Thank you Netgally and Avon/Harper Voyager for the advanced copy!

Wordle has been an obsession of mine so when I saw this title and read the description I knew I had to read it. The cover was also so cute, I couldn't pass it up. For a rom-com this is as cute as it gets. Even though it was a bit predictable, I loved reading Emily and John slowly fall in love. Never thought wordle would be a great hook for a romance, but it is! Also, I've never read an Amy James book before. Now I am a fan.

This book is a fun, easy read that will make you smile. That's perfect for summer, winter or anytime reading!!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review♥️

Was this story endearing? Yes!
Was the writing witty and fresh? Yes!
Did the protagonist show some promising growth? Also yes!
Was this really a romance? No.

I thought this was a cute read, but this book is supposed to be about the relationship between the FMC Emily and the MMC John. Yet, reading about these two interacting might be more boring than watching paint dry. John is supposed to be a man of few words and I get that, but there wasn’t any moment where he really let his guard down and talked about himself. He showed his love for Emily through acts of service, but otherwise he was just…there. This story should’ve been marketed as just being about Emily’s journey because I don’t consider it a romance. In romances, there’s usually a magnetic pull between the lovers in question, but here it just felt forced. Yes, it’s clear they love each other, but there’s no delving deeper into that love whatsoever. I kept expecting John to have this breakthrough moment and pour his feelings out, but he never did. It’s clear he has feelings, but he doesn’t voice them whatsoever.

Emily is a fun fmc who is having a total quarter life crisis, but her storyline was mostly predictable. She spends more time thinking about prospective careers and wanting to leave Canada than she does thinking about all of the great things going for her. Her ramblings about wanting to feel “important” were relatable at first, but then they became pretentious and elitist. She was constantly giving details about the barrel making museum, the elderly people she’s working with, her friends, her college days, Anne Of Green Gables, and Wordle; her mentions of John pale in comparison.


Of course Emily doesn’t need to talk about a man for her to be interesting, but this was marketed as a romance! I went into reading this with an appetite for warm fuzzies, but instead I ended up reading about a twenty something in limbo & freaking out about her purpose in life all while wasting tons of time daydreaming…I’m already living this reality, so reading about it isn’t very thrilling. Where were the sparks? Where was the high school esque giggling? Where was the pining?

Emily also comes to the most cliche conclusions about her life which sucks because I can tell she’s intelligent and a deep feeler. I’ve seen so many movies and read too many books that revolve around a protagonist wanting to follow their dreams only to find out their dream life was right in their backyard. That trope is worth telling because it holds an evergreen lesson, but the way it was approached in this case was lacking substance. Emily never seemed truly interested in her “dream life” and I think she just chose hoity toity work in the arts to make herself appear interesting? It was abundantly clear that she’s cut out for more thoughtful, creative, human-focused endeavors from the beginning.

The best part of this entire story are the people in the town. I adored Emily’s clients, especially Jim, and I think she made great points about the value of spending time with elders. I also loved the museum aspect, I thought it was so uplifting to see such care and thought put into a community that needed it.

Overall, this novel was still cute because I’m a sucker for a small coastal town setting. I thought the Wordle aspect was cute, but it seemed irrelevant to the story about halfway through; many of the parts that over-explain what’s going on Wordle wise could be taken out. I wanted more of Emily and John! They were so promising!
This was a sweet read, but it didn’t deliver much romance at all. I noticed that if John was taken out of the story, it would be almost the same…that breaks my heart. Justice for John !!!!! <3

As someone who plays the NYT Wordle every day without fail, this book was a dream come true. I loved how sweet and real this felt. It's one of my new feel-good romances.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Die contemporary romance basiert auf einer frischen Grundidee, die ich sehr ansprechend fand.

Die beiden Hauptcharaktere arbeiten in verschiedenen Bereichen einer Autowerkstatt, hatten bisher aber wenig miteinander zu tun und sind von ihrer Personalität her recht verschieden. Doch dann fällt ihnen auf, dass beide Wordle spielen (ich auch!) und über das Buchstabenrätsel kommen sie ins Gespräch.

