You knew I’d write a book about you someday.

Lily King had my rapt attention with that opening line. I was instantly intrigued by the narrator and the characters in her story. Of course, most love stories have their highs and lows, good times and bad, and the narrator’s story is no exception. She takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of friendship, falling in love, the complexities of relationships, and the different paths that our lives can end up taking us.

Our main character, Jordan, is at university studying literature when she meets Sam and Yash. Jordan quickly becomes a fixture in their lives, the three of them become fast friends, with Sam and Jordan becoming more than friends. Together they bond over their shared love of literature, they play cards and enjoy each other’s company. University is anything but a predictable social scene, and with their academic pressures, and their graduations on the horizon, relationships get frayed while other deep feelings develop.

There was nothing easy about this love story. Lily King has written a novel that hit me right in the gut, repeatedly. It’s not without its heart-fluttering moments, but it was written with an overall melancholy feel to it, or at least that’s how I felt as I was reading it. I felt the longing, the want, the need, but I also felt the pain, the sadness, and the loss. I felt every word.

The story takes place over several decades, from the brimming potential of early adulthood to the reality of life in all of its glory and hardships. We get to see Jordan’s life from student, girlfriend, writer, wife, and mother. We saw the impact that people, relationships, and events had on her life and the lives of the characters, and the bonds that tether us together in fragile times.

Heart the Lover was a wonderful reading experience that I won’t soon forget.

*4.5 Stars 

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