Between You & Me

by Marisa Calin

Phyre knows there is something life-changing about her new drama teacher, Mia, from the moment they meet. As Phyre rehearses for the school play, she comes to realize that the unrequited feelings she has for Mia go deeper than she's ever experienced. Especially with a teacher. Or a woman. All the while, Phyre's best friend-addressed throughout the story in the second person, as "you"-stands by, ready to help Phyre make sense of her feelings. But just as Mia doesn't understand what Phyre feels, Phyre can't fathom the depth of her best friend's feelings...until it's almost too late for a happy ending. Characters come to life through the innovative screenplay format of this dazzling debut, and unanswered questions-is "you" male or female?-will have readers talking.

Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance, Queer, Fiction, Lesbian

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

Marisa is an actress, screenwriter and novelist. She grew up in Bath, England and moved to New York City to train at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has written plays and screenplays and most recently her love of a good book inspired her to take charge of every facet of the creative picture and tackle a novel. The only thing better than being absorbed in the world of a film for two hours is being absorbed in the lives of characters for the duration of a book. She lives in Greenwich Village, New York.

Reviews

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished Between You & Me with a bad taste in my mouth. Now all I can wonder is how could I have been so wrong? The short of it is that Between You & Me was incredibly disappointing.

Let's start with what positives there were. Between You & Me has the unique distinction of being written in script format. In my opinion, it is very well executed. The format combines everything that a fluid narrative has along with having all the dialogue being like it is in a script. It's nice to look at and very quick to read. However, will it be this way for everyone? Maybe not. I'm approaching this as someone who already has a love for the format. If you've read books in the past that used email or chat logs and those aspects didn't work for you then neither will this.

Another positive for me was the concept. Because the dialogue is a script and the narrative is in 1st person we get to have a character that is referred to only as "You". This "You" character clearly has a crush on our main character Phyre, but in the story has no assigned gender. While reading, my mind was overjoyed by this concept in practice! It allowed me to play with the character bouncing back and forth between thinking "You" is male or female. This effects the tone of the story and gives an interactive element that I enjoyed in a chose your own adventure sort of way.

Unfortunately, this is where the positives end and the negatives begin. And boy is it about to get negative.

YA Romance is a genre that can be incredibly underappreciated when it comes to storytelling and sometimes rightfully so. Just because you have a love story, doesn't mean you have a love story. However, I've always enjoyed reading YA romance, because a lot of the time love stories are also relationship stories. In the first 100 pages of Between You & Me I was surprised that beyond Phyre's crushing there was nothing else going on. I kept waiting for something more. Family? Humour? Drama? Romantic happenings? Personal growth? Sexuality? I kept waiting for something to develop, but all I got was this young girl experiencing a crush.

Do you remember what it's like to have a crush on someone? Although crushes feel all amazing and nerve-wracking when you're experiencing them they're actually pretty dull. A crush is the act of wanting someone, of being attracted to them, and not knowing what to do next. This means we get an entire 250 pages with our main character wanting and wishing but never doing anything about it. You're feelings can't be unrequited if you've never acted on them to begin with. (I'm looking at you back of book blurb from person who I don't remember that mentioned unrequited love. I'm looking at you and judging your judgement!)

Maybe this sort of story can be captivating to those who are still experiencing these sort of roller-coaster emotions. Maybe, god forbid, I'm too old for crushes. I prefer relationships and courting to the wishing and wanting I experienced as a young girl. (I've grown up! Ahhhh!) However, I should still be able to relate to this, especially because the story focuses around a straight teen girl developing a crush on her female teacher.

When I started the book I had assumed (wrongly) that it would be about teen sexuality. With the concept so focused on gender and sexual preferences I had assumed (still wrong) that this was a look at the "Q" of LGBTQ. Which it was, kind of. Almost all teenagers these days experience having to ask themselves: What if I'm gay? What if I'm bi? What does it mean if I like someone who is the same gender as me, even though I'm straight? It's too bad that none of these questions are asked in Between You & Me.

Scroll back to that book description, tell me that it doesn't sound like that is what I should have expected. Phyre does have a crush on her female teacher and it is a new experience for her, but in the entire book she probably only thinks about the implication of her affections for about a page, maybe a page and a half. Most of the time we just get the play by play of her crushing. We get to know all about how Mia looks today and her every move and sigh, but nothing of substance.

That's what really got me. I was surprised by how much thought Phyre put into every small, meaningless event, but when it came to her sexuality she never even stressed it. I'm under the impression that this is the first time Phyre has possibly been emotionally and physically attracted to the same sex and yet she hardly thinks about it! The one good moment of insight is when she say, out of nowhere, that she doesn't know if she wants to be Mia or wants to kiss Mia. That is incredibly interesting! I wish the whole book had rolled with that idea of distinguishing idolism from romantic feelings. Maybe Phyre's crush on her teacher is the same as my crush on Emma Stone. These "girl crushes" are more appreciation then lust. But Between You & Me never goes into these concepts beyond mentioning them. I hate to say this, but I feel like sexuality was used more as a story gimmick then a serious aspect of the story being told.

I just didn't care for this book. Beyond the issues I had with the story being told I maybe could have liked this if the pacing hadn't sucked out any of the caring I had in me.

When I read a book that just doesn't have good pacing, I always hope that it'll pick up eventually. Maybe in the next 20 pages something will happen and things will finally get off the ground! Maybe in the next 20 pages! ... Well, maybe this event here will spiral into something! Maybe this boring conversation has some sort of consequences down the road! I hoped that each non-event was going to build up to something until I got more and more hopeless.

I left this book frustrated and upset, which sucks because I was actually looking forward to this one. This is Marisa Calin's debut novel and I never wish to have this sort of experience with a debut. What drew me to the book and what I ended up enjoying about it is how experimental it is. This isn't something I've seen before and risk taking is not something you see a lot of in a publishing market that is desperately trying to follow the trends. I appreciate Between You & Me for what it attempted, but not enough to give it a pass. The negatives completely outweigh the positives.

