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,

I absolutely LOVED this book! Normally I'd avoid books about writers like the plague, but this was so absorbing, authentic and intimate. I read it in basically one sitting. Its depiction of deeper themes such as grief, anxiety and depression were so affecting and true - it really is a moving work. Meanwhile, its illustration of a young creative trying, not only to pursue her passions, but merely to survive in the modern world, was hilarious, troubling and totally convincing. It's told with such heart and real passion. Highly recommended!

This was my first Lily King book and it won’t be my last.

It’s been a long time since I last read a book about writers. I felt for Casey and her many struggles. She’s thirty-one, lives in a smelly, tiny potting shed, works as a waitress, has huge debts and is chased by collection agencies. She’d recently lost her beloved mother so grief is still at its peak.
She’s been working on her novel for six years. She’s stuck, can’t sleep, and has some health scares. Men tend to complicate her life as well. The poor Casey, nothing is going well for her. But what is one to do but put one step in front of the other.

While I never had any aspirations to become a writer, King’s novel felt authentic. She takes a few jabs at male writers, which, of course, I loved. The thing about the male author’s photos vs the female writer’s cracked me up.

The only thing that disconcerted me was that the novel was set in the 1990s and I only realised that in the second half of the novel. Yes, there are typewriters, writing on paper, riding a banana seat bike – but I thought it was just artists being unconventional. It wasn’t a big deal, it didn’t distract from the story. Other than that, it was smooth sailing.

Highly recommended -- loved this so much!! 😭♥️
This is not a plot-based novel, although there are many developments throughout. This is a character study of a young woman's struggles with grief and finances, finding her way in life, and romantic relationships. I just adored it. And that cover 😍

I don't typically like to read books that are "overly hyped". I often times will have them built so, so much up in my head and then they will either be just "meh" or actually, horrible. I am very, very happy to report that this book was neither "meh" or horrible. In fact, it was just the opposite. It was incredible!

The best part of this book was Casey's inner turmoil over which man she should be with. I couldn't stop reading about that. In addition, while it doesn't have to be said, the book certainly speaks for itself, King's writing is extraordinary. It just is.

Highly, Highly Recommended.

A wonderful novel about a writer trying to complete her novel while life gets in the way.

Casey is a thirty something who works as a waitress while she tries to finish her novel that she has been working on for 6 years. Her mother has died, she is estranged from her father, her only sibling lives far away and she owes a lot of money in student loans.. She recently had a relationship fail and is reluctant to begin a new one. Casey lives in a shed on the property of a friend of her brother's while waiting tables at a restaurant with a whole cast of characters. Casey begins dating two very different men, both of whom are writers, while finishing her novel and sending it out into the world.

This is a novel about novels, about books and writing and how it can save us. It is also a look at how sometimes we need to appreciated just how much we go through and that it is okay to be afraid. Casey is a character that stays with you and makes you believe anything is possible.

I can absolutely see why Book of the Month offered this book as an option this year. I'm glad I was able to receive a hardback copy from them after reading this ARC.

Writers & Lovers was one of those books that immediately hooked me and I loved it all the way through. I was especially excited to read it because I loved Lily King's 2014 release, Euphoria. ⁠
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The story follows Casey, a writer, who is dealing with the recent death of her mother. At the age of 31, she's not where she thinks she should be in life and is struggling to accept transition in her life. She's clung to her creative ambitions as other friends have given them up for more fruitful careers and families and houses. She becomes romantically involved with two different men who offer her different perspectives on happiness. ⁠
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I loved the main character, Casey, and found her relatable. I also loved the focus on transitioning to a new phase of life, the end of young adulthood and accepting that, and struggling with artistic ambitions vs. reality. ⁠
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This is wonderful literary fiction. I really like Lily King's writing style and this book flowed so nicely. I couldn't put it down. The main character, Casey, is in her thirties and trying to get her life together. Wonderful story.

“Writers and Lovers” was a very realistic tale of a writer struggling. The pacing was pretty slow. I had to really push myself to finish. I did not connect with the characters but that is not to say that they were not developed. I just did not connect with them personally.

This is the first book I read by King. I heard great things about it and trust when Jenna Bush Hager picks books for her “read with Jenna” selection. This was March’s pick. This book is so real. I could identify with Casey’s struggle to figure out her life while struggling in work, love and home. It’s a great story and I recommend it!

Author captured the very realistic struggles of a struggling writer. I loved the honest imperfections of all of the characters portrayed by the author. Fantastic character development, which I find to be a rare thing. From minor characters, such as coworkers at a restaurant, to the main character, Casey, the characters truly were life giving to this story. Well done!

this book was perfection to me.
is not a plot-driven book for sure, not a character driven book either. it's simply the telling of a woman's life in the most beautiful way possible.
the writing is the perfect kind that flows nicely, reads fast and also says something more than the words themselfs. it reached my soul. i didn't thought i could care so much about Casey. her heartbreak, her pain, her anxiety.
i loved it so much. it's a new favorite for me, one i'll reread many, many times in the future, and will fall in love with it even more.

A beautifully constructed, introverted and quite claustrophobic tale of Casey, a 31 year old debt-saddled and grief stricken writer striving to finish her first manuscript.

The novel uses the cast of characters to build depth to Casey and to drive her story. It’s smart, witty and hugely enjoyable. The themes are subtle, the dialogue is sharp and the ending is satisfying.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for an ARC in consideration of an honest review.