offinherownmind's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the idea of this was amazing and as soon as I read the synopsis it had to be in my hands. However, once I started reading the book I became bored and couldn't wait for the interesting parts to kick in. That didn't happen until the last 100 pages or so. There were too many unneeded details and sentences throughout the book and it made me want to skip over pages just to get to the interesting parts. Normally I am never like that. Never. This book just did not do justice to my expectations.
justanothernerdling's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for a happy, feel-good contemporary, look no further! Between the lines is one of those books that you can read and feel satisfied about having read on every level. It was super easy to get into!
Basically, Between the Lines is about Delilah, a 15-year-old girl who finds a book in the library one day, and reads it once, twice, a hundred times. Even though it's a kid's fairy-tale, she keeps reading it over and over. Why? Because she can relate to the main character, Prince Oliver, in more ways than one. She feels as though he can understand her... until he starts actually talking to her one day.
It turns out that all of the characters in the story live their own lives when the book is closed and no one is reading it. They have other hobbies and interests, and would rather be doing their own thing than being who they show to be whenever someone reads the book. It's quite cool, actually, how anytime someone reads the book, they put on a play.
"Just so you know, when they say "once upon a time"... they're lying. It's not once upon a time. It's not even twice upon a time. It's hundreds of times, over and over, every time someone opens up the pages of this dusty old book."
So already the idea behind this book is amazing. But I also really liked the characters and the writing style!
This book is told in a series of different chapters (Which are each written in a different font and color which I love!!) The three types of chapters are The ones told by Delilah, The ones told by Oliver, and the ones that are chapters from the fairy-tale. They constantly rotate evenly, giving the situation in different points of view, with a few pages of the book here and there to give an extra angle to the context. They're each told differently, and were done so well! The ideas flow really nicely between these parts. Another aspect of the physical book itself that I enjoyed is that in the Oliver-Delilah chapters, there are small relevant illustrations, that are quite minimalist and black-and-white, but work nicely with the flow of the story. They're not too frequent, and fit nicely on the pages. I quite like how they're very minimal, yet Delilah's watch is always in high detail. In the fairy-tale chapters, you have colored, full-page illustrations that may be directly from the fairy-tale itself.
"I'd much rather pretend I'm somewhere else, and any time I open the pages of a book, that happens."
Delilah is such a nice character! She's an avid reader, quite unpopular, and very imaginative. She stands for what she believes in, is hard working, and knows what is important in life. I actually found her to be quite relatable in personality as well.
There's a lot of important relationships that are tested between her and other characters. Of course there's the one between her and Oliver - will they ever really meet? Her mother thinks she's going slightly crazy, so sends her to a psychiatrist because she thinks she's addicted to the book. Delilah is even on the verge of loosing her best friend because she is afraid to tell her something that sounds crazy - that the book is talking to her.
Oliver, although clueless about a lot of things, is a nice character as well. He has one wish, and that's to leave the book and stop living the same lie every day. He falls in love with Delilah, and wants them to be able to be together. It sounds creepy like that, but it ends up being quite cute! ^-^ Somewhat insta-lovey, but hey, with a book with such a cool idea to it, I'll take it.
"You can't be real," Delilah murmurs.
"Says who?" I ask. "Did you really think a story only exists when you're reading it?"
The length and imagination that these two go through to get Oliver out of the book is really crazy yet amazing. I won't say how because it would be spoilers, but the ending was both very expected and unexpected.
I also have the accompanying book, Off the Page, and hopefully I'll get to it this month after two other books. September looks like it's going to be a nice reading month! :D
I'm giving this book a 4.5/5 feathers! Super light, feel-good read with an amazing idea!
literarywallflower's review against another edition
4.0
Jodi Picoult is my favorite author, has been since I was in the eighth grade. Normally her stories make you think; they make you stop and question everything. This story didn’t make me jump out of my skin or question my morals or values, but it was interesting. I have never thought about what happens when you close a book and after reading that, I feel like the possibilities are endless.
Obviously I don’t believe that when you close a book all the characters come to life, but it was such a fun idea. I thought it was creative and unlike anything I had read before. Sure it wasn’t up to normal Picoult status, but why should it be? She co-wrote it with her daughter (which I find amazing!!) and for young adults, so you have to have an open-mind when reading it. I did and I enjoyed it very much!
Honestly, I could relate to the main character, Delilah. Not that I am a complete loner or loser, but in the way that I become really attached to characters. Whether it is with books or TV shows, sometimes those characters start to feel like read friends (wow, that sounds kind of odd), but I know others feel that way too.
The prince was adorable as well. He was cute, quirky, sassy, and charming. He had a couple flaws, but hello he is a prince; he is allowed to be close to perfect. I really liked the scenes where they were inside the book. Entertaining the idea that when the book is open, the characters just perform a play is so fun.
I didn’t much care for the actual fairy tale that the characters were actually in. I kind of felt it was unneeded to make the story good. It was a bit too kiddish for me. Overall, I thought it was a cute and sweet read. I would say it was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Obviously I don’t believe that when you close a book all the characters come to life, but it was such a fun idea. I thought it was creative and unlike anything I had read before. Sure it wasn’t up to normal Picoult status, but why should it be? She co-wrote it with her daughter (which I find amazing!!) and for young adults, so you have to have an open-mind when reading it. I did and I enjoyed it very much!
Honestly, I could relate to the main character, Delilah. Not that I am a complete loner or loser, but in the way that I become really attached to characters. Whether it is with books or TV shows, sometimes those characters start to feel like read friends (wow, that sounds kind of odd), but I know others feel that way too.
The prince was adorable as well. He was cute, quirky, sassy, and charming. He had a couple flaws, but hello he is a prince; he is allowed to be close to perfect. I really liked the scenes where they were inside the book. Entertaining the idea that when the book is open, the characters just perform a play is so fun.
I didn’t much care for the actual fairy tale that the characters were actually in. I kind of felt it was unneeded to make the story good. It was a bit too kiddish for me. Overall, I thought it was a cute and sweet read. I would say it was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
jlworley's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. A fluffy cute story with an interesting premise. A quick read, far more lighthearted than any other of Picoult’s novels.
the_bibliomaniac's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
Great concept and idea, but I found myself getting a little bored.
wicahpis's review against another edition
3.0
Não foi um livro que tenha gostado muito. Não faz muito o meu género.
bookswithtrident's review against another edition
4.0
This was an easy fun read. I really loved the concept of the story and the way it was presented. It's told in alternating point of views between the two main characters and the actual story that Oliver comes from. I loved the ending, although I felt that up until that point nothing really eventful happens. That didn't bug me though because it's mostly getting the characters to know each other. The characters were easy to like and the story was easy to flip through. I think that most people would really enjoy this story, and I definitely plan on reading the second one.
trudder's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love any book of Jodi’s that I’ve ever read. So mixing that with my love of YA was bound to be a home run.
brittys_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0