Heart the Lover
2025 novel by Lily King
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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.
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| Author | Lily King |
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Publication date | October 7, 2025 |
| ISBN | 978-0-802-16517-6 |
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]
The novel was longlisted for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.[9]