This was sweet and cozy, and I love when a book is set in bookish spaces or has characters that are bookish. However, I just couldn't really get into it. The MMC wasn't exactly swoony, and I kept hoping that maybe the heroine would find someone else or stay single. It also felt as if the author had these talking points to go over, and didn't incorporate them organically. Instead, the characters serve as sock puppets and go on these long diatribes about whatever issue was brought up. Overall, not my favorite, but it could be a good book for someone, so give it a go!

As my first foray into Emily Kerr's writing, I was immediately drawn in by the setup. I enjoyed the evolving dynamic between Kat and Leo; their witty banter and the way their contrasting personalities complement each other made their investigation entertaining. Watching their professional partnership gradually blossom into something more was entertaining.

If you're a fan of witty dialogue, a touch of mystery, and a slow burn romance with an enemies-to-lovers vibe, Read Between the Lines is an absolute must-read.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: June 10, 2025

Kat is a librarian and a hopeless romantic. She feels like she gets passed up in relationships bc there’s always “better.” She is head over heels when she matches with a deployed solider on a dating app.

However, she’s also a sharp and resourceful librarian and she recognizes some red flags when the money requests come in.

She runs into a grumpy ex-cop, Leo, who’s always at her library and she convinces him to help her catch her scammer.

It’s a touch of grumpy and sunshine. Definitely an enjoyable and light read. The build up and character development was nice. Wish everything happy wasn’t crammed into the last chapter. 3.5 stars

Kat Fisher has been catfished.... The lovely librarian meet a guy on an online dating app who was too good to be true and now she wants revenge. She enrolls the former police officer Leo to help her find the culprit and while they are on the search for the real Brian James, they get more and more attracted to each other.

The book is lovely and entertaining, but is somehow missing the certain something that would make it unforgettable.

When I saw the cover and the blurb of this book, I immediately knew it would be right up my alley. A touch of mystery and the possibility of some romance?
Count me IN!
In this book, we follow librarian Kat Fisher and former police officer Leo Taylor. The story begins with a not-so-great encounter between the two, which Leo doesn’t improve by making a joke about her name. It took me a little while to really get into the book. I suspect that this wasn’t necessarily due to the author’s writing style, but perhaps more because of the in-depth descriptions of (not so important) side characters. I absolutely loved Doris! I think many readers will be able to see themselves in her.
However, I did find it a bit of a shame that the focus was more on the supporting characters overall, while I would have liked to see more depth in and between the main characters.
All in all, I found it an enjoyable, funny, and well-written book that genuinely surprised me at times. I'm the kind of reader who often sees a plot twist or the direction a story is heading from a mile away, but that was absolutely not the case with Read Between the Lines!

Thank you Netgalley, Harpercollins Uk and One More Chapter for sending me the e-ARC of ‘Read between the lines’ in exchange for my honest review.

Cute romance that has a cute relationship in the beginning where they hate each other but yet respect one another. They help each other out but do see the signs that they may be meant for more than just partners. They bring things to the table that the other needs and helps each other through a mental hurdle. I loved the banter and the side characters. The old lady who reads smut is so funny!

The premise was very cute and I enjoyed figuring out the real identity of online love interest. The writing and editing were good and the story was engaging but the conflict between the two main characters felt thin.

I was so excited when I got approved to read this book. The cover is adorable and definitely peaked my interest. Kat was such a cute character. I enjoyed her persona and that she worked at as a librarian. Leo was quite an interesting character, as he was a grump and an ex-police officer. I found the plot of trying to find "Brian" very interesting. It kind of gave off Catfish the show vibes. Kat definitely seemed to be a hopeless romantic who just wanted her happy ending despite the several signs that were there about Brian not being her real prince charming. I like the Leo got to use hip police officer background in this story. I will say I do feel like Kat and Leo lacked a bit of chemistry, but I do think it was believable at times. I just think they needed more time. Overall, this book was cute but seemed to be missing something in my opinion.

This was an easy read. It wasn't very strong on plot points or characters, but if you are looking for something quick to read on holiday , this will fit the bill.

Content warnings: catfishing, financial scam, homelessness

Unfortunately-named librarian Kat Fisher is excited for her first in-person date with Brian, a man she met and has been chatting with on a dating app. When the moment arrives, Brian hits a snag and asks for money. Kat is so angry that her perfect man is likely running an online scam, she asks a library patron (former police officer Leo Taylor) for help tracking him down.

