3.5

Very slow build with an ending that lacked details. I feel like this book could have gone on for at least another 50 pages. It felt like a very one level kind of book. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't pick it up again.

This book broke my heart quite a bit. King writes sad so well! So much is going wrong for the main character but her grief over her mother's unexpected death was so searing. I called my mother a lot as I read it. A lovely novel about books, writing, life choices, friendship, and, eventually, healing.

3.5** kind of slow to get into but really enjoyed the writing style. Reminded me of sally rooney if she went to Yale

A couple of months ago I started this book in print. It wasn't working for me, so I set it aside. I figured it was a case of "right book-wrong time". But when the audio version became available through the library this week I thought maybe it was actually the format that wasn't working for me. Turned out that format mattered because as soon as I hit 'Play' I was hooked! ⁣
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The main character, Casey, is grieving, she feels broken. Her life is messy and complicated. While I didn't necessarily relate to her, the way King developed her as a character was stunning. I was so invested in her story. ⁣
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I used to think that I didn't enjoy character driven novels. But the more I read them, the more I realize how satisfying they can be.
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“It’s a particular kind of pleasure, of intimacy, loving a book with someone”

And there is a particular kind of intimacy in reading Writers & Lovers by Lily King, as well.

I went into this expecting a slow, somber love story. But it really is so much more.

At the center of the story is Casey, a struggling writer/waitress who is reeling after the sudden death of her mother. Her life seems as though it’s in a tailspin and she just desperately wants some semblance of balance. What follows is a beautiful, honest, and powerful exploration of how grief slips its way into every aspect of a person’s life. How the simplest tasks become virtually impossible simply by virtue of remembering your loved one has passed.

King’s writing is flowery without being superfluous, poetic without being pretentious, and vulnerable without being overwrought. Every page, every sentence, every word feels intentional and perfectly chosen and placed.

I was concerned that reading a book about a writer would grow tiring, but it didn’t. My investment in Casey completing her novel was only matched by my investment in her personal triumphs as well. Casey becomes a fully-formed, flawed, challenging, and stunning character whose mind you enter completely from the very beginning.

My first Lily King book, but certainly not the last.

The first half of the book is so slooowwww and booorrriingggg. Casey is such a sad depressed dud of a character! But then things pick up in the second half. I wasn’t so thrilled with how everything resolved so happily.

3.5 stars for me, I found some parts to be a bit slow and disjointed but overall loved her growth throughout the book

4,5