This is a cute read. It drew me in quickly and I zipped through it in hours. Overall, it's a fun quick read.

It has a coming of age feel to it where Emily is trying to figure out her live. She has a degree in science that she no longer wants to use. She's living in a small town in Canada working as a receptionist at an auto shop. Her joy at talking to and helping the elderly is clear. Her love of the old barrel museum is too. But she dreams of some big city job that will release her "happy life". I didn't really agree. I yelled at her often as it was clear she was building a happy life there in Walden, she just seemed to think her big city dream would make her more happy. As someone who never went through anything like that growing up, I couldn't relate to Emily. Sometimes she seemed way to young for her age. I did like that she finally though deeply about Jim's words and let that guide her.

I did like John. Yeah, he didn't have everything he wanted but he was well on his way to getting there. He understood himself and frankly Emily better than she did. His demeaner at the beginning of the book was strange but I quickly got it after a bit. Their common love of Wordle was a great way for them to start opening up to each other. I liked how that was a theme through the book.

The ending was a bit predictable but nonetheless satisficing. This is a delicious evening of reading.

"A Five-Letter Word for Love" by Amy James is a charming contemporary novel set on Prince Edward Island. It follows Emily, a receptionist with a passion for Wordle, and her reserved coworker, John, whose shared puzzles spark an unexpected connection. Blending small-town warmth, personal growth, and found family, this book offers a heartfelt and unique take on love. While the romance is subtle, its depth and humor make it a delightful read for fans of character-driven stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of A Five Letter Word for Love by Amy James!

📚A Five-Letter Word for Love
🖌️Author: Amy James
🖋️Publication: @harper360ya
📝P.g.: 364
🗂️Genre: Romantic Comedy

4/⭐️

📌Summary:
Twenty-seven-year-old Emily doesn’t have a lot going well in her life right now. She dreams of a creative career but works as a receptionist in an auto shop. She longs for big city life but lives in a small town on Prince Edward Island. She craves a close group of friends but is stuck with irritating, car-obsessed coworkers.

What Emily does have is a 300+ day streak on the New York Times Wordle. But one day, with only one guess left and no clue what the answer is, she’s forced to turn to one of her irritating, car-obsessed coworkers, John, for help—and in doing so, realizes that he might not be so irritating after all.

As they make their way, word by word, toward a 365-day streak, Emily is drawn into a surprising romance that will take her outside of her comfort zone—and challenge everything she thought she knew about happiness, success, and love.

📌Review:
This was such a cute read. The tropes, Friends to Lovers and slow burn are chef’s kiss. It was so heartwarming to see Emily slowly fall in love with John.

An inspiring cute love story.

📌Thoughts:
I liked the author’s writing very much and I want to read more from her.

🌷I would like to thank @harper360ya for the free copy.

This book was soooo cutie. I love the small town vibes and the characters were just charming. As an avid Wordle lover, this book was practically made for me. I could heavily relate to not knowing what I want to be when I grow up. I feel like I'm floating just working jobs until I find one that sticks. That being said I loved the way our main character faced this problem. The slow-ish burn made me crazy but in the best way possible. Heavily recommend.

While I love the concept of this book, I found it difficult to connect with the characters and their relationship. It just didn’t have the depth I need to really fall into a story.

Ugh, I really wanted to like this more. The overall conceit here is really cute: two co-workers who otherwise have nothing in common bond over Wordle and fall in love. However, neither character was particularly interesting to me and I had a hard time rooting for them. Firstly, the MMC is incredibly flat. At the start, he is rude and silent but then suddenly becomes nicer because she asks without any struggle to change his ways? I don't buy it. Also, his characterization is so flat. The author has given him some interesting quirks (loves racecars, owns fish) but no motivation behind them (what got him into mechanics vs driving? Why does he keep tropical fish?). Instead, he is serves as a bland backdrop for the FMC's love/hate relationship with small-town life. Meanwhile, the FMC is totally lost about what she wants to do other than something "creative" and live in a big city. Then it turns out that she really loves taking care of older people, which seems more inline with her characterization and disposition than anything creative. I wish that had been the thing she stuck with instead of splitting her time between that and museums. The whole museum thing seemed designed to create a reason for her to leave town, and then she actually DOES like it but still bails on all her big city dreams to be with the most milquetoast man in Canada who was kind of a dick with her for not settling? Nah. It was one too many things. Overall, I did find the writing charming and the side characters delightful but I do think this would have been served by the MMC POV to seal the deal about why he likes her and why its worth it for them to stay together.

