when she is accepted into a creative writing MFA program, leigh is excited to move to north carolina and start a new chapter. however the last person she expected to see in her classes was will — her high school crush turned nemesis who has been plaguing her thoughts for over a decade. so when he submits a poem to workshop that is seemingly about her, leigh and will are forced to admit that there may be something between them... they just need to read between the lines.

perhaps the easiest five stars of all time??? I DEVOURED this audiobook. I loved Leigh — we all needed some people-pleaser representation — and Will is the gold standard for book boyfriends. The mental health rep & discussion of difficult family dynamics felt really real. And, as someone who took creative writing classes, the pre-workshop panic was a whole new level of relatable. This was genuinely such a lovely read — I can't wait to read more from Katie Naymon in the future!

Thank you to hachette audio for the advanced listening copy — you between the lines is available now!

i listened to this one on audio and although it took me longer to get through than usual (thanks to being sick) i loved that i got to savor will & leigh’s story. i thought the narrator did a great job with this one and loved hearing the poetry read aloud!!

leigh was definitely immature a lot of the time and would harshly judge others as a defense mechanism so she didn’t have to feel like she wasn’t good enough. i’m starting the review with this because i think it’s important to know a characters flaw and be able to see them grow and change throughout the story and leigh dud just that. she came so far from where she started at the end and i think a lot of that was due to finally being able to look within and feeling loved and proud as things changed.

will was amazing. i loved getting to see how his and leigh’s relationship developed over the course of the book both the good and the bad. i think will is very in touch with his emotions and that really helped leigh be able to connect with her own. wills poem about wrists and lavender had me swooning!!! and i loved all the angst and tension between him & leigh

This was a really fun and interesting read. A lot of times the story and Leighs way of thinking hit a bit too close to home.

I would say the book is more rivals to lovers than enemies to lovers. I never got the feeling that they really hated each other and more that they both had the same academic goal. It was also a lot of miscommunication/no communication between Leigh and Will. Both thought they knew what's best for themselves and for each other and the next moment they were pinning for each other. It was cute.

The topic was also really interesting for me because I always want to get more into poetry but never really find a way into it. It was interesting to see how different people write poems and what the other colleagues thought about it.

The story was sometimes a bit rushed and it felt like they wanted everything to happen at once. Also most problems would have been solved if they just talked to each other. That's something I think a lot while reading romcoms. Sometimes it was a bit painful to listen to them being down bad for each other but not being together. I just wanted to shake both of them and tell them to just have a good talk.

It would have been a bit better if the story was dual pov. A lot of times I don't really need the dual pov because I don't like one of the character but in this case I would have thought it could be interesting what Will is thinking (or doing when Leigh isn't around because what could his hobbies be??).

The story reminded me of "Not in my books" by Katie Holt and I highly recommend it if you liked this one (and also if you didn't like this one) and vice versa. They're similar in topics and tropes and I had a lot of fun reading both. In general, I love books about books.

I also really enjoyed listening to Sarah Beth Goer narrate this audiobook. It was fun to listen to and easy to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this Audio-Arc!

You Between the Lines is a swoonworthy second-chance romance wrapped in academia, poetry, and just the right amount of angst. Leigh, a former sorority girl, and Will, her high school crush-turned-literary-rival, find themselves in the same prestigious MFA program—where the tension is as thick as their past. Their rivalry crackles, their banter is top-tier, and when Will starts submitting deeply personal poems that seem to be about Leigh, the slow burn becomes impossible to ignore.

For the first two-thirds, I was obsessed. The academic setting, the exploration of imposter syndrome, and the sharp, emotionally charged dialogue made this book feel like a love letter to writers. The chemistry between Leigh and Will? Electric. Their insecurities? Painfully relatable. But as much as I enjoyed their dynamic, Leigh’s self-sabotaging tendencies could be frustrating, and Will’s pretentious streak sometimes made me roll my eyes.

Unfortunately, the final stretch of the book lost some of its magic. The pacing felt rushed, and the resolution didn’t hit as hard as I wanted it to after such a strong buildup. Still, the journey—filled with longing, vulnerability, and poetic intensity—makes this a must-read for fans of academic rivals-to-lovers. If you love books about books, complex characters, and a romance that lingers between the lines, this one is for you.

2.5⭐, 2🌶️

Lets keep this review short because obviously I didn't enjoy this book. The romance fell flat for me - I didnt feel either of the characters love for each other (which I guess in a first person single POV I'd only get Leigh, but still i didn't get her's). For a girl in therapy, I was still so frustrated over all her ...lets say, emotional complexities and struggles. I felt like she and Will were still in high school, not master's students/ full adults.

