4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Read Between the Lines by Emily Kerr is a delightful romantic comedy that balances humor, heartache, and hope in a wonderfully British package. From the first page, Kerr pulls you into the world of her lovable protagonist, whose journey of self-discovery, romance, and resilience feels both authentic and irresistibly fun.

The story centers on a book lover who finds an anonymous message in a secondhand book, sparking a quest that intertwines literature, mystery, and love. What could have been a light and frothy romance deepens into a genuinely moving narrative about taking chances, healing from the past, and learning to trust again.

Kerr’s writing is witty and smart, with dialogue that sparkles and characters that are endearing without being cliché. The romantic tension builds beautifully, and the chemistry between the leads feels organic and earned. What truly sets this novel apart is its emotional depth,Kerr doesn’t shy away from real-life struggles, which gives the feel-good moments extra impact.

If there’s one minor critique, it’s that a few plot elements wrap up a little too neatly, but it hardly detracts from the overall enjoyment.


❤️shaye.readss

This book was not quite what I expected. It was more of a cosy, low-stakes mystery rather than a rom-com in my opinion, but others may disagree. My main issue was with Leo, he felt too mean to and disparaging of Kat for a lot of the book, which put me off him. And while I was invested in the mystery, I felt like the romance was rushed especially towards the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kat is a librarian at a local library in Oxford looking for love in all the wrong places, it seems. What she thought was a legit dating app turns out to have a scammer that has found her and appears others in the past. Just when she thought she found the perfect someone returning from deployment, when they make a request for money, red flags are thrown up. Instead of wallowing in pity over what could have happened, she decides to go after the scammer to prevent others from falling prey. She teams up with an ex detective who is trying to make a new life away from the force. While they might not seem like a good match, sparks fly as they set to right some wrongs.

Kat and Leo have great chemistry with their witty banter and at times serious demeanors. They bump heads on more than one occasion, but as they say, opposites attract. Their supporting characters are a hoot lending some comedic relief amidst the slow burn romance. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read! Emily Kerr is fast becoming one of my favorite romance authors.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Read Between The Lines is an enemies-to-lovers romance set in Oxford, England. I enjoyed this book and loved imagining all of the famous sites that were mentioned in the book. This is a quick, fun read and has a mystery that the main characters unite to solve.

Kat is a librarian who encounters Leo, a former police detective, in her library. Their initial meeting is tense and a bit awkward as she orders him to leave the library for supposedly mocking her. They go on to become friends, and Kat requests Leo’s help tracking down a scammer she met on a dating app. As someone who has endured many unpleasant messages and encounters on the dating apps, Kat’s experience really resonated with me.

Kat is completely humiliated when she discovers that she has been messaging a scammer for months. She vows to have her revenge by uncovering his identity and reporting him to the police. Kat convinces Leo to help her in her investigation, and they both sign up for the dating app and attend several meet-ups sponsored by the app. At certain times, they pretend to be a couple, which showed their attraction to each other and made the transition from friends to lovers feel more authentic. I wasn’t crazy about Kat’s behavior and self-doubt throughout the book. I sympathize with the challenges of dating online, but her anger over being scammed on a dating app, and her thirst for revenge felt excessive to me.

I thought Kat & Leo had good chemistry and really seemed to enjoy each other’s company. I would have loved a dual POV narration to get more insight on Leo’s thoughts. Even though the mystery Kat and Leo were investigating was a bit far-fetched, I liked how the author resolved the situation and ended the book. This book is completely closed-door steam, there are no love scenes, which I found disappointing. Overall, this is a fun read, and I think anyone who has ever tried dating via an app would really enjoy it.

