Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the arc! All opinions are my own.

Are you part of the Wordle trend? Our FMC, Emily definitely is! Emily isa 27 year old in small town Canada, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Her only constant is her wordle streak. Emily is on a mission to find her dream job but is currently a receptionist for an auto shop. Our MMC, John, is a mechanic at the shop and is a very quiet, plain guy. This book delves into their relationship, as well as Emily’s relationships with others, i.e. her college friends, and friends around town. All of this goes on while Emily is keeping her wordle streak going.

I gave this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I really want to give it a higher ranking because I like the concept so much (for me it's like looking in a mirror almost because I’m an Emily who is 27 and having a life crisis and loves wordle!). I just couldn’t get over how much John just didn’t add anything to the story. He was just so plain. I was reading the book and asking myself, “does he even like Emily?”. He got a little better as the book got along but it really dragged it down for me. That being said, I did like the book and if you also like wordle and a sweet romance story you should give it a try.

Having enjoyed playing Wordle form occasionally, I had high expectations going into this because the concept seemed fresh and intriguing. Sadly, I found this book to be a little underwhelming.

The romance didn't make me enjoy this book at all, and the plot was quite dull and rapidly became repetitive, so I was bored most of the time. The main characters lacked development and were quite irritating and immature. The character gave off the impression of being in high school rather than being in their 20s. I can't recall the last time I became so irritated with MCs!

I liked the Wordle part of the book. The way that MC sought to incorporate the word into her life made her fascination with it very humorous.

Overall, this book was just not for me.

This might be the best book of 2024!!!
A Five Letter Word for Love tells the story of Emily, a young woman who dreams of having a creative career but works as a receptionist in an auto-shop andJohn, a grumpy mechanic. As Emily explores different careers and learns more about herself, the readers embark in a wonderful story of passion, choices and living a fulfilling life.
I LOVED all of the side characters and how much joy and wisdom they brought to the book. I LOVED that John made choices for himself and Emily made choices for herself and each of them created a life that brought them happiness.
Every twenty-something year old should read this book - it is a fun romance but it is so much more! it is a story about making choices and sticking to them, it is about accepting that there are many wonderful lives you can live and you get the joy of picking one!

What I liked: As an avid fan, I loved the Wordle Puzzle aspect of the plot.

What I disliked: The story reads more as a coming of age story than a romance, as the main characters have no magnetism.

A Five-Letter Word for Love sounded super cute, and I loved the incorporation of Wordle, but I just didn't end up loving this one as much as I hoped.

Such a cute and heartwarming read! When I saw this book was set on Prince Edward Island, I knew I had to pick it up immediately. Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books, and the vibes of the main character and town in A Five-Letter Word for Love reminded me a lot of that book. Emily, a twenty-something girl struggling to find her place and achieve her dreams, was going through a lot of struggles I found so relatable. Self doubt, having a degree that has nothing to do with what career you want, struggling to keep in touch with uni friends, and just feeling lost about the direction of your life--the author really made these emotions come to life.The romance was cute, and the cast of side characters were funny and heartwarming at the same time.

Initially I was a bit skeptical about the inclusion of Wordle, but I ended up really liking the way it was tied into the plot and the romance! Overall an enjoyable read, but I think the writing was a little clunky at points(the explanations of Wordle, some of the descriptive language used), and that bumped this down to more of a three star read for me.

I was excited for this book based on the premise; I love wordle. Even if you’ve never played, it was a fun way to meet Emily and John, coworkers who don’t have much in common bonding over a puzzle each day. I loved the barrel museum setting and how going there on a whim tumbled Emily out of her rut and onto a new path, even if she wasn’t ready for it. As the town of Waldon opened up to us, I found myself wanting more depth to the characters. There was a lot of potential with the cast but they sometimes seemed flat and one dimensional. Emily was quirky and an idealist, almost to a fault. I doubted that she was 27, she read younger and so unsettled. She may have ended in a better place but I didn’t see much on-page growth so much as we were told she grew.
The ending of the book is what lost me. I don’t mind predictability in a romance book but I was disappointed by the hasty ending and resolution that we got with Emily and John.

