2.5-3 stars! "There were thousands of things I wanted to do, I'm sure. But you can't do everything you want to do in life."

Tropes: Small-town romance, workplace romance, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity (?)

Blurb: Small-town girl Emily dreams of making it big and out of Prince Edward Island and the only things keeping her going is her dream and her 300+ day streak on Wordle. Terrified of ruining her streak, Emily turns to her grumpy coworker John for help and learns that Wordle is not the only thing that they have in common.

A book driven by Wordle?? SIGN ME UP! I was obsessed with this during the pandemic (along everyone else) so I was intrigued by this book immediately. Unfortunately, while this part was this part was exciting, I found the chemistry between both characters pretty surface area and this may be due to the fact that we knew a lot more about Emily than we did John. It was cute that they both ended up bonding over Wordle but it didn't seem like they didn't have too much in common other than that.

Also the way that ended?!! Ya'll. I know it was meant to be cute but maybe it was my OCD but that bugged me haha!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book for my opinion :)

Unfortunately, I made it 50% through this book before skimming the rest and calling it a day. It just was not for me. The main character read more like a high schooler than a college graduate and the romance was extremely lacking. No tension, no stakes. Had this been a YA novel, I could have maybe gotten behind it, but as is, it just falls short in my opinion. I also think Wordle would be better as the meet cute rather than the basis for the entire slowly-developing romance. I wanted more squealing and leg kicking reading Emily and John’s texts, but instead I felt nothing. :(

A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James follows Emily, a young woman, who is working as a receptionist at an auto shop. There, she meets grumpy co-worker John. Emily is a Worldle fan, and has a 300+ day streak.
The book was quite enjoyable. It is fast paced, light and a fun read.
Overall, fun and cutesy read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon via HarperCollins for the e-arc of this book to read.

Really cute, really enjoyable. This had hallmark vibes but with a little less tropes and a little more depth. I was surprised at how well the Wordle plot line was worked naturally into the story, and enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. I thought the progression of their relationship made a lot of sense, though I would have liked to have gotten more from the MMC and REALLY would have liked the resolution of the third act conflict to have been talked about more in depth/less rushed. Still, I would love to read more by this author.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for providing an advanced e-copy to review.

This story connected with me probably more than any other romance book I have ever read. It’s hard to describe how much Emily’s journey means to me and how seen I felt reading her thoughts.

To me, while this was a very cute small-town romance, this was more a story about what it means to find happiness for yourself and not for the expectations of others. I think it will live in my head for a very long time.

ARC Review!!!

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.

This was such a cute book! I loved everything about and how it feels navigating your mid-20's without knowing what is right. This book had some good quotes from the characters. I love how Emily and John developed and grew. It was so pure and real where you think you don't have a connection with anyone but a simple conversation changed everything. I love how Emily stated that being with John felt easy and that's how love should feel like. She had her tough moments where she thought she needed more but everything felt good. This book was so heartwarming. 3 starts because I needed more of an ending. I need an epilogue, more John and Emily. Emily was a little annoying in deciding what she wanted to do but she was so real.
A great book, laughed so much, giggled like crazy and even shed some tears!
3 stars!!

A Five Letter Word for Love is an amazing book full of heart. The book was quite enjoyable and I found that I related to Emily (the MC) in more ways than one. One of my favorite qualities in an author is character and emotional relatability, and Amy James does just that! Though it might sound silly to some, I always feel that I am reading the right book at the right time in my life, and I can definitely confirm that about this book. Amy James also did a phenomenal job in creating the beautiful peaceful scenery of Canada. I give A Five-Letter Word for Love 4 stars and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a pick me up and a light hearted country cozy feel. Thank you Amy James!!

I was given this book from Net Galley to read for my honest opinion. I was not paid.

I knew nothing about Wordle when I picked up this book and I still don’t care. The way the author Amy makes you feel so connected to the characters was beautiful. I cried several times. I actually sobbed (thanks chapter 30) in one scene. That’s when this book went from a 4 star to a 5 star read for me. I had not realized how emotionally invested I was in this book! I text mom and my best friend saying “you have to read this!”

I can’t say anything else besides read this book! John was a misunderstood MMC with a Teddy Bear interior and a grouch exterior. Just like my husband! 🤣🥰 It just made me feel like I was home reading this book. It was safe, loving and comfortable.

A young woman who felt lost in life and tried to ignore what she truly needed! Ultimately what is meant to be will be! Thank you Amy James and Net Galley!

As a Wordle adict I was very excited to find this book and I was not disappointed! It was such a fun premise for a book and really loved the chemistry between Emily and John. I thought they were very fun and I really enjoyed the entire book

this is a cute story with a unique plot! Emily and John have a wordle-cute, finding connection in the unique online crossword space. there were eccentric small town characters, a slow burn workplace romance, with a grumpy/sunshine sprinkled in. I wish the romance part was developed more, I loved the Emily & John moments I just wish they went a little deeper at times. I loved the characters and Emily’s desire for a big beautiful life, and I liked how this subplot rounds out in the ending.

overall, a cute unique story that I’d love to see more romance in. thank you for the arc :)

As a girl with her own super Wordle streak going I couldn't help but dive deep into this book and be intrigued with the plot line and premise. The small town romance of Emily and John is cute and while a bit typical of these types of books it is a quick and fun read for word lovers. Would definitely recommend for a cozy day in!

Overall this is more a story of self discovery, not romance.