Thanks to Emily Kerr, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kat, a librarian, suspects she has been duped by a user on a local dating app. She recruits Leo, a former police detective, to help her investigate and prevent the user from preying on others. Their attraction grows as the investigation takes several twists and turns. Ultimately I'm not sure I was the best audience for this book. I really liked the premise but the execution felt disjointed. It had kind of a slow start and the story took a while to grab my attention. There was a lot of focus on the justice aspect, which served as a forced proximity vehicle to further Kat and Leo's relationship. Kat seemed overly naïve and Leo too jaded, and there was the typical "why don't they just talk to each other" will-they-won't-they energy. The second half of the book was an improvement so I am glad I stuck with it, but I still didn't fully click with the story or the characters. I didn't feel like their dynamic was engaging for the reader. While there's banter, which normally I love, theirs felt a bit forced much of the time. The dialogue-to-action ratio was disproportionate, and the writing style is too chit-chatty for my taste. The premise of being cat-fished was engaging, as was Kat's desire for vigilante justice, but there didn't feel like a lot of nuance to the mystery of who and why. If you like forced proximity closed-door romances with strong-willed (but somewhat naïve) FMCs and emotionally distant and semi-mysterious MMCs, then this is the book for you. Publishes June 13, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter and NetGalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.Read Between the Lines was everything a romantic comedy should be! I loved the investigation and the banter between the main characters. I loved the humour in the main characters name and the plot of the story.

Unfortunately this was difficult to get through and I was not engaged at all, for the amount of pages it definitely took me longer to read than usual.

I was drawn to this from the synopsis but there was too much focus on hunting the scammer (which was not mentioned or hinted at at all) and not enough on the romance. I don't know what plot i expected but this wasn't it.

There was one redeeming moment where our MMC got possessive but the rest of the time i was not rooting for Kat and Leo to get together, there was a lack of chemistry or any kind of fire between them. This was a glacial, snail pace slow burn and I'd put it in the YA section. I don't mind books with no spice but there was a miniscule amount of romance in this 'romance' book.

I really can’t believe Kat actually ended up with such a dumb love interest. The synopsis totally caught my attention, but wow - what a misleading setup. The info-dumping throughout the book was way too much, and none of it really added to the actual progression of the story.

Honestly, I still don’t understand how Kat and Leo even fell in love, they were a match made in hell. Leo was constantly taunting her, picking fights, throwing around rude comments… and the few moments of kindness felt like crumbs. I really hate that kind of dynamic in a romance.

The plot could have been so good, but it was poorly executed. The only thing I truly enjoyed was the female friendships, they were wholesome and well-written.

Other than that, I don’t think I’ll be recommending this book.

I overall liked the characters and the ending (even though the ending isn't that memorable), but this book felt pretty slow paced and a bit boring at times. It just didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This was a quality romcom with funny plot lines and lovable charactwrs

I went into the book as a Cambridge girlie but came out really wanting to take a trip down to Oxford. Separated by Uni rivalries, brought together by Emily Kerr’s beautiful words in her book 🫶

Community librarian Kat Fisher is a self-confessed romantic, wondering if she will find someone worthy of being in a Jane Austen novel. Former police officer Leo Taylor has departed from the police force and is wondering what he should do next. They began their story with bantering, but the novel takes them on a road filled with chemistry, a lovely mystery of the digital ages bringing them together, and heartfelt courageous confessions.

The book is dedicated to librarians, champions of books, and the heart of a good community. It was wholesome use of a community library, friendship, found family, and self growth amidst adversity 🌸🩷 I loved Doris who was a walking version of Dutch courage without the alcohol, goals indeed 🪄

I have a soft spot for FMCs and of course the authors who echo my own thoughts enough for me to pause reading and contemplate my life. Kat constantly questioned herself throughout the book, and before she reached a stage where she was strong and fierce, her thoughts mirrored my own.

Leo says to her “Please promise me this – in the future, make a fuss. Don’t give a damn about who’s staring at you. The more people the better, in truth. Make a scene, raise your voice’.

