought Sarah Beth Goer was the perfect voice for Leigh.

Leigh was a very interesting and complex character. I liked seeing how her work was tied to her emotional trauma and seeing the impact of the therapy on her life across the board resonated with me. I wish we would have gotten a bit more of Will’s pining for Leigh earlier in the story. I felt like he was all over the place and it made sense in the end but I didn’t trust him early because of it. The audio narrator really sold the emotion in the story especially when it came to the poetry reading.

3.5*
I enjoyed this book, it reminds me of Not in My Book by Katie Holt. Two MFA students in grad school reconnect after years apart in a second chance romance of sorts. Nearly 10 years after meeting in high school and having a rocky and complicated past.
I liked the plot of this book. Ironically, for two people who write a lot their communication was lacking and I feel like that left a bit to be desired. I wish they had talked things out, miscommunication could have easily been avoided.
The physical chemistry between our MCs was good, I just wish the yearning and emotional connections were a bit better developed.

4.5 stars rounded up because this is just the romance that I needed. Leigh and Will are literally such the perfect pair that I am obsessed with them. I love who they are and become throughout this story. I found that the premise was really fun and well rounded, LOVED that the main characters were late 20s. They both felt true to age (speaking as a 27 year old) and I enjoyed being in Leigh’s mind as she continued to find herself.

This is a TRUE slow burn. I wish that that had a few chapters of Will’s POV so we could really truly feel the longing and yearning. I feel like it his POV would have been the cherry on top as his character has such depth and so much to say internally. I took away a half star because Leigh’s character just annoyed me a tad bit in her self destructive tendencies, those felt a bit juvenile for her age. I think that the resolve maybe should have been that her drs prescribed her some anti-anxiety meds lol.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hachette audio for this arc! Really enjoyed it.

Sadly, I didn’t love this one but I still enjoyed it for the most part. There were parts of this story that were lowkey cringe. The constant pop culture references, namely TS but still… I understand she wrote a lot of poems regarding pop culture but after what felt like the 20th time I was over it. While I looooved Will. I felt like the characters didn’t have a lot of depth. I didn’t feel like I really knew much about either of them. If the book sounds good to you, read it. I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review an audiobook of You between the Lines. I enjoyed the narration.

the narrator was phenomenal! I honestly would probably have rated it lower if I had read the physical book because the main character, while complicated and still lovable, was just so self-destructive that I could not bring myself to root for her! Will tried so hard to get her to see how much she was worthy of love, and yet she couldn’t notice anything about her behavior until she was at rock bottom ? it just bugged me but that might just be a me problem!

Little angst but a lot of heart. The original poetry was a great addition to the writing. The history between Will and Leigh is very little but the impact it had on her was a kick to her self-esteem. Now years later they end up in the same MFA program, Leigh having moved on from her past and Will struggling with his. I very much enjoyed the ride the story took me on, filled with mixed messages from Will, miscommunication from Leigh all around was a great read.

I was lucky to get approved for the ALC from #netgalley and the audiobook narrator did an excellent job.

Read if you like:
~books about books
~enemies to lovers
~mental health rep

I loved everything about this debut novel by Katie Naymon. I cannot wait to see what she writes next! I am so happy that I got You Between the Lines as one of my BOTM picks because it definitely deserves a space on my shelf.

Thank you Hachette audio for the copy of You Between the Lines! This was a wonderful story and as an English Major I really enjoyed the storyline a lot. This was a fun listen and the narrator Sarah was great to listen to! She did an incredible job with this story. She has the perfect voice for reading audio books and the cadence and emotion was all there! Leigh and Will have a pretty cute “pining” type of relationship - things never seem to line up time after time, but maybe this time is finally their time! 5 star read for me!

Katie Naymon definitely has a unique style that caught my eye in the first few chapters and didn’t ease their grip on my until the very end. I loved everything about this book and the main protagonist, how it was raw and real and so very vulnerable despite Leigh trying not to be. It will resonate deeply if you ever had trouble finding your voice, your confidence and the courage to open up to the people closest to you. I recommend reading or listening to this book.