Also, PHYRE? As in FIRE? No. I'm not convinced anyone aside from Beyoncé and Jay-Z would name a child this. No. Suspension of disbelief ruined!

You can read this review and my possible follow up discussion on my blog Reading Robyn.

[Saz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

SCENE SETTING: Young girl, Phyre, theatre-junkie, crushing on unattainable woman, her drama teacher. Cue: life crisis. Enter: Phyre's best friend, clearly head over heels for Phyre. Cue: drama

Now, I personally found it easy and pleasant to slip into the writing style of this book which is set up in the format of a screenplay. I do realize that perhaps some modern young readers out there might not like this, and I feel as if the older crowd might roll their eyes and find it pretentious or contrived, but I didn't. I actually went into this book expecting it all to be a bit hipstery and 500 days of summerish, but it's not at all. I really like the way Marisa Calin writes and am excited to read more from her. She's got what I like to call the "magic touch" when it comes to effortlessly capturing the voice of young people. I found Phyre's inner monolgue to be consistently honest, brash, and at times cringe-worthy, which in my opinion means the author is doing a good job. I thought Phyre's thoughts were very realistic, especially when trying to come to terms with the fact that she has a crush on another female, something that's never happened to her before. There was one scene in particular that stuck out to me, in which Phyre proclaims to herself that it's not a big deal at all, only to moments later realize she's suddenly "different" than the rest of her peers, and wish her feelings would just go away. There were many little moments like that, where I just really felt what Phyre was feeling, because I'd felt it all myself in my own life, and I think Calin has hit the nail on the head for what's going through the mind of a high school girl going through this sort of situation. There were tons of things I really admired about the writing. It had some really great metaphors strewn through, the play-within-a-play device, the artistic choice to leave out the gender of Phyre's best friend, I could go on. Marisa Calin knows what's up.

Now, despite the fact that the writing and characters were beautifully crafted, the story itself was a little lacking for me. Just a little! It was all very predictable and maybe that's partially the fault of the summary giving so much away? But as I was reading I kept waiting for something really big to happen. I imagined perhaps Phyre getting drunk and publicly declaring her feelings or her best friend doing something like this or maybe even for Phyre and her teacher to kiss in some awkward, accidentally-on-purpose way - NOT that I wanted them to be together- I just wanted shit to hit the fan in some way because the book was building up on such a dramatic tone and then it was just sort of like, nothing really happened? Granted there was quite an embarrassing revelation of Phyre's affections, but I guess I was just expecting something a bit more intense. But, in a way, it's a nice direction to go in. Like hey, it happened, and it wasn't the end of the world!

Overall, I really enjoyed it. I could relate to it immensely on a personal level and I'm sure many other young people will also be able to. Throughout the first half of the book I was debating on whether or not to give 5 stars simply because of how lovely the writing was, but once I finished it out I was a little disappointed with the lack of a really good climax. Even so, it was still a good story. I definitely recommend!

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much love for this book. So much love.

Love #1: Phyre falls for a girl, after only falling for guys before. Besides one sentence where she's like: since when do I like girls??? She just accepts it. She doesn't freak out over liking Mia, and she just goes with it. *round of applause*

Love #2: You. I loved You. I love that we don't know if You is a boy or a girl and that it doesn't even matter. You is the most supportive and adorable and forgiving and just yes. I adored You and how they tried so hard to make Phyre realise how much they cared for them when Phyre was being so blind.

Love #3: The way it's written. Like a screenplay! Which I thought I would hate at first, but I absolutely freaking loved it. It was so awesome to just read dialogue and action without all that fluff.

Between You & Me was fantabulous. Go, read, now!

[Mrs. S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so all over the place on this one. I think it does a lot of big things well, certainly, and I would recommend it for plenty of people. On the other hand...there were some things that bugged me.

1) This book depicts the feelings of a teenage girl who is dealing with a crush on a teacher--a female teacher--when previously she has only had experience with boys her age. While I am a bit touchy about anything that even remotely resembles teacher-student relationships that cross the line, I thought this book handled Phyre's feelings in a way that realistic and sympathetic while also making clear that Mia (the teacher) cared deeply about Phyre as a student--and nothing more. I appreciated the deft handling of what could be really tricky subject matter, and I give bonus points for working in the especially strange and often intense bond student actors sometimes feel with their adult directors (here I'm relating through my own remembered experiences on the student side; my directors and theater teachers rivaled only my parents in terms of influence in my teenage life.)

2) This book did pretty well, I thought, in portraying the way high school theater works; I draw the line at the swimming pool, which I didn't totally think was necessary, but fine--there's no indication that this school district is in any way cash-strapped, so maybe they did go crazy and build a swimming pool in the stage, what do I know (no amount of time will lessen the bitterness my perpetually broke inner-city high school peers and I felt toward the ritzy suburban high school ten minutes away. There were rumors that while I was devoting my Saturdays to building rickety staircases and re-painting old flats for our sets, the suburban kids were doing Titanic the musical with a hydraulic mechanism to sink the ship right into the stage.) But I liked the degree to which the play actually shaped the way Phyre thought about things; that's definitely something I experienced.

3)POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD; ONLY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN READ IN THE GOODREADS SUMMARY, BUT HEY, NOW YOU'VE BEEN WARNED (loudly, sorry for that.) I liked the screenplay and play-within-a-screenplay formats, if only as a novelty--I believe that a kid like Phyre would tell her story that way. That rang true. And I like the idea of the ambiguously-gendered, second-person best friend--but I wish that I hadn't been told from the beginning that the character could be read either way. (I thought maybe that was just the note at the front of the ARC, and that the finished copy wouldn't do that, so I was going to leave it out of my review--but then I realized it's right there in the Goodreads summary. So, the cat's outta the bag, I guess.) I think I would have loved to realize that at the end--like, hey, this character that you thought was a [gender 1]? Could have been a [gender 2], couldn't it? It's a cool device and a lot of care was taken with it. However, going in with that primed in my brain--I couldn't decide. It was a little like reading a choose-your-own-adventure book and checking out all the choices before actually turning to a page (which, ok, I did all the time; yes, I know that's cheating at books; sue me.) So I wound up doing double readings of each scene as I went, where I think I would have preferred to read the whole book again after realizing there was another option. OK, SPOILERS ARE DONE NOW.

