Between You & Me

Feb 04, 2013 Jessica-Robyn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut, young-adult, lgbtq, standalone-novels, pov-female, 2013-read

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...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Beryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

BETWEEN YOU & ME is written in a hybrid screenplay/first person format that mimic's the main character's thoughts. Like most of us, this character is more eloquent in her mind than she is in real life.

Phyre has a crush on the new drama teacher, Mia, that is obsessive, self-absorbed and at times sweet and funny. She waits for Mia and tries to seem casual, she imagines conversations between them, and most of all, she imagines that her feelings are reciprocated. In other words, it's a bona-fid...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Jenni French rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: lgbtqia-lit, age-5-grades-9-12, genre-contemporary-fiction

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....more

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Sep 09, 2012 Caron Dessoye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Between You & Me, has the simple story line of young girl, Phyre, has crush on Mia who is not interested and simultaneously, Phyre's best friend has a crush on Phyre. The twists are, Mia is Phyre's teacher and that the gender of Phyre's best friend is never revealed. Throughout the participation in a school play, Phyre has more contact with her teacher and hopes that Mia will reciprocate her feelings. Phyre's best friend not only supports her in the crush on Mia and simultaneously makes ove...more Between You & Me, has the simple story line of young girl, Phyre, has crush on Mia who is not interested and simultaneously, Phyre's best friend has a crush on Phyre. The twists are, Mia is Phyre's teacher and that the gender of Phyre's best friend is never revealed. Throughout the participation in a school play, Phyre has more contact with her teacher and hopes that Mia will reciprocate her feelings. Phyre's best friend not only supports her in the crush on Mia and simultaneously makes overtures that make their feelings obvious to Phyre. The best friends obvious goal is to make Phyre happy but becomes miserable in the effort. In roller coaster style the crush on Mia begins to evolve and Phyre finally realizes that her best friend is trying to be more than a friend to her.
I will admit that I was originally attracted to this book because of the jacket cover picture. It reminded me of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and Alicia Silverstone in the movie,The Crush. Both being about forbidden love/lust. Interestingly enough, neither the issue of same-sex relationships nor same-sex relationships between a teacher and a student were not emphasized. The emotional narrative Phyre escorts the reader on is all the typical feelings a teenager has about: what is love, sex/sexual impulses, fighting with best friends and dealing with social embarrassment. The narrative story, told by Phyre, was interesting and at times written like a play. The character names being “me” and “you”. I believe this was done to help maintain the gender anonymity of the best friend. I really appreciated the gender neutral aspect of the relationship between Phyre and her best friend and the non-issue of a crush on a person of the same sex. I felt that it resonated with some of my own beliefs regarding love and relationships. While the crush on a teacher is not a new story line, it is a taboo that some of us cannot help watching. However, very little indication existed that this would/could be a taboo relationship by the author. I found that concerning. Overall, it was an easy read—I only wish I had read it on the beach. (less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.com/...

I'm very excited about this book. It's a truly unique read with all the components that make it a stand out for YA and general fiction. Breaking ground in the genre, "Between You & Me" is a screen play within a novel including a school play story that is so well written and so dynamic it will have you reading far more quickly and more compulsively than anything in your hands lately! I was blown away. While it sounds strange on paper, by way of my revi...more http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.com/...

I'm very excited about this book. It's a truly unique read with all the components that make it a stand out for YA and general fiction. Breaking ground in the genre, "Between You & Me" is a screen play within a novel including a school play story that is so well written and so dynamic it will have you reading far more quickly and more compulsively than anything in your hands lately! I was blown away. While it sounds strange on paper, by way of my review no doubt, the format works amazingly well, and Marisa Calin is genius to think of it.

Quick witted and snappy dialog makes the book move at a bullet's pace. The depth of emotion conveyed seems unlikely with such spare words, which is one of the charming things about this book. We are brought into a situation of the love-lorn that it both poignant and profoundly expressive between two different teens, and two different scenarios simultaneously, and they both work in such perfect heart-stopping harmony. I found it timeless. If any of you remember "Love Story," you'll understand how few words can convey a world of angst and true depth of caring. This is such a book.