Kat promises Leo help with a business plan in exchange for his help. They grow closer while attending singles events hosted by the app Kat used to meet Brian. As the story progresses, Kat starts to care more about Leo than the quest to find Brian.

Recommended for romance readers who like a bit of mystery.

This was a really sweet and quick read with a dose of mystery when our leading lady is almost scammed by a man she has met online. The chemistry between both characters were great and I loved that it was set in a library, plus the cover is to die for!

Thank you to Emily Kerr, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. ♡

₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: hello a bookish romance????? DUH.
₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts: okay yes i ate this one up. it was a nice flowing read and i genuinely couldn't get enough of kat and leo!!!! i quite frankly couldn't stop reading this book and finished it so quick which hasn't happened with an ebook lately. loved this one <3

This was cosy, sweet love story set in Oxford with relatable characters. It's a very realistic love-story as in something that might happen to the average human rather than lofty and unbelievable love story.
I like the insecurities yhat Kat fights through to get to her true love. It's also devoid of spice which is refreshing. It has plenty of swoon which I appreciated.
Some of the dialogues were a bit too long, but other than that no notes. An easy romance read with elements of a soft mystery to be solved.

A book with some romance and mystery? Yes please.
This one was a nice cozy read that I breezed through. The mystery was nice and light. The writing was great and premise of the plot flowed nicely. I definitely would have like to have a bit more spice or chemistry between the characters but overall it was a good read and I’d definitely read other books by Emily.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I liked this book, I liked Kat and Leo, and I liked the writing style. But I did think that Kat pushed the issue about almost being scammed, I could understand if she was actually scammed, but I do feel she would go a little overboard with the topic of catching whoever was messaging her. I also feel like Leo could have made it more known that he was into Kat.

This book was a fun, cozy read! I loved our FMC and found that her “sunshine” was perfect. The author does the grumpy x sunshine trope very well. I also enjoyed the mystery /investigation part of the book. Usually I am not a fan of mystery within my romance books but this book drew me in!

They meet at the library where she works and he's researching jobs. Her online friend seems not to be who he claims to be, so he helps her investigate. Their disinterest in each other slowly turns into something more. A quick read that I enjoyed.

A grumpy sunshine sort of story, this was a cute and cozy afternoon read! The library setting, with a bit of mystery is always my cup of tea, and I love the classic literature mentions. Overall, the banter wasn't quite there for me, but it's a light read good for filling a few hours in a waiting room. Good for those who enjoy slow-burn or cozy romance, and the cover is adorable!

While Read Between the Lines had a cute plot trope and an easy reading style, it unfortunately didn’t do much for me.

One thing I noticed very quickly was that both Leo and Kat were given little detail regarding their physical features. Perhaps this was a deliberate choice on Kerr’s part, as I assume some authors believe a more general description (or rather, a lack thereof) will help readers to form their own impression of who each character is. For me, however, this point, among others, kept me from forming anything but a superficial connection to the characters. Kat remarks about how good looking Leo is multiple times, but never elaborates on her physical attraction, except to say it is compounded by the proximity she often must maintain in various situations with him. So too are Leo and Kat not fleshed out regarding their true personalities and backstories, as their interactions are all the reader is given upon which to understand them. In doing so, the characterization lacks development and Leo and Kat fall flat.

The climax and resolution were anti-climatic and left for the last 5% or less of the novel, which obviously makes it difficult to not rush them. As such, while Read Between the Lines was an okay read, it didn’t do anything for its genre, or for literature as a whole.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC.

Kat works in the library and is a romantic looking for the perfect man. Leo is a retired policeman and hangs about the library trying to figure out what he wants to do. Kat signs up to a local dating agency and has been chatting to someone and thinks it’s the real thing. He tells her he is away at the moment so they never meet up. He then asks for money so Kat gets a bit suspicious. Kat and Leo get into a spat as Leo is so untidy in the library. Definite sparks fly and Leo overhears Kat telling her friend Moria about the scam. He offers to help her and they have to go to the singles events that the dating app set up. As they are trying to find the scammer,they find they are attracted to each other but say nothing. It’s worth a read to find out what happens to them but I did find it was a bit drawn out.