I really enjoyed this book!! The FMC and MMC are in the same literary/poetry graduate program but they also have a history that goes back to high school. It was a will they, won't they trope because in each different time their paths crossed, they had a romantic encounter or near-encounter. Their chemistry was off the charts and the dynamics of communicating through notes on each other's poetry and through reading each other's work to their classmates during workshops was so unique and charged! Sometimes there were misunderstandings that felt frustrating to me as the reader.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the narrators were great!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

Leigh has just been accepted in the MFA program in North Carolina and is excited for the next two years while she is there. Until she runs into the one person she never thought she would. Will who is a few years older and Leigh's crush from high school and beyond that. Now they will be competeing for the one fellowship opportunity that this program offers. While they both have feelings for each other Leigh doesn't want to get her heart broken by Will yet again. This was a good audiobook that did touch on family issues such as death of a parent and divorce. It also touched on issues of anxity and depression. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Forever Publishing for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

YOU BETWEEN THE LINES took me a bit off guard. When our MMC is described as the academic type, I tend to have some preconceived notions about what they will bring to the table. In YBTL, however, our characters did not fit into the molds or boxes I had pre-defined for them. I enjoyed the feel and heart of this book immensely.

Years after graduation, former high school rivals Will and Leigh find themselves in the same MFA writing program. While they compete for the same prestigious fellowship, they begin to realize maybe they've misjudged one another.

I wanted to love this, but I unfortunately just feel indifferent about it. They're supposed to be academic rivals, but the whole thing stems from a super small little slight that happened in a high school English class, so I really didn't buy it. I didn't mind Will's character, but Leigh was pretty whiny and unlikeable. I was really put off by the way she (a grown adult) reacted to her parents' divorce. The two main characters were just so different that I didn't really feel the chemistry, and I didn't believe their romance would last.

I do want to give the narrator props though, she did a great job.

I think there was a lot of potential here, and I still think a lot of readers will love this, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

I think the narrator did a great job at setting a voice for each of the characters, and there were more than a handful. In each scene that involved more than the two main characters, I never felt like I was confused on who was speaking. I would recommend this audio book to anyone that loves a well written rom-com.

The narrator does a good job portraying the main character, though I do wish she had a partner to read the novel with. It's definitely personal preference, wanting a male duet partner to read the male dialogue, but the female narrator was a good choice and fit for this story overall!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I had an enjoyable time reading this, but I wanted to love it more! I just couldn’t vibe with the main character.

This just didn't grab me. I DNF'd it at 56% - not because it was cringey or bad, but simply because I found it boring and couldn’t connect with any of the characters. If you're into writing, poetry, or the MFA scene, you might enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This one was cute, but it just wasn’t for me. I usually love books about writing and books, but this leaned too heavily into poetry, making it hard for me to connect. The poetic metaphors—especially during the spicy scenes—felt a bit much. The love story frustrated me at times, but in hindsight, it was realistic for the characters’ ages… Maybe I’ve just outgrown college romances.

This is a good book. I really tried to like it more. I just couldn't give it the five stars that I had wanted to. She's kinda annoying throughout the whole book. The poems seemed forced and not very good. I think it was a great idea for a book but it just didn't hit the mark.

A huge thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC and @hachetteaudio for the gifted audiobook!
I have never felt more seen than when reading this book. I related to Leigh so much, reading this book was cathartic and enriching. The story is so real - the characters' vulnerability and identities felt near tangible. This was such a beautiful and healing story. I loved the romance. I loved Leigh's emotional journey. This was such an incredible book. My favorite romance of the year so far. Please read immediately!

This was interesting for me. I really enjoyed the writing style, but found the FMC hard to like. Maybe it was the narration but it was hard to get attached to either MC. Much of the time I didn’t feel like much was going on.

I have read many books that surrounded something very niche and still loved the book, but the poetry part of this book felt forced. Also her being a sorority girl was about 1% of the book.

This was a middle of the road book for me. I listened to it very quickly and wanted to love it, but I just didn’t.

This is the story of a young woman in an MFA program and her ongoing ten+ year crush on another member of her program. Leigh met Will in high school and adored him until he gave her a cutting critical review of her poem. Now, they’re forced to review each other’s works, even when they’re writing about each other.

This story had so much angst, which is expected when it comes to poets falling in love. While I wanted the couple to get together a little more quickly and for Will to be a little bit more proactive, I understood his motives better at the end of the book.

