Teen Review: Between the Lines

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Release Date ~ June 26, 2012
Simon Pulse ~ Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13: 9781451635751
Book purchased personally
Goodreads Synopsis
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.

Ever since I can remember, I've liked fairytales. I read them all the time when I was younger, and I watched Disney movies like there was no tomorrow. When I saw this novel, I knew that I had to give it a shot. I mean, from what I could gather from the synopsis, this was an awesome mix of fantasy and contemporary. I started reading it, and it did not fail to satisfy my expectations.

1. An Original Fairytale:
   
   A lot of the fairytales that are used in novels now, are ones that had already been written before, such as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.  What I liked about this novel was that a whole new fairytale was used.  It was original and unique.  Throughout the novel, parts of the novel are written out for you to read.  It read exactly like what a children's fairytale should be. 
2. Amusing Fairytale Characters:
   
   Along with Oliver, all the rest of the characters in the fairytale exist in their own little world.  I found it amusing to read about them, and the differences that they have when they are not acting out the story.  They were funny and unique, and made the overall story that much more enjoyable.
3. An Adorable Love Story:
   
   One of the main plot points of the novel was the romance, so I expected it to be good.  I did have my worries; some romances in novels are just terrible and poorly executed.  I absolutely loved the relationship between Oliver and Delilah.  From the moment they meet, you know exactly which direction their friendship will lead them.  I thought that the way they interacted with each other really showed just how much they cared about each other.  This relationship felt really genuine in that, in the end it probably wouldn't have mattered what either Oliver and Delilah had looked like.  They seemed, at least to me, that they were actually in love with who the other person was.  I found this love story to be quite a refreshing take on YA romance.

As you probably tell, I really liked this novel.  One problem I had with it, though, was that the dual-perspective wasn't the best.  This also might be a bit nit-picky, but I was not fond of the different colours of font.  I am grateful, though, that the colours were only blue and green, which are not too hard to read.  After reading the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater, I have acquired a strong dislike for books with coloured fonts.  Seriously, that red-on-white was so annoying to try and read.

Anyways, besides those little details this book was a magical experience to read that I didn't want to end.  I haven't read any of Jodi Picoult's adult books, but I hope that more YA novels by her will be coming our way!  On a side note, I thought it was really cool that she wrote this novel alongside her daughter.  I highly reccomend this to people who still love fairytales and happily ever afters.

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