In short--this is definitely a story worth reading. I actually talked myself up a star while writing this review, because as I thought back over the story I realized how much I liked. A few distracting things don't take away from a really original, truthful story, and I would recommend this to the following groups of people:

--theater people, especially people who were theater people in high school
--anyone who's been confused about their feelings toward someone
--anyone who's felt ignored by someone they cared about
--anyone who's ever realized they were being a jerk to someone they cared about
--so, basically, all the people, because if you show me someone who says that none of the above apply to him/her, I'll show you a liar.

**Disclosure: I received a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

[Liviania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actress Marisa Calin's young adult debut is a fun, creative novel. BETWEEN YOU & ME is written in a hybrid screenplay/direct address format that expresses main character Phyre perfectly. She's an actress and someone who manages to be much more eloquent in her head than in real life. She analyzes her words deeply but rarely thinks about the things people say to her. Except for Mia.

Phyre is crushing hard on the new drama teacher, Mia. She tries to talk to her as much as possible, waiting in places she's seen her before, but often fails to say anything more than "Hi." If she does say more, it's a babbling mess. I loved that Phyre is never fazed that she's crushing on a woman. She doesn't ponder whether this means she's a lesbian or bisexual or any other sort of label. She's more confused by the depth and strength of her passion. It's obviously the first time she's truly been infatuated with someone.

(Also good: BETWEEN YOU & ME never goes for some sort of creepy Mia-likes-her-back or Mia-acknowledges-the-crush storyline. Mia acts professionally. Do not expect any sort of LOLITA action due to the heart-shaped sunglasses on the cover.)

Waiting in the wings is Mia's best friend, addressed only as you. Much like Steve Brezenoff's BROOKLYN, BURNING the gender of the significant other is never revealed. You clearly likes Mia, but never says it clearly enough to pierce Mia's crush bubble. I liked that you calls Mia out whenever she acts egregiously insensitive, but hoped Mia might call you out a few times. They're both guilty of communication issues. That's part of what makes the direct address so effective. It implies you and Mia have reached a point where they can talk about their feelings frankly. It gave me hope for their future as a couple and, more importantly, as friends.

BETWEEN YOU & ME is a terrific story about young love. It may depict the world a bit too rosily - Phyre is teased for liking a teacher, but not for liking a woman - but it still feels authentic. Phyre's voice is unique, but her story resonates because her confusion and longing and elation seem so familiar. Calin is an author to watch.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here's my take on this book:

1. I was intrigued by the premise. An LGBT YA book with the teen protagonist crushing on a teacher. It sounded interesting (as long as it didn't get creepy - which it didn't). A focus on drama/theater high school groups. It sounded good, and sounded like it would reach a new audience, the same way Beautiful Music for Ugly Children did with its emphasis on music and radio shows.

2. I hated, really hated the format. I don't think in screenplays, so it's hard to read one. Also, the protagonist spoke to the reader, so there's lots of "you" going on, but she referred to herself as "me," so I'm the "you" reading what "me" said, but I'm not "me." If that sentence confused you, try 242 pages of that.

Also, I checked with my better half, who has a degree in theater performance, and she said that the screenplay isn't formatted correctly. And interspersed with the screenplay are bits of narration that sound like a normal novel (except for the second person craziness). So it's like a screenplay that wants to be a novel that wants to be an in-your-face real-time conversation. No wonder I was unimpressed.

The story concept is a good one, but I'm not sold on the execution.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read in months, so I picked up Between You & Me with the intention that it would be a good place to dive back in. I wanted something light and short; this book delivered that, whilst also being a lovely, warm read. It's different, but it works so well. It's written in the format of a screenplay, which I found to be very readable. The other thing that sets it apart: there's a character 'You' who isn't specified by gender. I happily read on, not fussed with not knowing, but something to ponder as the story proceeds and for the reader to come to their own conclusion. I liked Phyre; she's younger than I usually read, but there was something about her that was relatable and sweet. I loved the theatre aspect most of all - it reminded me of my love for acting and provided lots of warm, fuzzy feels because I'm a bear. End scene.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

YES!
+I'm always excited to pick up a book told with a second person narrative, but this one is different. It's also a film script! Phyre is telling this story as a play to her best friend.
+Crush on teacher!
+Super quick, engaging read.

NO!
-There's really no plot. It's just Phyre telling us what happened during that semester, from her crush on Mia, the fights and makeups with her BFF, and the school play. It's pretty obvious how it's going to end.

[Estelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog:

I love when authors take creative chances. When they do it right, the book morphs into more of an experience than just some paper bound together in your purse.

Between You & Me is just that. Written in screenplay style, author Marisa Calin introduces us to Phyre, a 16-year old girl, who loves theater and her best friend – a best friend that garners no name, simply known as ‘You’, with no description whatsoever, just movements and words and perhaps a clothing description every now and then.

It may be disconcerting to be kept in the dark about a character who is very much the heart of this novel, but we do get to see You in Phyre’s eyes and get equally frustrated when You’s actions constitute more than friendship and her friend is utterly blind to it.

So this is the thing. We have no idea if You is a girl or a guy. To be completely honest, during my first read through, I thought You was a girl. Once I (begrudgingly) finished the book, I read the Publishers Weekly review where it was mentioned that it was not divulged if You was a girl or a guy. Did I get amped up or what. It was almost midnight and I literally could not sleep because I found that hard to believe.