The audiobook narrator did a good job of conveying Leigh’s sorority girl, people-pleasing personality without going over the top.

Overall, I’m always down for a cute romance, and this was fun.

1/5 ★

DNF at 38%... -- I am so sad I could not get into this book because I really did want to love it! Initially what drew me in was the cover art, title, and concept but this just fell really short for me. I struggled to find any connections with the characters in this book. But what really stumped my desire to continue reading was Leigh. Her personality was not my cup of tea. Her whiny attitude (especially during any constructive feedback) annoyed me. I looked past that though because it was short, but then it was the weird Taylor Swift references that just made me cringe a bit. Pair all of that with the chemistry between both main characters that was giving nothing?? I could not continue. Maybe I'm being picky but I just didn't love their connection in the start of the book.

I didn't love this book but many do, so maybe I'll attempt again in the future

Notes on audiobook:
I feel like some parts were strong but the delivery of other weren't for me. Everyone has preferences and this specific audio of the book just didn't do it for me.

The premise is a sorority girl meets former high school crush at a prestigious creative writing program and sparks fly. It's sort of friends to lovers but also enemies to lovers in the sense that she thought of him as his nemesis, but he never did, so maybe not?

I really wanted to like it but from the beginning the FMC wasn't my favorite. I was hoping she would grow on me, but she made a lot of assumptions, felt bad about herself or thought people judged her because of her looks/background, pushed everyone away without communicating well, and it felt like her character evolving took a LONG time. The MMC obviously had his own issues with how he was raised, but he was clearly trying to communicate with her in a healthy way. It was a bit frustrating to see the dynamic play out over and over even though I knew there has to be a HEA at the end. It was like no matter what he did with good intentions, she felt like he didn't do good enough or thought he had bad intentions as part of it. Not saying that we don't all do that, I'm sure my husband would say I do this too, so I know it's reality of how we all judge and jump to conclusions or have our own narrow perspectives, but man it just kept happening. There are definitely good lessons to be learned along the way, but I almost DNFed it. I'm glad I finished it, it just wasn't my fav.

The narration also wasn't my favorite, especially the male voice. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite. As an audiobook gal, I've gotten picky though!

I really wanted to love this (especially as a former English program girlie), but Leigh was insufferable. her childishness and "not like other girls" attitude was annoying to say the least.

That said, I enjoyed the narration and the audiobook was well produced.

A slow burn academic rivals to lovers, full of tension, pop culture references, and beautiful poetry.

Leigh, a former sorority girl and proud Taylor Swift-lover, starts a Masters Poetry program with fellow grad students, when she realizes her old high school crush, turned enemy, who couldn’t stop writing about her… is in her cohort. Leigh is determined to prove herself after getting no substance feedback, and she can’t avoid Will for long. Will we find out what is happening for them between the lines?

This was so creative and witty! I listened to the audio and it added so much extra personality. Katie’s writing was fun, impressive, and beautiful. I love a down bad man and I love a girl who loves to write. Hidden feelings, angst, and falling in love through poetry?! Yes, yes, and yes please!

Leigh and Will’s story was unique, fun, and extremely well done. There was great mental health and therapy representation, and so many relatable personality traits in both of them. I love a down bad man and I love a girl who loves to write. The side characters in the cohort were a great added addition!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette, and BookHuddle for the ARC! I was really looking forward to reading this one – a romance centered around books – sounds perfect! Leigh and Will, both angsty writers, have been circling each other for years and are forced together again in a MFA program as late 20-somethings. However, it fell a little flat for me and I gave it 3 stars. There was nothing wrong with the book, just nothing that made it memorable for me.

The parts of the book I liked best were the bits of writing we got to hear from the students in the MFA program. Writing poetry seems like something only a masochist would choose as a career, but I’m thankful that people suffer through it! The narrator did a fine job with the book and I followed the character switches without issue.

Without giving too much away, I felt that some of Leigh and Will’s “I love you I hate you” reasoning was pretty thin, and their reactions overdone. And Leigh seemed awfully tied up in her parents’ relationship. I would expect that from someone in middle school, not middle age.

Basically, I enjoyed the book well enough while I was reading it, but it is not one that I will really remember or be recommending to others. Sorry!

4 stars ⭐️ This was such a fun read! The yearning and the poetry were fantastic!

The narrator, Sarah Beth Goer, did a fantastic job giving each character a distinct voice.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute enemies to lovers romance. I felt it was a little dragged out but over very sweet overall.