Read Between the Lines: A Novel Paperback – 1 December 2021

Rachel Lacey writes so well, it is amazing. Enemies to lovers done so well. Can't wait for part 2 of this series!

Hi, my name is Anna and I am now a big fan of Rachel Lacey. I heard bout Read Between the Lines through Instagram and everything from the cover, to the blurb to the reviews I’d seen of the book had my attention. And then being introduced to Rachel Lacey’s stories means that I have her entire backlist to weed through and that is something I’m really looking forward to this year!If you’ve ever watched You’ve Got Mail, then you’re going to love this book even more. Rosie and Jane are complete opposites—one is a happy, loud extrovert and the other is a quiet, shy introvert—but when it comes to their online alter egos, they get along like a house on fire. Rosie’s running the bookstore her mother opened 30 years ago when she gets a letter from the developer that her lease expires at the end of the year and all Rosie can do is scramble to find a new place, while silently (and not so silently) cursing the developers for taking this precious place away from her. Her entire life and childhood is in that bookstore and it means more to Rosie than anyone will ever know. For Jane, being the deliverer of bad news to Rosie is not her idea of a good time. But she’s doing the job her father gave her and as much as it hurts to break people’s hearts, she knows that it’s something that has to be done. Except, she doesn’t realise that by doing that she’s incurring the wrath of a woman she’s terribly attracted to.I loved this book so much! Rosie and Jane’s relationship goes from strangers to enemies to friends to lovers and sprinkle a little bit of an online relationship with secret identities and you’ve got the fittings of this fantastic book. I also loved that Jane writes lesbian romance under a pen name and that Rosie is a huge fan of those books, because that added one more fantastic layer to their story. Since I’m so picky about conflict in romances, I gotta say that I was glad their secret online relationship isn’t something that causes pain, it’s handled in the most awkwardly adorable way possible for these two characters and I loved that so much.While a little slower than I would have liked, I have to say that I enjoyed watching these two characters fall in love. Rosie and Jane butt heads at the beginning because of who Jane is and what her family’s business is doing to Rosie’s family business, but the two of them handle it like adults and move from being enemies to slowly becoming friends and then so much more. I loved the build up and the process through which their relationship changes. I also really liked how both Rosie and Jane help each other adjust to the other’s lives—Rosie definitely helps Jane step out of her comfort zone more often than she’d probably like.With the addition of a great group of friends, wonderful family dynamics, an adorable dog named Brinkley and a whole lot of great sapphic love, Read Between the Lines was a great introduction to the writing talents of Rachel Lacey. And I can’t wait to read book two— No Rings Attached —which comes out in April, because I loved Lia so much and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to in her own book!

Rosie and Jane are amazing characters. Rosie is so full of life and hopeful and Jane is practical, but she has her own dreams. It was lovely reading them fall in love despite everything!