I think I’ll be keep these words by Emily Kerr close to me. Folks, let’s promise to make a fuss 🤍🫶 I cannot recommend this one enough 💛🫶

Another enjoyable Emily Kerr story!
Kat Fisher (yes, that is her real name) is a librarian. She feels she is stereotypical, a bit serious, not noticeable to anyone other than her regular library visitors, and unattractive to the opposite sex. So a chance match on a very specific, local dating app, SO OX develops into a relationship that shows promise... until it doesn't.
Leo Taylor, an ex-police officer, is minding his own business when he visits the library. However, he finds himself the recipient of her tongue, albeit in a hushed tone, as she chastises him for leaving his belongings everywhere, including his shoes, on the seat opposite.
Somehow, they become embroiled in a bit of a covert investigation, when Kat finds herself, well, kat-fished by a smooth-tongued suitor.
You know when you can feel the chemistry from the off? That is Kat and Leo, only they can't quite get their act together, even though everyone around them seems to sense the attraction!
There are some fantastic side characters, including a retired CEO, Doris, who now has a penchant for smutty books and even has a spicy bookstagram following!
I enjoyed this read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC

4.5⭐️

I absolutely loved this, it has such a unique premise and that was done so well. As a UK girlie, it was also amazing to finally read a book set in the UK that was actually accurate to UK culture and language.

My only wish is that it was Dual POV, I would have loved to get in Leo’s head and hear everything from his perspective (and have some male yearning).

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of Read Between the Lines. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Harper Collins UK, for this opportunity.

Emily Kerr delivers a charming and engaging romance in Read Between the Lines, a story that perfectly blends humor, mystery, and heartfelt moments. Main character, Kat Fisher (yes, really!), finds herself deceived on a dating app. Frustrated and determined to uncover the truth, she enlists the help of former detective, Leo Taylor, who brings both dry wit and reliability to the mix. As they work together to track down the fraudster, their unconventional partnership sparks undeniable chemistry, leading to a slow-burn romance filled with delightful banter and touching moments.

Cute premise, love me some librarian-based romance. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the dialogue in this one. Felt the writing was choppy in some parts and very much a slow burn. I liked Kat’s character but couldn’t stand Leo. The grumpy trope didn’t feel exactly at the level he was at.

I thought this book was very cute. I had the potential to be so much more, but unfortunately, I didn’t find it very memorable after I stopped reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

From the conversations to character connection and interactions, I'm sorry to say, but I wasn't impressed. Half the time, the characters spoke way too formally and the other half was them saying very chatty sort of things that don't fit in a book.

I could not see any spark between the Kat and Leo, while there weren't many signs of love, Leo showed absolutely nothing. And that was right up until the epilogue. I feel like love sprung up from nowhere. Idk, maybe the author was trying to go for a slow burn, despite the characters saying they loved each other from the start.

It would have been nice to see Leo's perspective throughout the book. Everything he did left me confused, I feel like I've read a cliffhanger, now I'm waiting for the guide to Leo's brain part 1.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the ARC 🔆🍋🐇

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I thought this was cute but a bit boring. I feel like they went over the same conversation over and over again. I felt like there could have been more romantic moments between the couple!

Thank you for One More Chapter for the ARC!

This was a cute book, but I did not find it super memorable. The FMC was a bit annoying throughout the entirety. I know she is naive but everything that she does seems like someone would be doing in high school or college. I think it was fine for a one time read but I do not love it enough to reread.

I felt like I was reading about some of my own old coworkers in this book! I actually liked the side quests about books. It's actually scary how accurate they are to people I knew IRL.

Moira and Mr Moria are the confidence and safe space to ask questions to, no matter what. A sassy and confidence friend who is in a super committed relationship but has a heck of a sense of humor.
Then there is Doris , a library patron who reads books so fast and speaks the truth. It is a shame we can't just lock authors up with snacks and a computer for company!

Onto the main characters, Kat and Leo! These guys are very cute. Dating apps will do anything to get customers, not love or relationship. So when things go wrong, it starts a more interesting story. The revenge story is a bit fantastical in that everything happens to home.

The story is really light hearted and would make a wonderful read while traveling or on the beach!