It’s funny the tricks your mind plays on you when you are reading. Somehow you are filling in the blanks with words that weren’t even on the page. I could swear I read that You was wearing a dress at one point and instead, You was all dressed up. So I went back, two days later, and reread the entire book again. This time, I pictured You as a boy.

And my conclusion? The book certainly works from both angles. But it made me hyper aware of these categories that I place people in. Yellow shirt, crossed ankles, light enough to lift into a treehouse – oh that must definitely mean You is a girl. But does it? Unconsciously we form all of these stereotypes in our head and cleverly and intricately Calin reminds us to forget them, check them at the door. That is not what matters here.

It is the love. It is the playful, intimate friendship between these two characters. It is how You will come over in the middle of the night to paint Phyre’s room because the color is bothering her. You (as in us) don’t meet people like that every day. And despite You’s silent and sweet attempts to show her these blossoming feelings, Phyre is totally crushing on her new theater teacher – the passionate, smart, cute, and encouraging Mia. The way Phyre bumbles around Mia and chastises herself for saying moronic things in front of her is so spot-on. Don’t misunderstand, Mia is clearly the teacher here; she never eggs Phyre on but still she is absolutely enchanting. Calin brings to the forefront various descriptions of light when it comes to Mia and it is breathtakingly clear why Mia is so worth living in this bubble of fantasy, even when it means Phyre taking You for granted.

The script style is, as it should be, very bare bones but Calin weaves in Phyre’s (uncensored) thoughts within the stage direction but manages to keep them simple, succinct and straightforward. The pacing is quick but the moments remain, bleeding into scene after scene. The format is a challenging experiment, but Calin’s writing is genuine and impactful nevertheless. I probably could have highlighted the entire book.

As a theater fan, I love how Calin incorporated parts of a school play that, in ways, paralleled the moments between Phyre and You. I admired Phyre’s passion and dedication to her craft, and so many of the creative elements incorporated into the production. It might be hard to believe that so much emotion could be alive and kicking in a book that isn’t overflowing with monologues or description but it is so there. So many times I had to close the book because the feelings were overwhelming and oh-so familiar.

Between You & Me has easily become one of my top reads of 2012, whether we are talking strictly about 2012 releases or of all the books I’ve read so far. It’s challenging, it’s thought provoking, and an innovative way of looking at relationships and preconceived notions of love and happiness. It just is.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phyre is an outgoing teen who loves the theater and wants nothing more than to be a famous actress. Her new school year starts out great; she is taking a theater class and she spends most of her time with her lifetime best friend, you. This book is written as a screenplay; each scene is set and you are a part of the story. As Phyre’s best friend, you harbor a secret crush on her, but you have no idea how to tell her this. Mostly because Phyre has a crush on the new theater teacher, Mia. All bets are off in this fast paced read about two teens and their first loves.

Between You & Me is an interesting spin on the traditional story of first love. The story is written in screenplay form, with the main characters being Phyre (Me) and You (The reader). Because the main character is interested in theater and ends up as the lead in the school play, there is a “play within a play” aspect to the story. The play the students perform mimics the plot of the book. While the style is intriguing and fresh, the plot leaves something to be desired. It felt as though the author wrapped up the story a bit too soon, tying up loose ends in a messy knot. Also of note is the focus on gender (or lack thereof) throughout the book. Phyre has a crush on another girl for the first time in her life, and most of the story she tries to come to terms with this. The other main character (You, the reader) is genderless. The author leaves hints throughout the text as to your gender, but in the end she leaves you guessing. This definitely adds dimension to the story. I would recommend this book to middle grade and older teens, as it is comforting to those experiencing their first love, and nostalgic for those who have been there before.

[Literary Princess · Rating 1 out of 5]

The format of this book was completely illogical, as it wavered between using a script for the dialogue and announcement of setting but then incorporated the main character's thoughts constantly. The 2nd person referral to the best friend was stupid and completely distracted me from the story (also made it hard to have any attachment whatsoever to the character).

I couldn't believe in anything that was happening in this book. Having a crush on a student teacher? Okay. Having a student teacher teaching a class without a real teacher present? That would never happen. Having a crush on a woman teacher when you've never previously been interested in girls? Hmm, unlikely. Being totally oblivious to your best friend having a crush on you? Even more unlikely. Performing a completely contrived play in high school that requires the presence of an actual pool on stage? Yeah right. Ugh, this whole thing was just obnoxious and clearly written by someone who isn't at all familiar with quality teen fiction.

And finally, the presence of the gossip page for the school? That's just a blatant rip-off of Gossip Girl and is also in no way realistic or believable.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Quite the book, Calin has made a book seemingly into a screenplay. As a teenage girl confused with her feelings for her drama teacher, who by the way is a female, was a new sort of premise. What I really liked about the book was the humor, and the character 'You'.

'You', didn't have a specific name, and the author didn't tell you the gender. So throughout the book you're questioning yourself, what you think, etc. I went back and forth constantly, and I ended up being wrong about the gender. Oops.


Good humor, good premise, good characters, good book. Simple.

[Victoria-Melita Zammit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a definite novel with a twist here, and I enjoyed the different way that the story is presented to you.

What immediately struck me about this novel is two things. First of all, it’s written like a script, rather than a conventional story, so the dialogue takes front and center and the rest of the story is written as if its the setting of a play. I found that very interesting, especially sometimes as it delves more into screen-play than a theater piece.

The other thing is the fact that You are a character. You is Phyre’s best friend (Phyre being the person telling the story and constructing the whole script in her head). Phyre is a theater freak who wants to be famous, You is her best friend who has always been there for Phyre. And from some hints here and there, You might have a pretty big crush on Phyre.

But Phyre is crushing on their new drama teacher, Mia.

The LGBT part of this novel is pretty obvious – Phyre’s obvious crush on Mia is so blatant and there’s no way that she even tries to hide it at all. She fantasizes about Mia. She wants to spend time with her. She embarrasses herself in front of Mia. It’s adorable.

