Not me signing up for Wordle right after reading this book. Nope.
Emily is stuck. she is living in a small town trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has a job as a receptionist at an autobody shop and lots of big dreams. She isn't sure exactly what those dreams are, but they definitely involve being in a big city and out of this town. When she discovers that her grumpy co-worker, John, also does Wordle, the two form a friendship she didn't know she needed.
As she comes out of her shell and starts volunteering at a local museum, she finds a spot for her talents to shine. Things seem to be going great for her, until she gets word that she is up for an internship at the MET in NY and can start a new program there as well. Will she leave the life she has built behind for something bigger and greater or will she realize being right where she is is enough?
I did really enjoy this and understood about following your dreams. I can understand why some people might have felt angry at Emily, but when you are stuck, getting out of it is all you can think about. John was such a great character. Loving, non toxic and just enough grumpy for me to fall for.
Thanks to Avon, Netgalley and Amy James for an early copy.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley. The book was closed door love story. It was a cute, fun, lovable read that made my day better. Would recommend if you are looking for something light.

This book surprised me. Don’t let the cover fool you, it’s an adult, heartfelt story. There’s no contrived nonsense in the plot, and it’s one of the most realistic love stories I’ve ever read.

I loved the premise but I like my romance books with a bit of spice (at least) so finding out this book was closed door just wasn’t for me.

A Five-Letter Word for Love offers a charming romance that brings two unlikely characters together over the daily Wordle puzzle. Emily, a 27-year-old receptionist stuck in a rut, finds her small-town life on Prince Edward Island lacking in excitement. She dreams of a creative career and a more cosmopolitan existence, but for now, her greatest achievement is a 300+ day streak on Wordle.
The romance kicks off in an unexpected way when Emily’s Wordle streak is threatened, and she turns to her car-obsessed coworker John for help. What begins as an innocent puzzle-solving moment slowly evolves into a deeper connection, as Emily starts to see John in a new light. Their budding relationship, built on shared moments over Wordle, unfolds at a pleasant pace, adding a fresh and fun angle to the story.
The novel’s premise—falling in love over Wordle—is playful and unique, and the author does a great job of weaving the daily puzzle into the fabric of the relationship. There’s an undeniable sweetness to watching Emily, who initially dismisses John as just another annoying coworker, gradually open up to him. Their quirky conversations and puzzle-solving moments are heartwarming, and there’s a definite sense of growth as Emily begins to rethink her assumptions about love, success, and happiness.
That said, while the story is enjoyable, it doesn’t stray too far from the standard rom-com formula. The characters, though likable, sometimes lack depth, and the romance follows a fairly predictable path. Emily’s journey of self-discovery feels a bit rushed, and her transformation from dissatisfied small-town receptionist to someone who finds contentment in her life could have been explored with more nuance. Similarly, John’s character is a bit underdeveloped; while he’s charming and helpful, his backstory and motivations remain somewhat vague, leaving readers wanting more depth from his side of the story.
The humor in the novel is light and enjoyable, though not laugh-out-loud funny, and while the romantic tension is present, it doesn’t fully reach the intensity that some readers might expect. Still, the use of Wordle as a backdrop for the romance is a creative touch, and fans of slow-burn love stories will appreciate the gradual build-up of affection between Emily and John.
In the end, A Five-Letter Word for Love is a cozy, feel-good read that offers some delightful moments but doesn’t take many risks. It’s perfect for fans of lighthearted romances looking for a cute story with a unique twist, even if the characters and plot don’t dig as deep as they could. If you enjoy rom-coms with a quirky hook and a sweet, slow-burn romance, this one will hit the mark.

Such a fun rom-com to read. Very likable characters where you can't wait to see what happens. Fun to read for fans of wordle and happy endings! I look forward to reading more from Amy James!

B O O K R E V I E W (ARC)

Title: A Five Letter Word for Love
Author: Amy James
Rating: 4 out of 5
Spice: 1 out of 5
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2024
Duration: 368 Pages

- Slow Burn
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Work Colleagues
- Small Town Romance
- Friends to Lovers

