You Between the Lines - by Katie Naymon (Paperback)

About the Book

"No one's more surprised than Leigh when a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina accepts her. A former sorority girl, ... she's never been able to shake the 'all-style-no-substance' feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop. Bad enough that her tattooed, New Yorker tote bag-carrying classmates have read all the right authors and been published in the country's leading literary journals, Leigh's insecurities become all too real when Will, that same high school crush-turned-nemesis, shows up at orientation as a first-year in the program, too. 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"--

Book Synopsis

"A brilliant, poignant love story perfect for fans of Emily Henry. With vibrant characters, You Between the Lines is a master class in the art of the romance novel."
--Peyton Corinne, author of Unsteady

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.

"You Between the Lines is almost indescribably good: fresh and smart and tender, with not just some of the most gorgeously crisp prose, but poetry I'd pin to every one of my Pinterest boards. Leigh is my soulmate, and Will is the gold standard for book boyfriends."
―Jessica Joyce, USA Today bestselling author of The Ex Vows and You, with a View

Review Quotes

"YOU BETWEEN THE LINES marks the debut of a stunning new voice in romance. I was captivated by Katie Naymon's tender, lyrical prose, and my heart ached-in the best way possible-through every page of Will and Leigh's journey to embrace the messy vulnerability of both love and art. I eagerly await whatever Naymon does next!"--Ava Wilder, author of WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY

"Like the best poems, You Between the Lines is poignant, lyrical, and true. I thoroughly enjoyed Leigh and William and their rivalry, their pining, and their moody, crackling chemistry. The immersive, academic setting shines, as does Leigh's emotional growth and journey to be vulnerable in her art. An absolutely beautiful debut, and I can't wait to read what Katie Naymon writes next!"--Naina Kumar, USA Today bestselling author of SAY YOU'LL BE MINE

"Like the loveliest and most profound poems, You Between the Lines is instantly captivating and rich with depth. Naymon's debut is an ode to writers and a literary love story both sweet and nuanced that will have you underlining every romantic detail."--Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka, USA Today bestselling authors of THE ROUGHEST DRAFT

"You Between the Lines is almost indescribably good: fresh and smart and tender, with not just some of the most gorgeously crisp prose out there, but poetry I'd pin to every one of my Pinterest boards if I could. It's the characters that make this an all-timer for me, though: Leigh is my soulmate and Will is the gold standard for book boyfriends. Katie Naymon has a forever fan in me."--Jessica Joyce, USA Today bestselling author of THE EX VOWS and YOU, WITH A VIEW

"In her impressive debut, Katie Naymon delivers everything I hoped for in an MFA romance about two poets--from the steady stream of astute psychological insights to the captivating sexual tension and emotional push-pull between Leigh and Will. this novel that centers a Taylor Swift-loving poet main character is itself a Swift banger in book form, one so catchy and fizzy it hijacks your bloodstream, but woven into its complex layers, there is also something so intimately true and human that it feels as if your own diary has been mined for material. This is exactly what I want from a romance."--Melanie Sweeney, USA Today bestselling author of TAKE ME HOME

"It's no surprise that a novel about poets would feature some of the best romance writing I've encountered in years. My grad school career repeatedly flashed before my eyes. I melted into this book. It's rare that a debut author becomes an instant auto-buy, but whatever Katie Naymon writes next, please inject it into my veins."--Kate Goldbeck, bestselling author of YOU, AGAIN

"Lyrical and lovely, You Between the Lines is the perfect romance for anyone who has ever obsessed over a piece of criticism or worried that they are not enough. Katie Naymon's novel is deliciously sexy, and so deeply real that I felt like I was sitting alongside her characters in their MFA workshop. Prepare to fall in love!"--Laura Hankin, author of ONE-STAR ROMANCE

About the Author

Katie Naymon lives and writes in Stockholm, Sweden. Originally from Northeast Ohio, she got her BA in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and her MFA in poetry from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.