Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on July 6, 2015 | 4 Comments


Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van LeerOff the Page by Jodi Picoult
Series: Between the Lines #2
Published by Delacorte (5.19.2015)
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Format: ARC, 356 pages
Source: From Publisher


4.5 Stars

Sixteen-year-old Delilah is finally united with Oliver—a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale. There are, however, complications now that Oliver has been able to enter the real world. To exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy. Enter Edgar, who agrees to take Oliver’s role in Delilah’s favorite book. In this multilayered universe, the line between what is on the page and what is possible is blurred, but all must be resolved for the characters to live happily ever after. Includes twelve full-color illustrations, and black-and-white decorations throughout.

Full of humor and witty commentary about life, OFF THE PAGE is a stand-alone novel as well as a companion to the authors’ bestseller Between the Lines,and is perfect for readers looking for a fairytale ending. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot are sure to appreciate this novel about love, romance, and relationships.

My thoughts

I think I mentioned in my review of Between the Lines that I would have never looked twice at these books based off of the covers. This one is better than the last, but it still doesn’t scream “Young Adult fantasy” to me. But I’m very glad I received this one for review, because I really enjoyed it!

I am highly impressed by how much the writing style improved from the last book. (Part of that may be because two heads are better than one.) The first one was a bit on the juvenile side at times, but this one wasn’t! I really enjoyed the snippets of almost rhetorical insight (I don’t know how else to describe them!) that were sprinkled throughout the book between chapters.

What would you do if you only had one day left in this world?
Spend it with the people you love?
Travel to the far corners of the earth to see as many wonders as possible?
Eat nothing but chocolate?
Would you apologize for all your mistakes? Would you stand up to those you’d never had the courage to face? Would you tell your crush that you loved him or her?
Why is it that we wait till the last minute to do the things we should be doing all along?

I was a lot more invested in the characters and relationships in this book than I was the last. I love that Oliver and Delilah’s relationship is never easy! It really makes you feel for them and everything they’re going through. You start to cheer for them. I was even cheering for Jules and Edgar! View Spoiler »

I enjoyed seeing more of the side characters in this one! I really liked Jules and Edgar. Even Socks, the silly self-conscious stallion. But especially Frump! <3

I also love that this book isn’t superficial. There was depth to it, and realism that I wasn’t expecting. I thought it was going to be your every day fairy tale with a happy ever after. I’m glad I was proven wrong! View Spoiler » I can definitely respect that, because like I said I wasn’t expecting it at all! I love that. And because of that, I had more of a connection to this book emotionally.

Side note: I was under the impression going in that this was a companion novel. This is not a companion novel, it is a sequel. While you can read this book on its own and still get a decent understanding of everything, I highly recommend reading Between the Lines first!

Overall Assessment

Plot: 4/5 
Premise: 5/5 
Writing style: 4/5 
Originality: 5/5 
Characters: 4/5 
Pace: 4.5/5 
Feels: 4.5/5 
Cover: 3/5 
Overall rating: 4.5/5

Previous book

between the lines

Jessi (Geo)

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4 responses to “Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

  1. OOh nice review! I still need to read this one as well! I thought that the first one was very different too. It’s not quite fantasy, but definitely not contemporary either. It’s somewhere in between! Can’t wait to read this one and see all the characters again in their new world! Great review!

  2. I wasn’t a huge fan of Between the Lines, though I loved the concept of the story. And still, I’m curious as to what happens next… Maybe I’ll give this a shot.

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