What a creative, pretty unexpected premise in the romance world! I really enjoyed the idea that the two main characters bonded over working on Wordle daily. The entire story is set in a small town with quirky characters, which can sometimes get a little too saccharine, but not here. I appreciated the way that the side characters helped develop the stories of our two main characters.

Also, I deeply appreciate that it wasn't insta-love for the two. Their relationship developed at a pretty healthy pace and in a healthy way. I didn't feel that there was anything particularly unique about either main character - they both seemed to be just...normal people, making it through the world. (Maybe that's a selling point for you!)

Five letter word for this story: COMFY.

Definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an advance copy of this book.

2.75 stars//
Emily is feeling lost with no sense of direction as she continues her life as a receptionist in a small town in PEI. She constantly dreams of doing something bigger with her life and finding her purpose. The only thing she has going for her? A wordle streak that is close to 365 days. Through her passion for completing the daily puzzle, she starts to get closer to the grumpy, quiet mechanic at her job, John, and begins to find more connections on the island. Through her relationship with John, she begins to gain the courage to chase after the life she wants, a life she wishes to feel proud of with plenty of friendships and a job she feels she can do well. Following her passion for museum design and event planning, she applied to NYU for a degree in museum science and an internship at the MET. Soon enough, she'll have to decide what her definition of success is and how she should chase it.

This book was not the match for me as I was bored enough to where I was put into a reading slump. I did finish it months later, but I did struggle to get through it. This book being in first-person did not work for me and I was not a fan of the fourth wall between the reader and Emily being broken consistently. It felt like it was a ploy to try and get the reader to be more invested by having that relationship with the MC, but it just turned me off. Emily's personality is an acquired taste and for me, I was annoyed by it. Many of her choices as a character seemed out of character and just a way to keep the story going. John as the love interest had a good start, but even in the highest part of their relationship, it felt like there was barely anything to him past liking wordle and car racing. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of this book, I'm sure some people would like this as there are cute moments and some might have the same humor as the narrator.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

There were some things about the plot that I really enjoyed, but there were also a lot of things that fell short for me? I feel like this book gave me Wattpad in terms of the style of writing. I didn't really love the romance either, it sort of fell flat for me, but the one thing that shined through with this book is the idea of growing up and having these dreams when you're younger, but struggling with what you wanted when you were younger, but also coming to terms with what you want now, without feeling like a failure. I do wish there was more of a resolution with the conflict with her college friends. Overall, this book was okay, not my favorite. 3 or 2.75 stars.

A cute little romance set on Prince Edward Island, of Anne of Green Gables fame. While the concept was cute and overall it was a fun read, the dialogue and emotion felt flat overall.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars:

so like for the first 50% was rough, i really did not like how Emily (FMC) kept going on and on about how big dreams can be and so unhappy. like i genuinely did not like her and contemplating DNF.

i love wordle. i loved her strategy and the plot of her with John (MMC).

after 50% once the story picked up and then kind of focused on all the good that was surrounding her, it was easier and i was more motivated to read.

i’ll also add that the second half of the book made up for the first half.

thoughts:
-John is a good book boyfriend
- i love the old people in this book
- i did crack up a lot while reading this book
- some parts of the book were directed towards the reader which was an experience

What’s more niche, contemporary, and having a moment than Wordle, other than Pickleball? Emily, 27 and working as a receptionist at a car mechanic shop while aspiring to a more intellectual and lucrative career, is very focused on keeping her streak. The position leaves her with plenty of free time at work, and emotional bandwith after to take on projects like volunteering to check in on elderly neighbors in her touristy town of Prince Edward Island. When Emily’s car breaks down, John comes to the rescue, and she’s surprised to discover that the surly, hot, car mechanic is also into playing Wordle. They begin comparing tips over lunch break, and as she and John spend time together, at work, and not, they find more common ground.

In an effort to make the best of her situation: no boyfriend, a low-paying job, disconnect from the friends she can’t relate to, and career derailment, Emily takes on caretaking side work and contemplates that as a potential career change. She also begins volunteering at a the local musuem, which focuses on the town’s history of coopersmithing. She finds a way to make barrels exciting, but her evil supervisor takes the credit for all Emily’s ideas and successes, and even fires her to bring on paid workers to do the volunteer job. Emily applies for museum curation programs and is selected for a prestigious internship, but by the time this opportunity rolls around, she’s in a relationship and has forged other bonds and friendships in the small town community she was originally dismissive of.

