The New York Times Instant Best Seller

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.

“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

The Lists

Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction

Finalist for the 2026 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Shortlisted for the 2026 ABA Indies Choice Book Awards - Adult Fiction

Shortlisted for the British Book Awards 2026 Book of the Year - Fiction

Longlisted for the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize

Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award: Fiction

The Best Books 2025

  • "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

  • "Heart the Lover is the kind of immersive, overwhelming novel that makes you want to live inside it for days."

    Constance Grady, VOX, The 10 best books of 2025

  • "Heart the Lover is about screwing up, wising up, finding yourself and realizing what you may have lost in the process."

    Maureen Corrigan, NPR, Maureen Corrigan's 10 favorite books of 2025

Book cover titled 'Heart of the Lover' by Lily King, with an orange background, illustrated eyes with daisy-like tears, and pink lips with 'A Novel' written across them.
Five Tuesdays in Winter
Cover of a novel titled 'Writers & Lovers' by Lily King, featuring illustrations of a table with flowers, lemons, a jar, and various objects.
Book cover of 'Euphoria' by Lily King with colorful abstract artwork and a gold sticker in the top right corner.
Front cover of the novel "Father of the Rain" by Lily King featuring a blue and white illustration of three children playing outside
Book cover of 'The English Teacher' by Lily King, featuring a person with curly hair and a pair of hands gently placed on their head against a warm, blurred background.
Pink book cover titled "The Pleasing Hour" by Lily King with a sepia-toned illustration of a building, bridge, and trees reflected in a body of water.

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