In the summary of the book, you'll find the outline of the story of Phyre and her obsessive crush on Mia, her drama teacher...and her "blind" relationship at the same time with the "You" of her play. There is nothing more I would give away on that count except to say that the invisible is so beautifully drawn here on the "You" character that you ache for him/her. This, of course, shows the writing talent and expressive gifts of the author.

I enjoyed very much, as well, her instructions to the drama class on how to find the emotions and meanings in their acting. What a wonderful way to work Phyre's emotional turmoil and "You's" behind the scenes feelings into the story/play. And then, the school play on top of the storyline play was so enjoyable a read.

This is a unique book. One that I won't be surprised to find visited with awards this year. Get it and experience a wonderful story. Guaranteed to please you. Good for Bloomsbury!
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Aug 07, 2012 Liviania rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 pl...more
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. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Mrs. S rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, read-in-2012

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 though...more 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.**(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Steph rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was passed onto me because I run a teen book group (although we tend to read more adult books), and I'm also part of a LGBT teen outreach program. This book is stunning. The questions 'why a screenplay' and 'why YOU' are what make it so compelling and original. They are exactly the questions I will ask my group. I want to say that the screenplay style represents something of Phyre's self-consciousness and preoccupation with how people see her. And not identifying 'You's' sex suggests to me...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Will McGee rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book did two things I found annoying. First, it is written in a screenplay format. I've read other books that had unusual formats--like Walter Dean Myers's Monster, which is also in a screenplay format, or the Power Point chapter of Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, or the listing of different cities in Italo Cavino's Invisible Cities--and I can appreciate an unusual format if it serves a purpose that usual formatting couldn't serve. I'm not sure what purpose the screenplay forma...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Literary Princess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternative-format, character-focused, clean, girly, lgbtq, new-truman-potentials, quick-read, realistic, romance, teens

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 te...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Laura Ashlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult, standalones, reluctant-readers

http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/between-you-and-me/

Once again, I was drawn in by a cover. Between You & Me just looks intriguing. Then, when I read the synopsis I thought it would be right up my alley. While it was a little more cute than I was expecting, I was totally engaged the whole time.

Phyre is going through something she never expected when she finds herself attracted in some way to her theatre teacher, Mia. I felt frustrated with her several times, but I was always sympathetic...more http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/between-you-and-me/

Once again, I was drawn in by a cover. Between You & Me just looks intriguing. Then, when I read the synopsis I thought it would be right up my alley. While it was a little more cute than I was expecting, I was totally engaged the whole time.

Phyre is going through something she never expected when she finds herself attracted in some way to her theatre teacher, Mia. I felt frustrated with her several times, but I was always sympathetic. She makes a lot of mistakes and causes some hurt along the way, but I think she learns something from the experience. She definitely grows and learns not to let herself get caught up in obsession and infatuation. Phyre’s best friend is referred to as YOU throughout the entirety of the book. There is never a reference to the name or gender of YOU. I think the fact that this character is addressed as YOU throughout the story cements their importance to the story and to Phyre. I felt incredibly sympathetic to YOU. YOU is let down by Phyre time and time again, but always tried to remain patient with her. They really do have a beautiful history and a great friendship when Phyre remembers to pay attention.

There’s a big focus on Phyre coming to terms with who she is and what she wants. She finds herself worrying a lot about what people think. She’s not even sure what to think about her feelings for Mia. One great thing that comes out of her adoration for Mia is that Phyre realizes she loves acting and that she’s pretty good at it. An additional element that makes this even cooler is that the story is written in the format of a script. I also enjoyed was the parallelism between the play they were performing and Phyre’s relationship with her best friend.

