I was so excited to receive this eARC from NetGalley, and the publisher, Grove Atlantic, because I was enthralled with the previous books that Lily King has written. I thoroughly enjoyed her latest novel as well, although this story about a young woman (31) grappling with grief after losing her mother unexpectedly and trying to figure out her life, is quite different from her bestseller, ‘Euphoria.’ I imagine that will come up in lots of reviews once this book is published.

I really liked the quirky yet lovable protagonist, Casey, and was totally engrossed in her journey from the beginning. Set in the Boston area, she is currently trying to finish a novel that’s been in the works for several years and supports herself by working as a waitress in a high-end restaurant for as many lunch and dinner shifts as she can (so she can write in the mornings and also manage to live plus pay off student debts.) Her experiences at the restaurant, details about her camaraderie with co-workers, as well as vignettes of some of the patrons, are realistic and often humorous, though certainly not a sugar-coated portrayal of restaurant work

Deep in debt and living cheap in the potting shed outside the home of a friend of her brothers’, Casey is having a tough time with life. I enjoyed how the details of her past adventures and lovers, and also with her childhood and memories of her mother, were revealed little-by-little, interspersed with the events of her current life. It was as if a photograph of the character became clearer and sharper-edged, more real the longer it developed.

I was intrigued by Casey’s relationships with lovers and friends (many of whom are writers, some no longer writing, having sold out their writerly dreams) as well as certain, interesting day-to-day choices that are ultimately revealed as connected to her past as much as her present state of mind.

Coming to terms with grief is not easy, especially when you must ‘keep it together’ to survive and your support system is a bit paltry. Add to that an existential crisis regarding your loftiest artistic dreams and recent devastating heartbreaks in love, and life can be tough to handle. I admired that Casey persevered, through panic attacks and misunderstandings (and two potential, almost accidental, love interests, not counting a couple of adorable children.)

I did not expect the ending, though. Some might say it was too pat, but I, for one, rooting for Casey throughout, even when she made some rather odd decisions, was exhilarated and uplifted. No spoilers, but I was glad that something, at least, went right for our heroine. I highly recommend this novel and can’t wait to see what Lily King comes up with next. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

This book is full of life. The character development makes me feel like I'm leaving a good friend as a finish the last page. While I don't have personal experiences that match Casey's, the writing made me feel as though I have a good understanding of what she is facing. Definitely won't be for everyone, but I loved it!

It's not just about "that".

It's about everything........

Lily King presents the character of Casey Camila Peabody in hues of bright colors that have faded over time. Casey is the product of faulty decisions of her own making aligned with those of the people residing within her circle of family, friend and foe. She's adrift in a sea of could haves, should haves, and never haves.

It's 1997 in Boston and 31 year old Casey peddles her banana bike that creaks to the rhythm of things gone to rust and decay. Loaded down with student debt, Casey takes to waiting tables at the upscale Iris diningroom located on the Harvard campus. We'll meet her bevy of peculiar co-workers and an intolerant manager. Pressed uniforms are hard to come by when you're living in someone's renovated pottery shed turned into questionable living quarters. Casey always seems to be one step ahead of life's Black Hole.

King has a way with off-the-beaten-path characters as we've seen in Euphoria (My favorite). As the story unfolds, we'll view Casey in terms of her heavy past, her complicated present, and the agony of a dimly lit future. She shelves the profound impact of her mother's recent untimely death. But the flashbacks visit her often and relentlessly. When you don't deal, life deals the hand for you. That's what makes Casey's character so relatable. She longs for stability in a vastly unstable world.

But what is at the core of Writers & Lovers is Casey's beloved novel that she's been lugging around for six years. She writes in spurts and often has nothing but fruitless days. She travels back and forth between unproductive and hardly productive. But because of Lily King's superb writing we'll witness glimpses of Casey's "becoming"........slow and steady and knotted here and there. Bravo, Lily King for giving us a front row seat.

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Grove Press and to the talented Lily King for the opportunity.

“Writers & Lovers” by Lily King is a thoroughly enjoyable and well-written book, with relatable characters that will stay with me long after I finished the last page.  It is the story of Casey, a struggling novelist who is working as a waitress to make ends meet, while also trying to come to terms with the sudden death of her mother.  From the very first page, I was invested in Casey’s story and I read this short book very quickly because I could not put it down.  I enjoyed reading about Casey’s romantic involvements-they were just so realistic.  “Writers & Lovers” is the coming-of-age-story of a woman in her early thirties and it will resonate with many readers of that same age group.  The writing is just beautiful and this book explores so many different emotions.  It is a must-read for 2020.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Grove Press, and Lily King for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book.  I will definitely be recommending it.

This novel covers many different topics- a mother's sudden death, grief, juggling lovers, waiting tables for low wages, harassment, anxiety, health issues, the struggles of being a writer, creativity and creative blocks,  and always money and the lack of it.

The protagonist lives in Boston, and very thoroughly and descriptively evokes the town. She is chronically broke, and is living in the garage of a friend of her brother's, although the brother lives across the country. She is trying to write a novel but has so many other issues going on simultaneously she rarely writes. There are many interesting scenes and anecdotes but I felt they were disjointed. Just as she would involve the reader in a situation or a feeling, she would jump to another situation and feeling. Nothing felt finished. It's like someone who is telling a story yet constantly interrupting themselves to go off on tangents. I found this frustrating.

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

WRITERS & LOVERS
BY LILY KING

I have always thought Lily King was an extremely talented writer. I discovered her back in 1999 or 2000 when she published her first book called, "THE PLEASING HOUR." I loved that book so much which is about a young girl who joins a family on a houseboat to work for them. She gets involved with the husband which creates a kind of love triangle in which the wife who hired her has a very strong personality. I became a fan of her ability to create literary fiction with three dimensional characters who feel very much real. I also loved her second book called, "THE ENGLISH TEACHER," which is another literary treasure that I absolutely realized that I enjoyed immensely and knew I had become a fan of hers for life. I somehow lost track of her writing but have noticed here on Good Reads that many people loved her third book called, "FATHER OF THE RAIN," and her fourth book called, "EUPHORIA," seemed to be an explosive hit also on Good Reads. I think "EUPHORIA," finally gave Lily King her much deserved attention to her talent and finally won her internationally accolades for her abilities as the gifted writer she is. I knew early on from reading her first two books that she was one of my favorite author's and that I would read any book she wrote.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get an Advance Reader's Copy of her latest book called, "WRITERS & LOVERS." It was an honor and my pleasure to read and review her latest literary contemporary fiction novel about what it is like to be a struggling young novelist who stays true to her desire to create art. Her protagonist in her fifth novel is a 31 year old woman named Casey Peabody who is grieving the sudden death of her mother. Her grief is palpable as Casey is plagued by memories of her mother as she is also struggling to stay true to herself. She has been trying to complete her first novel for six years and works as a waitress in Harvard Square in a restaurant called Iris. She is broke and is given a place to live that is a moldy potting shed on the side of a garage. Her brother Caleb who lives 3000 miles away knows the homeowner named Adam. She receives a discount on her rent since Adam knows her brother Caleb and fifty dollars as a further reduction if she walks Adam's dog every morning.

Casey is in debt $72,000.00 for her student loans and rides a retro bike with a banana seat to work everyday. Lily King's descriptions of Boston and Cambridge are spot on as I am very familiar with the area. Personally her vivid descriptions of Casey riding her bike on Memorial drive along the Charles river and passing Boston University on her way to work lend credibility that this author knows this setting well and for me was an atmospheric character. She mentions Porter Square and Walden pond and Brookline which all exist and are popular places. Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith are not mentioned in this novel but I wanted to mention often host Pulitzer prize winning Author's who give readings and book signings. You can usually find a signed copy of your favorite book that is newly published in those two stores. They are frequented by most author's because of their wide variety of books that you don't always see in most bookstores. This aside information is meant to be helpful to those readers looking for a signed copy of almost any author that has a new book published and is a charming place to visit if you have never been there but is on your bucket list of a place you are interested in exploring for a vacation.

This book is very different than "EUPHORIA," but is an excellent novel in its depiction of Lily King's acute awareness of the crackling dialogue between young people in relationships, working as a waitress in the restaurant industry and the feeling of needing to write as much as needing to breathe. It explores in Casey a realistic portrait of how frustrating it is to be artistically inclined and how for some it is easier than others to publish a novel with both being equally talented. While Casey's grief over losing her mother recently interferes with her endeavors to stay focused and she gets sidetracked by falling in love and her passion for wanting a relationship, she is driven to keep forging ahead with writing her novel. There is one quote early in the book from Adam in which he asks Casey how many pages she has written and she answers by telling him a couple of hundred. He then arrogantly offers his opinion by saying to her, "I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say."
I loved so much that Casey has such an iron will to keep writing despite the distractions of life at that age of life of in her case becoming a novelist, earning herself out of debt by attaining financial independence, navigating her health scare, choosing the right romantic partner and the fulfillment of her sexual passions all at the same time. I loved that throughout all of her hardships she remains confident and finds comfort in her best friend Muriel who is a successful writer. The ending was satisfying and perfect. This novel is more quiet and introspective and my greatest hope is that fans of Lily King's bestselling, "EUPHORIA," are not disappointed because they are expecting something similar. This is really different and once more showcases Lily King's exquisite expertise at being able to write masterfully unique novels with brilliant character development and write a narrative with the momentum of wanting me to keep turning the pages and sad that I reached the end. As disappointing as it is to any reader to say good-bye to the story, the ending was inspiring, satisfying and filled with hope.