(And I have to admit, as a person who teaches high school English myself, I do see Phyre’s exact behaviour around Mia sometimes reflected in how some of my students act around me and it is so fucking cute.)

The story takes place over a semester or so of high school, and how Phyre deals with her crush, how the play is set up and how well it goes, and through Phyre and You’s relationship. It’s quite an entertaining quick read – really nothing more than about two days of broken up reading.

What I really liked is just the You makes it feel like you, the reader, are the You Phyre is talking to. It’s never specified what gender You is, but I always do get the feeling it’s a female best friend who’s just been running after Phyre this entire time. It’s quite fun to see how things develop.

All in all, it’s pretty good for a debut novel! My final rating is a 3.5/5, because I can see where Calin can do better with it next time, but for a short pleasant read, it’s right up anyone’s alley.

[Justina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sat in my TBR forever but I finally read it! I just had to see what this unique storytelling format looks like, especially since I like reading (and writing and watching) plays.

I did quite enjoy this book. I liked the script format, although I think it might have actually been streamlined even more - aside from the script-like dialogue and setting of the scene (idk how it's called properly but e.g. Bedroom. Morning.), it reads like a regular novel. I also liked the whole bit with the gender-ambiguous You addressed throughout the book. It felt kind of like a letter to You and I liked that. The pacing and the story beats were all right - nothing too mind-blowing, but building a solid teen romcom.

The weakest point of the book for me was the main character Phyre. She just seems like kind of a shitty self-focused person, in almost over-the-top kind of way. The only excuse I can see is the fact that in plays, you can amplify character feature(s) to sort of make them seem bigger than life, so to speak. That being said, I didn't like Phyre at all. She spends the majority of the book pining over and clumsily pursuing a young female teacher. Phyre seems to ignore the fact that she's a child and the teacher is an adult. Meanwhile, You is at her side, being supportive, leaving her little gifts and just in general being a good friend, while Phyre completely ignores them. Sure, she does a Big Gesture Apology thing at one point, after she's realized what a bad friend she's been, but it doesn't actually seem to change their relationship that much? Phyre continues obsessing over the teacher and the play she's got the lead role at and You stands on the sidelines, being a good friend. And then Phyre has the audacity to be mad/jealous when it appears like You starts hanging out with other people. Luckily, that doesn't last long but mainly only because You explains that they weren't actually doing that. And then of course, Phyre realizes You has been pining for her and that she also has romantic feelings for You and You is happy that Phyre finally sees them and it's a happy ending. I gotta say I was a bit disappointed.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book is so very different from anything I've ever read before. Ever. In my life.

This excerpt is part of my 2013 Contemporary Month Event and is taken from my review on Into the Hall of Books. Read more here: http://www.intothehallofbooks.com/201...

The first thing you need to know is this:
Main character Phyre has developed feelings for her theater teacher.

Phyre's feelings develop from a small fascination into a full-on crush that becomes one of those all-consuming life-size things that takes over her thoughts and her mind and her heart. It isn't the biggest shock in the world that a student could ever develop a crush on a teacher, right? It happens. Well, in this case, Phyre's teacher is a female and this is the first time that Phyre has ever felt these feelings for a person of the same gender.

It doesn't help that Mia, the teacher, is really pretty. And super nice. And that during theater class - during the acting exercises - Mia encourages her students, Phyre included, to really feel and express their feelings and emotions. This gives Phyre something to concentrate on while listening to the sound of Mia's voice and watching her movements and all of that. It's pretty excruciating to read this crush, or at least it was for me. (I'll tell you why in the 'second thing.')

Phyre doesn't really know what to do with these "odd" feelings she's having. She doesn't feel like she can tell anyone and she doesn't really know if she wants to. She doesn't know if Mia feels the same way she does and she sometimes acts just slightly inappropriately because of this.

The second thing you need to know is this:
Phyre's BFF - known as "YOU" - has feelings for Phyre.

This was so obvious to me. And painful. So, so painful. YOU just adored Phyre to pieces and Phyre either acted oblivious to it or actually was oblivious to it. Isn't that always how it is when one person likes the best friend, at least for a while? Man, it was so hard to read Phyre follow Mia around over and over and talk non-stop about Mia to YOU, and poor YOU would just grin and take it - all the while stifling his/her feelings and keeping silent. Silently wanting.

Absolutely gut-wrenching, but it always is. Why do I love to read those best-friend-falls-in-love-with-other-friend books? I don't know. In this case, it wasn't my favorite. But it still broke my heart.

The third thing you need to know is this:
The book is written in script or screenplay format. I'm not sure exactly what the terminology is. But you can look at my nifty little picture down there to see what I mean.

Dear people of the world, I will watch theater a million times and love it, but I don't DO theater. I am not an actor. So outside of the story itself, I had a hard time following along with the book. A really hard time, actually. Now, that doesn't mean anyone else will have a hard time. In fact, I've had several reading friends that really, really enjoyed this story and the format and everything. But I found that I was constantly re-reading the little paragraphs trying to figure out who was "ME" and who was "YOU" and which parts were being actually spoken and which parts weren't.

A theater person, I am not.

BUT BUT BUT that is merely structural and has nothing to do with the actual story.

*******************************************

Between You & Me by Marisa Calin is a very different book - it's one that took plenty of risks and I think that is awesome. I love it when an author takes something that is outside the box, outside the norm, and runs with it. There may be other books like this one out there - if there are, I'm not familiar with them. As you can see from my picture, this book was absolutely like a script. There will be readers that will love it and there will be readers that will struggle a little bit with it. I am of the latter bunch.

The story itself was okay and also a bit different - main character Phyre develops a crush on a teacher, who happens to be a girl, and struggles with these feelings of same-gender crushing. All the while her BFF - is it a boy? is it a girl? WE NEVER KNOW. - struggles with watching Phyre crush on someone else. So we have a bit of a romance and a bit of an identity story with coming-of-age too, I think.