I think my problem with this book (and a lot of similar writers and author MC character books) is in reading about the MC’s, I have no idea what any fundamental factors of a professional/ academic writer knows. What is prose? The only poetry I know is a haiku. 30% of this book went welllll over my head. I get MFA’s would enjoy this book, but balancing as a contemporary fiction romance…the author didn’t help not “academics” understand so much the characters were studying. Again, was that just a me problem? Maybe? But it really impacted my ability to enjoy the book since I didn’t understand the dialogue in most of the “classroom” scenes.

Sarah Beth Goer's narration at times was nice and calming, but during points of emotion, her vocal intonations didnt match the scene, and her voice became breathy/ and sweet and just frustrated me.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced copy of the audiobook.

2.5 stars
Leigh is a writer at heart. A poet. However, she does not feel like one. She hates straight, white male authors of the western canon. She prefers pop culture and Taylor Swift. She used to be in a creative writing class in high school but one negative comment from her high school crush shattered her confidence forever. In college, she preferred the sorority life instead of finding a place between the English students. At twenty-seven, her creativity has been stifled, writing ads for companies that only want plain direct words.
To make things worse, her parents are about to divorce. That's when she is accepted to a prestigious MFA program for poets and fiction writers. This is her chance to find her voice again, except Will, her high school crush and reason for many insecurities in her life, has also been accepted.

Oh, this book, oh, this main female character. A mess. An irritating mess.
I don't know how many times I read "straight, white male authors" and how Leigh hates them. Yet, she admits several times she has not read them cause they don't interest her. There are legitimately good reasons to criticise these authors, yet for Leigh is just "I found them boring and I don't understand their words". Leigh's poetry is a whole other thing. She wants to be a modern girl, one who writes interesting feminist issues through poems about Taylor Swift, famous celebrities and One Direction. Personally, if that's how these poems go, exploring Taylor Swift's sex life, I think I hate straight, white female swiftie authors.

I found Leigh to be an insecure self-sabotaging character. She's unsure of herself, so she's prejudiced against others. She is in a prestigious MFA program, yet she can't handle the smallest critique, lashing out and blocking everything. Whenever she has a moment with Will, a kiss, a hookup, she will mess it up by constantly doubting his intentions, even though they are literally hooking up. She creates unnecessary drama making this book drag so much.
Leigh has severe trauma because her parents are splitting up so she now has to learn to live with that, separate holidays, two phone calls instead of one... and I don't want to sound insensitive but she is twenty-seven and reads like she is still in high school. Her behaviour is selfish and self-centered.

As for the romance, well, it does not get better. Though the premise of two writers crushing on each other since high school and reconnecting later in life sounds appealing, Will is a very dull character. Leigh, because she's insecure in her writing abilities, sees Will as arrogant, as a smug asshole because he was the best writer in her high school class, but he was a "traditional straight, white male author", so of course people would like his stuff. However, in this book, Will is a very bland, depressing character that has always liked Leigh so there's no build up to their relationship. It's so obvious they like each other, and it's only dragged out because Leigh keeps sabotaging any chance between them. Maybe I would have cared more if Will had pov chapters, if he had been fleshed out better, but through Leigh's eyes, it was just boring. Very repetitive scenes.

I wish the classes would have been more important. The internship at the end was promising yet it comes all too late and Leigh, who theoretically wants so bad to work with her favorite author, does not even read her poems the night of the showing. This was supposed to be Leigh's dream and the chance to never go back to work in copywriting, but she just ends up giving up. Once again, so disappointing.

As for the audiobook, it was okay. I liked the narrator performing female characters. However, I did not like what she did for Will. It wasn't terrible, but it felt lacking. She made him sound dull and moody. Still, I doubt I would have made it to the end if it wasn't for the audiobook.

I go through romcoms like oxygen, and I'd like to think of myself as pretty easy to please, but sadly this one didn't land for me. I was all in for the setup: competing poets in an MFA program seems right up my alley, but I feel it was squandered on two unlikable main characters and a series of increasingly implausible verbal misunderstandings.
Leigh's pov was relentlessly insecure, immature and judgemental (many words were spent trying to convince me that Hazel was the bad guy, bc ... Some kind of MFA insider stereotype about people who care about their art?) , and Will wasn't much better. I found his character to be inscrutable and bland. I wish we had seen Will and Leigh have just one conversation that wasn't wholly about how fraught their situation was.
IMO, Leigh's redemptive revelations we're too little too late, and this story would have benefitted greatly from a few Will pov chapters, where we could find out what his deal is, and see Leigh from the perspective of someone who likes her.
There were some bright spots; the writing was really good, and again, I liked the premise. I think it takes a lot of courage including original poetry in a novel, and I did like most of it. I thought the critique scenes were particularly well done, and the conversations about mental health and antidepressants were handled artfully.
The narrator performed her job ably, using inflections to indicate different character voices.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book in advance of its publication.

