Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1) by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer (2012)
Teen Fiction | Contemporary/Fantasy Romance
Blurb:
“Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.
And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.
A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.”
–Goodreads
pooled ink Review:
Oh my goodness, this book was super cute. It was such a sweet little story! Admittedly I did end up skimming through a lot of it but it was still a cute read!
I really enjoyed all of the characters. Delilah was very easy to relate to and won my heart the moment she mentioned she was having a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich for lunch (by the way, is that a northern thing? Because when I moved down to NC everyone looked at me like I was crazy…until I made them try it of course because YUMMMMM). Oliver was a fabulous prince with an interesting predicament. He was a wonderful character and I loved him and Delilah!
Back in my school days I’d joke about falling in love with characters in books. I always thought it could make for a good story. When I found out that someone had written a book along those lines I was thrilled! The authors of this book took that concept that many of us readers feel (hence the terms “book boyfriend/girlfriend”) and brought it to life with a twist. I’m pleased that they kept both the concept and the story light and whimsical. It really suited it quite well.
The whole idea that a book is similar to a play impressed me. I thought that was just so creative! When the book is opened the characters in the story rush to their starting positions just like actors when the stage manager calls “places” and then when the book is closed they get to do whatever they’d like, casting off their written personas and relax as they truly are. For example, Oliver is not a prince lacking in courage and he doesn’t love the princess he saves in the story, in fact she rather annoys him.
Delilah and Oliver look to each other and their opposing worlds for freedom, acceptance, and belonging. At first Oliver just wants Delilah’s help to escape the book while Delilah enjoys having another world to occupy her mind, but of course as they get to know each other and share their lives they fall in love and it’s just so gosh darn cute.
Overall this book wasn’t earth shattering or heavy, rather it was cute, whimsical, and wonderfully relatable. A very quick read indeed! I also really liked how throughout the whole book there are chapters inserted from the original story that Oliver is a part of. So not only do we get to alternate between Delilah’s world and Oliver’s world, but we get to read the original fairytale as a bonus. It’s a book within a book!
Between the Lines is a light romantic story that tells a tale many of us have dreamed of but never quite believed before. Taking “falling in love with a story” to another level, this book is filled with fairytales, hardships, whimsical romance, and a love that crosses boundaries.
Cheers.
Purchase here: Between the Lines
Meet Jodi Picoult!
Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty-three novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.
-Goodreads
Meet Samantha van Leer!
Samantha van Leer is a junior in high school. She conceived the idea for Between the Linesand pitched it to her mom, Jodi Picoult, who was in the middle of a book tour. In her spare time, Samantha can be found playing softball, doing contemporary dance, acting and singing in musicals, and cuddling on the ground with her two dogs, Dudley and Oliver—for whom the prince in this fairy tale was named.
–Goodreads
pooled ink 
I haven’t read any books by Jodi before. Do you rate any of her books 5 stars?
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I haven’t read any of her other books before either. I did see the movie adaptation of her book My Sister’s Keeper and it was really good so I’m assuming the book probably is also. I’ve heard of Jodi for a long time but this is the first book of hers that I read (:
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