I think, for me personally, that the format of the book mixed with the fact that I didn't know anything about the best friend, YOU - well, it just took away from the story a little bit for me. It left me too much work to do when really what I wanted was enjoy a story. Some readers really enjoy stories that require thinking critically and I think that is fantastic. But for me, one who reads to escape, I would've loved either a narrative structure or a gender assignment to YOU to lessen the amount of work it took me to get through this book. But, again, that's just ME.

Overall, I will say that I love the risks the author took and that there is certainly an audience for a book like this. I am glad that I read this book and feel like I got a lot from it even though it was a struggle for me. I know that I can recommend it to certain reading friends that would enjoy it. Also important is that I love the way that the book resolved and rounded out and left me in a good place with the ending.

I recommend Between You & Me to fans of YA Contemporary, fans of quirky or risky books, and/or LGBT stories. You should have no trouble reading it if you can read screenplays and if you have never tried to read them, perhaps you should give it a go. Even though I struggled a little bit with this structure, I would love to see what else Marisa Calin puts out in the future because I did like the risks she took with this story and I want to see what she does next.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my favourite genre Pure Contemporary
Original and unique writing style

You was certainly a girl, no boy can notice a girl that minutely and there were several things only a girl can know about her bestfriend.

I felt so sad for 'you' when she notices again and again phyre inattentiveness towards her
The scene where she says I can take a hint and rolls off the bed, stop at the door and smile—
And says Night, Lily broke me

How can 'you' be so forgiving when Phyre keep making these mistakes again and again says volumes about her feelings for Phyre

The thing that I like about this book the most is it is purely contemporary, not many books are out there that are just so purely contemporary, for most part no romance, no drama, just everyday life shit going on. Fucking love it

Sweet teenage love, Happy ending, perfect book.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I am going to sound like a country redneck here after reading other reviews wowing over the, for want of a better word, "artistic interpretation", the script format and the ambiguous "you" but truth be told I really did not enjoy this book and at the end of the day that is what counts for me. Although in fairness I also did not like "War and Peace", Charles Dickens and a lot of other great works of literature, I like Mia Archer and hate "Game of Thrones" but this is a good thing - if we all had the same tastes in everything it would be a poorer world. So, y'all go ahead and read it and make your own opinion, it did not work for me but it could well float your boat. Happy reading

[Katie Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was about a teenage girl named Phyre who falls in love with a teacher. She constantly watch the teacher and trying to impress the teacher. Through this awkward struggle Phyre's best friend who is always by Phyre's side. It was a good book i liked the realistic characters and the way it was written.It was written like a play which went well with the fact that Phyre loved acting and the class that the teacher she had a crush on was acting.

[Shell · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. After finishing the book I feel like I barely know anything about the characters
2. No character development
3. No plot development
4. pretty much nothing happened
5. If you are going to write in a script format at least give us some interesting dialogue
6. I really don't see the point in having the gender of 'you' as ambiguous other than for gimmick purposes.
(just make it gay you cowards!)

1.5/5

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)

ME
What should I say to all these visitors who come to the blog today?

YOU
Weren't you going to tell them about this incredible book that you finished reading? You know the one, that book that Estelle lent you? The one that reminds you how awesome she is at recommending books to you that you'd love?

ME
I suppose I could... if I could find the right words to convey how I'm feeling.

I duck my head and concentrate on studying the keyboard of my laptop, well aware that you are looking at me. When I can stand it no longer, I take a deep breath and try to put my feelings into words.

ME
BETWEEN YOU & ME was just so... refreshing. And that's because it was different.

YOU
Different? What do you mean?

ME
Well, it's written in the format of a screenplay. Reading that made me feel like I was an active participant in the story, and not just watching these characters live their lives out. While I read the book, I actually mouthed the words or said them out loud - I guess you could say I acted them out. It made me feel a more powerful connection to the story and its characters.

YOU
Who were the characters anyway?

ME
I'm so glad you asked! That's actually one of my favorite parts of the story. The book revolves around three characters - Mia, Phyre and You.

YOU
Me?

ME
No, not you. But the other character was simply called You.

You raise an eyebrow at me. I shrug.

YOU
That's weird.

ME
Let me explain a little so you can understand. Phyre is the main character, and we read the story from her point of view. Mia is the drama teacher at Phyre and You's school - and Phyre develops some... well, feelings for her. You is Phyre's best friend, who's pretty much there for Phyre throughout the whole book.

YOU
Well, now that I know who Phyre and Mia and You are, I think I have an idea of the story. But why doesn't You have a name?

ME
That's the genius part of the novel! Well, at least to me anyway. You doesn't have a name because it leaves the character open to interpretation. It's up to the reader to cast You in the story, what she looks like or what her name is... And what's more interesting is that You's gender is never specified.

YOU
So that means... You could be a girl or a boy?

I nod emphatically and you look at me, confused. Suddenly, your expression changes and I see that you've become fascinated with what I'm saying.

ME
I think it's a genius concept that MARISA CALIN has employed in this book. By not being specific about who You is, it kind of leaves it up to the reader to imagine. I love the fact that there's no specific gender - and that it could actually work either way - because it kind of makes you think harder about what you're reading.

YOU
How so?

ME
Well, I personally realized that, due to pre-conceived gender notions, I would find myself casting You as either a girl or a boy. It was all dependent on the moment that was being described or the little quirks mentioned. I love how MARISA CALIN seems to subtly ask us to question that sort of thing with this book.

YOU
So, in the end was You a boy or a girl?

ME
I can't tell you. I'm still on the fence about it. To be honest, when I read the book at first, You was a girl. Halfway in, You turned into a boy. It's so cool!

You shake your head at the expression of pure glee on my face.

YOU
How was the writing? Oh, and the story?