Emily believes she doesn’t have a lot going for herself. After all, living in a small town on Prince Edward Island and working at a low-paying job as a receptionist at an auto shop was never her dream. Though she has a bachelor’s degree in science, she realized too little too late in her academic career that she really wanted a career in the arts, not in science, and she now finds her bachelor’s degree somewhat useless. But what she does have going for herself is a three-hundred-day streak on Wordle, the answer somehow always revolving around her life.
One day, after using up all but one of her guesses, Emily is forced to turn to John, her car-obsessed, tight-lipped, irritating co-worker, and Emily finds he might not be as bad as she thinks. The duo forms a sort of alliance, helping one another with the daily Wordle puzzle. Emily realizes that the puzzle may be telling her to change things in her life and follow her dreams. The new changes take her out of her comfort zone and challenge everything she believes about success and happiness.
First things first, I found myself in a Wordle hole a few years back, and when I saw the cover for this book on NetGalley, I immediately wanted to read it, but I had no idea what to expect. I am a “judge the book by its cover” reader for the most part and really went into this book blind.
I would reread this book and recommend it to others. I enjoyed this book so much and loved seeing all of Emily’s character development and relationships with the other characters in the novel. Still, I felt the book lacked a bit of romance (passion, spicy, I don't know) to make it a “romance novel.” I think it would be better to be labeled as fiction rather than romance. I believe so many people have felt stuck in their current jobs/situations and wish they took a chance to try to live their dream jobs. That’s exactly what happens with Emily; she struggles with settling into her everyday life when there’s so much in the world she could do that she believes could make her so much happier. She starts small, picking up a volunteer job with in-house elderly care, and soon finds herself making new friends and finding joy in things other people take for granted. It isn’t until every single thing in her life has changed that she realizes so many things could make her happy, not just her dream life.

This is a book about a nerdy girl who is not sure of her place in the world and how she discovers that happiness comes from doing what you love and not what you are supposed to love.

Emily thinks she has to figure out her career plan while she wholeheartedly believes the only way she can be happy is with a big, important job in a big city.

This way of thinking has had her missing out on the people around her, like John her coworker, who she believes is just a mechanic without much future for himself. But just when she starts to realize that maybe the life she wanted was the only that she already had—things get complicated.

I liked the book, and while easy to imagine what was gonna happen, it was still an enjoyable, quick read for me.

I love Wordle — I play it every day and am on a 283-day streak — so I jumped at the chance to request a romance centered around the game. Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed.

Emily is 27 years old and is a receptionist at an auto shop. She has a bachelor’s degree in a field she doesn’t care about and is thinking about going back to school to get some sort of arts degree. She’s 27, but in her first-person POV, she sounds much younger. I also found it an odd stylistic choice to have her break the fourth wall to address the reader directly. I can’t remember the last time I saw that in a book for adults.

Anyway, there’s a mechanic at the auto shop named John who’s brusque with customers and not very nice to Emily. Of course he’s her love interest, because she finds out he plays Wordle, too. The romance fell flat. There’s no tension, buildup, or chemistry. This book felt more like women’s fiction than a romance. I did like the small-town setting on Prince Edward Island and Emily’s relationships with the elderly folks in town. If this book was solely about her journey, I might have been more into it, but the romance adds nothing to the plot.

My biggest issue, though, is that the author clearly doesn’t play Wordle regularly. Wordle doesn’t allow plurals, yet in the beginning of the book one of the answers is BOWLS. If you’re going to center a book around Wordle, these incorrect details will throw readers out of the book who know better. There’s also an excruciating and repetitive amount of detail about her solving the game. And she doesn’t even play it right! There’s constant explanation of Wordle’s rules (such as “yellow means a letter is in the word but in the wrong spot”) and it’s just not fun. Explaining once or twice is fine, but the reader doesn’t need to be constantly reminded.

I hate leaving bad reviews for debuts, but this book is not it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy James, and the publisher for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.25 stars

I personally related to Emily the FMC. A woman in her late twenties trying to figure out what she truly wants in this world. Especially, when your dreams seem to be far away. I do not think the romance is perfect, it definitely moved quickly. But they complement each other.

TW: Death, Medical Content, Toxic Friendships, and Toxic boss

Sweet, small-town journey of romance and self-discovery. Emily wants more than to be a receptionist in her small town’s auto repair shop but she isn’t sure what. Her daily Wordle fix seems to be leading her somewhere. Is it to a romance with a grumpy but cute mechanic? Or is it something bigger?

This debut romance is light, fast, and fun – a lot like Wordle.

Check it out if you’re a fan of:
• Small town life
• Opposites attract/grumpy + sunshine
• Workplace romance
• Quirky side characters

My biggest issue with this book is that she’s so bad at playing Wordle. Kidding… but not really. This book felt like it was about people who settle and as a passionate New Yorker, I can’t get behind a book where someone chooses to leave the city. I was hoping for much, but wanted a sweet sexy romance and this didn’t hit the way i hoped it would.

An overall fun premise for a book! After all the time that Wordle spent in the spotlight, it was so fun to see a story use that to develop a relationship between two characters. However, the follow through was not there for me. I struggled to root for Emily and could not get into the romance between her and John.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

If I read the word "Wordle" one more time, I’m gonna puke! Huge thanks to NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager, and the lovely Amy James for the ARC of A Five-Letter Word for Love! This book, dropping on December 3rd and spanning 368 pages, promised a unique concept but unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

✧ Slow Burn 🔥
✧ Small-Town Romance 🏡
✧ Workplace Romance 💼
✧ Shared Hobby 🎮
✧ Opposites Attract 💘
✧ Self-Discovery 🌱
✧ Eccentric Side Characters 🎭
✧ Clean Romance 💖

Emily, our 27-year-old FMC, has a 300+ day Wordle streak, but her life in a small town on Prince Edward Island is seriously lacking excitement. Enter John, her grumpy coworker at the auto shop. Their supposed Wordle connection? Total zero chemistry, folks. 😩 Emily can come off as a bit whiny, and John barely registers—more of a background character than the MMC he should be.