Die sich darauf aufbauend entwickelnde Liebesgeschichte fand ich phasenweise unterhaltsam und frisch. Vor allem das erste Drittel konnte mich gut unterhalten.

Im Mittelteil gab es aber so einige Längen und insgesamt denke ich nicht, dass die Charaktere und ihre Liebesgeschichte genug zu bieten hatten, um alle Seiten gut zu füllen. Rund 20-30 Seiten weniger hätten dem Liebesroman meiner Meinung nach sehr gut getan.

Auch hätte man aus den Hauptcharakteren mehr rausholen können, die Autorin kratzte bei ihnen gefühlt etwas an der Oberfläche.

Ich blicke mit gemischten Gefühlen auf mein Leseerlebnis zurück. Meine Bewertung fällt immer noch recht positiv aus, was vor allem am interessanten Einstieg in den Liebesroman und der tollen Grundidee liegt.

🖤🖤🖤 1/2

PS: Ich selbst spiele jeden Tag Wordle, Quordle und Octordle (Rescue - Modus) und zwar schon seit über einem Jahr (bald zwei?). Deshalb fand ich die Details zum täglichen Wordle der beiden Hauptcharaktere unterhaltsam und charmant.

Für wen?

Wer ruhig verlaufende Liebesromane mag, in denen die Heldin versucht sich beruflich zu verwirklichen und so einiges ausprobiert, für den könnte das romance Buch einen Versuch wert sein.

A Five-Letter Word for Love was such a fun, quirky read! I related to the main character, in so many ways (and not just because I too complete the Wordle every day), and it really pulled me in. For anyone out there who’s just trying to figure out their way through life, this book is for you!

I was initially drawn to this book because of the adorable cover and it wasn’t until after I read the summary that I learned that this book centers around the addictive game: Wordle. For those who don’t know, Wordle is a game many play on their phones and you are working to solve word puzzles. In this story, our love interests meet and bond over a game of Wordle.
Emily, our FMC, is determined to have a year long streak and often plays the game while at work. It is there that we meet our male main character, John, who helps her with her game and this begins a daily form of communication for the pair. They meet or interact daily to continue to play the game together and overtime they develop feelings for one another.
The banter between the two was great but really the best thing about this book was the sweet romance. This book was about personal growth and surrounding yourself with people who value and appreciate you.
Thank you to HarperCollins, Net Galley, and Amy James for the chance to read this book.

As a Wordle lover, I thought this story was very cute. The premise was fun and the characters and setting were quite charming. I really enjoyed that the book focused on the MC's growth and change along with the romance. This wasn't exactly a full-on swoon worthy romance, just sweet and cute. I think this book is more about learning about yourself and the importance of surrounding yourself with good, supportive people. I thought the banter was fun, and the two MC's bonding over their daily Wordle was really cute. Sometimes a routine like this can keep you grounded and I think bonding over something like that adds more depth to the story. I thought the pacing was pretty good, maybe a touch slow at times. But this was a heartwarming story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think fans of Beth O'Leary will enjoy this one. The writing isn't quite on par with O'Leary's but the vibes are there.

this was okay. kinda meh for me personally. this is just purely telling what’s happening but not showing. just did not enjoy this one.

Are you a wordle lover? I fell in love with the game immediately. I start every morning with a cup of coffee and the wordle puzzle along with 13 other word puzzles and math puzzles. My day is not complete until I solve the puzzles. So when Harper Collin’s advertised a book about Wordle, I was hooked. The book is A Five Letter Word for Love by Amy James and releases 12/3/24. This is one of the sweetest and most heartwarming books I’ve ever read. Emily is a secretary at and auto mechanic shop on Prince Edward Island and is obsessed with Wordle. Her goal is to have a streak for a year. One day she’s doing wordle in the lunchroom when mechanic John helps her with a particularly hard puzzle. He reveals that he loves wordle too so each day at lunch they sit together to solve the puzzle. John even texts Emily in the weekends to see if she’s solved the daily puzzle. Now, everyone has a word they start with. My in particular is OCEAN because it gets rid of three popular vowels. Emily likes to use words that pertain to her life at that time. She’s convinced that the words are telling her a message about her life. She used DREAM when she’s searching for her dream job. BACON when she’s making bacon and eggs. The book follows Emily during a life changing year. She’s searching for her passion in life. She volunteers at the local museum planning events to drum up interest. She starts a home care business for the elderly and loves to hear stories about their lives. All the while, she continues her wordle streak and strengthens her relationship with John. I loved everything about this book. It was wholesome. It was small town swoony. I really hope there’s a second book because I’m not ready to let go of these characters. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s. This was one of the best books I’ve read this year.