ME
I loved how the writing was simple, but used words that blended together in a very smooth, melodic way. There was a nice rhythm to the writing, and it was easy to read along. And as for the story, it was incredible. I could totally relate to Phyre's feelings for Mia - I mean, we've all had a crushes for people that we shouldn't have had crushes on, right? It was also a lot of fun reading about the play they did because, well, you know I'm a theater geek.

YOU
Well, duh. I still can't believe you've made me sit through Wicked more than once.

ME
...

YOU
Anyway. So, what would you tell me or well, anyone else about this book?

I look thoughtful for a moment, thinking about what I'm going to say next.

ME
I would say that it may not necessarily be a book that everyone will enjoy, but I would recommend to people who want to try something that's unique and fun to read. It's relatively short, so the story does move fast, but that's probably a bonus to most readers. Like you, for instance.

You roll your eyes at me and I laugh.

YOU
Let's go get some ice cream.

ME
Let's go do that! And maybe I'll grab you a copy of BETWEEN YOU & ME while we're at it. And that's only if you're nice to me.

You just smile at me and take my arm. We leave the room.

-----

In order to sum up this little screenplay (which I hope you enjoyed), here's what I'm going to say about BETWEEN YOU & ME. The writing is incredibly unique, and easy to read along with. The story provokes the reader into being active - whether in acting out the story or in casting You. And I would definitely recommend giving this a try if you want something that's different from anything you've read before. MARISA CALIN did a terrific job with this novel, and I can't wait to read more from her!

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fairly typical for its genre, save for the narrative style - movie script and second person! - and the general tone of the romance, which was done fairly well, from the "friendzone" (for lack of a better term) to getting together.

[Kaylie Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay fluffy read. I thought the script format was surprisingly well done, but the plot and sub-plot didn't really do much for me. On the bright side, it was quick, and there's LGBT rep. A solid 3 star read.

[Pari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I loved the narration, the whole premise of the book and almost loved the book. The ending was just. So. Anti-climatic. Like, there was so much more that we expected from all that build-up. it was disappointing. I was hoping not to agree with all the reviewers, but they're right.

[Meggie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. I think most queer folx (and many not queer folx too) could identify with the feelings of unrequited love. Also a powerful story of coming to terms with how you feel authentically. As an e-book, the formatting left a little to be desired, but the story was great.

[Gay Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding your own direction in life, not the direction of your parents is the main focus.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting way to write a book and could have been good. A 2 because I finished it.

[mia tjoelker · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was…meh. i didn’t really like how it was written like a play, it was hard to follow

[Mostly Sapphic Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

When your main character's name is Phyre, I expect her to be, well, fire. Instead, Phyre is more like the heat radiating off a lightbulb in an Easy Bake Oven - I never warmed up to her, and she's the immature version of what I wanted.

It wasn't that Phyre was immature in a personality sense like how grown men can act like 15 year olds, it was more that she really was that young. So maybe her lack of knowledge about the world fits her age, but it just wasn't what I was looking for. I didn't expect this to be an R-rated novel by any means, but I thought it'd be a step or two up from 'man my new drama teacher is really hot omg do I have a crush on a girl?? i can't like girls!' and yet that's exactly what it was. The whole 'falling for a teacher' trope ins't new and neither is the coming-out storyline, but put together the plot did have some uniqueness, I suppose. There was a lot that was too predictable about this book, though.

"You" is (are?) Phyre's gender-ambiguous best friend who is painfully obviously in love with Phyre from the very beginning of the book and everyone but Phyre knows it. It's so predictable that You is Phyre's knight in shining armor that of course she'll eventually fall mutually in love with by the end of the novel, and It's also predictable that You is never going to be given a gender. The blurb I read on goodreads for this book made it sound like there would be a reveal at the end, but (spoiler alert) there wasn't. You is supposed to be, well, you. The reader is supposed to identify with the character and imagine themselves as You, but You was nothing like me, and I had a hard time doing that.

Something else that confused me about the whole you being You thing was the script format. You's lines are written as YOU and Phyre's lines are written as ME since she's the one telling you the story. However, I kept thinking ME was me and YOU was Phyre, and that doesn't really make for a clear read.

Another peeve I had about the script format was that it wasn't script format. I was really excited to read a book written like a play because I've read book with sections like that and loved it, but not even lines from the actual play Phyre auditions for in the book was written in script format. It's just normal writing, paragraphs in block format with centered dialogue with the speaking character's name above it. The blocky paragraphs were way too descriptive and in a lot of cases too long, and the formatting for the centered dialogue didn't look great on my phone. There's only between .75 to 2 words per line in the dialogue bits, and that's with the default size on my Kindle App. When I increased the size a couple notches, lines turned into just a couple of letters with words split up between multiple lines. So if you have bad eye sight or just like to read books with large text, good luck with this one. (Also, there's one scene of the book where the dialogue formatting extends almost all the way to the ends of the page? It wasn't bad, it just wasn't in line with the rest of the novel, and it was distracting. Obviously no book is free of mistakes, but there are a couple in this one.)

The writing is decent, but way too flowery. There's a lot of unnecessary description, and I'll admit that I found myself skimming this book more than reading it, and I still don't feel like I missed out on any of the plot.

For those of you curious or worried (again, spoiler alert): the teacher doesn't return Phyre's feelings. There's no creepy high age difference relationships in this book. To some people, that's a good thing, and to some people (like me, admittedly) who were looking for a Hot For Teacher romance, you'll be disappointed. If that's your thing, I'd recommend Ellen Wittlinger's Love and Lies: Marisol's story. It's about an 18 year old in a college class who has a fling with her professor. It's not graphic at all, but I think it deals with a lot of the same themes as this book (exploring yourself, crushing on someone out of your league, finding someone better for you in someone you've known a while). They're two very different books, but if you don't want the whole 'coming out' drama that's been explored in a thousand books, I'd read Wittlinger's novel. This is the same thing, but aimed at a younger audience. But if you're part of that audience, maybe you'll like Between You and Me. I didn't. It just wasn't what I was looking for.

