Between the Lines & Off the Page - Reviews!

Title: Between the Lines / Off the Page
Authors: Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Synopsis: Delilah loves a fairy tale she found in her school library. She knows it's just a story, but the characters - the Prince in particular - feel so real to her. And then the Prince talks to her. Between the Lines follows Delilah and Prince Oliver as they try to let Oliver live the life he's always wanted in the real world, and Off the Page picks up a few months after Between the Lines.
Rating for both books: 4 stars.

These books are the perfect light-hearted Summer reads! Not only is the plot incredibly appealing to booklovers - speaking to your favourite characters and bringing them to life? Yes, please! - but the writing is easy to read and the characters are fun and likeable. I think people say you can read these books in any order, but I think reading Between the Lines first will make Off the Page more enjoyable as I think you'll feel closer to the characters, having read another book with them in.

If you're thinking about reading Between the Lines, I would recommend it as it left me feeling happy and comforted in the way good contemporaries do.

*SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS FROM THIS POINT ON*

So, I read Between the Lines first, and I found the whole world when the book is closed fascinating! This was such a unique idea, and I loved how the characters of the fairy tale were completely different when they weren't acting out the story. In a weird way, that setting felt more realistic than the high school, which seemed like the typical school you see in films and nowhere else, perhaps because of the stunning pictures and excerpts from the actual fairy tale that were included.

Oliver was kind, thoughtful - the perfect book boyfriend! - and I absolutely ADORED how well he fit into the high school! It made me smile (well, both of these books made me smile all the time, so I guess it made me smile even more!).

I liked Delilah at first, but then towards the middle of Between the Lines, she started to really annoy me. I get that she really cared for Oliver and felt that he understood her in a way she hadn't before, but that was no excuse to completely ditch her friend Jules, whom I really liked! I just didn't understand why she would do that. But I loved how Jules played a bigger role in Off the Page!

Her and Edgar's relationship was quite heart-wrenching, but it felt a little weird that she forgot about Chris. I think that's the thing with these books: if you think too hard about them, they're ruined. You have to suspend belief, but when you do you get an enchanting (like a fairy tale!) read.

 

Off the Page felt exactly like a rom-com or high school film - which I love - and I think it would make a good film. Off the Page had a stronger plotline than Between the Lines in my opinion, and was also more serious than Between the Lines, which I liked. The ending with Edgar and his mother in the book and Oliver and the Queen - who was one of my favourite characters - out of it was satisfying and felt like the right way to end Off the Page.

The only thing that I did not like AT ALL was Frump's story. He was a great friend to Oliver in Between the Lines, and I loved how he had that (at first) unrequited crush on Seraphima. And then in Off the Page (I think; I read these books one after the other so it's hard to remember what happened in which book) Frump becomes human, and we think yay, now he can be with Seraphima!

And then he DIES. What? I was completely shocked by this, and I didn't think it suited the light mood of the book, especially as everyone else got their happy endings. This was the only plot point that I didn't like, aside from the occasional repetitiveness of Between the Lines.

Have you read these books? What did you think? Who was your favourite character? Mine was either Oliver or the Queen.
Thanks for reading(:

July Wrap-Up!

I read some incredible books this month, and found a new favourite to go on my favourites shelf (luckily it's small enough to fit!).

• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver - I really liked this book. It was tense and gripping, and kept me wanting reading until the end. I adored Lauren Oliver's writing style, which makes me very excited to read Panic, and while I did guess one plot twist, I didn't guess the other. 4.5 stars.
• The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding (reread) - I just can't recommend this series enough! Seriously, if you like adventure books or historical books, please pick up The Diamond of Drury Lane. This is probably the third time I have read it (Excluding the times I've scanned through it to find scenes with Frank, my favourite character, in!), and I was still captivated by the plot and the setting. 5 stars.
• The Good Girls by Sara Shepard - The concluding part to The Perfectionists duology was amazing! I enjoyed these two books even more than the Pretty Little Liars series, because they had a stronger plot. That twist at the end of The Good Girls was completely unexpected for me (I was spoiled by a Goodreads review, and I still was surprised!), and I like how everything turned out. The ending wasn't especially satisfying, but I liked the openness of it and how it felt a little unsettling. It was better than The Perfectionists as there was more action and less of the characters discussing what to do. Sara Shepard does not disappoint (but I am a massive fan of her books)! 5 stars.
• Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer - I read this on the way back from YALC, and after about two hours I was already half way through. This was easy to read, fun, light-hearted...just like a fairy tale! I loved Oliver's world and found the whole premise fascinating. More of my thoughts can be found in my joint review of this and Off the Page, which is here. 4 stars.
• Off the Page by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer - Similar to Between the Lines, I really enjoyed this, perhaps more so than BtL as it felt like it had a stronger plot. 4 stars.
• The Secret Fire by CJ. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld - I was requested this from Atom so I could review it, and also because I wanted to give a book by CJ. Daugherty a try, having read Night School and not been 100% sure about it (my review is here). And I am SO glad I did! This book was amazing, and I'll be sharing my full review of it closer to the release date, the 10th of September. Keep your eyes out for this book; I think it'll be big! 4.5 stars.
• Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This book was a fun, intriguing start to the Percy Jackson series and a good choice for #TBRtakedown. I loved all of the characters,Grover and Annabeth especially...I love how Annabeth a) is scared of spiders (like me!), and b) is completely kick-ass and sticks up for herself. Percy was really funny too, and so caring towards his mother. I am going to continue on with this series as I think it will get better and better. 4 stars
• Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender - Oh my goodness, this book. I read this as part of #TBRtakedown , and now I am furious with myself for not reading it sooner! I love love LOVE what I call ghosty books, and as ghosty books go, this one was pretty damn good. 5 stars, this is the favourite I was talking about at the start of the post. My review is here
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - I've only read about 46% of this book, and I put it down to read...something. I can't remember now! I think it was The Geography of You and Me, which I also put down after about two chapters. I just wasn't in the mood to read either of them, although I've kept the bookmark in The Bone Season. I was finding it quite confusing if I'm honest, but hopefully I'll pick it up another time and be in the mood to read it.

My favourite books of this month were The Good Girls, The Diamond of Drury Lane, and Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. What books did you read in July? Have you read any I've mentioned? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading(: