Writers & Lovers
By Lily King

After reading Lily King’s Euphoria, I was eager to read more. She is a gifted author who skillfully walks the line of detail and pacing. This was the case with both Euphoria and Writers & Lovers. 

W & L is not a typical coming of age story but has some of the hallmarks. The protagonist is lovable and infuriating. The pacing and the actual story were right on the mark for me. I can’t wait to read more by Lily King!

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Lily King sartorially depicted the portrait of a young woman that feels like she has nothing to live for. When your mother is dead, your career is non-existing, and your bank account has more minus signs than pluses, how do you stay afloat? And what if, on top of all of this, you need to make a decision between two men whom you would feel you like equally but are opposites? Reminded me of Bridget Jones for certain aspects, although King's writing style is engaging and demonstrates high mastery of internal dialogue. I would not consider this to be a "masterpiece," but it is definitely a must read for readers that enjoy a good romantic novel.

Character-driven novel with exquisite writing. I felt for the protagonist, however she remained at arm’s length for me the whole time... I found the lack of a character arc a bit frustrating, and it was as if everything happened TO her rather than because of anything she did or didn’t do. There was a little oomph at the end... but still. I still recommend this whole-heartedly and found it an easy, even comforting read - but sadly it did not blow me away.

I honestly don’t know how thirty-one-year-old Casey Peabody gets out of bed every morning!  This girl has so many issues to deal with that she should be taking anti-depressants.  Or at least be drinking too much. I already felt sorry for her in the first couple of pages.  She lives in a potting shed and sleeps on a twin bed.  A twin bed!  Grown women should not be sleeping on twin beds. And she makes food in the bathroom in a toaster oven.

Casey is a writer who has not given up on her dream.  She’s been trying to write a novel for six years, but she is so weighed down by student debt, failed relationships, unresolved issues with a dead mother and estranged from her father.  She works a busy restaurant with a mixed bag of characters, has health issues and is currently juggling two new men. One man she is attracted to, but he is elusive.  The other wants her to move in with him, but he has two young boys and to give her credit she was more concerned about their feelings than him.  

This story had a very autobiographical feel to me. I’m not familiar with the author, but she made Casey so honest and relatable.  I could feel Casey’s sorrow seeping out of the pages.  But she just kept on peddling that old bike, just like she kept on trying to make a go of her life.  At the end of the story I felt a great weight had been lifted off me.  

I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for the opportunity to read this lovely book.  I gave it four stars.

I picked up Writers & Lovers by Lily King, knowing its been highly praised pretty much everywhere. I knew what was I was getting into, but despite appreciating some lovely sentences and enjoying a few moments that perfectly described the MFA/literary world, I just couldn't get into it.

Growing up is not the same as growing older. Camilla, call me Casey, Peabody is written in first person and present tense and is chock full of anxiety. 
Casey, at 31, is just trying to get through the day and making any decision doesn’t come easily.
Estranged from her father, grieving for her mother’s sudden death, paralyzed by mounting debts, trying to write her great American novel for 6 years, working a waitressing a job which she’s not happy with, and dealing with health issues, often seems that riding her bike becomes the highlight of her day. Add a relationship or two and feel the anxiety bubble up.

I found it emotionally satisfying because she perseveres and is ready for the next chapter in her life. Lily King, author, did well to focus on character development. I see book being put into the hands of struggling writers.

I had not read anything by this author before but having seen a lot of positive comments about this novel, I was keen to read it.
All in all, I struggled, and was a bit disappointed. The plot moved along quite slowly with little variation in narrative tone, although there were several episodes with good dialogue. I couldn't identify with, nor develop any empathy for any of the characters which probably says more about me than it does about them. 
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of the novel in exchange for this honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Writers and Lovers is a beautifully written story about a struggling writer called Casey who is in her thirties, working as a waitress living in a shed who has a ton of debt hanging over her head and just isn't where she was hoping she would be in life at the age she is. 

Casey is full of determination to get through all life throws at her and by jolly, she has a lot thrown her way! 

Casey is a character we can all sympathise with and who if we're honest, we all have a small piece of within ourselves and our own life and experiences. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from Lily King!

A thirty year old woman rents a tiny room and is soon to be evicted, she's under a mountain of student debt, prone to crying, having lost her mother quite suddenly, estranged from her father who tried to turn her into a golf pro as a youngster, an activity she refuses to have anything to do with. She's a waitress in a restaurant and on her last warning, is using her one month of being eligible for health insurance to have as many tests as possible and is paranoid about a lump in her armpit. She's also undecided about two men she is dating simultaneously.

Oh and she's spent 6 years writing the novel.

I really struggled to stay with this one and persevered because I'd seen a number of good reviews, so I kept hoping it would improve. And it does towards the end. I guess it just wasn't where I wanted or needed to be. I've long wanted to read Lily King's earlier book, which is why I jumped at the chance to read this.

I did enjoy the anecdote about Edith Wharton, scolded by her mother as a child for wanting to be alone to make things up and forbidden to read novels until after marriage. When her mother died, she sent her husband to the funeral and stayed home to write. She was 45 years old and published her first novel the following year.

And some thought provoking words about writing and fear:

"All problems with writing and performing come from fear. Fear of exposure, fear of weakness, fear of lack of talent, fear of looking like a fool for trying, for even thinking you could write in the first place. It's all fear."

And this aspect in particular, more of a life lesson in this one:

"If we didn't have fear, imagine the creativity in the world. Fear holds us back every step of the way."

And that ultimately is what the journey of the protagonist is about, living in fear and allowing it, nurturing it, holding fast onto it, until she can no more. And as she let's go of it, her life begins to change, and one she realises, she has nothing to fear.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. Here’s what the publisher says: Funny and heartbreaking, Writers & Lovers is the bitingly clever story of Casey, a young writer who has lost her direction in life, until two men step into her world and offer her two very different futures.

I'm unsure of this book. It was just an okay read for me, but I did like some elements. Casey is a struggling writer who has gone through a lot, and just wants to focus on writing and making sure her life is stable. Overall, the big picture of the story is interesting, but the writing kind of made it a little boring or slow to get through. 

*Thank you to @netgalley and Grove Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This was my first Lily King novel and I was pleasantly surprised! The writing was engaging, witty, and smart.

The main character Casey is 31 and is struggling in many areas of her life. She's been attempting to write a novel for years, dealing with the end of a romantic relationship,  drowning in debt, and grieving the recent loss of her mother.

While I have no aspirations of becoming a writer, I really connected with Casey as she struggles with the grief of losing her mother. I felt every word as King described the loss Casey was feeling.

Despite the hardships that she is going through, the book does not feel dark and depressing. The prose is beautiful and I enjoyed how Casey's love for books and writing was sprinkled throughout the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Writers and Lovers and will be seeking out more novels from Lily King!

I received this ebook from the publisher Grove Atlantic, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Writers & Lovers had a very personal impact on me as I, like Casey, lost my mother unexpectedly when I was just 33 years old.  Lily King as a writer has managed to identify life-altering circumstances and stir up feelings in such a manner that this work is a must read for every struggling and accomplished writer in particular.  The reader should be prepared to stop reading, pick up paper and pencil, and draw the floor plan of the first place you remember living.  As you add all significant details, pick one "white-hot place of experience" and let the feelings flow.
At first, Casey's character was shallow and a difficult connection for the reader.  However, as Casey adjusts, explores and lives, Casey grows and begins to understand who Casey is along with the reader.  I thank Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy of this truly unique and enjoyable read.

This was a gorgeous novel that, in many ways, I feel like was made for me. I think this should be required reading for women in their 20s who may be feeling stagnant or unfulfilled in their careers and their place in the world. I can't wait to discover Lily King's backlist.

This review will be posted on the below-mentioned blog and other social media on July 17.

Book Title: Writers & Lovers

Author: Lily King

Genre: Fiction

Publishing Date: 03 March 2020

No. Of Pages: 320

Line Summary:

(From Goodreads)Writers & Lovers follows Casey--a smart and achingly vulnerable protagonist--in the last days of a long youth, a time when every element of her life comes to a crisis.

My Review:

Okay! I heard a lot of praise for this book from everyone especially from the famous authors and so I was curious! I didn’t read the blurb or had any idea about the book. Blindly I started reading it and I say it’s an ok book. I couldn’t find anything special or admirable or impressive in this. It’s an average contemporary, and some parts I didn’t like it at all. The narration is from Casey’s POV alone and it does make sense as the story is only about her. The characters were chaos! Out of nowhere, some characters would show up without any reason/need to be! The plot is confusing, I am not sure is it about the struggles of woman writer! The one thing (and only thing ) I admired a lot is the way it addresses the important issue of "women around success". Other than that I didn’t feel anything significant in this! I seriously don’t know why it has so much hype ???!!! I guess for the authors, they could relate much of their life with this book and so it may be emotionally very touching for them, but for me nothing is relatable.  Or am I dumb to not understand it’s specialty ??!!! I don’t know but my review is my view ( even it’s the dumbest view ) and so I won’t recommend it if you don’t have the patience to sit with a long boring senseless life of an author!

