Did I read this book every free chance I had while at work? Yes. Why? Because I was so enamored by the characters. They felt so real and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Lily King crafts characters so deeply and richly that they feel like old friends. The impact they had on me was quite big---I was rooting for the relationships to work, I was hoping that everyone would be okay, and in the end, despite all the sadness, I think everyone did end up okay. That's another thing Lily King does so well; she builds a story with a foundation of hope. I will certainly be recommending this book.

As a literary fiction lover, Lily King’s books are the most “romance” books I’ll read. Writers and Lovers is one of my all time favorites books and while this one did not top that I still loved it and consumed it in a few days.

It’s truly a story about “the one that got away” and even though it uses the dreaded miscommunication trope it works. From there it’s about motherhood and embracing your life while wondering what your life would be like if you’d made different choices. It's also about cancer and anticipatory grief, which I wasn't expecting.

I love writing about writing, and Like Writers and Lovers, Heart the Lover asks the question of if the sacrifices of “making it” as a writer are worth it (Lily king would obviously say it is).

Another beautiful novel from the incomparable Lily King. Perfect opening line –"You knew I'd write a book about you someday."— but who she is referring to does not become clear until some way into the book (lovely) and a wonderful title (likewise its significance is not clear until the book has already settled in the heart). We follow three college students through the giddy love stage and passionate friendships until their mid-forties, and as we learn about them and their deepest thoughts and feelings and fears and hopes, like ‘Writers and Lovers’ their story is also a celebration of literature. Deeply moving (what ever age the reader is!) . Thank you to Lily King, the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

This was hard to read. It follows an unnamed narrator as she is finishing college and ending a relationship with one man while starting a relationship with another. The men are so awful to her, and I feel like everyone in this book is quite selfish. Even the narrator seems to be a shell of herself throughout the book. However…the final sentence ties everything together so perfectly, especially if you have read Writers and Lovers (a five-star book for me!). Unfortunately, I was too frustrated with the characters to really enjoy this book, although it was a fast and compelling read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Just when I thought I couldn't love Lily King more - here comes Heart the Lover. I adored this book. She perfectly captures that feeling of first love, the random ways it happens when you're young and you fall into it. I cried at the end, and was awed.

Grab the tissues put this beautiful read on your TBR. Until then, read the author’s 2020 novel Writers & Lovers.

This was the first Lily King novel I have read and I loved it. The author allows the reader to know the characters without drawing out the prose, I enjoyed the plot and discussions of literature, as well as the format. I will be picking up more Lily King!

This was my first Lily King book and I know now that I need to go back and read her previous work because I absolutely adored this book. I was all in with the first line, "You knew I'd write a book about you someday." What follows is a beautiful exploration of youth, the everlasting impact of first love, loss, and grief. I can't wait to recommend this one to all my friends.

So I’ve just been boohooing for the past 2 hours. That walloped me. That was two different novels in one. It was soap-opera-y near the end but I can’t pretend the soap didn’t move me. I went into this expecting one book and left reading something else entirely. So if you’re expecting saucy light academia, this is Not That. I tend to not read these kinds of books--tear jerkers are not my thing, so it's probably not a surprise I liked the first half, and was gutted by the second.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for the ARC!

This book completely captivated me—I stayed up late to finish it and found myself in tears by the end, something that rarely happens anymore. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy, which allowed me to experience this gem months before its October release.

The opening line immediately drew me in: "You knew I'd write a book about you someday." From there, I was hooked, devouring the entire novel in just two sittings. King masterfully explores the intricate web of college friendships and how these formative relationships shape us long after graduation. The story brilliantly examines how memory shifts and changes over time—how we remember our twenties while living them versus how we view that same period years later. Each character's perspective feels authentic and layered, creating a rich tapestry of human experience.
This novel gutted and devastated me in the best possible way. It's my new favorite from Lily King, and I highly recommend it. If you're looking for a book that will stay with you long after the final page, this is it!

4.5 ⭐️ i will never forgive lily king for what she does to my heart!!!! i was a little nervous about the 1st part — the characters were painted pretentiously in a way that was so well done that it was hard for me to push through. but the relationship between her and wash was so well-done. my only wish is that we had more time with them. and that final reveal!! i clocked it when i realized her husbands name was silas, but man it still rocked me. i love that WRITERS & LOVERS is a book that i have grown with (it gets better and more poignant with every read), and i love that lily gave us the opportunity to continue to grow with casey and her story. i cannot wait to read this again in a few years (lord knows it won’t be that long) and process it with a completely different lens.

I went into this book cold. I didn't need to read the synopsis because if Lily King wrote it, I knew it would be exceptional, and I was right. I have been doing a lot of reading this Summer; this was my only 5-star read. The story revolves around three college seniors, Jordan, Sam, and Yash. All three are brilliant and love spending time with each other. Jordan and Sam date, but Yash is the one she has eyes for. They begin to date, and when Sam finds out, he is not happy. After college, Jordan travels to Europe and expects Yash to join her. He begs off. Years later, Yash comes to visit Jordan and her family. They all love Yash. Years later, Sam reaches out to Jordan, and the three friends are reunited due to unfortunate circumstances. This book touched my heart, and when I finished it, there were a lot of tears. I preordered three copies for some special friends who will love this story and Jordan, Sam, and Yash as much as I did.

I've read Lily King's work before and always enjoyed it, but I forget about the books soon after finishing the final page. Not so with Heart the Lover, which I'm sure will stay with me for a long while.

When I began reading, I was initially put off by the fact that this is *another* book about a writer--not just another from King, but another in a long line of books I've read recently. Another writer either in school or in an MFA program, trying to write short stories and novels. I quickly became engrossed, however, in the story of Jordan*, Sam, and Yash. I found myself on the verge of tears for the final half of the book, the water just sitting there, waiting for release.

