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WORK TITLE: A Five-Letter Word for Love
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WEBSITE: https://amyjamesbooks.com/
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COUNTRY: Canada
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PERSONAL
Married.
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CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Amy James is a romance and fantasy writer. She writes from her home on Canada’s East Coast. In her novels, James wrote about an unlikely couple falling in love in A Five-Letter Word for Love and a Formula 1 driver coming out of the closet after his boyfriend is badly injured in Crash Test.
A Five-Letter Word for Love is James’s debut romance novel. Emily Evans works as a receptionist for an automotive store in a small town on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. She does not really know what she wants in life but is constantly planning something more that she could do in a bigger city. She does enjoy playing the game Wordle and commits to it religiously so as not to lose her 300-day winning streak. When cute but indifferent mechanic John Smith helps her keep her streak, she realizes that they are both Wordle enthusiasts. The two start dating while bonding over Wordle. Emily realizes that they had more in common than she realized. Both are able to overcome their preconceived notions of the other. Emily is awarded a highly competitive internship in New York City, forcing her to choose between her plans to move on to something bigger and better in life or staying with the man she fell in love with.
Writing in Library Journal, Migdalia Jimenez pointed out that various themes “are explored thoughtfully in this romance.” Jimenez concluded that “this heartfelt novel will surely garner an enthusiastic following for debut author James.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor mentioned that “strong supporting characters, including some elderly neighbors Emily befriends and cares for, add tenderness to the narrative.” The same critic stated: “Wordplay and romance collide in this charming debut.”
A contributor to Harlequin Junkie shared: “I just adored the friendships Emily made with local elderly neighbors in her teeny town of Waldon.” The same contributor wrote about the protagonists, opining: “I’m sure Emily and John probably won’t win everyone over. Emily could be a bit wishy-washy when it came to her future…. And John was a gruff & grumbly car mechanic, a man of few words…. But I did enjoy them both. And John and Emily made an opposites-attract pair that worked.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2024, review of A Five-Letter Word for Love.
Library Journal, October 1, 2024, Migdalia Jimenez, review of A Five-Letter Word for Love, p. 104.
ONLINE
Amy James website, https://amyjamesbooks.com (February 14, 2025).
Harlequin Junkie, https://harlequinjunkie.com/ (December 20th, 2024), review of A Five-Letter Word for Love.
Amy James is a romance and fantasy writer who lives with her husband and dog on the east coast of Canada. Her debut novel, A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE, about an unlikely couple who fall in love over the New York Times Wordle, comes out from Avon Books in December 2024. Her second novel, CRASH TEST, about a Formula 1 driver whose secret boyfriend is involved in a major crash, comes out from Avon Books in 2025.
James, Amy A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $18.99 12, 3 ISBN: 9780063399013
Two co-workers with seemingly nothing in common find themselves bonding over Wordle.
Emily Evans has never known what she wants to do with her life. She'd like to find her dream job, something that will pay the bills and allow her to follow her greatest passion--but she doesn't seem to know what that passion is. In the meantime, she's making ends meet by working as a receptionist at an auto repair shop, considering a move to the big city while stuck in her small town on Prince Edward Island. The only bright spot in her day is playing theNew York Times' Wordle, on which she currently holds a streak of more than 300 days. Hoping to make it a full year without a single miss, she reaches a point of desperation one day when she finds herself stuck on the answer with only a single guess left. Asking her stoic, introverted coworker John Smith for help is a last resort, and she's surprised to discover that someone she thought she didn't have anything in common with is also a regular Wordle player. As Emily bonds with John over their shared hobby, she gradually gets to know the man she previously wrote off as standoffish and apathetic, while he starts to rethink his preconceived notions about her in return. James' debut is a sweet small-town romance that revolves around Emily's journey of self-discovery and personal improvement. Given that the book is told solely from Emily's first-person perspective, it's she who gains the most depth, with John an intermittent and inscrutable presence at first, before slowly becoming more dimensional over time. Strong supporting characters, including some elderly neighbors Emily befriends and cares for, add tenderness to the narrative. At the core of the book, however, lies Emily's efforts to better understand herself and what she truly wants.