The writing is very clever–James explains Wordle succinctly, and weaves it creatively through the story. Emily is smart and logical, and also uses Wordle as a daily horoscope of sorts, believing that it’s highly relevant to her life in a way John scoffs at. She uses her current situation or state of mind for her starting guess, and celebrates or groans when the solution feels spot on. Emily is compassionate, if a bit chaotic and spontaneous, but she’s complex; John’s character feels much more one-dimensional by comparison. She seems willing to give up everything to maintain a very new relationship, and the ending is neatly resolved. There is chemistry and passion, but profanity and intimate details are absent and off the page

Remniscience of Pickleballers with it’s obsessive attention to detail for a competitive passtime, A Five-Letter Word For Love inspired me to start a streak for the new year (so far, I got two days in a row, and then four, before missing an answer–my success rate is just over 80%).

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AFiveLetterWordForLove via #NetGalley, courtesy of #Avon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyage for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I found this to be a fun and easy read, more of a story of self discovery than romance. There was one error with a Wordle (her starting word was all gray but the correct answer had a letter from her first guess) but that's me being nitpicky.
Emily doesn't know what she wants from life, but she feels like her current place in a small town on Prince Edward Island isn't it. She wants more, but is uncertain what more looks like.
She bonds with a grouchy mechanic at her work over Wordle, and their daily breaks to play the game grow into friendship and then romance.
Meanwhile, she's trying to figure out the rest of her life.
I won't go into spoilers, but the conflict isn't that conflict-y, and since this is a romance you get the expected HEA.

I found Emily to be likeable, and her interactions with the locals to be fun and endearing. John was a little one-dimensional, but their dialog was snappy.
Overall I did very much enjoy this book. if 3.5 stars was an option, that's where I would land.

3 stars.

"A Five-Letter Word for Love" by Amy James is a goofy and over-the-top grumpy/sunshine romance centering on Wordle, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It's a relatively quick, very easy read that is sure to cleanse your palate. Emily and John are the total opposites of one another, but they are both prickly in their own ways. I understood Emily's issues probably more than I should admit. I think the quirkiness of their (eventual) romance is what kept me reading and not totally DNFing, but I can see why a lot of readers might take issue with some of the things that happen in this story. There are a few eyebrow-raising moments that could have ejected me from this ride expeditiously, but I think author Amy James recovered well from her stumbles. There is a little bit of a lack of chemistry between Emily and John early on, but again, the longer the story goes on, the more their chemistry becomes apparent. Actually, while writing this, I think I talked myself down a half of a star because Emily was willing to move heaven and earth for John and he definitely wouldn't have done the same for her??? I just went back and re-read some of the ending and I convinced myself to lower my rating, lol. Just be aware that this book HEAAAAAVILY focuses on Wordle, like, A LOT. Emily almost has several tantrums because she either can't get the word or forgets to do her daily puzzle. Again, a little quirky and odd, but it's ultimately harmless. Heck, I have a 1200+ day Duolingo streak going, and I certainly don't want to break that! Anywho, this book is fine, light, you could do worse.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy James, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm kind of amazed that there is now a book based around Wordle. While it was kind of fun to see it be part of the plot for a little bit, it got a little bit repetitive after awhile. This book was decent, nothing amazing and not bad at all. A perfect example of a 3 star book to me.

While there is a romance there it's not my favorite and this book really does focus more on Emily and what she wants to do with her life. So if you are looking for a romance book I don't know if I would pick this one.

This was such a cute and cheesy book! The fmc is an extroverted, upbeat (idealistic) person who is trying to find her dream job, not realizing that sometimes dream jobs are right in front of you (AND don't have to be overly grand or lofty). The whole book focuses on her obsession with the game "Wordle", as shown with the cute cover, and I found it fun and quirky. I really enjoyed the funny writing style, as if the character was talking to you. I felt like it brought me into the story more. Every now and then the fmc was frustrating with how judgy she could be, but I thought it also humanized her, so I was able to overlook that.

OH, I loved that the book is set in Prince Edward Islands and there were so many Anne of Green Gables references!!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Who would've thought that Wordle would become so popular that it inspired a romance? What a creative novel! I absolutely loved it. If you are a fan of wordle -- and romance, I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and ALC.

