Read Between the Lines: A Novel

Rachel Lacey writes so well, it is amazing. Enemies to lovers done so well. Can't wait for part 2 of this series!

Hi, my name is Anna and I am now a big fan of Rachel Lacey. I heard bout Read Between the Lines through Instagram and everything from the cover, to the blurb to the reviews I’d seen of the book had my attention. And then being introduced to Rachel Lacey’s stories means that I have her entire backlist to weed through and that is something I’m really looking forward to this year!If you’ve ever watched You’ve Got Mail, then you’re going to love this book even more. Rosie and Jane are complete opposites—one is a happy, loud extrovert and the other is a quiet, shy introvert—but when it comes to their online alter egos, they get along like a house on fire. Rosie’s running the bookstore her mother opened 30 years ago when she gets a letter from the developer that her lease expires at the end of the year and all Rosie can do is scramble to find a new place, while silently (and not so silently) cursing the developers for taking this precious place away from her. Her entire life and childhood is in that bookstore and it means more to Rosie than anyone will ever know. For Jane, being the deliverer of bad news to Rosie is not her idea of a good time. But she’s doing the job her father gave her and as much as it hurts to break people’s hearts, she knows that it’s something that has to be done. Except, she doesn’t realise that by doing that she’s incurring the wrath of a woman she’s terribly attracted to.I loved this book so much! Rosie and Jane’s relationship goes from strangers to enemies to friends to lovers and sprinkle a little bit of an online relationship with secret identities and you’ve got the fittings of this fantastic book. I also loved that Jane writes lesbian romance under a pen name and that Rosie is a huge fan of those books, because that added one more fantastic layer to their story. Since I’m so picky about conflict in romances, I gotta say that I was glad their secret online relationship isn’t something that causes pain, it’s handled in the most awkwardly adorable way possible for these two characters and I loved that so much.While a little slower than I would have liked, I have to say that I enjoyed watching these two characters fall in love. Rosie and Jane butt heads at the beginning because of who Jane is and what her family’s business is doing to Rosie’s family business, but the two of them handle it like adults and move from being enemies to slowly becoming friends and then so much more. I loved the build up and the process through which their relationship changes. I also really liked how both Rosie and Jane help each other adjust to the other’s lives—Rosie definitely helps Jane step out of her comfort zone more often than she’d probably like.With the addition of a great group of friends, wonderful family dynamics, an adorable dog named Brinkley and a whole lot of great sapphic love, Read Between the Lines was a great introduction to the writing talents of Rachel Lacey. And I can’t wait to read book two— No Rings Attached —which comes out in April, because I loved Lia so much and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to in her own book!

Rosie and Jane are amazing characters. Rosie is so full of life and hopeful and Jane is practical, but she has her own dreams. It was lovely reading them fall in love despite everything!

I enjoyed this book. I haven't read alot of Lesbian romance but I will now!

Exactly The Book I Needed5 out of 5 starsI don't always go from romance to romance because sometimes I can get lost in the characters, especially if I've read them literally back to back. But, I knew that this week I needed a pick me up so I read almost exclusively romance all week. When I saw that Read Between the Lines was being released - I knew I had to get it and read it as fast as I could. I just had a feeling that I was going to love it, and I'm happy to report that my feeling was correct. Lacey wrote a book that I fell in love with.Read Between the Lines was one of those books that I instantly liked, too. Lacey had this way of writing the characters and the scenes where I just felt like I was instantly a part of their lives. It's something that a good sitcom or tv show can do. Even though it's a group of friends doing things - I feel like I'm "in on it". This book had that feeling and more. Lacey wrote characters that I wanted to do well. And two women that I couldn't wait until their happy endings.This one was ironically hard to place a trope on because it was definitely an enemy to lovers... BUT with a twist. One that's pretty interesting and one that I couldn't wait until it was revealed. I found myself wishing both women well, so neither of them were ice queens or really hard to like - but obviously, I could tell throughout that they were perfect for each other.Once the ending of the book started drawing nearer I was shocked that Lacey didn't seem to be including the typical conflict point where someone walks away. I wasn't upset, but then BLAM, she nailed me with it out of nowhere in a spot/time that I did NOT expect it. It's funny how I can read a genre and know most of the tropes while still enjoying the book - but sometimes a book comes along and does the same things, but also surprises me.One more thing I wanted to talk about, this book was a bit "meta" as in it was a book about a lesbian romance author written by a lesbian romance author. So there were moments that I felt like I was really getting an inside peek into what happens inside of their minds. I liked that a lot and it's not the first book I've read like that, it's something that when it happens I always enjoy.Enough rambling - I wanted to finish up by saying that Read Between the Lines was EXACTLY the book I was hoping for. And exactly the book that I needed in the moment. Lacey nailed every aspect of it and had me in full-on tears a few times, especially towards the end. Throw in the excellent narration by Abby Craden (who I love) and it's a great story told by a great narrator. What more could I ask for!?

This book was truly an amazing read.I don't read romance books a lot but I like reading them once in awhile now. The book reads really easy and the characters are really relatable.There are a lot of cute and sweet moments but also difficult things they have to work through. I love how the book ended.I can't wait to read the next book in this series. That one is about a friend that we have met in this book already. I already liked her character in this book so I'm looking forward to reading her story now.

This was a lovely, heart-warming romance with just a bit of angst at 90%... which was resolved not too much later. And yes, there was the essential HEA ending with just enough about how the future progressed to make it satisfying, although I would have liked a bit more depth for it to be totally so.Two reviewers have written some tosh about it being an identical rip-off from the film You've Got Mail, one of whom clearly didn't read far enough to realise how wrong she was. Whilst the author says she was inspired by the film, [vague spoilers to correct the reviewers' inaccuracies] the two main characters know who each other are at just 25% rather than at the end of the film and steadily explore their burgeoning relationship from there. They also don't have any other partners in their lives prior to meeting and, [bigger spoiler] whilst the original bookstore in the book does close, it is eventually reinvented to a new and successful reality with input from both MC's.Many authors write within tropes that are well known by the readers. Indeed, knowing that it will all work out in the end can be part of the fun of reading. This book was quite different to the film in many respects and, contrary Janet Richards' vicious review, seemed well written to me (for instance, I didn't notice any spelling mistakes). I read lots of books each week and I say when one doesn't inspire, but this was an endearing and enjoyable read which in no way deserved such a caustic response.Indeed, I would rate it at around 4.6 out of the full 5 stars and I commend it to all lovers of romance.

I cried a little, laughed and was absolutely amazed 10/10