Early Morning Riser, written by Katherine Heiny, is a heartwarming and witty novel set in a small Michigan town. The story follows Jane, a second-grade teacher, as she navigates love and community with her charming but complicated boyfriend, Duncan. Heiny's storytelling is both humorous and deeply touching.

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny is a great novel. Jane was such a great character, and seeing her relationships and feelings about other characters was very enjoyable. Seeing how her perspective changed over the book was so enlightening. The pacing was well down, even though the last third of the book felt like it dragged on a little bit. I really enjoyed this book overall and would love to read more by the author soon.

An easy read that occasionally succeeded in being funny but hindered by its two dimensional characters from reaching anything other than "that was fine"

Funny, smart, heartwarming. I think Heiny is a new auto-buy author for me! I'd read anything she writes. This was relatable and so tender.

10/10 beach read and perfect background to read and read on the beach! I wasn't familiar with this author in the past but will be following her moving forward!

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heinz

A novel of love, disaster, and an unconventional family.

Many incidents of love-making. Taking care of a simple-minded man after his mother is killed. Filled with romance and marriage. This was a light, romantic cosy. I enjoyed reading this well-written book. Lots of lovely characters to enjoy.

This is one of those books people either love or hate. I'm actually really surprised I liked it so much. I didn't love it, but it did feel like one of those very realistic books. It seemed raw and honest in so many ways. I was intrigued by the beautiful writing from beginning to end. I want to read all this author's books because I admire her ability to take an ordinary life and make it something interesting to read about. The only thing I didn't like was I feel it was too mundane. It felt as if the main character was trapped in a life she didn't need to be trapped in but felt obligated to be. I believe too many people live their lives in this manner.

Thank you so much #netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

3 stars would be the max for Early Morning Riser. Not a bad story, in fact there are some good topics covered in a nice way, but it's not a great story worth more than 3.

Duncan is a man who loves having sex with just about any woman he meets, but is never getting married again. Dating him means kiss marriage goodbye and just enjoy the ride, so to speak.. Jane needs more than that, so she sets off to find a hubby, but that path isn't all it's cracked up to be for her, either. *spoiler alert: when he comes back into her life she is more ready to just accept him as he is.

The other characters, well 99% of them, were all likable or quirky enough to look forward to their antics and some of the topics were handled nicely even if the topics/characters were not so nice. Small town life is not necessarily boring!

I don't get the significance of the title and feel it didn't accurately feel like the right title for this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I thought this would be more of a romance novel but I was pleasantly surprised by its depth (no shade against romances - anyone who sees my reading habits will know I love them - this just was unexpected!) It was a good women's fiction read with great character development, lovable characters and plenty of laugh-worthy and cry-worthy moments.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book surprised me. It was one that I read the description of long before I actually started the book, so as it began, I didn't really know what I was going to get. Is it romance? Is it a quirky character novel (in the manner of A Man Called Ove)? Is it a story about growing up? Actually it was all of those things. Jane is our "main" character, but her life is full of characters that enter her life in various ways. There's Duncan, her unbothered and charming love interest, his controlling ex-wife Aggie and her problematic husband Gary, and of course, there's Jimmy. I wasn't sure what to make of Jane's opinion of Jimmy throughout the book, but by the time I got near the end, I, as the reader realized what an impact he was making on Jane's life, and of course, we have to find out if she will see it as well.

Early Morning Riser was recommended to me by a friend as a fun book you don't need to feel guilty about enjoying--and that about sums up the experience perfectly. It won't be in my favorites for the year but it was a good way to pass some time reading. And that's not so bad at the end of the day.

I loved Standard Deviation and was very much looking forward to Katherine Heiny's latest novel. We meet 26 year old elementary teacher, Jane, who meets, Duncan, in his early forties, after moving to a new town for her job. Duncan is kind, handsome and she falls for him – not aware that he has slept with basically every woman in town.

We follow Jane’s life – her romantic relationships, friend relationships and ultimately familial relationships along the way. I would consider this book a dramedy and really enjoyed the character exploration, the real life scenarios and just great writing! Thank you NetGalley!

Did not get to this book in 2021.
My review is not a reflection of the work or the writing/plot itself, but rather speaks to other books that caught my attention more.
Hate I didn't manage to squeeze this one in, but there are so many books and only so much time.

I would look to Goodreads or other reviewers on Netgalley who read the title and will offer their unbiased opinion.

This book took me some time to get interested in. I almost gave up on it in the second “chapter” (there are not so much chapters as sections), but then things got interesting enough to keep me interested in what would happen to the characters. I really did enjoy all of the characters. The types that you want to see all good things happen for. There was not much action in the book, just the happenings in an average family/community over 10 years or so. I was hoping for a little more in that regard, and a little more from the ending, but overall it was a sweet, feel good story, with some laughs as well.

Oh, these characters are something else. Jane is an incredibly relatable character… The story is told from her perspective. The web of relationships at play in EMR is a pleasure to watch unfold over the years the author has chosen to capture. This book does focus heavily on the relationships Jane has with the other characters and I wouldn’t say this book has a huge plot unfold by any means. Fans of Eleanor Olliphant will like this I think though! An overall enjoyable read if you like character-driven fiction. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy!

At first I wasn't sure about this novel, but it was like sinking into a bath and warming up. Somehow crafted a cozy story full of flawed characters and I liked it.

Early Morning Riser is the fun and enjoyable new book by Katherine Heiny. The characters are relatable, although one would hope one would not be in this situation; the circumstances are a bit over the top, but lead the reader to a lot of laugh-out-loud pages; and the ending is beautifully crafted.. Although Jane comes off in the beginning as a bit lonely and gullible, she quickly becomes a protagonist worth rooting for. Situations escalate throughout the story, entrapping the reader in great writing and a poignant and lovely story. Family, love and loyalty are evidently the most important things in this delightful tale. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced eCopy.

Heartwarming and generous, the novel captured the world of neighbors and friends whose lives intersect and affect one another. It is a novel of a life well-lived, even if it includes regrets, mistakes, loss, and mostly ordinary days.

I did not think I was going to like this title, but it ended up being one of the sweetest books I've ever read. I am so much like Jane and I could feel her frustration and stress and anxiety (albeit she handles it better than I do!) Heiny so accurately presents the unbelievable chaos of life in the playboy, the ex, and all the assorted imperfect people in Jane's life. It was a beautiful story and I am so glad I finished it!

Hmmmm. I have to be brutally honest and admit that this book was NOT my cup of tea. The characters’ personalities did not appeal to me. I just couldn’t understand why Jane endured a relationship with Duncan. Not one I would recommend, though I imagine there are plenty of people who would enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.