I can't wait to buy this book and read it again when it comes out in October.

*a nickname

Lily King is one of my favorite authors, and her book Writers and Lovers is one of my favorite books. I’ve read all of her books but one, and her writing just has a way of wrapping around my heart in the best way possible.

Heart the Lover is a hard book to review without giving too much away. I was immediately engaged from the first line: “You knew I’d write a book about you someday.”

It’s told in three parts - the last year of college/coming-of-age with a group of friends and a love triangle; young motherhood and marriage; and a few years later, when the friends from the first part are reunited. It’s about a young woman and the choices she makes to best protect her heart, and how those choices can affect us later in life.

I finished this book with tears streaming down my face and an immediate urge to reread Writers and Lovers, which I’ve already read twice!

Just brilliant, a must-read if you love Lily King. Her writing just gets better and better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. Heart the Lover publishes on October 7, 2025.

Admittedly, this book just wasn't for me.

And admittedly, I requested the advance read of Lily King's Heart the Lover because its only 250 or so pages, because it is by Lily King and because I never really finished Writers & Lovers. There has been so much fuss over Writers & Lovers, I felt that I must be missing something ... so here is a fresh opportunity to find out what that might be. Lily King just isn't for me.

That said. I'm guessing that if you are a Writers & Lovers and/or Lily King fan, you will probably love Heart the Lover. Evidently there are "threads" to Writers & Lovers.

The book starts out with a college romance that sparks an interest with the male's best friend. Then years later there is a reunion of sorts.

In summary, highly recommended to Writers & Lovers fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic - Grove Press (the publisher) for approving my request to read Heart the Lover in exchange for an honest review. Approx 254 pages. Publication date is Oct 2025.

Lily King hits another home run with this novel. Her ability to make the reader feel what her character is feeling is just magic. I wish it had been longer! I loved the linear structure of the story, the characters of Sam and Yash in the young versions of themselves and then later as adults was picture perfect character development. King makes us care deeply about her characters, even when we don't like them.

My heart has been manipulated in so many different ways. It's been awhile since I shed a tear (or two), as a result of a moving story. Let's just agree that Lily King can write!

There are a few complex characters that we get to know from university into adulthood, but the main perspective is that of the female main character. I do have LOTS of questions about the female main character, and I definitely feel like King left us hanging at the end. I'll be eager to watch/hear any author interviews, when this book is published.

Thank you to Grove Press for an advanced digital copy via NetGalley. These opinions are entirely my own. And that card game? It's begging to be played!

Heart the Lover was such a delight. Entirely gripped and unwilling to tear my eyes away, I finished this novel in one day. Lily King eloquently streams together a story that follows a young woman through her two relationships she gains through her college years. The reader follows both the joyous, giddiness of love and then also the extreme heartbreak of a connection falling apart. I was both smiling physically throughout this novel and yet sobbing hysterically at the heart-wrenching moments. Lily King always takes me through all the range of emotions. I would highly recommend this novel and will be gifting it to my friends when it is release!

THANK YOU to #GrovePress and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "Heart The Lover" by #LilyKing. What a thrill, what a writer!

I spent some quality time with this short novel, rereading the last third of it prior to writing this review. It was a remarkable read and exceeded all expectations. I can confidently confirm that this is the best novel yet by a writer who has repeatedly blown me away.

The best word I can use to sum up King's newest book is right there in the title: HEART. This book is pure heart from start to finish (and the latter left me sobbing, both times through). So spoiler alert if you don't want to experience DEEP feelings and fall madly in love with the main characters (ESPECIALLY Yash and "Jordan"), skip this one for sure. Your emotions will be in it for the duration.

All that to say #HeartTheLover isn't just another love story, it IS love, itself, as I've never read it before. The many faces and facets of love.

The novel takes place in three parts and King makes every section work to its fullest. Things move forward in time, seamlessly, but only incorporating what is most relevant and necessary to the story as a whole. This, itself, is a feat. For such a slim book to pack in sooo much is the definition of an excellent novel. I didn't just read this book, I FELT this book. And I still do.

Lily King delivered a few quotes that blew me away -- helped me to understand the power of books, of writers, of readers, of words. I typically try to avoid utilizing quotes while writing reviews as it's not encouraged until after publication date but a few truly capture the power of the book -- "I start to understand the power of fiction, the reason we make things up." This from our narrator as she experiences the enormous power of the writers she is studying.

A favorite moment arrives when the narrator is being interviewed in a European country about her favorite novel (Icelandic) and why.. In this moment Lily King's narrator describes the connection a reader can experience with.books -- these moments in space and time in which sense memories are created that never leave us. I point toward this very scene to explain the depth and wisdom of this new book and why Lily King will forever be a favorite writer and inspiration of mine. I point toward this moment and nod. Yes! Yes, exactly!

From the creative title and the meaning it maintains over time, this is an outstanding book. Those who enjoyed "Writers and Lovers" will be especially delighted (and I am in the process of rereading the 2020 novel next.

I cannot recommend Heart the Lover strongly enough and my heartfelt THANK YOU to Lily King. You are such an absolute gift!

Heart the Lover is an equisite story of a lost young woman growing up at university and loving special people in the process. Excellent novel. I loved it! Lily King's talent as a writer of the heart and soul is unsurpassed by her peers. Her novels stay with me for years. I'm sure this new one will resonate in me as I watch my own daughter and granddaughter live and flourish, sometimes experiencing painful lessons, and molding lives of meaning.

Many thanks to Lily King, Grove Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. The novel will be published on October 7, 2025.