Heart the Lover - Hardcover

by Lily King (Author)

Heart the Lover by Lily King is a moving literary novel about first love, enduring friendship, and the decisions that follow us through life. During her senior year of college, an unnamed narrator becomes captivated by Sam and Yash—brilliant best friends whose shared passion for literature draws her into an intense intellectual and emotional triangle.

Years later, unexpected news brings that formative period rushing back. With tenderness, wit, and emotional insight, Lily King explores how youthful relationships shape who we become and whether the heart can ever truly leave its earliest loves behind.

Product Highlights

• Written by bestselling author Lily King
• A compelling story of love, friendship, and literary ambition
• Explores memory, forgiveness, and life-changing choices
• Features an emotionally charged college love triangle
• Ideal for readers of character-driven literary fiction
• A thoughtful gift for book-club members and fiction lovers
• Beautiful hardcover edition for personal libraries
• Published by Grove Press
• Publication date: September 30, 2025
• Length: 256 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780802165176

Author Biography

Lily King is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels--Heart the Lover, Writers & Lovers, Euphoria, Father of the Rain, The English Teacher, and The Pleasing Hour--as well as the story collection Five Tuesdays in Winter. Her work has won numerous prizes and awards, including the Kirkus Prize, the New England Book Award, the Maine Book Award, and a Whiting Award; has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Women's Prize, and the Story Prize; and has been longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages. She lives in Portland, Maine.