Off the Page (Between the Lines, #2)

by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

[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.