I think something that really makes this book fresh is that it deals with an issue that you don’t really come across much in literature. Phyre has a serious crush on Mia and she lets it consume her whole life, but it’s not the kind of relationship she’ll act on. She admits that part of her hesitation is because Mia is a woman, but that doesn’t hold her back for long. When it comes down to it, she doesn’t totally understand her attraction. She even admits this to her best friend when she says she’s not sure if she wants to be Mia or kiss her. I think everyone has those kinds of feelings now and then: we want something or fantasize about something, but we know deep down that we’ll never really go for it. I think that’s just part of finding who you are. These were the kinds of things I was thinking about while I read this book, and I just love when a book gets me thinking.

While Between You & Me didn’t blow me away, I really enjoyed it. I think it’s fresh and original for several reasons: the script format, the topic, the ambiguity of who YOU really is. I definitely recommend this to lovers of contemporary YA.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Angus rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the intensity of feelings between Phyre and Mia and 'you'. This book briliantly takes you inside the head of Phyre and you share all of the strugglesshe is experiencing and you share in all her mistakes too. Calin's successful use of the second person invites the reader to both consider themselves as playing a part in the three way relationship with the other two main characters but also consider and choose if the third protagonist is male or female. The book ends with a satisfying growt...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Book Twirps rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Phyre develops feelings for her new drama teacher, it takes her by surprise. She's never had feelings for someone of the same sex before, and she's not quite sure what to make of it. These new feelings unleash a barrage of questions which Phyre takes up with "you", her best friend, who is dealing with their own feelings for Phyre. It's a curious little love triangle, which on the surface was sweet, realistic, and handled well (in context) by the author.

This book is definitely unique, not so...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Aeicha rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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.(less)

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Aug 04, 2012 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh wow, this book.

Between You and Me deals with the complete wretchedness-meets-euphoria that is your first all-consuming crush on someone. For Phyre, it's made even worse because the object of that crush is a teacher. And, worse still, it's a woman.

The most interesting thing about it is that Phyre doesn't even really consider whether she's gay or not. All she knows is that she's in love with her teacher, Mia.

This is an unconventional love story, both because it's about women and because it doe...more

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May 13, 2013 Zee rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are times as a definitely-not-young adult reader I feel the weight of my age separating me from fully appreciating a novel for young adults. Reading this book was absolutely one of those times. Actual teens, particularly those who might be contemplating their own sexuality, will probably be able to relate to the lead character to much greater degree, although thoughtful kids will be just as frustrated as this adult at the lead character's complete lack of insight. Phyre doesn't understand...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

With a similar theme to Every Day by David Levithan, this novel explores the idea that love isn't dependent on gender. Phyre is the first-person narrator of this story, which opens at the beginning of the school year. The 'You' in the title is Phyre's best friend, and her narration cleverly only uses second person, never revealing whether You is a boy or a girl. It's possible to read it both ways, which is a neat and inventive trick.

Phyre is an aspiring actress who develops an obsessive crush o...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Josie Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

There were so many things about this novel that caught my eye that had me crossing my fingers that I'd get a chance to read it! First, I love the front cover of this novel; immediately it made me want to get to know the person that was on it. Secondly, I loved the synopsis for this book!! Last, but certainly not least, I love the fact that this novel was written in screenplay format!! Phyre, the main character, is a 16-year-old girl who has a passion for acting, and after she meets her drama tea...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Basil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, lgbt, contemporary-realistic

Content-wise, I think this book is not particularly innovative, but solidly good. Format-wise, the shift between prose and screenplay format was sometimes jarring, but sometimes fun. What really made this book a 4-star instead of a 3-star, though, was the "You" character -- the unnamed and ungendered best friend. The simply fact of not knowing the gender of this character made me think so much about how gender influences story, and how different those small moments between Phyre and "You" could...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Nicole Fisher rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is a satisfactory read, a very simple love story with enough suspense to drive the reader toward the end. But while it was suspenseful, there were parts that were disappointing or anti-climactic.

This story had a lot of potential, and the actual story line is great, but I think the writer gives away too much at moments, or writes a bit unrealistically at certain scenes. A lot of the imagery seems idealized (the many tealights, the pool onstage), but it also seems unrealistic. I wasn't...more This book is a satisfactory read, a very simple love story with enough suspense to drive the reader toward the end. But while it was suspenseful, there were parts that were disappointing or anti-climactic.

