Lily King does it again! This book hit me in all the right places. I can't wait to reread it, and to recommend to lots of readers.

"Heart the Lover" by Lily King follows a woman in her senior year of college as she gets involved with two boys in her literature class. The boys, Sam and Yash, are best friends. They quickly pull the main character into their orbit and although Sam makes a move on her first, it's Yash that leaves a lasting impression. This book explores the complexities of both love and life, how inextricably linked two people can be no matter where they are in their lives. "Heart the Lover" is a book for those who love to read about life's mundanities and the lasting impact past decisions can have on one's life. It also has connections to "Writers and Lovers," but it is not necessary to read it before you pick up this one.

Heart the Lover is a shorter novel that I would say is a mix between literary and contemporary fiction. I loved Writers & Lovers and dove right in. I was not a fan of part 1. There, I said it. Our narrator has a relationship with two different men as she nears the end of college, and quite frankly, they both were kind of awful to her in my opinion. In her own way at the time, she knows this, but then as the rest of the book turns, that always came nagging back at me, If you enjoyed Writers & Lovers, give this one a go. I did get a bit lost at in it and pulled at all of the heart strings.

This book hit me like a truck (positively). Rarely am I sucked into a story from the first line, but Heart the Lover got me good. It challenged me in a way I haven’t been in a long time by the way it made me think so deeply about life, love, and how the choices we make can change us forever. From the lovable yet frustrating characters to the tenderness of the writing style, I really really needed this book.

this book had no business making me cry at Walmart.

I have so many thoughts about this book, but my first thought is that it is an incredible piece of literary fiction. It made me feel, think, and change perspective on a couple of philosophical matters. Our story begins with a nameless narrator who we come to know and love through multiple lenses. She becomes fast friends with a group of three guys who engage her mind and invite her in. I love the Breach House and all that happens there. I think friends that push us to greatness are underrated. Our narrator finds hope and a new appreciation for her education with these guys. It's great. The romance here is a strong plot here. There is so much to unpack within the found-family, true love, and young love.

Anyways, this book is not my typical genre, but I have to admit that I fell in love. I think that everyone who is offering opinions about the obnoxious intellectual banter and references are making it more than it really is. It might have been distracting, but it solidifies the characters and explains a lot in the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Press for this ARC!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

It is hard to write about the plot without spoilers, but the story follows narrator Casey (whose name we actually only learn on the last page) and her relationships/friendships with best friends (and fellow students) Yash and Sam over a period of about 20 years. This is a fairly emotional read, but also very funny in places - I loved the scene where Sam's family wait for Casey 'in the foyer' and are angry with her for not knowing this.

Recommended.

This is a love story.
Lily King’s writing pulled me in immediately as her sentences wove through and around my heart (and lungs). If I say more, it will give too much away.

Lily King, I have so many questions for you and am anxiously awaiting the chance to discuss this book with you - or anyone that reads it!

There are a few triggers to be aware of before reading, most importantly: Cancer
However, it’s not defined by cancer in the least.

It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s a “good cry.”
**I do not cry easily.

I read this within 24 hours and the last third of the book was so consuming I didn’t even notice a major summer storm outside!

Some curious similarities to her previous book, Writers & Lovers - which refer back to the questions I have for Lily King.

This might have entered my top 10 of all time list- definitely my top read so far this year. This novel is about love, as simple and complicated as that. We follow Jordan during her senior year of college and first year afterwards, and then the narrative jumps ahead a few times. There is so much emotional resonance, and King tells her stories so effortlessly, the pages turn themselves. She doesn't truck with pretentious prose. As soon as I finished it, I turned back to the beginning and read it again, something I *never* do. So grateful to have received this ARC- thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley. I will be recommending this one to so many people.

4.25⭐️ I went into the book with low expectations and I am so happy they were blown out of the water. I didn’t want to put the book down because I had to know where their story went next. All the characters are very flawed but also growing up together so it is harder to fault them when they clearly don’t have it figured out. Some of the literature discussions at school went over my head and I could do without but overall loved!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Heart the Lover. I have never read a book by Lily King and had no idea what to expect. I sat down around 7pm to start reading and didn't put the book down until I'd finished, around 2:30am. I haven't done that in about 9 years. So my opinion is that this is a very good book!
The novel is divided into three parts: The first, the longest, introduces the reader to the protagonist. She is a senior in University and I recognized street names so without naming the school, King places it in lower New England. She meets two male honor students and becomes involved in their world. The second part takes place twenty-one years later when our protagonist is married and lives in Maine. The third when one of the two, now men, has reached a crisis in his life.
King's writing is clean and captivating. I felt a connection with the protagonist not because of her interests or the fact that I'm fifty years older than she at the beginning of the book but because of how she tells her story. I cared about her and what will happen and does happen in her world.
I remember thinking at one point that there are similarities to Sally Rooney and that I prefer King as an author.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in good literature..

“Maybe it's true...that the past and the future don't exist, that this is the only moment we ever have, this moment right now…”

I’m going to keep this review vague bc I really think going in blind will be best - I think that’s the best way to experience this story. It’s a fairly short book (~250 pages), but don’t let that persuade you one way or the other. With seemingly simplistic writing and an accessible plot, this book sneaks up on you and you are in no way prepared for the emotional gut punch that hits you by the last sentence.

Once again, King demonstrates her talent as a writer. She evokes such strong attachment to her characters and makes her readers **feel**. Everything seems to jump of the page, as if you are personally witnessing this play out in real life. There was a cinematic quality to the story and I could almost picture this book on the big screen. If you’ve read Lily King before, you know exactly what to expect, but please, if you’re a sensitive reader, check trigger warnings before proceeding.