A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James is not just a love story for romance readers; it is a love letter to Wordle players everywhere. The Wordle game play in the book lightened up the more serious themes of self-actualization and what we should--or shouldn't--sacrifice for love. This book would be an excellent book club pick, with lots of discussion about Emily's journey to figuring out her "dream job" and her subsequent choices, as well as John's reactions to them. One of my favorite passages was the moment that Emily made her decision, and the epiphany that she had at that moment. This is a sweet story of romantic love, life choices, and found family that will be sure to warm your heart this winter.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this e-galley.

I was torn between giving this book a 3 or a 4 and I think I can settle on a solid 3.5. This book was just ok. I just could not bring myself to like the main character, Emily. I feel like she made everyone around her feel like she was better than them, their dreams too small and not as grandiose as she thought that everyone should be. John was happy in his life, he may not have dreamed of being famous or doing big things but he was a good guy. Overall, it was fine but I didn't love it.

As a wordle lover, the cover art and premise instantly took my interest. I really tried to love this book, but it was just not working out. The romance felt lacking, forced and shallow. I found the MC irritating at times. Had to DNF.

Emily Evans, our main female character, is a twenty seven year old woman who doesn't have a lot going well in her life right now. Emily doesn't have a career set yet & she also doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life in all honesty. She works as a receptionist in an auto shop, where John, our main male character, works.
He is literally obsessed with cars. It’s always “oh blah blah car this” or “blah blah, car that”.
Emily has a 300+ day streak going for her on Wordle & what she doesn’t know is that John does, too. During their lunch breaks, they start doing it together..
Emily realizes that John isn’t so irritating and starts feeling the feels.
Side bar note:
Wordle:
•Six tries to guess a five letter word. When you make a guess, the letters will turn grey, yellow, or green.
•Grey means that letter isn’t in the word, yellow means it is but it’s not in the right spot, and green means it’s in the word & it’s also in the right spot! John is rude and grumpy & Emily just seems kind of ignorant. Their miscommunication KILLS ME! Like just talk to one another. Like yall are adults, because yall are?!
If you're looking for a super spicy & deep romance, this ain’t the one for you, fam. It was cute, but nothing super spectacular IMO.
Tropes:
🏠 Small Town Romance
🧑‍🔧🛞 Work place romance
🔥 Slow Burn
🩷 Clean Romance (mostly-ish)
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, & author for a copy of this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

Amy James captured my heart with this book. I loved Emily and John and how different and quirky they were, but how perfectly they fit together. I enjoyed this book, it was a good palate cleanser and was a fun and easy read. I found the concept of the book so fun and really enjoyed reading it. Not every bit of the book stuck with me, but I enjoyed my time while reading and that’s what matters most to me.

A Five Letter Word for Love is about Emily’s journey of finding her dream. While working a receptionist job in an auto shop, Emily thinks of a life beyond this. Wordle helps her through the mundane. A mechanic at the shop, John, decides to help her in her wordle streak.

This book was more about self discovery than romance and I really enjoyed it. We saw very strong relationships between our main character and the side character, because the relationship with our love interest John was so easy. Emily’s bonds with the older people she cared for were so touching. Some scenes made me tear up. Very good story.

I didn't have a lot of thoughts on this one; I liked the characters, but the plot fell a little flat as small town romances always seem a little stagnant to me. I will say though that I expected more Wordle given the title and cover, but it was even more about the museum than that.

