Name: Between the Lines
ISBN: 9781451635751

Jodi Picoult

Samantha van Leer

Told in their separate voices, sixteen-year-old Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy-tale existence, and fifteen-year-old Delilah, a loner obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists, work together to seek his freedom.

Between the Lines

I kinda wanted a different ending (for the first time). But I enjoyed it nonetheless, I thought it was an interesting concept.

Andrea

Lauren Grey

Jodi Picoult is my favorite author, has been since I was in the eighth grade. Normally her stories make you think; they make you stop and question everything. This story didn’t make me jump out of my skin or question my morals or values, but it was interesting. I have never thought about what happens when you close a book and after reading that, I feel like the possibilities are endless.

Obviously I don’t believe that when you close a book all the characters come to life, but it was such a fun idea. I thought it was creative and unlike anything I had read before. Sure it wasn’t up to normal Picoult status, but why should it be? She co-wrote it with her daughter (which I find amazing!!) and for young adults, so you have to have an open-mind when reading it. I did and I enjoyed it very much!

Honestly, I could relate to the main character, Delilah. Not that I am a complete loner or loser, but in the way that I become really attached to characters. Whether it is with books or TV shows, sometimes those characters start to feel like read friends (wow, that sounds kind of odd), but I know others feel that way too.

The prince was adorable as well. He was cute, quirky, sassy, and charming. He had a couple flaws, but hello he is a prince; he is allowed to be close to perfect. I really liked the scenes where they were inside the book. Entertaining the idea that when the book is open, the characters just perform a play is so fun.

I didn’t much care for the actual fairy tale that the characters were actually in. I kind of felt it was unneeded to make the story good. It was a bit too kiddish for me. Overall, I thought it was a cute and sweet read. I would say it was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Lacy W

4.5 stars

This is certainly not a normal Jodi Picoult book. Picoult writes books that are grey in terms of morality. Like her books  The Pact or  Plain Truth . Her books make you question how you would react in a situation like that and what do you consider is right or wrong. That is what I have come to associate Jodi Picoult with and I love her for it. 

But it's nice to see that she can write nice fun pieces like this. This is so far out of her realm and I absolutely adored it. I think what made it even more special to me is that she wrote it with her daughter. Her daughter came up with this idea and Picoult helped to foster it and make it grow into a beautiful book. What is more awesome then a mom helping her daughter realize a dream?

This book is literally the definition of gorgeous. We have Delilah, who's POV is in green ink. She falls in love with a children's book called Between the Lines (<---I see what you did there, Jodi!). The main character of this book is Oliver, whose POV is written in blue ink. In between Oliver and Delilah's chapters are parts of the actual children's book and illustrations. And throughout the book is little black and white illustrations that pertain to whatever is going on on that page.

The story itself is wonderfully written. Delilah reminds me of me, like a lot of characters seem to be these days. She isn't well liked at school and she much prefers to read instead of interacting with society. Who could blame her? Society isn't always fun. She discovers that she hear Oliver, the MC from the children's book, and what blossoms is a friendship. 

Overall, this book is really good, even if it's not the usual Jodi Picoult we've come to know and love. I think her daughter had a very good idea and I think it really panned out here. I'm very glad that there is a sequel. I have always wondered about the ending, which I won't say because I don't want to spoil anything. Normally, Picoult doesn't write sequels so I'm very excited to continue this adventure.

Savindi Jinasena

** spoiler alert **
           Contains a Minor Spoiler

Cover Gushing Worthiness: I find the cover of this book to be quite boring. I’m not a fan of the author’s names taking up half of the cover because it’s unnecessary and it screams marketing ploy. As if the publisher wants you to buy the book just because the name Jodi Picoult is there. However I do think that the faded Castle in the background is quite cool. However I do have to admit I prefer this version 
  
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Review: Prior to reading this book I had never read Jodi Picoult’s books. I have one friend who adores Picoult’s work and is constantly raving about her books because she tackles serious issues that most of us are probably uncomfortable to talk about. After hearing about Jodi Picoult’s venture into the YA world, and seeing some reviews for this book I decided to give it a try. Sadly this is another case of “this book wasn’t for me.”