On the self discovery side - I think there is a lot of merit to the story. In a time when people post the highlights of their life on social media, I find it easy to believe people are constantly chasing ‘happier’ and aren’t able to appreciate’ happy’. However, how it comes out on the book (to me) was Emily being immature, chasing a ‘dream’ that’s ill-defined, poorly informed, and for a lot of the book, without focus or effort to help bring the dream to life.

As the romance was a lesser focus of the book, it proceeds easily and drama free (with the exception of the third act breakup up which was both reasonable and predictable)

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy James, and Avon for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was all about Wordle when it got big, so I had to try out Amy James’s A Five-Letter Word for Love! Emily has big dreams, if only the could figure out what it is she wants to do—what she does know though is she wants to be a big city girl, not a small town car repair shop receptionist. But at least she’s got her Wordle streak, until she almost loses it, but with the help of cute mechanic John, she’s able to solve more than her daily Wordle. Okay, I forgot how old she was in this, I thought she was like 23, but the description says 27 and I’m shocked. This book is sweet and endearing but Emily is so naive and the writing is a kind of stream of consciousness from Emily that makes the story feel a little narrow and was just a lot more telling than showing. I did enjoy her journey to finding what she wants, she just feels so young! Her whole quest to find her dream job is super relatable and she’s just super quirky. I would’ve loved to have gotten to know John more. They were sweet together, but they lacked an initial chemistry. The incorporation of Wordle throughout Emily’s introspection was also really cute, it was a fun thing to weave through the story. It’s quirky, it’s different, it’s not my favorite but I enjoyed reading it.

This was an adorable book. I do think the decisions at the end all felt a bit rushed. Other than that, I thought the characters and the story were sweet and fun. I enjoyed this RomCom and will definitely look for other books by this author!

Fans of wordle and hopeless romantics, this one is a cutie! Emily has a legendary Wordle streak and is a big believer in signs and having a big, beautiful life. Shes currently working as a receptionist at an auto body shop, and ends up expanding her horizons volunteering at a local museum and doing part time companion care services for her neighbors.

Her adventures lead her to a new relationship with her grumpy mechanic coworker, John. Turns out he’s a Wordle fan as well, though not to Emily’s extent.

Now, for me personally, the Wordle bit got old fairly quickly. I understand it’s important to the story but it was kind of difficult to visualize and I almost would have preferred seeing the board displayed within the pages.

Emily as a FMC is a classic girl who doesn’t know what she wants and that’s okay! She was very real and human in that manner. John, however, felt very stoic and I wish I could’ve learned more about him. I would’ve loved some chapters from his POV.

Overall, it’s a very cute book and I think it’s a great debut for this author. I look forward to reading more of her stories in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Quick, easy, boring read. Not so much a romance as a journey of self-discovery for Emily, an elitist, selfish, immature FMC who basically thinks the MMC is stupid and settling for less than his potential. The MMC is John Smith. Really? Was that to show how plain and boring he is? The side characters had more depth. Loved the side characters!! Except Shelley, of course. Emily works as a receptionist at a car repair shop. John is one of two mechanics. She's worked there for a year, they've had almost no interactions, and one day she sees his abs on display and realizes, huh, he's kinda hot, and then falls for him. Because, oh yeah, he also plays Wordle. Uh, nope, not buying it. Why did John even like Emily? I initially would have DNF'd or given it 2 stars but I will say the book got much better in the second half, which brought it up to 3 stars. Also, you could remove the entire text thread between Emily and her college friends and not have missed anything. That kind of went nowhere. Much more depth to Emily and John and more of John's background and this would easily be 4 stars for me.

**pet peeve - for a book centered around Wordle, why oh why did she continue to guess words that didn't contain the letters she KNEW were going to be in the final word?!

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

This was a cute story! I enjoyed Emily and John and their rapport. I really liked how the story went about as well as how Emily went about finding her place in life. I love how Emily tried and found something she was passionate about. Cute story and fun to read.

This small town romance is going to work well for the true Wordle devotees, but it may lack depth for those looking for more fully fleshed out characters. For me, the story fell flat within the setting of an auto mechanic shop, and I had a hard time wanting to return to the story, especially knowing the beauty and wonder of PEI wasn’t tapped into as much as I’d hoped. A perfect quick read for your favorite word nerd. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my gifted ARC!

As a fellow Wordle enthusiast, I could not wait to read this book! What a fun, underlying concept for the FMC to obsess over. Unfortunately everything else about her personality really rubbed me the wrong way. She is at least very self-aware as she repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and admits, “okay, that was immature,” “okay, that was a bit rude.”

Thank goodness for sweet John sweeping in and calling her out on the rest of her judgmental, pretentious ways. Our MMC literally rescues her (and the book, in my opinion) from her self-destruction in the most kind, nontoxic way possible. Having just finished “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix, I can’t help but to compare John to Adam Brody’s character. He is reserved, steady, mature, and balances out the FMC in the best ways while still allowing her to have her big personality.

This match-up was the sweetest and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. 4 stars because Emily’s personality truly made me cringe several times, the Wordle puzzles had some discrepancies, and Emily’s college friends’ storyline felt unfinished.

I love Wordle. I am a Wordle girl. The NYT games page hates to see me coming. So when I saw that there was a book with a Wordle premise, I was so thrilled. But this book? What a let down. This book just wasn't it when it comes to a romance. I made it about 20% into this story and decided that I was no longer going to continue. The writing came across as very juvenile and I felt no connection to the FMC at all. It made it very hard to read. I learned my lesson to stick to the NYT games page and not attempt to read books based on them.