A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James is a beautifully written heartwarming contemporary romance that follows the journey of two people named Mia and Logan, as they navigate the process of love, self-realization, and second chances. Mia is a bookish woman who has a passion for words and the meanings behind them, Logan on the other hand is a charming man who has his guard up, both have what I would say a complicated history. This novel explores how they reconnect after years of separation, working through some miscommunications and misunderstandings, creating a new stronger relationship between the two. As the two rekindle their relationship, they realize that just like love, similar to a word with five letters can have various meanings, and even just the small gestures and moments are the things that matter the most.

Something that I loved and found interesting would be the dynamic that Mia and Logan have. The chemistry that the two have is undeniable and shown through parts in the book. Their dynamic shows some struggles die to unresolved issues that are brought up from their past. What I really loved was how their connection evolves — moving from pure akwardness to tenderness as they start and continue to rediscover each other and themselves.

One of the things I absolutely loved about this book was the small, tender romantic gestures that Logan and Mia share throughout the story. Amy James does a wonderful job of highlighting the little things that make a relationship feel real and meaningful. Whether it’s Logan leaving a note for Mia or Mia taking time to understand Logan's quiet way of showing affection, the author captures the true essence of love in these moments. These gestures are not grand declarations or flashy moments, but instead subtle expressions of care that made me feel like their love was grounded in something truly sincere.

A Five-Letter Word for Love was a wonderful read, full of depth and emotion. The chemistry between the leads, the quiet yet meaningful romantic moments, and the slow, satisfying development of their relationship made it a heartfelt journey. I really appreciate how the author included themes of self growth and second chances, showing that love isn't always about perfection — sometimes, it's about taking the time to understand, heal and overlal help and support each other. Thid book was an amazing read with uplifting romance that will leave you feeling so many emotions, feeling hopeful and content.

A sweet story about a couple of co-workers in a small town who end up connecting and dating over the game Wordle.

Thank you net galley for the arc!

4.5 stars!
This book is so good! When I first saw that this book had to do with the game Wordle, I was nervous about how the author would be able to pull that off and make it an interesting read, but she achieved it! I was laughing and really enjoying my time reading this. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to the publisher for the earc!

I love reading romance books between heavier fantasies and honestly this one is a perfect plate cleanser! I really enjoyed the whole setting, and it was such a pleasant surprise that
we’re in Canada! My bucket list was already long, but now I just added Prince Edward island
to it. Unlike Emily I’m a hardcore small town girl, so I'd love to live in a place like this!
Speaking of Emily, I could relate to her a lot. Especially when she said there are so many
professions to choose from and how are you supposed to do that?! That’s me. And this was
one of the reasons why I ended up getting a degree in library science and why it also took
me YEARS to come by this decision.
The romance was good, I loved that Emily and Josh started bonding over Wordle, it was way
too adorable. Sometimes it felt a bit rushed, but they knew each other for about a year, and
Emily admitted she had a crush on John for a while in the beginning, so overall it felt real.
And there were no spicy scenes, which I’m really grateful for. This book is proof that you can
have a good romance without unnecessary spice.
I loved all the side characters, I wish I had a group of friends like Emily does by the end of
the book. Although, I find it a bit strange that she went from no friends to a solid group in just
a matter of weeks, but that’s just me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you’re looking for a quick and easy read, definitely
give this one a try!

I tried so hard to like this book, especially given the premise and the location of the plot, but sadly it was not enjoyable for me.

I found the main character unlikable and felt that she never showed any growth. The romance also left me wanting.

I won’t be posting a review for this on Goodreads because I’m sure others won’t feel as strongly as I did and I don’t want to influence other readers.

2.5 - rounded up to 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Amy James for an ARC copy of this book!

I really don't have much to say for this one, sadly. I really wanted to love it, especially as an avid Wordle player , but it just fell really short for me. I felt like Emily and John were two of the last intelligent characters I had ever read in a book before. They just lacked any common sense and also their communication skills were some of the worse I encountered in a book. Their romance just felt very, very forced. I will say a workplace romance is also one of my least favorite tropes to read, unfortunately. The story line also felt a little all over the place. Emily had no idea what she wanted to do with her life and was bouncing around between 4 or 5 different jobs and school during the entire book. It was hard to keep up. This one just didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to.