With much grateful thanks to Grove Press, Lily King and Net Galley for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased by my early copy.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

#Writers&Lovers #LilyKing #GrovePress #NetGalley

My initial impressions were the the writing was excellent and the book was awful. In fact, it was only the main character's life that was awful: grim, painful, depressing, and exhausting. After a while, a long, long while, the story improved, captured my interest and then my heart. Overall, a wonderful read. If you enjoy literary fiction, stay the course.

“Writers & Lovers” by Lily King was a book that crept up on me a grabbed me while I wasn’t looking. It haunts me long after I’ve finished reading it. It is rare that I read a novel twice. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve done that since I was in my twenties and re-read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I plan to read “Writers & Lovers” again, very soon, because it was not only written in such a stunningly realist way, but there were tidbits of writing tips sprinkled throughout that wowed me.

I was once a waitress. “Writers & Lovers” took me back to those years. Casey’s experience reminded me of my own, both externally and internally. Her fears and her dreams were so relatable, as were her struggles with the various relationships in her life. Her grief over the loss of her mother was so real. Because of this., I didn’t want to put it down. I found myself trying to will her from making poor decisions at some points and at others, cheering her on.

Regarding blush factor: There was swearing, although it wasn’t gratuitous. Sex was talked about—a lot—but never written about explicitly. 

“Writers & Lovers” is literature at its finest. It is written with eloquence and power. The pacing is different than other books, in terms of plot points, but it is perfect. Despite the many characters in “Writers & Lovers,” the plot was easy to follow and I had no trouble keeping track of them. You can pre-order “Writers & Lovers” until it is released on March 3rd!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with an ARC of “Writers & Lovers” in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the writing and the way the author immersed me in her world of writing and the restaurant. The character's friendships were also well described, but her relationships were harder to empathize with. I'm glad that we got to see Casey make some good choices and start to get to a better place in her life. I needed some resolution to feel better about the hard times that she went through.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Euphoria by Lily King. As an anthropologist, I enjoyed her fictionalized account of ethnographers I studied during university. So I was excited to learn that the author had a new book coming out.

I was not as interested in the story in Writers & Lovers, but the writing style makes up for it, as does the ease of reading.  

It is a book I will recommend to others, but warn that it is unlike Euphoria.

I loved Lily Kong’s Euphoria and was excited to pick up Writers and Lovers. The writing here is beautiful, but there is little plot to speak of and the characters are just not likeable enough to make this a full on pick for me.

I won't recommend this book to everyone I know - but for any reader whose tastes are more character-driven than plot-driven (and anyone who underlines whole paragraphs just for the beautiful writing), this should be a favorite. I never got around to reading Lily King's last book, Euphoria, but I'm excited to circle back to that one next.

Thank you to NetGalley  for providing at ARC of Writers and Lovers.  I have been a fan of Lily King since discovering Euphoria a few years ago.  I was thrilled  when I saw that King had a new book arriving on shelves this spring.  I am conflicted about this book, however.  

As the title suggests, it is truly a book about writers and lovers.  The main character, Casey, is a writer (and a waitress and a grieving daughter and a sister and a flat-broke 31 year old) and yes, a lover too.  The first third of the novel, while very disjointed, was terrific.  Possibly because I have lost my mother too and identified with Casey, or possibly because I was just excited to be reading Lily King, I enjoyed reading about Casey's life.  However, I eventually got bored.  I simply wasn't interested in her relationship with Oscar or Silas and I also didn't empathize with her as she went through her medical issues.  

When things finally started to go her way after she got her teaching job, I became interested in Casey again.  In fact, I loved the ending.  Overall, though, I don't know that I would enthusiastically recommend the book.  Casey, as a character, didn't have enough depth.  Things happened to her, but she didn't cause things to happen.  

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't.  The beginning and the end were good, but the middle sagged under the weight of ho-hum characters.

There is something about books that are about writers who are trying to write books. Maybe it’s just me but the intellectualness of these kinds of books is way above my pay grade of understanding! I really want to understand all of their idiosyncrasies. I find myself going to the quietest room of my house just so I can really what the characters are trying to say to each other. This is not a bad book/story but the main character has major emotional issues. She’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown every second of every day as she has these (far beyond me) conversations with other aspiring authors. It’s not that I don’t feel bad for her and what she is going through but it’s so mixed in with what her life is like and the writing a book thing along with the talking about literature with other potential literary geniuses. But kudos to this author getting her literary genius out there!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This story follows a woman named Casey who is in her early thirties. She has come to live in Massachusetts after suffering the death of her mother and the loss of her relationship. Her gross garage apartment and waitressing job feels infinitely worse as she compares her life to those around her. Her mail box seems stuffed with only bills and wedding announcements. She simply feels lost. As she struggles to navigate her own existence she begins to date again. Surprisingly she falls for two very different men. I think this is a story for anyone who has come to any kind of crossroad in life. Lily King is a wonderful writer. I recommend this book as well as her book, Euphoria.