This story had a lot of potential, and the actual story line is great, but I think the writer gives away too much at moments, or writes a bit unrealistically at certain scenes. A lot of the imagery seems idealized (the many tealights, the pool onstage), but it also seems unrealistic. I wasn't sure if this is because the town was very wealthy (the heated outdoor pool lead me to that conclusion, as well as the school pool), but this was another thing that sort of bothered me while I was reading it, and maybe this should have been specified. I also didn't understand the idea of the school gossip site- there could be a more realistic way to depict the scene where the rumor of Mia and Phyre gets spread around the school.

I think I was driven most by Phyre's crush on Mia, and this definitely was the driver in the story for me. Their encounters were told in great detail- the sort of detail that a girl will give when she really likes someone. I also felt bad for Phyre's best friend, who stands beside her the entire time.

I thought the screenplay style of writing the story was a very interesting choice. I also read that a lot of readers were confused as to the gender of 'You'. I immediately assumed 'You' is a girl, and never questioned the gender of 'You' once.

Initially, the idea of the taboo love story (between Mia and Phyre) was what drew me in at first, but it was also appropriate that Mia acted realistically and did not pursue anything with her student.

All in all, I think that the story line had great potential, but while reading I felt irked at the unrealistic bits. I felt that more realistic detail could have been given instead of idealized images. The read itself was nice and kept me going, but the suspense sort of died early on when I knew how the story would end. (less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Kaleton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, book-club

Marisa Calin’s debut novel Between You & Me is a contemporary tale with a very intimate story line. There is no “real plot” per se; it merely follows the life of a young woman named Phyre, her best friend, and Phyre falling for her drama teacher, a woman named Mia.

The relations between the three main characters are a sort of bizarre love triangle, Phyre’s friend – referred with a gender neutral (yes, that’s right gender neutral) You – likes Phyre. Phyre likes Mia. Mia, well, Mia is just doi...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Between You & Me by Marisa Calin is not a book I would have picked up on my own, if it weren’t for nudging from friends. The summary reminds me a bit of a film I watched where a female student is in love with a female teacher. It was a foreign film, it did not end well. Luckily, Between You & Me is not like that. Written in a screenplay format, it’s a sweet high school story.

From the minute Phyre sees Mia, it’s a full blown crush. Phyre reacts in the same way when you’re in high school a...more Between You & Me by Marisa Calin is not a book I would have picked up on my own, if it weren’t for nudging from friends. The summary reminds me a bit of a film I watched where a female student is in love with a female teacher. It was a foreign film, it did not end well. Luckily, Between You & Me is not like that. Written in a screenplay format, it’s a sweet high school story.

From the minute Phyre sees Mia, it’s a full blown crush. Phyre reacts in the same way when you’re in high school and you think your crush is the end all to be all. She can’t stop thinking about Mia, she over-analyzes the little things, and really, she just wants to spend more time with her. It’s melodramatic because Phyre thinks no one else can possibly feel this way and innocent because even though Mia’s appeal is shown, she remains firmly a teacher. Phyre’s exploration of her feelings is full of missteps but ultimately leads her to discover there’s in front of her.

Throughout the story, Phyre addresses her best friend, simply known as “you.” You is such an interesting point of the story. The reader doesn’t know if You is a male or female and it can be read either way. The ambiguity of You is something I appreciate, it challenges the way we can perceive people. It’s a matter of perspective and Marisa Calin conveys this well. You is a sweet best friend, thoughtful and patient and unfailingly loyal. Phyre is frustratingly oblivious to You’s affections but it feels realistic in how it’s so easy to get absorbed in one person, especially when you’re a teenager.

The screenplay format of Between You & Me is unique and mostly works. However, like the story notes, physicality is an important part to a character in a play because it can convey so much more. Since this is just the screenplay, I didn’t feel a strong emotional connection to any of the characters beyond their respective roles.

Overall, Between You & Me a quick read in a creative format with thought provoking questions.

