First and foremost, I would call this book romance-lite rather than a full romance novel. There’s nothing wrong with that, just want to let people get a better idea of what to expect if/when they pick this one up to read. There is a romance, but it genuinely feels like more of a subplot to Emily’s overall journey of self-discovery. I was never all that overly invested in the romance with John.

Emily as a character herself is fairly relatable as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She also had a group of girlfriends she felt drifting away as their lives diverged and I think a lot of women can relate to that. I enjoyed the caregiver role she found herself in with the older residents around town, and it did lead to some of the more emotionally connecting moments of the book for me.

Emily was, however, a bit of the snob, which thankfully she does get called on. It’s not intentional, but she often portrays herself as above the small town life she’s living and the people she spends her time with there. It’s not a bad thing to have ambitions, but discounting what makes other people happy and content isn’t the move either.

Overall, this was just an OK read for me. There were things that worked well and others that didn’t. I would give another Amy James novel a chance in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hated this book so much. I hated Emily so so much. Like I get not knowing your place in life and figuring it out. But she wants to be great at everything and be successful at everything but she Is just chaos.

The Guy was just so mean and he's Dominican, why? I thought it was a basic white man because of the cover.

I hated this. Don't waste your time. Please.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! I love wordle, so I was curious to see how it would be entangled into a romance. There were a couple of unrealistic wordle answers, but it wasn’t enough to detract for me.

The book was a little cheesy, which I think was to be expected, but it was also super cute and a feel-good story.

The FMC is on a journey to discover herself, which I loved to see. I was worried that she might give up all her dreams for the MMC, but was pleased when she went on her own adventures, and figured out what would make herself happy - outside of just a man.

I really enjoyed this, and would read any future books by this author!

A Five-Letter Word for Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

This book started a bit touch-and-go—literally. The word "Wordle" is used over 100 times, which felt excessive and made it hard to settle into the story at first. But once I got past that hurdle, I found myself happy to have read it.

The couple's connection over their shared love of a word game is sweet and serves as a fun backdrop for the grumpy/sunshine dynamic to really shine. As the storyline hits its stride, their relationship develops in a way that's both heartwarming and charming.

While not without its quirks, this was a quick and cute read, perfect for fans of lighthearted
contemporary romances.

Thank You, NetGalley and Avon Publishing, for allowing me an early copy to review.

4.5 stars rounded up

Wordle becomes the catalyst for a young woman to find herself and love.

Twenty-seven-year-old Emily is lonely and adrift working in a dead-end job on Prince Edward Island. Her once close university friends barely contact her and she yearns desperately for a life in a creative job (what, she doesn't know) in a big city, not a small town. Her only solace is Wordle, and she's nearly up to a one-year streak.

This was a charming gem of a book about how we have to water the grass on our side in order to find our happiness. It's a gentle, slow-burn story as Emily finds herself and, unexpectedly, love with her monosyllabic colleague John.

Emily was such a relatable character as she slowly makes friends with the people around her and becomes more self-aware about the choices she needs to make in her life to reach her goals. For those looking for romance, I'd suggest that this book is more women's fiction

At times it lagged a bit in pace, but because the character was learning more about herself it was easy to overlook it. Plot-wise, I would've personally preferred that she stayed longer given she was enjoying it and to see John make a change for her. We just don't see enough sacrifices from men in real life or fiction so it would've been what would've made it a 5 start for me.

Thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE by Amy James is a novel revolving around the main character's Wordle streak. Wordle! That was all I needed to hear to request the ARC on NetGalley. (hashtag blessed)

It's definitely more women's fiction than romance, although from the title it's clear that finding love is part of it. But a lot of the story is about Emily figuring out her dream job and what she wants to do with her life. Plus getting to a full year Wordle streak. (Clearly the story takes place in a universe that did not recently have a strike of the NYTimes tech workers, because surely she would never cross a digital picket line!)

It's also a slow burn. Verrrry slow! In a very realistic way, they start as coworkers who really don't have anything to do with each other, before bonding over Wordle and then gradually getting to know each other. A real "barely even friends" scenario!

It has a very distinct women's fic kind of voice, addressing "you" towards the audience sort of thing. I thought it was cute and fun, but then, I too am still a dedicated Wordler.

A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE comes out December 3.

It was cute. The story itself is not really engaging and the FMC has no idea what she wants out of life. She also doesn’t seem compatible with the MMC at all. I did like that it didn’t quite follow the usual format of a romance novel and had the big fight and break up earlier in the plot. Emily definitely grows throughout the story, but I don’t know if she grew on me. I just didn’t feel the connection to her, like I have in some other novels.

I appreciate that she went after her dreams and that there the acknowledgement that sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan. It almost felt more like a women’s fiction book than a romance, as her relationship with John (MMC) seems to be a smaller part of the story than Emily trying to figure out what exactly she’s looking for in her world- a dream job, a new career, more friends? Also, her other friends from university weren’t great, and the story leaves you hanging on that front, I wish there had been some more closure there.

