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Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer (daughter and cowriter)


Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. (Amazon)

Category: YA

Why I chose this book: Recommendation of a friend, I like the author, I like fairy tales
 
My personal opinion (the review): Overall I liked the storyline of this book. The ending was cheesy, as were some of the plot elements. Honestly, as an English major, my favorite part of it was the exploration of the role of the author, the question can you change the ending of a story, and the idea that characters have lives outside of the storyline when the story isn't being read.

Warnings (language, violence, "adult" situations, death, etc.) None

Movie rating equivalent: PG

Protagonist description: Delilah is an accident prone, isolative teen. I was able to identify with her somewhat, but many points of her personality were annoying.

Point of view of story: This story does a lot of jumping in perspective between Delilah and Oliver. There are also flashbacks into the storybook itself. However, the text for each character is different - green for Delilah, blue for Oliver, and black for the flashbacks so it is easier to keep straight who is narrating at the moment.

Book length: Shmedium - fast read but longer length than some. It also lags at some points where I felt like the story was repeating itself.

Story flow: Fluid

Grammar and spelling issues: None

Character connection (no spoilers): None
 

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