Before I go any further I do want to say that I believe this book was marketed towards the wrong audience. I don’t see this book as being a YA novel, but rather a middle-grade one. I don’t believe this is a book for 17-19 year old readers let alone 22 year-olds. Also I will say that I found the illustrations in this book to be beautiful and I liked them a lot. The little images in some of the pages were cute as well.

When I read the synopsis for Between the Lines, it reminded me a lot of the hit CBS show Once Upon a Time. I thought this book will be a bit similar to the show and I couldn’t have been more wrong about that.

I like the overall idea of the story; the plot was unique and I don’t think it’s ever been done before. That being said I do think it could have been written better, especially the characters and the ending which was abrupt and I felt that some things were unresolved.

My main gripe with this book is with the main protagonists: Delilah and Oliver. I think it’s fair to say that I hated both of them. I found Delilah to be extremely self-centered and annoying. I understood that her parental situation wasn’t ideal, but in my mind it could have been worse. She could have had a mother, who didn’t care about her at all, but she did and I felt Delilah didn’t appreciate her at all. What really annoyed me more than anything was Delilah’s treatment of her best friend. Personally if my best friend started to ditch me for a guy; a one in a book for that matter I think I would have every right to be angry and hurt. Instead Delilah acted like a drama queen about it and she only took responsibility for her actions when she was in need of her best friend’s help. I’m sorry but that’s low and not cool at all. Another thing that surprised me was how Delilah was completely in love with the idea of Oliver entering her world and leaving everything he knew behind, but when he expected her to do the same for him when she entered the story Delilah completely freaked out. Well in case you didn’t know Delilah, any relationship works two ways; you can’t expect someone to drop everything for you if you’re not willing to do the same. Get with the program sweetheart. My final complaint about Delilah was how annoying and whiny she could be. She practically cried every time something didn’t go the way she wanted, even when some of the incidents were her own fault.

Moving away from Delilah, let’s talk about Oliver. However there’s not much to say about him except that he’s just as selfish as Delilah. I honestly didn’t see what he saw in her because she wasn’t that likable. I will say that I liked him a bit more than I liked Delilah. Not by much though.

Edgar, the son of the author who wrote Between the Lines was a stranger character. I didn’t understand why he was willing to help Delilah only after knowing her for one day. He didn’t even know her that well in one day either.

In terms of the writing because I haven’t read any of Picoult’s previous works I couldn’t decipher between her writing and Samantha’s. I will say that the writing did feel rather juvenile. I know some reviewers have asked the question ”Would Picoult have put her name on this book had it not been her daughter co-writing it?”. I think it is a fair question because even I did wonder about it. I think Samantha Van Leer has plenty of time to improve her writing, but I do believe she should probably focus on writing Children’s books. That’s just my personal opinion.

Overall Between the Lines was a disappointing read. I truly loved the idea of the story, but my hate towards the main protagonists dampened my enjoyment of the book. I also think I was a bit too old to read this book and it is better suited for younger readers around the ages of 13 and 14.

My rating: 1/5

Would I recommend it? To older YA Readers no, to younger YA readers yes.

Annie

Read-O-Rama Readathon Challenge:
- Something with RAMA in the title/author

"The act of reading is a partnership. The author builds a house, but the reader makes it a home." - @jodipicoult and #SamanathaVanLeer, #BetweentheLines

5/5 ⭐️ Read #82 this year. 

Now being placed on my favorite shelf, there are only amazing things I can say about this book. First off, I love how it was written by a mother and daughter and they shared the writing experience together. As a girl who is constantly diving into the worlds of books and imagining myself there or the characters from them here in the real world this book let that happen. Between reality and fantasy this book found a perfect blend to create an amazing story. At times it felt like it was dragging on, with the constant struggling to find a solution we found our protagonists in, but it was worth it. Not only did these writers create a great story but they created great characters, all with the desire to have more in the world than it had dealt to them. I absolutely loved this book. And can't wait to pick up the sequel.

And yes. I did read this in one sitting starting at 11pm last night. I may have a slight obsession with this book now.

Kira Del Caro

This book was... Interesting, in the last 100 pages it was getting rather predictable but it was enjoyable

Lauren hughes 

I always see girls talking about how they are in love with characters in books. I have never been able to relate to the fact of being obsessed with guys that are fictional.This book changed that though!

Between the Lines is about Delilah,a 15 year old girl who is obsessed with a fariry tale.One day,the prince in the story speaks to her through the pages of the novel.at first she thought she was going crazy, but then she realizes there is a happily ever after in store for her!



I adored this book! It was so unique!The illustrations helped bring the story to life and added something extra to an already great story!I loved the story and how the main character reacted.I also love her mom and how she though she was crazy because she was talking to a book!

I simply love this book!It is a new favorite!!I'd recommened it to anyone!!

Paige M Neylon

I liked the book at the beginning but it felt like it was somewhat dragging near the end. I also thought the ending was rushed and I personally didnt like it, but it still was a good read and I finished it in 3 days.

Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman

I read this book in 4 hrs! It grabbed me on the first page and I kept on reading! I can't wait to read the Companion Off the Page too see what happens next! It was an amazing read, great writing, and amazing illustrations!

Cindy Lee

Rating: D-

I was really excited for this one as it talks about a fictional character coming to life. And... I was greatly disappointed. I found myself actually quite bored throughout the whole book and I had to use all my willpower to read it until the very end. The ending wasn't all that great either. While Oliver did make it out of the book, I think the solution isn't good. I had hoped this would be good but it isn't :(

Claire Klein

** spoiler alert **
           OH. MY. GOD. I am literally at a loss of words right now. That book was so amazing I can't imagine how I will make it until tomorrow when I get the next one. I still cant comprehend the amazingness (yes that is a word) of this book. Why is it so amazing? The ending was amazing but still left more to be wanted in book 2. (if that even made sense?) I love how Oliver and Delilah made it together but I wish Edward's story went better. Loved that book so much. I loved the balance of "fairy tale land" and the real world. Why can't I have the 2nd book now??!!?? In conclusion if any of you fabulous people have any question in your mind about whether to read this book, 

READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makenzie Bell

Lyanni

The idea was great but not a big fan of the way it was developed.

Kourtney

I wanted to love this book. It was a new concept that I had not heard of before, and Jodi Picoult helped write it. But there was something about it that I just can't put my finger on that caused me to not fall in love with it. If I figure out what that was, I will revise my review. The most upsetting part was that I put the book down and didn't find myself wanting to pick it back up again. Yikes!

Kaele Perkins 

This was such a fun book! Best concept I’ve had in a while. I really wished this was real. So cute! Oliver was the best!!

Krystal Campbell 

For anyone who is into fairy tales and being lost in a book this is THE BOOK for you! One of my favourite books. The best part about it is it isn't so morbid like a lot of Jodi's other books. A must read!

JacQueline Roe

This was great fun & every twist had me uncertain where it would end up. It was greatly enhanced by the pictures which had this indie author drooling. (Maybe one day I can do something similar???) As a lover of fairytales, I knew the ending could be messy, but it was fun & light-hearted. If you enjoy “what-if?” stories & especially fairytales, you might enjoy this one 🤗

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

Eh. 45 pages in and it was so stupid. I wanted to like it, I really did.

I actually feel a little sad that I wasted a pretty bookmark on this.

Jacelyn

Sara 

LOVED this book! It fulfilled all of my expectations!!!! I highly recommend it!!