By Alex Bartley
Heart the Lover by Lily King is a reflective, wondrous experience through academia, relationships, and life’s inevitable human experiences.
It follows Casey, Sam, and Yash, college students whose lives seemed intertwined no matter what they do.
Overall the book was excellent. It was one of those contemporary pieces that sweep you up and hold your attention captive until the very end. I enjoyed the pacing, romance, and character development. It felt like I was nestled in the journey right along with them.
I didn’t necessarily enjoy how much this book made me cry, though that’s not a reflection of the quality; it’s just the plot itself. King has a way of making you cheer on her characters and their stories until the end. Making you feel everything alongside Casey as it happens to her.
It was an easy read in terms of flow and plot, although I think I’d read it again to absorb all of the literary references much more than I did the first time.
I am keen to explore the rest of Lily King’s work after Heart the Lover.
If you aren’t a fan of the star-crossed lovers trope, this might not be for you. The themes and content that are found throughout the book I would push towards a more mature audience. The conceptualisations of grief and the passage of time may get lost on a younger audience. However, if you are someone who has loved and lost and lived a little this one will find you.
The book was wonderful, it put into words emotions rooted in my own experiences I hadn’t quite been able to articulate before.
To consolidate my thoughts into an overall rating it would be a 4.5 for plot and a 5 for quality. It is evident that the narrative choices King made were made with care and attention to detail.
Featured image: The cover of Heart the Lover (left) and author Lily King. Photos: QBD Books, Deschutes Public Library/CC/Wikimedia Commons