While it’s not necessary to have read Writers & Lovers before reading this one, I personally am glad I reread it bc I’m particularly bad at remembering details (especially from 2020 and the “unprecedented times” we were living through). I feel like that fresh familiarity gave me a greater appreciation for everything that happened in this one.

I’m a Lily King fan, though "Writers and Lovers" remains my favourite. This put up a good fight, particularly part one that details first loves and early twenties and getting to know yourself. I was immediately in the story, knew and rooted for these characters, felt all the feels. Parts two and three were less engaging (and I think underdeveloped, compared to the intensity of part one) for me and, though I did read this in a day, so it clearly kept my attention, the second half did not make me cry as I think it should have… instead, I just longed for the innocence and fun and sexiness again, which King nails so well. Would still recommend it.

This novel gives nostalgic melancholy vibes. For fans of Lily King, this will be a big hit. Lovely writing as usual, but wasn't my favorite novel of hers.

Lily King is an excellent writer and sweeps you into her characters and story lines right away. During Heart the Lover, we are in the front seat as a young woman experiences her first serious relationship and then her second, which impacts her for the rest of her life. We then see her later in life and see the ways in which a past relationship has stayed with her.

What I love about King's writing and books is how vividly she captures emotions and relationships. I'm reminded of Sally Rooney's writing (or perhaps the other way around).

In other ways, I felt kept at a distance. Because of the huge gap in time between the first relationships and then where we find ourselves for the last third of the book. And there are many references to literary figures and important works that I wasn't sure if I should understand.

Because we didn't see the development of the main character's marriage I wasn't sure how to feel about her enduring attachment to Yash. Perhaps it's a reflection of how a relationships years ago can still impact you years later and even through other relationships. The plot line with the main character's son felt almost like too much, but did provide some symmetry with Yash's experience. I'm also left not understanding the significance of not knowing the main character's name for most of the book.

So: an enjoyable reading experience while I was reading, but I also had the sense that the plot and references were better understood by someone with a literary degree.

A campus novel with echoes of The Secret History and If We Were Villains (without the murder), Heart the Lover is a poignant, propulsive story of young love and the repercussions of the choices we make. I flew through this and teared up at the end. It's connected to King's previous novel, Writers and Lovers, but they each stand alone.

In her senior year of college, the narrator meets two star students in her literature class. Sam and Yash are both unlike anyone she has previously encountered, and she is soon spending most of her time with them. The two relationships remake her world, but come to an end in the throes of youth. Decades later, the narrator has a life beyond even her imagination when a revelation forces her to return to those relationships, how they ended, and the impacts they had on her life.

Once again, the author creates an unforgettable story, exploring interesting themes around friendship, ambition, and loss.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ebook ARC of this book for review.

Heart the Lover is divided into three parts and primarily revolves around the relationship between the female main character (Jordan is her nickname) and her lovers. The first part takes place during her senior year in college. Jordan meets Sam and they start up a relationship. Jordan enjoys going to stay at Sam's house, who he shares with his two friends and roommates, Ivan and Yash. After the relationship crashes and burns, Jordan realizes that she has feelings for Yash. His feelings are reciprocated and they begin an intense relationship. Part two takes place years later when Jordan is married and has two children, and Part three takes place five years after that.

This book hits you right in the feels, with romance, breakups, betrayal, heartbreak, illness, reconciliation, and will possibly leave you weeping at the end (as it did me). I loved it so much and was amazed when suddenly the book was over. There was a lot that was left unresolved - relationships I would have liked to know more about, characters I would have liked to see more developed, events mentioned but not explained - but I feel that was part of King's strategy: to leave you wanting more.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed Heart: The Lover. Lily King has such a great way of writing about people—how they think, what they don’t say, how love can be both comforting and confusing. The story doesn’t shout; it sort of unfolds slowly, and before you realize it, you’re really invested.

Some parts felt a little slow or unresolved, but overall, it hit that emotional sweet spot. It’s not a dramatic book, but it’s full of small, powerful moments that stick with you. Definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Don't go breakin' my heart.......

Seems like life in its complexity of ways is determined to do just that. We set the stones, one on top of the other, expecting that there's a firm foundation beneath it all. And then the cruel winds of Fate begin to shift the sands.

Heart the Lover by Lily King is like being tossed in a sea of emotions. King is a master at that. If you've read Writers and Lovers (Far, far better than Heart the Lover), you know that there will be tissues clenched in your hand. But Heart the Lover didn't quite do that for me.

Let me caution you as you wade into the first third of this book. There is a constant whiff of academia that permeates these pages. The discussions are heavily ladened with it. Prepare for the tossing out of works by well known authors and quotes from the literary greats. But do continue on. There's much more to this storyline than all of that.

"Jordan", as she is nicknamed by her college friends, is our lead character. She's in her senior year at the university, but she still is like a lost ship on that aforementioned sea. She's heavily in debt and not sure just how all this educational pursuit will end. That is until she meets Sam. They become a couple.......until she meets Yash. And then, it becomes mighty complicated.

Lily King focuses on the decisions and the chosen directions we consider in our youth. Jordan is a prime example of that. That is until she breaks free from that chrysalis stage of her life and begins to take responsibility somewhat for what life has doled out. And then King elbows us with the realization that we are all still interconnected to the past as we stand on the horizon of the yet unknown future. Prepare to have a love/or not so much relationship with these characters. They will frustrate and irk you......but that's humanity at its core.

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

I’ve enjoyed Lily King’s previous books and this one is no exception.
The writing is so faultless that I experienced that rare and uncanny sense of intimately knowing the characters, living their lives, loving and suffering with them
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read another brilliant book by Lily King.