[Sarahdactyl ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

- - -

This story follows outgoing teen, Phyre, as she goes through the motions of crushing on her new film (female) teacher. Phyre has never developed feelings for another female before, but as soon as she lays eyes on Mia, she's smitten. Mia projects an air of whimsy and breeziness that Phyre just can't resist.

Phyre's crush propels her to try out for the school play as a way to be closer to Mia as well as further her experience with acting. At every turn, Phyre feels increasingly overwhelmed and frustrated by her feelings.

All the while, her best friend, referred to throughout the story as “you,” grapples with feelings for Phyre. Only Phyre is so busy with her own struggles that she fails to notice her closest friend slipping away.

- - -

This book is unique to me! I've never read one quite like it. It's written in screenplay format with Phyre being first person, and “You” (the reader) being second person. I found this to be a very creative way of helping to engage your reader. For one thing, you never find out the gender of “You” - it makes you pay closer attention to details and keeps you guessing. There's also the fact that writing the book in this way gives readers a chance to actively play a part in the story—the part of “You.” It was certainly something that helped me to connect with the protagonist as well as her best friend.

There are two reasons I left off a 5th star from my rating of this novel. One: The name “Phyre”... Now, I have never once criticized a character's name, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. I simply think choosing this name was a trying-too-hard show of being “cool” ... It just bugged me A LOT.

Two: Just the simple fact that the story lacked some depth. It was a quick read and it had everything it needed to be a full story; beginning, middle, end, yadda yadda... but it was just missing some characterization and things. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. It just lands somewhere between.

What I liked most about this book was the gender issues. Phyre, without a shadow of a doubt, is attracted to her female teacher from the get-go. She's never been attracted to a female before, but when it happens she just accepts it. She doesn't really grapple with it much at all. She feels overwhelmed and goes through some troubles, but I honestly felt that was more attributed to the fact that Mia was her teacher than the fact that she was a woman. Then there's You. The genderless best friend. I read this role as a female. It just felt right for me. It could have just as easily been read as male. In fact, I feel that there were very small hints within the story that made you want to lean one way or another. I just appreciate what the author did here. She made love just love. You can't judge You for anything other than the fact that he/she is there for Phyre in times of need (regardless of Phyre being selfish and self-absorbed at times) and loves her deeply. It's as pure as can be. It was a beautiful, creative way to write this book. I truly applaud it.

Overall, this story is one to be remembered! It's an innocent and beautiful story of first love. It's about self-discovery and reaching for the stars. It's about not taking the people in your life for granted. Most importantly for me, though, was that this story is about loving without restraint; without borders. The format of this book was creative, interesting, and made for a very engaging read. The characters are down to earth and likable; they're real and definitely relatable. The genderless element of “You” brings the story to an entirely different dimension. It's truly inspiring the way the author has done this. Innovative. Touching. Bittersweet. Between You & Me is definitely a book I'd recommend!

- - -

Book source: NetGalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

[Aeicha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marisa Calin’s Between You & Me employs an unusual format to portray a relatable and contemporary glimpse into the complicated, confusing and often heartbreaking world of falling in love and growing up.

Written in screenplay format, Between You & Me follows sixteen year old Phyre as she grapples with her confusing and burgeoning romantic feelings for Mia, the new and young theater and film teacher. Phyre has never felt attracted to another girl before and her strong feelings for Mia have her questioning everything. Phyre eventually confides in her BFF, who is only referred to as YOU and whose gender is never specified, but he/she is dealing with their own secret romantic feelings; feelings for Phyre. Phyre hopes to get closer to Mia by starring in the school play, but only further complicates things. Life changing and heart-breaking realizations hit hard, but maybe Phyre and YOU can still have a happily ever after.

Calin has crafted an authentic, hip and relatable look at sexuality, love and growing up. Full of palpable emotions, engaging characters and a thought-provoking story, Between You & Me is a captivating contemporary read.

The screenplay format is innovative and creates a very cinematic experience. Unfortunately, the narration often switches from this screenplay format to longer prose and I found this switch jarring and confusing. There’s also no use of quotation marks to signify dialogue, so I was often confused as to just who was talking and when the dialogue stopped and Phyre was merely narrating her own thoughts and observations. I think if a distinction between dialogue and narration and who’s talking were made clearer then the screenplay format would work better.

The story itself however is enthralling and easily pulled me in. Phyre’s complicated and often painful exploration of her confusing feelings for Mia and YOU’s own feelings for Phyre are well-crafted and presented in a very unassuming, honest and relatable way. This isn’t a “coming out” novel and, even though Calin does a great job of exploring the notion of one questioning their sexuality in a thoughtful way, at its core this is a story simply about love and all the heartache, wonderment, excitement and confusion that comes with it. The real focus and important aspect of this novel isn’t that Phyre falls for a girl, it’s the simple and relatable notion that she falls hard for someone who intrigues, captivates, challenges and attracts her, someone who will never return those intense feelings.

I love that Phyre’s best friend and admirer’s gender is never revealed and YOU can easily be read as either a boy or girl. When I first began the novel I actually wanted YOU to be a girl, and there were many times when I was sure YOU was a girl, but then something would happen or something was said I was sure YOU was a guy. But as the story progressed I realized it didn’t matter and stopped focusing on YOU’s gender and just focused on his/her feelings and friendship with Phyre, which I think is the whole point. Calin has created something very profound and exquisite with her un-gendered YOU.

The story wraps up in a way that is kind of predictable and expected, but not unsatisfying. I think this is one instance where the journey the characters take is far more important than the destination they reach…and the journey is a tantalizing and tangible one.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: While the unusual, yet refreshing screenplay format used does cause a few glitches and distractions, the candid, emotionally palpable and smartly crafted story of two teens discovering the complexities of falling in love certainly make up for them. Between You & Me is a fresh, relatable and worthwhile read.