However, I have picked back up on the Wordle after this novel, so there’s that at least.

I really enjoyed this book and that’s mainly due to Emily. Her character was so real and dealt with problems in a normal and idealistic human way that made her extremely relatable. Plus the Wordle spin on the love story was a cute and fun way for Emily and John to connect. Amy James is a new author to me, but I already know I will be reading more of her books in the future.

I wanted to love this one so much, but I just did not. This book started off SO SO strong, but as it progressed, I got bored and second hand embarrassment from a lot of the scenes. And this is coming from an Emily, who is also a nerdy dreamer.

Banal.

A five letter word to describe my take on this book.

Too much inner monologue by the FMC, not enough character development of the MMC. Need more than his occupation, his family ties and his hobbies.

Envision an artist outlining their work and gradually filling it in with details and color. Except this didn’t happen here with John so felt blasé when Emily got her HEA.

Silver lining ? A character gets their comeuppance and the loss of another character will elicit sympathy for the reader. ( It’s these two parts that elevate it from a 2 star to 3 star read)

#AFiveLetterWordforLove #NetGalley

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyage, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really disliked this book. I tried to liked it but I was just no it... it wasn't what I was expecting and I wish it gave what it was supposed to give

💖 Just finished reading A Five-Letter Word for Love, and I am completely enchanted! This book beautifully captures the complexities of love in such a relatable way. 🌟

From the very first page, I was drawn into the characters' lives and their heartfelt journeys. The way the author explores the different facets of love—friendship, romance, and self-acceptance—made me reflect on my own experiences. Each character felt so real, and I found myself rooting for them through every twist and turn.

The writing is both poignant and uplifting, with moments that made me laugh and others that brought a tear to my eye. It’s a perfect reminder of how love can shape our lives in unexpected ways.

If you’re looking for a book that will warm your heart and leave you with a smile, A Five-Letter Word for Love is a must-read!

This was a cute 'grumpy/sunshine' novel where they bond over their love for the same app - Wordle. Everyone has their beginnings, right?

Emily has this feeling that there has to be more out there than what Waldon offers, and she knows it, but she just isn't sure what her thing is yet. It takes time for everyone to figure that out, we get it, but Emily.. girlllll

There was a lot of moving character development for Emily, however, I felt that she really was all over the place the whole book, while John was really pushing for her to figure her sh*t out (which I totally get too, because, sameeee).

This was a small town, slow burn clean romance. I think John could have had a bit more flare added to him, as the other characters had a lot more depth. Also, what was up with Maya? That never really was answered, like why was she needing the ride in general?

I think the side characters drew me in the most, from their witty banter, their quick remarks and profound one offs.

Thank you NetGalley, Amy James and Avon Books for my ARC.

Thank you Amy James and NetGalley for this eARC.

#smalltownromance
#oppositesattract

As a daily Wordle guru, I was excited about the concept of this book. I will say, the characters fell flat for me. I felt like the MMC was very surface-level and I wish we saw more of him. I did not see the chemistry between the characters. The plot was very predictable and cute, this read just wasn't for me.
2/5 Stars

This book started out really cute and sweet. I love the small town setting where everyone knows everyone and everyone is connected.

I started losing steam in reading this in the middle of the book because I noticed that the character somewhat keeps on defending herself from any judgement. It seems like main character keeps questioning herself and her thoughts. It made the story feel less compelling. I know that she’s going through some stuff in life, but the amount of times the character interrupted her own self was astounding and distracting.

The ending was just too abrupt for me. Everything fell into place in the last 15-30 minutes of the book. Some incidents/scenes in the end felt too drastic for such a cozy book.

I also noticed that there was no solid conversation between the main characters where they clarified everything after the third act break up.

dnf @40%

I could not get into this! The FMC was truly insufferable and I could not be in her head for one more second

DNF at 38%

Honestly I could not get into this. I found the FMC insufferable to the point that I'm not rooting for her. There's very little good dialogue between her and the MMC, to the point that again I'm not rooting for them and don't see how they would work. I feel like the plot/wordle connection is pretty gimmicky and once we got into the whole barrel making museum thing I had to give it up.

I did enjoy the starts of exploring her fading relationships with her college friends and the way the author described the kind of lost feeling of the FMC in terms of her life and career.

This book definitely has an audience, I unfortunately am not that audience. 2 stars because I could see other people liking this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute idea, I just felt like there was little to no character development. I never felt invested in either of the main characters and never felt any build up/ anticipation in their relationship- she went from being unsure if the MMC liked her to sleeping with him in 24 hours. While that is not unheard of I just don't think it translates well in a romance book. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review (and while it wasn't my favorite it is still better than anything I could do, congrats to the author on publishing her debut!)

This was…interesting to say the least.
I didn’t finish the book and I skipped through quite a few pages while reading.
The main character is quite annoying and there is NO passion or literally any sort of connection between the two love interests. Except for the fact she likes him because he helps her with her wordle.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!