Heart the Lover
| Author | Lily King |
|---|---|
Publication date | October 7, 2025 |
| ISBN | 978-0-802-16517-6 |
Heart the Lover is a 2025 novel by Lily King. The novel, King's seventh, follows a campus love triangle that reignites years after the participant's graduation.
Synopsis
Jordan, a professional novelist, reminiscences on a college-era romantic entanglement with Sam and Yash. After being out of contact for years, the three are reunited as a result of a crisis.
Development
Publication history
The novel was published in the United States by Grove Press on October 7, 2025.[1] It was published in the United Kingdom by Canongate Books.[2]
Reception
The Times published a positive review, noting several references in the book to other love triangles and describing the prose as being "steeped in yearning."[2] John Warner, writing in the Chicago Tribune, praised the pose for being "sincere."[3] Priscilla Gilman expressed a similar sentiment in The Boston Globe, while Ron Charles praised the novel's dialogue and plot.[4][5]
Kirkus Reviews gave the novel a positive review, praising King's characterization and drawing a contrast between the book's campus setting and dark academia novels.[1] Publishers Weekly was more mixed, describing the plot as "clunky melodrama" and arguing that it lacked "the staying power" of King's earlier work.[6] Shelf Awareness and Booklist were both positive, with the former positively comparing the book to King's previous novel Writers & Lovers and the latter praising the plot.[7][8]
References
- ^ a b "Heart the Lover". Kirkus Reviews. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ a b Murphy, Siobhan (2025-10-09). "Lily King, the queen of love triangles". The Times. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Warner, John (2025-09-27). "Biblioracle: Lily King's 'Heart the Lover' is a love story continuing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Gilman, Priscilla (2025-09-23). "Lily King's new novel is evocative, romantic, and wise". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Charles, Ron (2025-09-23). "Fans of 'Writers & Lovers,' rejoice: Lily King is back". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ "Heart the Lover". Publishers Weekly. 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Piyarali, Shahina (2025-08-08). "Review: Heart the Lover". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Bostrom, Annie (2025-09-01). "Heart the Lover". Booklist. Retrieved 2025-10-17.