The novel feels more like a self-discovery journey than a romance. Sure, the small-town vibes and Emily’s quirky interactions with eccentric elderly characters were cute, but parts of the book dragged on, making it feel repetitive and dull. Emily's internal monologues? A bit immature, to say the least, and I found myself skimming through some sections.

If you’re looking for depth in romance, this might not be your jam. The moments between Emily and John lack substance, and their relationship development is practically nonexistent.

Now, I don’t want to be too harsh since this is a debut, and if you love Wordle and small-town romances, you might find it mildly entertaining. For me, though, it just didn’t deliver, earning a solid 2 stars. 🌟

I love this love story!

Amy James really hit her debut out of the park with Emily and John. The way their opposite personalities completely compliment each other is to-die-for and I honestly loved the way Wordle/NYT was integrated into the story--it almost felt easier to put myself into the plot because I could picture the real-world aspects of the games. As a lifetime lover of grumpy/sunshine, this book was the cutest, perfect little light-hearted romance for me. It's a fun read that I recommend to most romance lovers, especially those who can't get enough of the NYT games!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I am so excited to see what Amy James comes up with next!

a very cutesy romance but it really freaked me out to see them talking about wordle. idk what it was but the whole time all i could think about was how i've never really heard characters talk about nyt games in books and that was really playing with my mind. i really enjoyed reading about emily kinda dealing with life. her character felt very realistic. the romance was okay, i think i cared more about emily's life but her and john were cute. plus how many people can say they've fallen in love over worlde?????

Amy James' debut, A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE, is as addictive to read as Wordle is to play. I read and read and read until I looked up and it's 3am. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

I was oh so very curious how a word game would factor into a romance book, but when you read Emily doing letter math to solve the daily puzzle you learn who she is as a character. She is logical and superstitious and idealistic all at once. I cackled through each chaos brain moment as she tried to place hidden meaning, or prophecy, to the answer of the day. But through the chaos, she is also creative and committed to problem solving.

Let's be very transparent here, Emily is a messy sunshine character. Her life may be steady but it's very much in progress. Before we enter the romance arc she has biases to break down and some self-reflecting to do. She also presents as the "gifted student with too many options, so they chose anxiety as a career" kind of adult. There should be no surprise when I say Emily is one of the most relatable characters I've read all year.

John is more of a mystery as the grumpy love interest of few words. But while his words are applied only as necessary, his acts of service are plentiful. The way he rolled his eye at all things barrel museum, but still rolled up his sleeves to help Emily's community event succeed. And when he does use his words, its truth, even when they are hard truths to hear.

You will likely be picking this up for that very grumpy and sunshine romance pairing, but you're turning the pages to follow Emily on her quest for a dream life. As someone who had a similar quest, the ups and downs and struggles she faced, both internally and beyond her control, are so true to real life. So be prepared for her to swing from "delulu is the solulu" and practical life improvements. It's about the journey not the destination.

A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE receives my highest recommendation for its relatable depiction of life in progress. Congrats and thank you Amy James for a brilliant debut.

Content warnings to be mindful of:

Misogyny in the workplace
Caretaking of the elderly
Minor character death (not on page)

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book is so cute and from the synopsis, I was excited for a quirky romance. Sadly, that is not what I got. After doing my best to push through, I ended up DNFing at 49%.

Very early on, I found the FMC Emily very off-putting. The entire book is told from her perspective and her thoughts are rude and judgmental and I didn’t like her or care for her one bit. As the story goes on, what Emily thinks is very immature - I had a hard time believing she was 27. The MMC John was as one-dimensional as they come. He had no depth or personality. I love a good quiet boy, but we just don’t get to know him and Emily’s internal monologues about him are less than kind. When they do start up an unlikely friendship, she either thinks judgmental or shallow things about him. It’s mentioned a few times that he races cars which would have been interesting if we learned or experienced more of that.

This was supposed to be a romance, but the two main characters had absolutely zero chemistry. By 49% they hadn’t even flirted. This wasn’t even slow burn - there was nothing there besides the occasional thought from Emily that he smelled good or had nice abs. Every interaction they had felt odd and stilted. Nothing about their time together screamed we would be good together.

If you are looking for a book geared more toward finding yourself or quirky elderly characters, you might enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun read punctuated with history and relationship drama. Who knew that a barrel museum could be so fun! This is not just a meet cute, rom-com, it's got layers to it which should be appreciated by everyone who reads it.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC. Unfortunately, this was a quick DNF for me. I thought the FMC annoying and immature and couldn't get through much, with a slow plot to boot.