Lee and Will are a super satisfying enemies to
Lovers duo, thumbing their way through early adulthood in You Between the Lines. Hometown classmates reuniting in the same small MFA program, both Lee and Will are trying to prove themselves in their writing while confronting or avoiding childhood wounds (and each other!). Rife with sexual tension heightened by really lovely poetry, Katie Naymon’s prose combined with Sarah Beth Goer’s narration made for a sweet and tender afternoon listening to this audiobook while working. Thanks Forever Pub and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

The depth to both Leigh and Will’s characters was so well-done. I adored the amount of mental health representation, ranging from depression to anxiety, to self-esteem issues, and more. I found both Leigh & Will to be very relatable, even frustratingly so because I felt as if I was getting called out at times. I think a lot of readers will be able to feel seen in the way Will describes his struggles with depression and how Leigh feels like she needs to shape herself to those around her. Both of their stories made my heart hurt for them in different ways, and truly made me want to give both of them a big hug. Will and Leigh both carry their own flaws, but they also carry personalities filled with humor, kindness, care, and undying wit.

Speaking of wit, I loved Leigh & Will’s dynamic so much! The one-sided rivals to lovers that they existed in made for so much banter, tension, chemistry. It allowed for the romantic, intimate moments between these two to shine and made me giddy! Seeing these two experience growth in their own way, break down each other’s walls, and get their chance together after so many years was truly special!!! I adored these two so much, even when I wanted to grab them by the shoulders and shake them.

As a whole, I really enjoyed this story, and being immersed in the world of MFAs was so fun. The side characters added so much to the story, I loved the friendships that were created and the scenes where the entire group were together.

I was completely sucked into this and read it in a day. It was emotional and I really felt the attraction between Will and Leigh. Yes, they were both rather immature, but I think it worked. It was nice to really get that college feel from the MFA program they are in and that it's not just a backdrop for their relationship. I also really tend to like "stuck in high school" mentality romances. I don't know why.

The "not like other girls" think Leigh had going on didn't work for me, but she does improve somewhat towards the end. There were other moments that annoyed me or didn't sit right, but overall it was a very enjoyable read.

The audiobook wasn't the best I've ever read but it was fine. The voice actors did a decent job with it and I don't really have any complaints.

Thanks to Forever and Hachette Audio for providing an early copy for review.

My main issue with this book is that none of the characters are developed, which means the romantic plot fell completely flat. We spend the entire book inside the mind of Leigh, the main female character. Even after spending 10 hours with her, I had no concept of her as a person except that she’s an extreme people-pleaser.
And if Leigh is flat and one-dimensional, Will’s character is non-existent. Leigh doesn’t actually know anything about him, beyond that she’s been lusting after and hated him for a decade. In turn, as a reader stuck in Leigh’s mind, there’s nothing to learn about Will. And because Naymon cannot show, only tell, there’s nothing to glean from Will’s presence that would add to my knowledge of him.
My second issue with this book was how much it tried to remind me of other books. This truly could’ve started as a fan fiction version of Beach Read, exploring Gus and January’s college years. So much of this book was trying to replicate dry banter with a deep undercurrent of yearning, which many other romance authors excel at. Unfortunately, all of those authors also took the time to create fully-developed characters, which leads to a palpable chemistry that pops off the page. Instead, Naymon left the reader with two characters perpetually stuck in high school, incapable of chemistry.
Saying all of this, I know that a lot of people loved this book. I’m sure there’s a lot of overlap with people who loved The Secret History and other academic-based novels. This book just absolutely rubbed me the wrong way in a way I rarely experience.
Thanks to Netgalley, Forever, and Hachette audio for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

You Between the Lines is a sweet and heartfelt love letter to poetry. Leigh and Will, who went to high school together and briefly ran into each other in college, have now returned to school to pursue their Master of Fine Arts. This novel blends rivals-to-romance with emotional baggage, exploring the journey of growing into true adulthood and personal growth.

I enjoyed this and how it instantly brought me back to grad school. Undergrad is one thing but the relationships and found family you form in grad school is something entirely different and I thought this book did a good job portraying that. I really wish this book was Dual POV. I would have loved to have insight into Will's poet brain. This book shines, but adding Will's POV would have put it over the top. I'm excited to see what else this author has in store.

The narration was great and really brought the poetry aspects of the story to life.

