fatma’s review of Heart the Lover > Likes and Comments
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„new lily king!!!! im so excited
Oof. You rarely negative give reviews like this so I am nervous to read it. I read for a few more spoilery reviews and I am not fans of endings or “reveals” like one the King allegedly spins with Heart the Lover. And overly philosophical (aka elementary) meditations on life in writing do give me strong secondhand embarrassment whenever I encounter it.
omgg the ending was the final nail in the coffin for me. i want to write a more detailed review of this (and maybe will later), but basically all my issues with this book are exemplified by the ending. it was just so lazy - if it wasnt for that ending this would be a nothing of a book tbh. but the ending is there to make it ~Deep~ and Literary and Serious. when really it was just a subpar book at best 😬 its such facile storytelling
HansBlog wrote: "„new lily king!!!! im so excited "
okay i had too many thoughts so i actually wrote a review lol
Agree! When they use a prolonged death like cancer, it feels exploitive. If the person had drowned there’d be no space for long “meaningful” goodbyes. So they use the prolonged suffering of cancer to draw out and provoke feelings in an otherwise flat story. Just icky!
I expected much more as well. Why did she “kill” Yash, he should have been punished with a real life suffering for his misconduct
Sobbing from reading this book while i read this review, but i agree. Feeling emotionally manipulated lol
The second half of the book was just awful. Her choices made zero sense and felt unbelievable on so many levels. The most positive thing I can say is that at least the book was short.
I think it would’ve been way more interesting if what reconnected them was their daughter trying to find them because honestly what was the point of it besides trying to add emotional gravitas to the situation. It was a waste of a plot point if you ask me.
I resonate with this review so much. I feel like I wasted my time reading this. I couldn’t even relate to any of the character because they had NO depth.
I completely agree with this review; it mirrors my own disappointment.
Seconding this. From pretentious literary discussions to using the death of the character as a crutch, an overall hollow story.
I usually give a book 50 pp before quitting, but because I liked other Lily King books so much, I gave this one 75, but I found it too disappointing to continue.
I agree ! Part 2 onwards was just boring and manipulative. The very very weird ending
When i reached the cancer part i felt the same and i was angry but then i continued reading and i broke down. I dont think the writer giving yash a terminal illness was to manipulate the reader to cry. It was what his death meant to the protagonist. How anxious she already was from her sons illness. The timing. What it meant to her to tell yash about their daughter on his death bed when she thought she still had time. Thinking about her mother when she was holding yash's hand, again when her son was sick. It was the complexity of emotions and the anxiety of it all at once is what broke imho.
We've got:
- pretentious college students reading proust and discussing james joyce
- a trip to paris
- two cancers
- a female protagonist who has zero depth or description beyond how she feels about the men in the story
Bad soap opera whose writing isn't good enough to make it compelling.
Interesting that the characters discuss a book being maudlin because…
Also was I supposed to feel bad that Jordan accepted Yash’s rejection and didn’t wait around for him? Why was this woman constantly negotiating men’s feelings, as a lover, wife and even mother.
I agree so much. When it came out I was so intrigued by the looks of it and the plot but reading it was such a waste of time.
This was my impression too! It felt like the terminal illness was thrown in as a device to get her to tell him about the pregnancy and adoption rather than have to have a real debate about telling him. I haven't read the book that this is both a prequel and sequel too, so thinking of this as a standalone, it felt like the time period was also used as a way to solve the communication issue. Like if someone doesn't show up on their flight, you can immediately text them now so it couldn't be set in the 2000s+ or else much of the angst goes away.
As I reached the end, all I could feel was ANGER because her son needs her and he’s about to get the life changing operation he so desperately needs and wants, but she can’t seem to leave Yash’s side?? Like I get that he’s dying BUT THAT’S YOUR KID. And Yash abandoned you. I don’t care what the reason was. Buck up and tell him what you need to tell him for your closure and hurry the heck back to your kid!
thank you for your honest review, I won’t be reading this book because you describe something I very much dislike in writing. Tbh, the extremely high ratings and praise made me suspicious from the start. You’re a gem ♥️
I was fuming by the end of this book…!
Everyone has that one love. But it’s been over 20 years, you have two kids and a husband. One of your kids is going into brain surgery and you’re with your ex? Beyond unbelievable.
I was really angry at the end for ignoring her kid and angry I wasted my time reading this book.
This is such a good perspective. After just finishing Liz Moore’s Long Bright River that had such rich character development and story, without relying on these easy endings, you can truly see the richness for the story for what it is, not how it ends.
Yes, yes, YES! All I wrote in my review was “disappointing” because there were so many problems in this book that the thought of outlining them all exhausted me.
