Heart the LoverHeart the Lover
What it's about
In her senior year of college, the narrator falls into a friendship, and then a love affair, with two star students, Sam and Yash, who are best friends. What happens between the three of them that year shapes all their lives. Decades later, now a writer, she finds the past coming back to her.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers, writes emotional, intelligent love stories, and this one is about first love and what we carry from it.
You'll love it if you liked
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Every Summer After
Just for the SummerGood to know
It's a quiet literary love story with a sad turn. The narrator is unnamed.
By the numbers
- Readers66 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller47 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz100 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Lily King
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Quick answers
Is Heart the Lover worth reading?
Yes. It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #447 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 79.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Heart the Lover about?
In her senior year of college, the narrator falls into a friendship, and then a love affair, with two star students, Sam and Yash, who are best friends. What happens between the three of them that year shapes all their lives. Decades later, now a writer, she finds the past coming back to her.
How long does it take to read Heart the Lover?
About 6 hours (249 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Heart the Lover?
If you liked it, try Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune or Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez.