This novel is a love letter to friendship…and I loved it. Not only did I enjoy the main characters and the plot, I also enjoyed the author’s exploration of aging, women’s issues, societal pressure, and emotional growth. An amazing read.

Love by the Book is a platonic romance. While I've never heard of a platonic romance before, I can easily say I love the genre (is it a genre?). If you're new to it like me: Love by the Book is a book about female friendship. No romantic subplot. Just friends and how deeply they can love one another and their stories can follow a romantic arc.

Remy is a young woman in London; the successful author of a debut novel that is loosely based on her best friend group--4 women that could not be closer. Until, suddenly, they're not. Lin has moved to NYC for her career, Melissa has moved to the suburbs to have a baby and a yard, and Nova is tied up with her boyfriend. Remy is so lonely. She's got writer's block. She's moved back in with her mother. Mildly depressed, certainly anxious, and insecure, Remy takes a chance by offering to grab dinner with a woman she runs into at a book event: Simone.

Simone is reserved, reluctant, fine by herself. Well, at least that is how she wants to be and portrays herself. Simone is also lonely. Her sister was her best friend and they had a drastic falling out. When Remy approaches Simone, it's a meet-cute. Simone spills wine on Remy. She is also both taken and annoyed by Remy. Simone says no to dinner... and yet, Remy shows back up.

This book is an absolute delight. The characters are so easy to love. The friendships are palpable. Remy is someone we all want as our best friend (her thoughtfulness, the way she files away facts about what you like and uses it for gifts, everything!). And it's so easy to root for everyone to stay friends, figure it out, love each other. This is the kind of book where I'll miss the characters a little now that it's over.

Side note - I appreciate how sex work is portrayed, as a healthy professional choice. And that unplanned pregnancy has three options.

Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely exquisite! This is a novel about love. It explores many types of love, friendship, family, romantic, filial, and physical. George has written a totally compelling novel, centered around 2 women, Remy and Simone. She explores all their relationships, including that between the two of them.

I was really so enthralled by these characters that I couldn’t put the book down.

Remy is an author in search of a plot for her second novel. Simone is a primary school teacher, isolated from the family she adores when secrets are revealed. Remy’s life and first successful novel revolve around her friends who have scattered. Of course, this novel centers around their growing love, friendship and collaboration.

I highly recommend this standout novel about women and love. I loved all the women in this novel and I recognized the evolution of relationships between women.

Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful novel!

Only at 65%, but loving this book so much … I needed to share that! Started yesterday. I also loved Maame, but this book is very different.

Finished ...
Remy (an author who had a very well received debut novel recently) has a pretty strong female friend group that includes three other women. Remy's agent is pushing her for her second novel and her friend group is separating.

Simone is a teacher who has a unique side job.

Early on in the book I thought it was important to keep the original 4 friends straight and then there seemed like a lot of characters. But the real story is the relationship between Remy and Simone.

I really enjoy Jessica George's writing. I thought this was a great book. Remy's mother is a great character. I laughed out loud a couple times.

Many thanks to NetGalley and author Jessica George and St. Martin's Press for approving my request to read Love By the Book in exchange for an honest review. Approx 320 pages. Publication date is April 2026.

I adored Maame, and Jessica George has done it again, I was transported by the beautiful exploration of deep friendships,, family and friend fractures, and how one makes sense of it all. Messy, funny, poignant and relatable, this is a perfect book club choice. Women’s’ relationships (especially when friend groups fall apart or scatter) resonate with my own experiences. Both funny and heartbreaking, ultimately so empowering , this one will stay with me for a long time!! Thank you Jessica George!!

Buy this for all your sisters, folks!!

Jessica George did her big one with this book. This book felt like therapy to me, I don’t think I know of any book that centers so much around friendship. I recommend this especially to women in their mid 20s to 30s. As someone in this age group that has (and still is) struggled with friendship, I learned so much about friendships and platonic romance from this book. Jessica wove in a lot of elements very creatively. Different types of women/ friends in that age range were represented. I could see myself in at least 3/4 women mentioned.