As a total word nerd who loves doing the NYT word games with my true love, I adored this sweet story. I defintely recommend it!

I didn’t really click with this book. The concept was super cool and I think it was a great idea but the execution just didn’t really match my tastes. The protagonist, and narrator of the story, annoyed me. It wasn’t that she was dislikable as much as it didn’t match my preferences. I think many people will love this story but I am not one of them. I never got into it and even once I did it fell short of my expectations and I never was fully invested in it.

A Five-Letter Word for Love is Amy James’s closed-door romantic comedy set on Prince Edward Island, Canada. It’s an opposites-attract, grumpy/sunshine story which prominently features the Wordle game. It’s told in first person POV.
27-year-old Emily is stuck in a rut. Although she has a degree in chemistry, she has only worked a series of temporary jobs, with her latest being a receptionist at a two-man auto repair shop. She dreams of doing something in a creative field in a large city like New York, but she is rejected for every position she applies for. Her best friends from college are all successful, and she realizes that she has nothing in common with them anymore. She still lives in her hometown on Prince Edward Island, Canada, but is renting a beautiful home while the owners are out of the country. Her only joy is talking to the elderly customers at the auto shop and solving the daily Wordle puzzle.
One night when her car breaks down, Emily is rescued by her irritating and taciturn co-worker, John. He arranges for a free tow for her car after he diagnoses that it needs a new battery. She’s obsessing about losing her 302-day winning streak on Wordle so he gives her some clues. That begins a tentative friendship between the two, and she starts to notice that he’s handsome when he isn’t wearing dirty coveralls.
Emily and John begin dating, and they slowly begin to rub off on each other’s personalities. Emily’s “hot mess” sunshine matures, and John becomes less grumpy with customers. He’s a cinnamon roll hero who patiently waits for Emily to realize that he’s “the one” for her. The side characters, especially the senior citizens, really add to the story. Every day there’s a long description of Emily solving the daily Wordle puzzle.
A Five-Letter Word for Love is an interesting concept romance for fans of the Wordle puzzle. Some readers will engage with the heroine, Emily, and identify with her “not meeting her high potential” character. Others may be like me, who just want to shake some sense into her. I will say that the author performed a dis-service to all Chemistry majors, because there is no way that Emily could have earned a degree in Chemistry and have the lack of knowledge that she did (what engineers do, car batteries, all things based on science, etc). A Five-Letter Word for Love contains no profanity or sex, so readers of all ages can enjoy this story.
I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Finding your footing in this chaotic world of life is the subject of A Five Letter Word for Love. We've always been told that we should know everything by the time we reach a certain age. that we ought to be living according to the precise plan we established for ourselves. But this isn't reality, for better or worse. it was crazy how many times I could identify with Emily's quest to discover her life's purpose. Her relationship with John was sweet, and I loved the trip we took with her!

This one really missed the mark for me. Emily and John's relationship felt rushed and lacked substance with very little character development.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! What a sweet, hilarious and unique Wordle Meet-Cute - great story and vibe!

This was a solid 3 star read for me! It was a great start to my 2025 reading year and I thought this was a fun debut novel for Amy James. Emily, our main character, came across as vapid and immature at times, however reading flawed characters makes them more relatable to me. Her relationship with John was a bit slow to start and I was not sure he was going to make a good book boyfriend but I was wrong! He was so sweet and caring and had me rooting for them to make things work. The story line revolved around Emily's long streak on Wordle and her trying to find her purpose in life. Overall this was an easy read that I found myself looking forward to read. I would recommend this book!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND AVON AND HARPER VOYAGER FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!

#AFiveLetterWordforLove #NetGalley

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's only January 5th and I can already tell this is going to be one of my top favorite reads of 2025.

As someone who loves word games, the cover of this book pulled me in immediately, and I found the title to be very clever.

The female main character was one of my favorite things about this book. I loved her bubbly nature, the way she would reframe negative thoughts and encourage herself to be better to herself and others, and the way she didn't get offended easily/kept trying even when things were hard.

The book was lighthearted, fun, and warm. I loved seeing what the new Wordle word would be each new day in the book, and was delighted by the connections these words had to the story.

I'm surprised at some of the other reviews as I thought for sure this would be a 5 star read for readers across the board. I am recommending it to the book club I'm in as our monthly read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this great book!