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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Review: Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines

Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Publisher- Simon Pulse 
Release Date- June 26th 2012
Purchase-Amazon / B & N  / Chapters


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.
Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.


My Thoughts;
Delilah has never felt like she belonged to the real world. Sure, she has her best friend, Jules and her mom, but her life at school is miserable and she never grew up with a dad. So it's no wonder that she clings to her books so desperately. They can never disappoint her and it's where happily ever after exists, if only for a short while. 
But what if the characters in your stories don't end after you close the book for the night? What happens if the characters go about their business in the world written for them? And what happens when one of those characters doesn't want to live in a fairy tale, but wants to be able to feel and think and really live? This is a story about Delilah McPhee and Prince Oliver. 
One who wants help escaping his existence while the other just wants to belong.

Aww, this was such a sweet and fun concept! Between the Lines is one of those reads where I could curl up on the couch and totally lose myself in this world.
I've never read anything by Jodi Picoult before (something that I'll have to fix) and while this would be Samantha Van Leer's debut, I can't wait to see more from her in the future. 
This book was chalked filled with vivid and rich imagination and cunning creativity. It's absorbed with magic and love and wonderment right down to the different color fonts pages to the gorgeous art illustrations to the captivating story inside. This was such a wonderful experience fit for fans who devour happily ever after.

This book is told in Delilah and Oliver's point of view. But we also get the actual fairy tale that Prince Oliver belongs to. A story within a story. It may sound confusing or overwhelming but it was actually quite easy to follow and understand everything that was going on. I was also pretty grateful since I was equally curious about how both stories end. 

Every character created was very detailed and developed very well. They each had a very unique role and I was fascinated by who they were inside and outside the story. 
Delilah is such a treasure. I was really able to connect with her right away and loved her passion and dedication. I also loved the ridiculously charming way that she felt about a character in a book. I mean books aren't real, you and me both know this, and yet I still think and dream and wonder what would happen if they were. In an odd sort of way, Delilah represents that side to readers who still believe in make-believe, in magic and true love. Even if it's a character from a story come to life.
Oliver was just to adorable for words and I loved the sweet and tender and even amusing way that these two felt about one another. Understanding and wanting what the other wants. 

I'm thinking this may not be a story for every reader. I'll admit, it is a little far fetched, but I for one really enjoyed this story for what it was. A beautifully told fairy tale with inspiring characters and a mesmerizing world. It ignited that passion I have for the written world and took it one step further. It made me fantasize what it would be like to fall in love and achieve happily ever after with a character written in one of my favorite stories. 
This is the stuff that makes reading what it is. It takes you away from your own reality and dares you to believe. 
If only, for just a short while.
Bravo!
                                                                  4.5 Snowflakes
                                                                
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