Writers & Lovers by Lily King is a 2020 Grove Press publication.

Casey is holding on to her dream of being a novelist, even though she’s deeply in debt and grieving both the loss of her mother and a bad breakup. As she muddles through life, she begins dating two men, working several jobs, while hoping her novel finally sees the light of day…

I had the wrong idea about this book, based on its promotions, both the editorial and reader reviews. So, I went into it in the wrong frame of mind, I suppose.

Ultimately, though, this book should have been right up my alley in many ways. I read contemporary women’s fiction/romance on a regular basis, though these days, I’m looking for books featuring more mature- chronologically- characters than the ones in this book. Still, though, I know exactly how this should go and mostly it followed the formula, with a few exceptions.

The thing is that somehow this book managed to get a lift from the ‘literary’ crowd. The publisher or whoever- masterfully crafted promotions to draw in those who wouldn’t ordinarily read contemporary women’s fiction, or a book labeled as a romance. But, at the end of the day, that is exactly what this book is.

As such, for the veteran reader of books in this category, this one was just okay. Part of my discontent is the age of the characters- and while I would agree with some who have said there are ‘coming of age’ elements in the story- I thought Casey was too old to be ‘coming of age’.

I did appreciate the writing, the lack of uncomfortable and unnecessary content, and of course, I’m will always be a sucker for a happily ever after- even if it all comes hastily together in last ten percent of the book. I even agreed with her love triangle choice, but as far as drawing me into the drama, eliciting strong emotions, or creating great chemistry, I’m afraid the story fell woefully short.

Overall, it’s not a terrible effort by any means- it just not as good as the hype would have you believe. That said, I can see where folks who seldom read this type of material found themselves wrapped up in it. But I can assure you there are many, many others out there that can really hold you spellbound- but sadly, they will probably never get this level of credit because people just won’t give them an open-minded chance to impress them...

2.5 stars ( )

Coming of age in your 30s after the death of your mother.

Camila "Casey" Peabody, the thirty-one-year-old protagonist of this beautifully written-book, lives in Boston. It is 1997 and she is recovering from being dumped by her long-time boyfriend, followed by a steamy affair with a (later learned to be married) poet she met during a prestigious writing residency that took place too soon after her mother's sudden death. Casey has been working on her novel for six years. To support her writing habit, she waits tables at an upscale Harvard Square restaurant, Iris. She is buried under a mountain of student loan debt that she cannot pay and living in a moldy, minuscule potting shed attached to the garage at the back of the house of an obnoxious family acquaintance, whose dog she walks for a discount on her rent.

A child golf prodigy who walked away from the sport when she was about to go to college on a full golf scholarship, she, we learn, is conflicted about her father, a "perv," she calls him, after she learns he is a peeping Tom, and because he is the one who pushed her into golf her feelings about the sport are too messily tied to him. Casey attends a book signing with her writer friend, Muriel, where she meets her next two love interests: Oscar Kolton, a successful, older author, who is a widower with two young sons, and Silas, one of the writer's in Oscar's writing workshop, who teaches high school. Casey eventually finishes her novel and gives it to Muriel to read. Muriel loves it, provides some editing feedback, and Casey sends copies of the novel off to various agents.

While waiting for a verdict on her novel, and weathering the rejections that come one after another, we get to see Casey’s anxiety and abandonment/trust issues devolve into full-blown panic attacks as she tries to cope with the crushing debt, some medical scares, her mother’s death, her father’s betrayal all close in on her, and her inability to choose between Oscar and Silas. Weaved into the story is Casey’s fascination with a flock of geese who inhabit the banks of the Charles River, which she sums up this way:

“I love these geese. They make my chest tight and full and help me believe that things will be all right again, that I will pass through this time as I have passed through other times, that the cast and threatening ahead of me is a mere specter, that life is lighter and more playful than I’m giving it credit for.”

As the title suggests, writers and lovers are the main ingredients of the book, and the conflict between writing and loving are as much evident throughout the story as her indecision between her two lovers. Despite the heaviness of the challenges Casey is dealing with throughout, the ending is surprisingly light.
( )

A novel about writing novels; a slow crawl out of depression; a handful of love stories; a bright (well-earned) ending. I contemplated putting this book down for good halfway through, but I am so, so glad I didn’t. ( )

I adore this book. Lily's writing is fantastic throughout the entire novel. It's a very intimate book that's much more character-based as opposed to plot-based. You follow the main character, a girl in her young twenties, as she works through the grief of losing her mother and struggles to become a writer and figure out what it is she wants to do with her life. It is a book that I will gladly be picking up again to reread and is one of those stories that I won't tire of years from now. ( )