Wordplay and romance collide in this charming debut.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"James, Amy: A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883697/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0ca180e7. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
James, Amy. A Five-Letter Word for Love. Avon. Dec. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780063399013. pap. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
DEBUT Emily aspires to a life beyond her role as a receptionist at a small-town auto shop on Prince Edward Island. While she plots her future, she plays Wordle every day, trying not to lose her streak. When she discovers that her coworker John, a cute mechanic who's always ignored her, also enjoys the game, they slowly but surely become friends. Soon Emily and John start to date, and she begins to make ties to the community. But when she gets accepted into a prestigious internship in New York City, she has to decide whether to pursue her long-held ambitions or remain in the town she has come to love, alongside the man who has captured her heart. What starts off as a novel with a fun premise transforms into a richly told story about a young woman trying to find her place in the world and defining her own happiness. Themes of growing up and growing older, personal growth, friendships, and career choices are explored thoughtfully in this romance that's a cozy read in every sense of the word. VERDICT This heartfelt novel will surely garner an enthusiastic following for debut author James.--Migdalia Jimenez
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Jimenez, Migdalia. "James, Amy. A Five-Letter Word for Love." Library Journal, vol. 149, no. 10, Oct. 2024, p. 104. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813629175/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b15ac837. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
REVIEW: A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James
Posted December 20th, 2024 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Contemporary Romance, Review / 6 comments
HJ_Recommends
In A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James, Emily Evans figured that by the age of twenty-seven she would have her dream job (she’s still figuring out what that is) and she’d be living in some exciting metropolitan-type locale (not a tiny town on Prince Edward Island). But she has a roof over her head. She has a receptionist job at a local car repair shop. And Emily has a fun and brain boosting hobby: Wordle. Her winning streak is up to just over three-hundred-days with a goal of a full year, which she intends to accomplish. It’s when she’s in danger of not completing one of the daily puzzles in time that Emily unexpectedly gets an assist from her often-grumpy coworker, John. A man who typically uses monosyllables to answer any question thrown at him.
‘I stare at him again, my brain glitching like it did last night. Not only does John do Wordle, he does it on hard mode? Nope. Does not compute.’
To say that Emily is shocked and delighted to have a new Wordle buddy is an understatement. And as she ever so slowly gets to know John a little better, she’s even more surprised to find out he’s not only a sexy talented mechanic but has ambitions and dreams of his own yet to achieve. As their relationship changes into something of a romantic nature, Emily is still wondering if there is more than being a receptionist out there for her. It might seem silly to some for her to take a chance when she’s just now settling comfortably into life in Waldon. But is there more she’s supposed to do with her life? And if so, will John want to be a part of that future, too?
‘I don’t want wealth and status, I want happiness and purpose.’
A sweet and quirky heroine made Amy James’ debut romance, A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE, a pleasure to read–as did the delightful cast of found family and the gorgeous Prince Edward Island setting.
‘It’s my job to build a life that makes me happy. So can I do that in Waldon, or not?’
There were a whole lot of laughs, smiles, and satisfied sighs happening as I flew through A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE. Even if you’re not a fan of the game, I think the whole premise of how Emily began to finally understand and eventually fall for her coworker John over their daily Wordle habit will still work for most readers. I had to chuckle with Emily’s serious-but-not-serious joking about the answers linking to her real life after some of the words seemed to predict what would happen next. But Amy James had a great idea to bring Emily and John together. And it seemed both relatable and realistic for coworkers to bond over something like a game, finding that common ground so they could open up and get to know each other.
Now, I’m sure Emily and John probably won’t win everyone over. Emily could be a bit wishy-washy when it came to her future as she searched for her ‘dream job’, which really felt like she feared missing out on every single thing she might potentially like to do. And John was a gruff & grumbly car mechanic, a man of few words, who did end up having more depth than I thought at first. But I did enjoy them both. And John and Emily made an opposites-attract pair that worked, as she made him laugh with her silly chatter and he looked out for her at every turn.
Then there was the sentimental aspect. I just adored the friendships Emily made with local elderly neighbors in her teeny town of Waldon. She became a caregiver of sorts for them, assisting with household chores and errands, but it was the conversations they shared that will warm your heart. Emily brought some light into their rather lonely lives along with the care she provided. And the way everything came to a close at the story’s end will be sure to have readers misty-eyed but ultimately happy.
QOTD: A local barrel-making museum played a big role in Emily’s life. Have you been to any offbeat or unusual museums you enjoyed?
Book Info:
Publication: Published: December 3rd, 2024 | Avon |
A heartwarming and humorous romance in which an unlikely couple fall in love over Wordle.
Twenty-seven-year-old Emily doesn’t have a lot going well in her life right now. She dreams of a creative career but works as a receptionist in an auto shop. She longs for big city life but lives in a small town on Prince Edward Island. She craves a close group of friends but is stuck with irritating, car-obsessed coworkers.
What Emily does have is a 300+ day streak on the New York Times Wordle. But one day, with only one guess left and no clue what the answer is, she’s forced to turn to one of her irritating, car-obsessed coworkers, John, for help—and in doing so, realizes that he might not be so irritating after all.
As they make their way, word by word, toward a 365-day streak, Emily is drawn into a surprising romance that will take her outside of her comfort zone—and challenge everything she thought she knew about happiness, success, and love.