Book cover for 'Heart of the Lover' by Lily King. The cover is orange with a stylized face, illustrated with eyes and lips. The eyes are depicted with white daisy-like flowers and pink watercolor accents, with tears falling from the eyes. The title 'Heart of the Lover' is in large black letters, and the author's name is at the bottom in white letters. The phrase 'A Novel' is on the lips.

The New York Times Instant Best Seller

“King is a master of sexual tension, of the slow build, of gratification torturously delayed…'Heart the Lover’ is her best work yet.”

––Lauren Christensen, The New York Times

“Only Lily King could tell a story so steeped in sorrow and so filled with hope."

— Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“It stands as one of the most emotionally devastating and soulfully wise novels I have ever read . . . Like all of King’s fiction, Heart The Lover is literary without pretension, emotional without maudlin sentimentality . . . heartrending, swoonily romantic, rigorously clear-sighted."

— Priscilla Gilmore, The Boston Globe

ALL REVIEWS
  • "I read Lily King’s new novel in one breathless sitting earlier this year, and every minute spent with it was a treasure."

    Lauren Puckett-Pope, Elle Magazine, The Best Books of Fall 2025

  • "That college love affair you never got over? Come wallow in this gorgeous version of it."

    Kirkus Review, Best Fictional Voices of 2025

  • "Heart the Lover is a true tearjerker—wistful, melancholy, and ever mindful of the distance between young adults’ grand plans and the unexpected turns their lives inevitably take."

    Judy Berman –– Time Magazine, 100 Must Read Books of 2025

  • "Witty and wise, this affecting tale is further proof that King is one of the queens of contemporary fiction."

    Erin Kodicek –– Amazon Editor , Best Books of 2025

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