Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey is an enemies to lovers romance about a book store owner and an author – basically any book nerd’s dream.
Rosie Taft is living her best life. She owns and operates her late mother’s independent bookstore in New York. Books are her life, and one of her true joys is finding just the right book for each of her patrons. She’s created quite a little community revolving around book clubs and author signings. The only thing missing from her life is a partner who will sweep her off her feet like the ones in the romance novels she loves reading.
One highlight of her day is flirting with her favorite lesfic author over Twitter. She’s struck up an unlikely friendship with the enigmatic Brie. Rosie has been a fan of hers for years and has featured Brie’s books in her window displays. It doesn’t escape Rosie that falling in love with her favorite author is both very romantic and a little bit of a cliché.
Jane Breslin is living a double life. By day she’s an executive at her family’s property development company and by night she’s the steamy romance author who writes under the pen name, Brie. She keeps her writing a secret because she’s always been discouraged by her parents. They think being an author is a bad idea because very few writers enjoy the type of success that will pay the bills.
Between her day job and her writing, Jane doesn’t have much of a personal life. It’s more than just her schedule. She’s very shy, and she experiences anxiety when forced into social situations. However, under her pen name: Brie, Jane has struck up an unlikely online friendship with one of her readers. From behind her computer screen, it’s easier for Jane to express herself without feeling awkward.
One day, Rosie receives a letter from her landlord explaining the lease on her bookstore is being terminated. The entire building is going to be demolished by Breslin Property Development to make room for a modern high-rise. She’s brokenhearted and invites Jane Breslin to her shop in the hopes she can work something out with the property development company.
When Rosie and Jane meet, there’s immediate chemistry between them. Even though they’re at cross purposes, they tentatively strike up a friendship. Afterall, Jane’s just the messenger. She has nothing to do with the decision-making at her family’s firm.
When their online identities are uncovered, does this guarantee them a happy ending or will Rosie’s resentment towards Jane’s day job become too big of a hurdle?
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Victoria: I certainly enjoyed getting to know Rosie and Jane. I think Jane has the more complex story arc. With her incredible case of imposter syndrome, it’s hard for her to acknowledge that not only is she a successful writer, but that she has fans as well. She’s a reluctant “enemy” in this romance. Early on she feels guilty about evicting Rosie, and her shyness makes her extremely sympathetic. I was impressed with Rosie’s strength and her ability to keep moving forward in the face of adversity. I love her positive attitude, and her steadfast encouragement gives Jane the push she needs to embrace the author inside her yearning to break free. Of course, my heart was broken when their world was inevitably torn asunder but thank goodness this is a romance, so I didn’t have to wallow in sadness too long.
Sheena: Lacey has a sweet, light way with words which is perfect for a romantic comedy and Abby Craden did a good job narrating that.
I liked that the plot was a little more complex than one where you can just add a conversation and fix the problem. There was a genuine problem which I could see and understood why it was difficult to navigate.
Cons And Heads Up
Victoria: None
Sheena: I found the drama just a touch heavy for a rom com and a teeny bit dragged out but I did like the end conclusion and didn’t ever want to skip ahead in the story.
The Conclusion
Victoria: Read Between the Lines is a solid, feel-good novel. When I saw that it’s a romance between a bookstore owner and an author, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. The story follows the traditional romance formula, but it feels light and fresh. When appealing characters are dropped into an attractive plot, it makes me feel like I’m reading a romance for the first time, This one’s a winner.
Sheena: I love a good romantic comedy and this one is as good as you get. It’s filled with sweet moments, a true conflict and a solution which I liked.
This book was promoted as a lesfic version of you’ve got mail and I am glad that it didn’t stick strictly to that idea. The changes made to the original concept resulted in a far cuter story. One such example is that Jane is an author and that Rosie is a fan of her books. That adds a delightful spin and pays homage to the love we all share for sapphic romance.
The audiobook is wonderful and I would absolutely recommend it for anyone who wants a light romance with a good narration as their next listen.
Excerpt from Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
Agreeing to meet with Rosie Taft on a Sunday afternoon had been a serious lapse of judgment. Jane didn’t have time for tea and crumpets or talking about books, not when she had a book of her own to finish writing and certainly not when Rosie was staring at her like Jane had the power to let her keep her store if only she asked nicely enough.
She didn’t. Even if she wanted to, Jane couldn’t change the outcome. She wasn’t even sure why she was here, except she seemed to be drawn to both Rosie and her store, which was unfortunate, considering. But after she’d misled Rosie the last time she was here, surely she owed her the courtesy of hearing her out now. “A quick cup of tea, but I really can’t stay long.”
Rosie beamed at her, looking unfairly adorable in her pink dress. Her smile seemed to brighten the whole room. “Okay. Have some tea, and then we’ll sneak out to talk about business things.”
Jane, by comparison, felt like a buzzkill. She couldn’t smile at Rosie, not when she was probably going to have to say no to whatever Rosie asked of her. She shouldn’t stay for tea, either, and yet here she was, following Rosie toward a door in the rear of the store. They descended a flight of stairs to a cozy room with copper-colored walls covered in poster-size prints of famous book covers.
A circle of chairs ringed the room, and most of the seats were already taken, occupied by a variety of women and even a few men, teacups in hand. The sound of their chatter filled the room. Jane paused, discomfort tightening her stomach. These people had gathered for an afternoon of tea and conversation, a roomful of booklovers. She should belong here, but she didn’t.
She’d cut herself off from this community by choosing to keep her identity a secret. And she wasn’t even here today as Brie. She was here as the woman poised to put this shop out of business.
The employee Jane had seen the last time she was in the store approached with a warm smile, waving Jane toward a row of teapots set up against the back wall, and she had never felt so shitty about her day job. She hated absolutely everything about this moment.
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Series
Mrs Right
Read Between The Lines
No Rings Attached
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781542033541
Publisher: Montlake
Audiobook Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Narrator: Abby Craden
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Note: I received a free review copy of Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site