this one has one of the cutest covers I’ve ever seen, so I immediately requested it!

as for the actual book, it was not my favorite, but it was very charming and had a really cute premise :) it’s a read that gives all the butterflies and makes your heart happy, but it doesn’t have a lot of drama or make you sad. the main character is genuinely one of the least interesting characters I’ve ever seen.

*2.5 stars

📱grumpy sunshine
📱worldle based?
📱small town
📱cute side characters

A book with WORDLE? Yes! I am hooked. PEI setting? I'm in! This was a great and entertaining book with words and feelings and relationships that drew me in until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

loved this romance about 2 co workers who both do wordle. she is figuring out her life and goals and he works in the shop. They slowly become friends and more over time. He helps her with the volunteer work and they figure out their relationship and their goals. Loved the family and the older people she meets along the way.

As a Wordle girlie, I was over the moon to get a freaking romance with it as a theme but as you can see, it didn’t work out. The heroine was very immature and I swear if I read one more insinuation of how dumb she thought the hero was, I would’ve died.

I was interested in this book a romance novel with Wordle as a central themed seemed so niche and fun! Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me. The main character Emily, tended to have a rambling inner monologue which was jarring at first. I did get used to it was I continued reading but I was worried it was going to bother me throughout the entire book. By the end I did find myself enjoying the way Emily's mind worked.
I did however like the way Emily and John would play off each other. During many of the scenes I would find myself laughing out loud. Amy James can write funny characters really well. Overall, I found A Five-Letter Word for Love to be a cute and quick read!

This made me giggle. Honestly I don’t know who I would’ve asked for an answer to a puzzle- but life does that.

Two words. Super cute!

I loved the concept of them bonding over Wordle! This is a mix of a finding-yourself story and a romance. And, no spoilers, but I even started bawling my eye out at one part, so it's a bit of an emotional punch too. You'll know the scene when you get there!

Although the story take a bit to find it's footing, once it does, it will sweep you away. The ending is a bit quick, but we get our HEA so all is well.

This is a great read if you are looking for a fun romance with great secondary characters to help round out the story, fun witty banter between the couple, and a whole lot of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was surprisingly cute and moving. I enjoyed the romance, the characters, the growth, and the friendships. If you're in need of a feel-good romance, this is definitely for you. The main character was in her head a little more than I like, but still enjoyed it

you wouldn't think that a romance book built around the game, Wordle, would be that good but this book was phenomenal! I absolutely ADORED this book and found it to be such a good read! the characters were absolutely precious and i'm obsessed with the premise of this book. if you love grumpy/sunshine, character growth, Wordle, and small town vibes - you will LOVE this book.

thank you so much to NetGalley, as well as Avon and Harper Voyager for making my Wordle loving heart happy by sending me this arc! <3

This has to be the cutest thing I have ever read. I tried not finishing it because I didn’t want this to be over, but I had to know what happens. This book made me have physical reactions. I cried 5 times during this. 5 times! I love how romance wasn’t the only aspect of this and I love love love Em’s growth! When she finally figured out what she really wanted to do, it made me sob. I also appreciate how independent she is and that her entire focus isn’t just on John. Speaking of John, Emily and John were just so cute and the scene before she left, oh my gosh, don’t even get me started. I screamed so much during the last 50 pages of this book. I say that it’s so adorable but this really takes you on such a wild ride. I will definitely be rereading this and I think this is now one of my favorite romances!!

As a girl who's 27 and recently gotten into Wordle. I was curious about this book. Mainly how was Wordle going to be incorporated into a love story and be somewhat a main point to it. This book was surprisingly cute and moving. I enjoyed the romance, the characters, the growth, and the friendships. If you're in need of a feel-good romance, this is definitely for you.