Thoughts while reading:
I could understand the grief about her mother and the way it kept her from moving on, but what about David ?? The depth of their relationship never showed and so I had difficulty understanding her feelings about it!

As I told above I love that it addresses the important issue of male dominance and "how women feel undeserved about their success "! The imposter syndrome and how truly and widely it spread around our society. I admired it!

I hate Oscar's arrogance and when he said "he feels happy when he is around with her ", I felt like knocking him out! How selfish one should be to believe that their happiness is enough to continue a relationship!

At least I thought the story is more realistic that s why it got admired so much, but then the final chapters ruined that too. What a cliche climax !! In spite of my happy endings liking, it felt very unnatural compared to the story’s path. At least should have spare the Sila's reunite!

It’s a good read! probably I would have liked it much better if I didn't have high expectations from all the hype. expected something more special and magic by seen all those praises from all those authors and so it’s normality seems below

I really loved Writers & Lovers! Casey, a thirty-something aspiring writer, works as a server at a restaurant and fights her insecurities about her writing and her relationships. 

This is a quiet book, not a grab-you-by-the-throat page turner, but I loved the writing. It's filled with small, finely observed details about what it's like to try to make your own way in the world in an industry that's just really tough and discouraging.  (Casey faces lots of snark about writing the "Great American Novel" for six years, observes how differently male and female literary writers are treated, and also gives a lot of amusing antecdotes about working as a restaurant server.) At one point Casey gives her manuscript to a friend who tells her "a good story is both an allegory and a slice of life." This is definitely both - it's the story of a young woman struggling in a tough world and also (maybe) an allegory about writing itself. There's a lovely part at the end when Casey describes the book she's writing as "my home, the place I could always retreat to. The place I could sometimes even feel powerful."

I liked the idea of this more than what was executed. I didn't get on with the writing style at all, it was a very slow pace and I found it was very telling rather than showing. It was very 'I did this, then I did this'. especially during very long scenes of her just waitressing which I grew bored of. I've been a waitress before, I don't need to read all of this over and over again. 
This could also be because it was an ARC but some of the ebook was hard to follow as any flashbacks and present day scenes were hard to separate. 
There were also too many secondary characters that just didn't interest me too, I just lost track of who was who and some of them weren't even that important to the storyline.

Not my cup of tea.

Real life at it's messiest.  Casey's mother has recently died, she can't pay her bills, her relationships are complicated at best, and she doesn't know if anyone will ever publish the novel that she is hanging all her hopes on.  I wasn't sure about a novel about someone trying to write a novel, but this is done so perfectly, with much more emphasis placed on the everyday struggles that anyone can relate to.  Casey is easy to root for as she navigates that uncertain age where it's easy to question all of your life's decisions while trying to find the right path.  If you've ever worked for tips or lived in a scary apartment just because it was cheap, you'll feel right at home in this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 BIG stars from me!

“Writers & Lovers” is an intimately written, beautiful, addicting read. It was a lot different than I was expecting - but in a very good way. Ultimately, it was super hard to put down.

I loved the main character, Casey, a lot. She was so, so, so relatable for so many reasons. I especially loved when King described Casey’s experiences at work (a fine dining restaurant near Harvard), as I used to be a server for years & it was spot on for accuracy (situationally, emotionally, and physically). I also enjoyed how much detail and effort King put into describing each one of Casey’s relationships - and not even just her intimate ones, but also her relationships with friends and family. Everything was written with such wonderful, vivid detail that I truly felt like I knew Casey inside and out, as well as every person she talked to or even thought about. 

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. And I would even say that it’s one of my favorite books of the year. 

Thank you to Netgalley & Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

There has been so much hype about this book and I was really anxious to dive in. I love a book about books and writing and Writers & Lovers didn't disappoint. Witty and introspective, this is a story about our experiences of grief, loss and transitions as well as our basic human need for creativity,