Lily King writes a hopeful, yet realistic ode to young love and how relationships change over time
Love triangles have always been a key component to the romantic genre, from paper to screen. The Vampire Diaries, Twilight and more recent projects like The Summer I Turned Pretty and Challengers offer audiences entertaining stories and the enduring question: who will they pick? Lily King, award-winning novelist of Writers & Lovers, tried her hand at the common trope in her September 2025 release Heart the Lover. The novel, published by Grove Press, addresses the themes of identity, family and the pain of growing up through a complicated, yet realistic, love story.
Heart the Lover begins in the 1980s, set against the backdrop of an idyllic college campus. The unnamed protagonist is an introverted yet confident English major, a senior who works at a restaurant and spends her free time reading the works of classic authors. She feels insecure in her literary knowledge when she meets intellectually passionate best friends Sam and Yash in her 17th-century literature class and quickly becomes wrapped up in their lives, spending time together at the ornate house their professor allows them to stay at. They play card games, write letters, argue with each other and cook meals. In a way, they become a family.
The protagonist begins dating Sam, who is seemingly not a good fit for her from the start. Sam is brooding and intense, causing the protagonist (who Yash nicknames Jordan, after The Great Gatsby character) to feel unsatisfied with his reserved personality. Reading and witnessing their initial attraction crumble under the weight of reality — family conflicts, young adult angst and their own quests — can be depressing, but also realistic. When “Jordan” feels lost after the breakup, she turns to Yash, who comforts her with his humor, wit and empathy. When Yash returns to town and needs a place to stay, “Jordan” offers him the couch at her shared apartment, where their friendship slowly blossoms into a romance.
King’s ability to capture the nuances of human nature shine through in the relationship between Yash and “Jordan.” My heart melted when they finally admitted their feelings toward one another. Both characters have their flaws and insecurities, but that’s what makes the storytelling so effective. The love felt so real, I was rooting for them. But King doesn’t opt for a simple fairytale ending, and things become complicated after a particularly romantic few weeks in Paris. Readers are then left alone with “Jordan,” untethered but crushed.
The book then moves through a time jump and transitions to the present day, seeing the characters in their 40s. “Jordan” keeps a secret about the past from Yash, with readers left wondering whether or not she will tell him. The book follows “Jordan’s” development of intellectual power through Sam and Yash in college and then displays how she utilizes what she learned during a tough, unpredictable time.
The novel definitely tugs on the heart strings, but I do find the time jump aggressive. It’s like this complicated story was built up in the first half only to be squashed by boring reality. I wouldn’t mind if the novel was longer, or if King gave us a deeper look into the college days and the friendship dynamics. Maybe an in-between where we could see the characters in their late twenties, a life stage that I feel is often overlooked in romance novels. I was much more invested in the first storyline than the adult hardships. So, if you’re looking for escapism, this might not be the book for you.
The true message of Heart the Lover is in its vulnerability and treatment of memory. The first half builds up to a charged story, while the second half looks back on that time, asking what those past relationships meant and how they were foundational for each character’s future. Is contemplating the past necessary, or should presentism prevail? In fast-paced, tech-driven times like today, Heart the Lover is a tender, reflective novel that proves love stories can still surprise us when written with honesty and care.
Header Image by Macy Hildebrand. Fourteen Cents Banner by Alex Carrasquillo
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