I would read from this author again, especially if she veered toward literary fiction. At times, this novel was funny, sweet, and fun. Her writing really shone in the introspective moments and the friendship between Emily and Jim.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc!

I love the idea of this book, especially as a girl who spends a lot of the time playing wordle. Such a cute little romance book and incredibly grateful for this ARC, and it was definitely a good one, for my first one. Truly amazing experience and cannot wait for it to come out and people to read it!

I was excited to request and then get approved for this book, the premise sounded promising and I was excited to read how a Wordle game would bring two people together, and yet the execution fell flat. In beginning of the story, I could see the potential romance between the characters, but even then, it felt a little forced (I mean during their whole work relationship they don’t talk and after one game of wordle that they play together a switch is flipped and their relationship is different but there’s no lead up, no tension, no chemistry between the characters.) Even so there was still so much of the book to convince me that a romance between these two characters feels right, but by the end of it I wasn’t convinced. The connection of the two main leads gets lost and becomes forced. We really don’t know much about the male love interest we're just told that he’s the male lead so by default we should root for him. In the middle of the book the romantic arc of these two characters gets lost, with other storylines in the book getting center stage, by the end I was convinced that it was just a book where the female lead finds her purpose in life and that’s fine but just market it that way.

Solid 2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

A five letter word for love
by Amy James
3⭐️

I had really high hopes for this book because it sounded like such a cute plot. I do not like it when the narrator/character talks directly to the reader, it happened a little too much and came off as cringey and unnecessary. The whole book was literally all tell and no show. I wish it a lot of the conversations could’ve actually happened on pag. I was trying to keep myself open but from the very beginning I just didn’t like Emily. I don’t do wordle and I don’t know anything about it other than it’s popularity in the last few years so I was intrigued in a wordle focused romance but Emily’s attitude was just weird and condescending. It rubbed me the wrong way how shocked she was that John does wordle on hard mode and might be smart? I get what the author was going for because for me discovering a man reads is the hottest thing a man can do and discovering he likes romances is even better but the way it was written here was kinda gross. Her attitude and judgement towards people never actually changes, she says it does and she apologizes to John for her prejudices but I never get the feeling that actual change happens. For the most part I liked John but again I feel like we needed more time with him as a character because a lot of the book is just summaries of what happened. I really wish this could’ve been different because I was really excited for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for this gifted arc!

“A Five Letter Word for Love” is a romance book by Amy James. This book follows 27 year old Emily, who is living in a small town, yet she dreams of living in a busy, bustling city. She works at an auto repair shop, doesn’t have a lot of friends, and dreams about her “dream job,” which changes all the time. The one consistency in her life is doing the NYTimes Wordle puzzle daily. My thoughts about this book - I had a difficult time really believing that Emily was 27. Maybe it was the pure lack of direction she had for part of the book, but something about being that unsure of “what I want to be when I grow up” drove me a bit crazy. I know - at the age of 27 I didn’t know what I wanted to be long-term, but I studied, I read, I researched, and eventually made the job I wanted appear. Emily does do this, but there was a lot of pie in the sky dreaming. Now, however, for the most part I did like Emily - she had some rather out there ideas, but I think in real life she’d drive me a bit bonkers. I didn’t really see how her “university group” added much to the overall story - they were more absent friends than helping the plot move along. I did like her romantic interest, John. He’s quiet, he’s introverted, and he conserves his energy when it comes to doing things (conversing comes to mind). This book was a bit predictable (conflict at the 75% mark - check!) but I cannot say that I didn’t enjoy the book - I just didn’t *love* the book. However, a shout out to the adorable cover and Ms. James for building a story around Wordle. I think if you like sweet romance stories with a female lead who isn’t quite sure what she wants to be when she grows up - yet does figure it all out - this might be a book for you to explore. Overall, 3.5 stars.

Big thanks to @NetGalley and @AvonBooks for this delightful ARC! 📚💕

Amy James truly nailed it with this adorable story, blending humor, romance, and a whole lot of heart. 💖 It’s one of those fun, easy reads that had me giggling, swooning, and reflecting all at once!