Well written and absorbing. A writer's life is one frequently written about and this was one of the best.  Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

I'm both stunned and disappointed by Lily King's Writers & Lovers. It had good qualities, but overall, I couldn't give it three stars.

Casey is a writer working at a restaurant called the Iris. Her mother has recently passed away, and she is in a lot of debt from accumulated college costs. The story follows her journey to finish her novel, as well as her love life, depression, and other medical diagnosis.

I thought the scenes with Casey writing were some of the best of the book. While I was reading it, I thought, That's how I feel when I'm writing! I also liked the path of the story.

But I was lukewarm about the steady stream of unfortunate events plaguing Casey. While some of them led into touching moments, others just seemed like excuses to drive Casey further into debt.

I only really, truly disliked Oscar. How in the world was Casey unable to recognize him for what he was? Cold, withdrawn? He showed more affection to her than to his own kids, and more affection to his fans than her. Honestly, should have just stayed with Silas the whole time.

I LOVED this book because there was so many things I could connect to my own life, and was different than other books about 30 somethings looking to start over. I don't want to spoil any plot, but pick up this book! The writing is beautiful, the story is great, and there are so many things to unpack.

‘How’s the novel?’ He says it like I made the word up myself. 

‘You know,’ he says, pushing himself off his car, waiting for my full attention. ‘I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say,’ may well be the most condescending, snide thing to say to a woman, especially one that is writing a book. Casey Peabody is a writer, even if she is blocked, even if she never finishes more than eleven pages. Published or not, she writes because if she doesn’t ‘everything feels worse.’ The fellow writers she once shared an apartment with when she was young and fresh have dropped off their writing like dead flies, moving on to more practical careers, choosing instead to lead real adult lives. To think she once had such promise, a child prodigy playing professional golf, talented beyond her years, means nothing. That’s all dried up now. She’s traveled, had a romance (if not with the man, then with the language they shared) only to return to all her debts, particularly student loans. Life was once free and easy when the answer was credit cards, but those happy days are over and bought happiness, like everything else, comes due. She certainly didn’t mean to move back to Massachusetts, but without any other plan, here she is, living a life in default. After the crushing weight of her mother’s unexpected, sudden death life feels far more rudderless. The one salvation and bitter sweet victory is the artist’s residency at The Red Barn, and yet…  a man and messy love finds her there, when she is at her most vulnerable.

In the aftermath of loss, riding her bike (salvaged from junk) to work, living in a side garage her brother’s friend ‘graciously’ rents to her, working in a restaurant barely making enough to survive, we find Casey longing for her mother during the day and burning for the man she met at Red Barn in the night. Emotionally wobbly, hungry to finish her novel and yet doubtful it will happen as she gets older and older, Casey spends more energy torn between two men than creating a great work. The men she must choose between are at different points in their life, complete opposites, while she herself is anchored in past hurts and many disappointments. Who is she, where is she going? Does she just need to grow up and find something more ‘stable’, realize the artist’s life of writing isn’t viable for her? Does either man have a place in her life, or she in theirs? Which man is the right one? Is there such a thing as ‘the right one’?

How do you heal from the wounds of the past, find a romantic life without sacrificing yourself and not waste the few chances laid at your feet that could lead to a successful career? Is it easier to just forget your dreams, as others have? Why must the people you meet and love on the way be as messy as yourself? Why must relationships cloud your mind and knock you off your track? Her own parents relationship isn’t exactly the model to follow.

Regardless of your age, social status, career and the people in your life, you are never finished nor completely sure everything will end in your favor. Casey is at a turning point, a moment that leads to the bigger decisions, but how can she know if her choices will lead to the desired outcome, especially with dwindling confidence? We are along for the ride, sometimes along a bridge, as Casey tries to define her future. Everyone is a complicated mess at some point on the timeline of their lives, we just happen to step into Casey’s as she is lost in the confusion of heartbreak and loss.  Will she give up her dreams, or find her way around the obstacles, the biggest one being herself? It is a story of youth as it leaves and what sacrifices must be made to finally become a real grown up, whatever that means. Lost in general, but there is hope. A solid read to add to your TBR list.

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Grove Atlantic

Grove Press

A heartfelt, emotionally ambitions novel, exploring a writer at a fragile phase of her life. With much trauma, depression and desperation, this young woman explores limited possibilities, different men in her life, challenging living arrangements, jobs, and most importantly writing, to ultimately find her light. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the early release copy for review. All opinions are my own.