Review of Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Review of Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Reviewed by Fiza Pathan

The main theme of this wonderful book where one of the fictional characters falls head over heels in love with the reader would make every bibliophile and book lover’s dream come true. This happens to be my very first Jodi Picoult book and I adored it. I just couldn’t put it down and read it in two days’ time. Apparently there is a sequel to this book which I am going to borrow from my library ASAP. Between the Lines is a light romance with a lot of plot twists that keeps the reader’s attention till the end. The characters are interesting and real to life–well almost. The story about how a handsome prince falls in love with a teenage girl who is the reader of his fiction world is magical, captivating, and alluring. The tender moments of this book are precious. The climax is out of this world and something that I personally would not have been able to crack, so kudos to Jodi Picoult, and to her lovely daughter Samantha. The magical fairy tale world of Prince Oliver is as captivating as the regular high school life of Delilah. By the way, this is actually a Young Adult story, but I only realized it after I picked it up from the library. However, it’s brilliant not only for a teenager but also for an adult reader who once in a while ‘likes to get lost in a good book.’  My congratulations to Samantha van Leer for coming up with such a marvelous idea for a book. It’s a great story and yet the reader is made to feel as if it was no trouble at all to think of this idea. Genuineness radiates greatly from this book and has forever made me a Jodi Picoult fan. I remember when I was a teenager reading Richard Bach’s books and wishing that one day Richard Bach would suddenly materialize from the middle of his book and fall in love with me, and then I would have a boyfriend of my own caliber. If you’ve ever had that thought too when you were reading a book of your favorite author or a character that you liked a lot, then this is the book for you. This story has a lasting appeal which can’t remain enclosed ‘between the lines’ of the book. It’s a book you will be recommending to people for a long time to come.

Copyright ©2017 Fiza Pathan