Originally posted at Novel Sounds .(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Alexa Yupangco rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alexa by: Estelle

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

(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, wel...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Pixie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-releases

Between You & Me is different. One of the main characters don’t have a name, or recognized in a gender. It’s for the reader to decide. The style is written in a screenplay format. And for this, I craved reading the story because I adore these type of stories. Hello? I’m a Shakespeare fanatic. If someone can pull off a great story in a screenplay format, I love them that much more for it. I like quirky and unusual formats. Stories with hidden messages underneath. Stories that are told only th...more Between You & Me is different. One of the main characters don’t have a name, or recognized in a gender. It’s for the reader to decide. The style is written in a screenplay format. And for this, I craved reading the story because I adore these type of stories. Hello? I’m a Shakespeare fanatic. If someone can pull off a great story in a screenplay format, I love them that much more for it. I like quirky and unusual formats. Stories with hidden messages underneath. Stories that are told only through character development and dialogue.

You: You’re a nerd.
Me: I know. Thank you.
You: Just get to your point already with your review.
Me: Geesh. Rush much?

So, in Between You & Me, we have two main characters. Phyre and “You”. Phyre loves the theatre and acting. The setting is a new year in high school and there’s a new theatre teacher. That’s when things begin to go a little downhill for me as the reader, I think. When Phyre meets Mia, the theatre teacher. Yes, I understand there are teacher crushes. I love the author for creating this story because it not only develops into a story of understanding, but a young woman learning more about herself. Phyre is shocked at first because she’s never crushed on a female before, and I like that as she’s realizing this, she just accepts herself.

What I don’t like is the weird insta-obsession. As soon as Phyre realizes the crush, it’s not ‘insta-love’ like we often see (which for this story, I think I would have actually been fine with more insta-love for the crush oddly enough), but pure obsession. She’s following Mia around, assuming Mia is doing the same, assuming all kinds of things, and honestly, it’s just a bit creepy. Perhaps this is the entire screenplay’s intent, but it turned me a bit off at times to see such a strange obsession. I wanted to see more development with “You” because I know something was going on there quite often, and there were a lot of times when I felt “You” just were put in the backseat to Phyre and Mia in the plot most of the time. Then things happened, and things started picking up toward the end. It was scandalous, and “You” held their ground for Phyre like a great friend should. I loved that. I equally loved that Phyre did appreciate it, too, and didn’t put “You” on the backburner again. She saw how much of a friend they really were. It does have quite the satisfying ending with Phyre finally learning more about herself with a nice growth and development to “You” that doesn’t feel forced at all.

I was all over the place with Between You & Me. It was a crazy ride. While I thought it did a lot of major parts extremely well, there were some small nitpicks that I just didn’t find so appealing (like the obsession thing I mentioned above). But I’d still certainly recommend this to a wide audience, especially book groups for discussions because it paints a powerful message with some strong points to talk about among others.

<3
Pixie(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Bookworm1858 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, netgalley, ya-read

3.5/5

I love love love epistolary novels (this one is told as a screenplay in homage to the main character's love of films) so I thought this would be an enjoyable read. Plus it had a couple of hooks that sounded different from other YA novels-I don't think I've ever read a book that had those two elements together.

But I think it ended up being too gimmicky. First the book is told in second-person POV which always confuses me. The "you" does not refer to me the reader and it is hard to remind mys...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-covers, ya-contemporary, lgbtq

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 pretentiou...more 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! (less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Bookish♥Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: singles-fic, read-in-2012

♥ 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....more

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Jul 26, 2012 Estelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-new-releases, ala-2012, arc, young-adult, theatre, favorites, lgbt, own

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 pe...more 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.(less)

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Jul 16, 2012 E. Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's easy take a gimmick and make a book out of it. It's hard to make it work. Marisa Calin's debut, BETWEEN YOU AND ME, is told in the form of a screen play. A screen play in first person that addresses the protagonist's best friend only as "You." And the best part is: it works.

High school theater student Phyre is thrilled for the new semester. And as soon as her new theater class starts, her whole world changes. At least that's what it feels like. Their student teacher, Mia, is unlike anyone P...more

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