Heart the Lover

Name: Heart the Lover
Author: Lily King

Lily King

Want to read

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Reveal characters and locations as you read

4.1

Rating

256

Pages

2025

Published

Literary & Contemporary

Genre

TIME Best Books 2025

New York Times Notable Book of 2025

NYT Bestseller

The Washington Post Best Books 2025

Boston Globe Best Books 2025

Literary & Contemporary

Our narrator understands good love stories – their secrets, their highs and free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the rules. She was in her senior year of college when star students Sam and Yash swept her into an intoxicating world of academic fervour, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. Their lives became quickly intertwined – with friendship but also with unpredictable passions and the intimations of first love. Decades later, she is a successful writer, living a comfortable life with her husband and children, when a surprise visit brings the past crashing into the present, forcing her to confront the decisions and deceptions of her youth.

Characters

Who you envision for each role

JordanMain CharacterMichelle Williams

Young JordanMain CharacterKaitlyn Dever

Sam GallagherJordan's boyfriendJohn Krasinski

Yash ThakkarJordan's boyfriendRiz Ahmed

Meet nine more characters once you start reading.

Locations

Where the story takes place

Five more places open once you start reading.

Reviews

4.1 average· 1 review

Novelust user

Dec 29, 2025

5.0

Okay fine - five stars for the book that’s leaving me in a tear soaked hoodie against my will. This books is frustrating, beautiful, pretentious, smart, maddening, relatable, & visceral. Can’t say I’d recommend it or enjoyed it - and yet also finished it in less than 24hr because I couldn’t put it down. Arrr ugh!!! 😩