Off the Page (Between the Lines, #2)

by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Yvonne Gilbert (Illustrator)

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, OFF THE PAGE is a tender and appealing YA novel filled with romance, humor, and adventure.
 
Delilah and Oliver shouldn’t be together. But they are together. And just as they’re getting used to the possibility that happily ever after may really, truly be theirs, the universe sends them a message they can’t ignore: they won’t be allowed to rewrite their story.
 
Delilah and Oliver must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love and what it takes to have a happy ending in a world where the greatest adventures happen off the page.
 

“Off the Page is just so sweet and magical. In high school, I would have given ANYTHING to crawl inside one of my favorite books to escape the real world. I wish!”—SARAH DESSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Saint Anything

• ISBN10: 0553535595
• ISBN13: 9780553535594
• Publish Date: 19 April 2016 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Ember
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780553535594

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

This is a great companion to between the lines it actually very fun to read between the lines where Deliah goes into the book and then to read Off the Page where Oliver is in our world. I laughed, i cried, and i loved the illustrations. This book is wonderful read, but also so fun to look at. It wonderfully done and i so glad i read this Jodi and her daughter did a wonderful job.

[jeannamichel]

Delilah has been obsessed with a children’s fairytale ever since she discovered it. Despite what others may think, she accomplishes the impossible by having the main character, Oliver, from the fairytale swap places with the author’s son in our world. Off the Page tells the story of Oliver’s transition of living life in the real world with the girl of his dreams and Edgar’s life inside the book his mother had written.

After reading what the book was about, I was intrigued. This concept of having the main character outside the book he has lived in for his whole life was so interesting. It had me thinking about all the books I have ever read. Could all those books have minds of their own when I wasn’t reading them? Picoult and Van Leer’s idea kept me up at night, staring at my bookshelves, wondering at the possibilities. The story was a unique, fresh twist.

Off the Page is a companion novel to Picoult and Van Leer’s first novel, Between the Lines. Not having read Between the Lines, Off the Page still made absolute sense.

At first, I thought this was definitely a middle-grade book. The characters seemed very young. High school was over-dramatized and clichéd but made for some good comic relief. The love between the prince, Oliver, and Delilah seemed like a feeling beyond their years or too mature for them. As the story progresses though, I began to realize the depth to the characters.

As for the plot, I think most of the story revolves around the marvelous concept of having a fictional character outside his own book that there was not much need for too much else. The romance was there but it did not carry the plot like it may have done in Between the Lines. Off the Page was sort of the aftermath of Oliver dealing with the changes of the real world and how his book dealt with the swap.

Picoult and Van Leer’s writing is gorgeous and their small inserts between chapters are quotes I would love printed on posters. However, one thing that bothered me was their insistence of a happy ending for all. It was not—please, remember your side characters.

Off the Page is YA, but I would peg it for younger YA, though it can be enjoyed by someone of any age. There is a little something for every reader.

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Off the Page is the companion novel to Between the Pages, though I see it as more of a proper sequel than a book I would pick up without having read the first one. It is possible to enjoy it without the back story, as it does go over everything that has happened, however I think I wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much if I wasn’t already familiar with the characters. I thought it was just as a good as the predecessor and was just the heartfelt read I needed. There may be spoilers for book one in the following review, so if you planned to read the series then I would skim it or not continue onward.

So when we left Between the Pages, Oliver and Delilah had the whole world ahead of them. Off the Page picks up a few months after that, and Oliver is now enrolled in her high school. When I read this I was so hesitant to continue, because I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. If it had been one of those, “he’s a natural” things I would have just breezed through this one without bothering to enjoy it. But nope, it was as awkward as I’d hoped it would be. Oliver now has to learn how to be an actual person and not just some storybook prince. There are new words to learn, to skills to master, and schoolwork unlike anything he has ever seen. We also have a ton of miscommunication as Delilah and Oliver work through their first major relationship hiccups. We also get to see how Edgar and the rest of the book characters are doing, and how the book is faring with the new changes. This one had a lot more conflict than I was expecting, and I’m actually glad for it because it addressed a lot of the things I was sort of miffed about with the previous book. I’m also really happy we got to see more of Jules in this book and learn a bit more about who she is as a person, and I thought her role in the book was one that the first book needed more of.

This one is still a book of heartfelt fluff, though there are moments where you get a lot of deep growing experiences. Add that with Picoult & Van Leer’s writing style and you have a book that is very easy to read in a few sittings. If you love fairy tales with a modern day twist this is definitely one to check out. It’s fun and fresh, and has some gorgeous illustrations scattered throughout.

[Angie]

The ending of Between the Lines definitely left me curious as to what came next for Oliver and Delilah, and now I know! Off the Page picks up about three months later, with Oliver attempting to impersonate Edgar. It turns out that his mother really doesn't notice that it's not her son; she just thinks he's reinventing himself after their move. Meanwhile, the real Edgar is worried that the other storybook characters don't really need him to direct them anymore. Then characters and real people start swapping places, and it's up to Oliver and Delilah to set things right. Even if it means Oliver has to go back, too.

I really enjoyed Off the Page. I'm a total sucker for "misplaced" characters trying to fit in. Oliver's high school blunders are quite hilarious, and he's just so enchanted by everyday things that have lost their magic to most of us. Like spelling BOOBS with a calculator! But he does fit right in with the drama club, since acting is something he's excelled at his whole life. But things are falling apart in his story, and Oliver knows he must fix it and lose the love of his life. Obviously there's a twist that takes care of that though!

Off the Page did get a bit depressing. Something super, duper sad happens toward the middle. I didn't see it coming at all, and hoped that there would be a magical solution to it. Alas, there is not, since our world has no magic. And then the twist also involves sad stuff, but I thought it felt a little forced. Like, I didn't fully accept that this was the only way for everything to get to rights. I don't know. It just felt like sadness for the sake of sadness and to make this ending work out, even though it probably would have worked without that happening. I'm sure I'm not making any sense, but it was a weird twist for me.

In the end, I thought Off the Page was really cute other than those depressing things. I adored watching Oliver become a real boy and find his real happily ever after. Seraphima was also quite hilarious! I do have to say though, that this is definitely a sequel and not a companion novel (it's probably just marketed that way because it's from a different publishing house). While the characters do fill us in on what happened previously, it'll make much more sense if you've actually read Between the Lines first.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.