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the audiobook. Doing the audio for this specific book felt more intimate to me, Leigh’s insecurities (our main characters) felt like mine. I loved how real and relatable the author made the main characters to be. Also don’t get me started on the pop culture references specifically Taylor Swift and One Direction. This is the perfect book for every girl/boy out there who ever felt misjudged or inferior for showing others their fan girl ways. With that being said, what a wonderful debut I can’t wait to see what Katie has in store for us in the near future.

If it doesn't write poems about how he dreams of my writsts... I don't want him

God, this was a FANTASTIC debut! I was so engrossed from the beginning with the beautiful prose and imagery. The tension between Will and Leigh was so sooo incredibly palpable and I ate up every single interaction. I'm not really a big poems person, but I absolutely devoured every single poem in this book. They were so beautiful. This book is a bit reminiscent of Beach Read by Emily Henry and You, With a View by Jessica Joyce. I loved every second!

Hello! Meet the new favorite book that I binged in 4 hours last night. I started with the audiobook and then I was completely obsessed I stayed up an extra hour reading this e-book. I normally do not care for poems in novels and skim/skip them but I really enj0yed these. I connected a lot to the main character-my artwork was always seen as kind of "bubble gum pop" compared to the deep artwork of my peers-along with her people pleasing tendencies. The romance was so swoony and the buildup/push and pull of it all was so perfect. Really loved this one!

The audiobook really helped draw me in. I liked how the narrator read the poetry in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ALC!

You Between the Lines’ premise is enticing with the enemies to lovers and chosen family tropes. While Leigh and Will have sweet, scattered moments, their romantic connection is not convincing enough and has an underdeveloped feel. The issues that caused Leigh and Will to drift away from each other in high school seemed exaggerated, and neither appears equally lovable, vulnerable, or fallible enough to keep a reader engaged.

The book could have benefitted from having a dual point of view (Leigh and Will’s) instead of just Leigh’s. I really wanted to swoon with this title, and sadly, it did not work for me.

This is romance at its finest, true and utter perfection. It is a love letter to people pleasers and thought daughters, and men with glasses, sweater vest, and sluttly little tote bags. This masterpiece has captivating prose, relatable characters, and did I mention the male yearning?? Will is absolutely a goner for Leigh, and I love him so much. I felt personally attacked by how much I related to Leigh on a cellular level. I loved getting to see on page Leigh’s therapy appointments, who doesn’t love free therapy? I loved her character growth and reflection throughout the novel as she learns to be vulnerable. I’ve never been a poet or in an MFA program, but the problems Leigh dealt with felt so specific yet so universal that I felt myself reflecting and growing as a person while reading this book. I loved getting to see all of the ways that these two characters challenge each other and make each other better. Their chemistry was everything I could have asked for. Naymon managed to make grabbing a wrist seem like the most hot and physically intimate thing, if you know, you know.
I cannot sing enough praises for Katie Naymon. I look forward to reading anything she writes.

Side note: I read and annotated this while listening to the audiobook, and I highly recommend doing that. The audiobook narrator, Sarah Beth Goer, was fantastic! Her “Will” voice was so hot??? It was everything!!! 10/10!!

⭐ 2.75 stars ⭐

You Between the Lines had all the makings of a great will-they-won’t-they romance, but the drawn-out tension and frustrating main character tested my patience. That said, the audiobook narrator completely saved this book for me. Their performance brought the story to life, engaging even the most exasperating moments. The side characters were a delight (honestly, I wanted more of them!), and while the ending tied everything together nicely, it took a long road to get there.

The audiobook version is the way to go if you love slow-burn romances and fantastic narration.

📖 Full review here: https://thesoftandslowlife.com/you-between-the-lines-audiobook-review/

In this debut, late twenty-something Leigh enters a poetry MFA program in North Carolina, only to discover that her high school crush-turned-rival is also in the program.

Strap in for plenty of poetry, the pretentiousness that can be found in academia—the characters even admit to this, issues stemming from parental and parent-child relationships, longstanding grudges, fear of commitment, and imposter syndrome.

This is told in single POV, so we get lots of Leigh telling us that she can’t be with Will.

Throw in a highly coveted fellowship position that they both want, and Leigh’s distrust of Will grows even more.

I did like the notes they make for each other in the margins on poems and appreciated that, in the end, Leigh does show growth and Will opens up more. Ultimately, though, this seems like a case of a book just not being right for my mood when I read it.

Sarah Beth Goer narrates the audiobook, and I feel like she was well-cast for the character. Since this book is written in single POV, we have a single narrator situation here.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio. All review opinions are my own.