This book isn’t perfect, I am sure literary experts would find something to pick at. I love literary/ contemporary fiction, so this is up my alley. To me, this is worth 5 stars. I can’t think of any book that compares to it. I cannot wait to pick up my own copy once this book comes out April 2026. I see myself rereading this book in the future. And after reading Maame just before reading this book, Jessica George is definitely an auto buy author for me.

Please check out my YouTube channel @Favour’s flavor. Video reviewing Maame and love by the book: https://youtu.be/Mh1YBGPvsSk

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

What a beautiful story! This novel is tender, funny, and full of heart. Remy and Simone meet at rock-bottom moments in their lives, and watching their reluctant, messy, wonderful friendship grow is incredibly satisfying. Both women are dealing with secrets, pressure, and loneliness, yet together they slowly find courage, clarity, and connection. It’s a beautiful reminder that friendship can be just as life-changing as romance. A soulful, uplifting story that celebrates the kind of love that holds you up when everything else falls apart.

A wonderful book about female friendships. I loved how the Jessica George explored the characters as well as how complex adult female friendships can be. I look forward to reading her next book!

Somehow Jessica George just has a knack for writing books I love to read. Despite the fact that she and I have little in common ostensibly I enjoy her stories and perspective so much! Makes me almost feel young again to read about the lives of her characters!
This is the story of four friends and how their lives and friendships evolve as they begin to transition out of young adulthood. The book includes the points of view primarily of Remy and Simone. Remy is struggling with the physical and emotional separation of her core group of friends, Simone is more of a loner struggling with her family and her career choices. Together it makes a remarkable story of love and resilience.
For those who love character driven stories this is a must read. I believe the author has mastered this. Her characters seem so consistently real I feel I might meet them someday. Their lives and reactions are fascinating and the reader gets to sit in on it. Just when I felt like getting judgy about a character, more is revealed and I am reminded that living this life is not simple.
Overall a totally uplifting and powerful experience. Expecting big things from this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I am so tired of stories where female friendships exist only to support a romantic plotline. Love by the Book is the antidote. It places platonic love exactly where it belongs: front and center. The novel is a gorgeous celebration of the power, intimacy, and romance of deep friendship. I adored watching the relationship between Remy and Simone develop from a chance meeting into a profound, supportive bond that helps both women heal and grow in unexpected ways.

Jessica George writes with such warmth and wit, creating characters that are flawed, funny, and feel like people you could actually know. The meta-narrative of Remy, an author, writing about the very friendship we are watching unfold, was a clever touch that added another layer to the story. My only minor wish is that we spent a bit more time with Remy's original group of friends to feel the loss of their daily presence even more acutely. This is a must-read for anyone who knows that their friends are their soulmates.

This was gut wrenchingly relatable, in the best way. I found my self alternating between being the most like Simone and then the most like Remy. I loved the portrayal of platonic soulmates and found the friendships in this story to be inspiring. Especially because of the amount of vulnerability Remy carried. All around 5 stars

Maame was one of my favorite reads last year so I was eager to read Jessica George’s next book. Love by the book did not disappoint! What a refreshing take on friendship and love. I can relate to Remy with having a friend group that is in different life stages and struggling to keep the same bonds going. I loved the build of Remy and Simone’s friendship and looked forward to reading on.
I’d give this a 4.5 out of 5 - it just took on a little too much in the end with the issues of adoption and sex work and sexuality, but overall highly recommend this!

This was such a well written novel that went beyond the tenants of friendship. Remy & Simone were two engaging characters that met at an awkward stage at both their lives and I loved that Remy's initial friend group was still an engaging and impactful part of the overall story. When I think about it, every character in this book was well fleshed out. The dialogue was chef's kiss and packed an emotional punch to the concept of friendship, love and womanhood.

Love by the Book is a charming, heartfelt, and beautifully written story that sweeps you into the complicated world of modern love and self-discovery. Jessica George has a gift for creating characters that feel both relatable and unforgettable—you can’t help but root for them as they navigate the messy, tender, and often funny realities of romance.

