Book Review: Between the Lines

Title: Between the Lines

Authors: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer 

Genre: Young-adult, fantasy, romance 

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books/Atria/Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Synopsis: What happens when happily ever after…isn’t? 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. Read more ...  

Review: I was able to read and review Between the Lines (for free) courtesy of 'Goodreads First Reads' Giveaway Program and Simon & Schuster Canada. Thank you!

Between the Lines is Jodi Picoult’s first novel for young-adults, which she has written with her teenaged daughter. This novel was completely different from Picoult’s previous books that I have read. Usually Picoult’s novels centre on a controversial issue, but this one was a change of pace, as it was a fairly light read. One element that was consistent with her previous adult novels was that the chapters alternated between Oliver and Delilah’s perspectives. I thought that this helped to communicate the unique aspect of the story – that character’s in our books are like actors in a play, and have lives outside of the roles that they play.

Although I enjoyed this novel, I do feel that I would have much rather liked it about 8 years ago. I continue to read and enjoy young-adult novels, but Between the Lines was slightly too juvenile for me. The characters in this novel were very 2-dimensional and I think that the plot could have been built upon more. When I think that teens that might be reading Between the Lines could be picking up The Hunger Games, I cannot help but compare the complexity and themes of the two novels.

 Between the Lines was sweet and simple. The novel was not very complex and quite predictable. Nevertheless, these potential flaws of the novel did not prevent me from reading it in mere hours. I am embarrassed to admit that I inhaled this novel, and think that young-adult readers will fall just as easily in love with its sweet Disney-esque feel. Additionally, this novel is visually very beautiful. The level of detail in the illustrations and silhouettes that accompany many of the pages is stunning and adds to the fairy tale quality and look of this novel.

You might also enjoy:  For a more complex and thought-provoking young-adult read, I would recommend The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, or any of his other wonderful novels

My Rating: 3.5/5.0