Thank you to #netgalley and #hachetteaudio for an advance listening copy of this book. I enjoyed the story but was really put off by the narrator.

I would not have found this book on my own, so I extend my heartfelt gratitude to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio. This audiobook has captivated me completely. An enticing, passionate, and richly heartfelt experience, fans of Emily Henry and Carly Fortune need this book. It’s angsty, unique, and you won’t be able to put it down.

Leigh and Will’s journey of self-discovery and their evolving relationship was truly heartfelt. The chemistry and tension between them were expertly crafted, embodying the classic rivals-to-lovers trope.

Two former classmates unexpectedly reunite in grad school, but will they finally figure out how to be honest and communicate outside their cryptic poetry? Or will their cycle of self-sabotage lead them to more confusion, angst, and frustration?

I enjoyed listening to this audio book. The narration leant itself well to the storytelling and poetry readings.

Sometimes I felt as if only hearing Leigh’s POV made Will’s change from cold to hot to cold to hot a little too jarring for the reader, but I was enough invested in her character growth that I still enjoyed the story. I would love a novella in Will’s voice so we can experience the world through his eyes! You can’t help but root for Leigh and her journey towards happiness - both within herself and her relationship with Will!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this audio story in exchange for my honest opinions.

Well this one fell really flat for me unfortunately 😕 equally the story line and narration were just off. The pop culture references didn't blend right and it felt like they were just trying to appease a certain demographic for how blunt they were.

I know the narrator worked really hard for this but their reading style was all over the place. Between trying to switch voices for characters and trying to just simply read the pov of the main character, I couldn't tell what was going on half the time. It's like they were reading the words flat off the page for an essay and every now and then would add some dimensions to the characters. This made it really hard to follow along. This also made it hard to adjust the reading speed. Keeping this in the traditional 1x speed was okay but if you tried to speed it up even to 1.25x, it was difficult to understand what she was saying.

You Between the Lines is a gorgeous romance set in an MFA writing program. A love story between two poets set in the world of academia? How could I not adore this book? The sentence level writing is lush and the conflicts are believable and authentic. It’s one of the best romances I’ve read in years. I understood Leigh’s struggles to be vulnerable on a deep level. It is one of those rare books that is so deeply a romance, but it is also about a woman finding herself and becoming the person she was always meant to be. The narration by Sarah Beth Goer is pitch perfect. It is a clean and crisp recording, and it really added to my enjoyment of the book. I would highly recommend the audio. I loved it and it will definitely be on my list of top romances of 2025.

I loved this story and it got to the point I was up too late because I couldn't out it down. The story was well written. I love the author pulls you into Leigh's masters program. I wasn't just seeking for the romance, but also seeing how Leigh did in her program. I also felt very connected to the story in so many ways and saw myself.

I was lucky enough to listen to the audio of this book. It was fantastic. The narrator Sarah Beth Goer uses her voice to pull you into the story. You can tell her choices were well thought out and her voice for Will was chefs kiss. The pacing was also great because it wasn't too slow.

Overall, great book and highly recommend.

You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon, narrated by Sarah Beth Goer, is a romance that looks deeply at the versions of ourselves that we hold tight to – the ones that stand in the way of personal growth and risk taking. The story has the familiar flow of romance novels, but, because it has this deeply introspective facet, the reader comes away from experiencing the book with a bit more courage than they had when they started. The audiobook version of the novel gives the story additional depth and emotion. Sarah Beth Goer’s excellence as a narrator takes the experience to an even higher level with her ability to flawlessly shift from character to character and mood to mood. Goer leads the listener through the story, using her voice to set the tone of each scene, each thought pattern and each revelation. Her pacing is flawless, showing an in depth understanding of what the author is trying to convey. This is an excellent novel on its own, but adding the narration of Goer makes the book immeasurably better. I highly recommend this audiobook for readers looking for a romance that stretches them as a person.