The writing is warm and engaging, with just the right balance of wit and emotion. George captures the highs and lows of relationships with honesty, while also giving readers those swoon-worthy moments that make you smile. It’s the kind of book that feels light and fun on the surface, yet carries deeper insights about connection, vulnerability, and finding your own path.

Love by the Book is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys stories that are romantic, real, and full of heart. Jessica George is an author to watch—her storytelling spark shines through every page.

Jessica has crafted a beautiful story about friendships and the evolution of women’s personalities and roles over the years of being friends with each other. I also loved how she was exploring the concepts with newfound friends. The writing is superb. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Love by the Book by Jessica George is an exuberant and somewhat messy celebration of adult female friendship.

I decided to read Love by the Book because I adored Jessica George’s debut novel, Maame. Her two novels are wildly different in several ways. Where Maame is focused, self-contained, and quietly affirming, Love by the Book is scattershot, expansive, and loud. It follows two women in London who find themselves suddenly lonely after unexpected life events alter their social landscape. Remy is a successful debut author; her first novel fictionalized and centered the dynamics of her real-life friend group. She has no interest in romantic or sexual relationships, so friendship means a lot to her. But when her group disbands due to various life events—babies, promotions, changing relationship dynamics—she’s left asunder and struggling with writer’s block. Meanwhile, Simone prides herself on her independent lifestyle. She supplements her meagre primary school teacher’s salary with sex work as an escort. However, her two worlds collide when her family finds out about her escort job and cut her off. Both women, although different as night and day, find comfort in a budding friendship with each other.

There’s a lot going on in Love by the Book. At its core, it’s a rom com about platonic friendship. But it’s also about family dynamics, the decision women make about whether to have children, sex work, child protection, mental health, authorial responsibility, and the woes of writing a sophomore novel. The story swings freely between side plots, tangents, and side characters, which is made all the more complex from interspersed snippets of a draft novel written by one of the main characters, Remy, based on the events occurring in her life. Jessica George has a gift in that she makes every bit of it entertaining and engrossing. Her characters are charming and their lives fascinating to read about. The warmth I cherished in Maame is present in Love by the Book; but it’s lot more exuberant here—like a bonfire party rather than a cozy fireplace.

I think the fact that Remy’s character is an author struggling to write her second novel draws attention to this book’s flaws. George spends a lot of time discussing Remy’s creative process and the pressure she’s under to churn out another money-making (but heartfelt!) book before her authorial name fades into irrelevancy. As Remy grasps for writing material, it’s hard not to wonder if Love by the Book was similarly thrown together. The narrative is not only less streamlined, but the characters are a bit flat at times. They spend a lot of time discussing their character traits rather than displaying them through the narrative. Occasionally they feel more like mouthpieces for whatever topic (childbearing, mental health, sex work) that George wants to discuss than multidimensional human beings.

Overall, I think Love by the Book would benefit from a couple more rounds of editing to add focus and character depth. But I still loved the story of female friendship at its core, and I found myself entertained throughout. I think this book will unite rom-com readers and literary fiction readers alike.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the author’s first book and I enjoyed it, but this one I absolutely adored. Platonic friendships are almost always overshadowed by romantic relationships. I appreciate that they were the focus of this book, showcasing that friendship can be as equally life changing as romance. Top notch writing that went straight to my heart.

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover, and I had heard a lot of positive reviews about the author’s previous book, Maame. I’m really glad I had the opportunity to read this, because it’s quickly become one of my favorite books of the year!

I loved how George wrote both the main and side characters in this book. Remy was extremely relatable, and I found myself comparing our experiences with friendship. Simone’s experiences were equally interesting, and I liked the switch between first-person and third person narration.

I often get second-hand embarrassment from books like this, where the main character is doing something that they don’t want a second character to find out. However, George handled this scenario perfectly, and wrote in such a way that I was constantly rooting for both parties without the feeling of anxiety that comes from wondering what will happen.

Remy and Simone’s friendship was written so beautifully that I didn’t want it to end. Overall, I found the pacing to be good, and I liked how everything was tied up at the end; I wasn’t left with any burning questions.