Our girl Emily might not be the easiest to love at first—seriously, who disses car lovers like that? 🚗😅 But John, the sweet and steady hero, completely stole the show. His kindness? Absolute perfection. 🥺✨

This book is a gem for anyone who's ever felt a little lost or unsure of their path. Emily's journey is so relatable, and her sweet moments with the elderly? Just chef’s kiss.

If you’re looking for something that’s cute, wholesome, and full of warm fuzzies, this one’s for you! ❤️

It was a good book, not really for me though it does have a happy ending. Thank you for letting me read this book.

This book was like a warm hug! I loved it! I loved the town, the characters, the lessons learned. I also really related to the couple. Emily reminded me of myself, and John reminded me of my own husband John! They complemented each other well, helped gently identify areas for improvement, and supported each other. This should be a series! I want more.

3.5 stars rounded up. I devoured this debut novel and felt so many emotions: laughter, annoyance, frustration, sadness. It ticked almost all of my boxes. However, there were a few things that are keeping this rating lower.
1. Emily was condescending and so entitled at times that it was beyond frustrating.
2. The chemistry between both characters felt both rushed and slow in the same breath. The chemistry also wasn’t really there for me.
3. There was a lot of telling for descriptions instead of showing and it didn’t really allow the mind to wander and create its own scene.

Things I loved:
1. Wordle
2. Emily’s clients
3. Kiara
4. John. Sweet, quiet, John.

I will definitely read this book again once published.

As a romcom lover and someone who never misses out on completing the daily Wordle, I knew I had to read A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE! This was such a cute, creative premise for a story, and I was instantly excited to find out more. While I enjoyed following Emily's personal journey, I do feel like the book fell a little flat in terms of the romance. I think so many readers will be able to relate to Emily and her story—realizing you don't necessarily want a life that it feels like everyone else is living, discovering your true purpose and the things that bring you fulfillment, and just finding your footing in your 20s. So many aspects of what she went through definitely resonated with me! I also loved the quirky, sweet side characters and the Prince Edward Island setting, and wished we got even more descriptions of the town. However, I didn't connect to the romance between Emily and John as much, or fully see the chemistry between them. Overall, I think this book had so much potential, but felt like there could have been a bit more depth to certain areas! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

This was... fine. My absolute biggest gripe is two of the puzzles are done incorrectly. Which, when that's the hook line and sinker of the entire novel, maybe that shouldn't be the case! Hopefully it gets fixed before publication day. The romance was... fine. I didn't find Emily and John very nice together, personally. Also the narrator says 'like' a lot and I really needed her to just stop.

Empezó bien, pero conforme avanzaban los capítulos decayó la historia.



Emily trabaja como recepcionista en un taller mecánico, sin embargo, no le gusta su trabajo y está en la misión de encontrar la carrera de sus sueños. Hasta este punto lo estaba disfrutando porque podía simpatizar con su sentir, pero luego hizo un comentario que me hizo verla con otros ojos, dijo que John era un simple mecánico y que si el era feliz siendo eso, puesta bien por el, pero que ella quería ser más.

A lo largo del libro vemos como no disfruta de lo que tiene, siempre está pensando en lo que podría ser y envidiando a sus amigas de la universidad que tienen una buena vida.


Se aferra a que su sueño es ser curadora en uj museo, se gana una beca como pasante en NY y cuando está ahí descubre que no es feliz en ese lugar, que es "una chica de pueblo" y que debe regresar a su hogar. 🙄


Con el titulo uno pensaría que hay romance, pero este no tiene desarrollo, al terminar de leerlo sigo sin entender cuando se enamoraron o en que punto empeo a nacer el amor. Hay más participación y desarrollo de personajes que no aportan nada que John, el pobre es como un muñeco que está ahí cuando se necesita y ya.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy!

I think the best word to describe this book is "cute". The wordle involvement was both funny and cringey it made me giggle.

A mindless read but not very impactful.

I don't play wordle or crosswords, any of that- I overthink too much about it so when this book was available, I thought "what a cute idea". This was SO cute! I love a good debut novel.