I am 40% into the audio book. I waiting for something exciting to get my attention. I have to stop for awhile, listen to something that interests me and maybe I can come back one day and finish it
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HansBlog
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May 23, 2025 11:25AM
„new lily king!!!! im so excited
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Oof. You rarely negative give reviews like this so I am nervous to read it. I read for a few more spoilery reviews and I am not fans of endings or “reveals” like one the King allegedly spins with Heart the Lover. And overly philosophical (aka elementary) meditations on life in writing do give me strong secondhand embarrassment whenever I encounter it.
omgg the ending was the final nail in the coffin for me. i want to write a more detailed review of this (and maybe will later), but basically all my issues with this book are exemplified by the ending. it was just so lazy - if it wasnt for that ending this would be a nothing of a book tbh. but the ending is there to make it ~Deep~ and Literary and Serious. when really it was just a subpar book at best 😬 its such facile storytelling
HansBlog wrote: "„new lily king!!!! im so excited "okay i had too many thoughts so i actually wrote a review lol
Agree! When they use a prolonged death like cancer, it feels exploitive. If the person had drowned there’d be no space for long “meaningful” goodbyes. So they use the prolonged suffering of cancer to draw out and provoke feelings in an otherwise flat story. Just icky!
I expected much more as well. Why did she “kill” Yash, he should have been punished with a real life suffering for his misconduct
Sobbing from reading this book while i read this review, but i agree. Feeling emotionally manipulated lol
The second half of the book was just awful. Her choices made zero sense and felt unbelievable on so many levels. The most positive thing I can say is that at least the book was short.
I think it would’ve been way more interesting if what reconnected them was their daughter trying to find them because honestly what was the point of it besides trying to add emotional gravitas to the situation. It was a waste of a plot point if you ask me.
I resonate with this review so much. I feel like I wasted my time reading this. I couldn’t even relate to any of the character because they had NO depth.
I completely agree with this review; it mirrors my own disappointment.
Seconding this. From pretentious literary discussions to using the death of the character as a crutch, an overall hollow story.
I usually give a book 50 pp before quitting, but because I liked other Lily King books so much, I gave this one 75, but I found it too disappointing to continue.
I agree ! Part 2 onwards was just boring and manipulative. The very very weird ending
When i reached the cancer part i felt the same and i was angry but then i continued reading and i broke down. I dont think the writer giving yash a terminal illness was to manipulate the reader to cry. It was what his death meant to the protagonist. How anxious she already was from her sons illness. The timing. What it meant to her to tell yash about their daughter on his death bed when she thought she still had time. Thinking about her mother when she was holding yash's hand, again when her son was sick. It was the complexity of emotions and the anxiety of it all at once is what broke imho.
We've got:- pretentious college students reading proust and discussing james joyce
- a trip to paris
- two cancers
- a female protagonist who has zero depth or description beyond how she feels about the men in the story
Bad soap opera whose writing isn't good enough to make it compelling.
Interesting that the characters discuss a book being maudlin because…Also was I supposed to feel bad that Jordan accepted Yash’s rejection and didn’t wait around for him? Why was this woman constantly negotiating men’s feelings, as a lover, wife and even mother.
I agree so much. When it came out I was so intrigued by the looks of it and the plot but reading it was such a waste of time.
This was my impression too! It felt like the terminal illness was thrown in as a device to get her to tell him about the pregnancy and adoption rather than have to have a real debate about telling him. I haven't read the book that this is both a prequel and sequel too, so thinking of this as a standalone, it felt like the time period was also used as a way to solve the communication issue. Like if someone doesn't show up on their flight, you can immediately text them now so it couldn't be set in the 2000s+ or else much of the angst goes away.
As I reached the end, all I could feel was ANGER because her son needs her and he’s about to get the life changing operation he so desperately needs and wants, but she can’t seem to leave Yash’s side?? Like I get that he’s dying BUT THAT’S YOUR KID. And Yash abandoned you. I don’t care what the reason was. Buck up and tell him what you need to tell him for your closure and hurry the heck back to your kid!
thank you for your honest review, I won’t be reading this book because you describe something I very much dislike in writing. Tbh, the extremely high ratings and praise made me suspicious from the start. You’re a gem ♥️
I was fuming by the end of this book…!Everyone has that one love. But it’s been over 20 years, you have two kids and a husband. One of your kids is going into brain surgery and you’re with your ex? Beyond unbelievable.
I was really angry at the end for ignoring her kid and angry I wasted my time reading this book.
This is such a good perspective. After just finishing Liz Moore’s Long Bright River that had such rich character development and story, without relying on these easy endings, you can truly see the richness for the story for what it is, not how it ends.
Yes, yes, YES! All I wrote in my review was “disappointing” because there were so many problems in this book that the thought of outlining them all exhausted me.
I am 40% into the audio book. I waiting for something exciting to get my attention. I have to stop for awhile, listen to something that interests me and maybe I can come back one day and finish it