Highly recommend this book!

This was definitely a five star story. I loved the characters and they keep the reader engaged with a page turning what happens next. A fascinating way of looking at friendship and the love between friends. Also the narrator makes this a book within a book. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #lovebythebook

I read Jessica George's first book, so Love by the Book was an automatic read. Just like the
first book, this was a 5 star book!

Love by the Book excelled at keeping me engaged while never really knowing how Simone and Remy's story was going to unfold. These two characters have a lot going on in each of their complex, ever evolving lives. This book was unique in focusing on platonic relationships, specifically friendship and familial relationships instead of just romantic relationships. This book is told from two points of view and included a 3rd perspective. I liked this surprise addition. This book kept me guessing in how Simone and Remy's lives would change and cross over into each other's lives.

Besides just knowing from the summary this book was about friendship, I went into this
book blind. I thought it was best that way, so even from the beginning I didn't know how
things would unfold. I read the summary after I finished the book, and it seems the author
did hold a lot back from the summary. So this book really is best knowing the least about it the better.

Jessica, if you are reading this.. I can't wait until hopefully your third novel!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

“Love by the Book” is Jessica George’s second novel. I chose to read it because it sounded interesting and because I love reading books that take place in London. It seemed like a fun summer read. It turned out to be much more than that!

At first I wasn’t sure if this was the book for me. It’s not your typical fun read. It’s much better than that! The story involves 4 close girl friends, who are now almost 3o and life and expectations are changing for them. Much of the story is told by Remy, in the first person. We get to know her and her 3 friends. It took awhile for me to get into the flow of the book, but as soon as the friendship with Remy and Simone began, I began to understand and savor the relationships in this book. This is a book of seeking, understanding, joy and deep friendship.

I read other reviews of this book and I was surprised that no one mentioned this is also a book that highlights Christian faith. I liked how it was gently worked in to the story.

An engaging book! You’ll enjoy it! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

Writing: 5+/5 Characters: 5+/5 Story: 5

Remy is a writer struggling to produce a second book at the same time as her ten-year, very close, friendship circle is dispersing leaving her jonesing for a new friend. For her, the love she has for her close female friends is far more important than the promise of sexual relationships with men. Simone is an introvert who loves her job as a Year 1 teacher, but also loves the lifestyle provided by her second, and rather secret, job. When the two meet in a kind of platonic “meet cute,” it’s not at all clear that a friendship could be the result, but it does in fact pave the way for an incredibly rich book about female friendship. The best descriptions come straight from the book itself: “Great food, the complexities of female friendship, and the romantic nature of platonic love” and “adult friendship, and the beauty, intimacy, and unappreciated joy of platonic love are explored through the lens of the moral ethics of storytelling.”

I love that the book fully delves into so many issues of importance to women. Real issues such as whether or not have to children; how to tease apart your own moral compass from the judgment of your community; how to define selfishness and is it necessarily a bad thing; and how to manage (which is actually required) a tight friendship group. The idea of platonic love applied to friendship without attraction was a real eye-opener for me. Something I think I’ve always longer for, but honestly could never have even described. These characters are beyond rich — they are so much more interesting and complicated than the typical stereotypes and behavior groupings we get daily from fiction and the beastly news. I found the discussions of life philosophies to be penetratingly insightful (as did the characters themselves). I was able to dive into so many topics that I simply hadn’t spent much time exploring. One of my favorite lines is when one character is exposed to another’s viewpoint and says: “I’ve never really seen life that way. The idea of taking from it as opposed to merely accepting what you receive.” Think about that from the perspective of typical expectations of women!

Jessica George is a startlingly beautiful writer. A large vocabulary precisely placed into perfectly crafted phrases depicting the intricacies of human interaction and self-reflection. I enjoyed the meta-fiction circularity detailing the intricacies of Remy’s writing process while struggling to write the very book that I believe we end up reading. Masterfully done, engaging, and surprisingly unconfusing! I loved her first book — Maame — just as much (see my review here).