Writers & Lovers by Lily King was a bookstagram fave that I missed when it first came out. I’m glad I went back to it - I really liked it! It combines a bunch of things I love: a restaurant setting, the time before cell phones, the northeast US, a writer close to my age as the main character, grief, art, & complicated relationships.

Casey, our main character, has recently returned to Cambridge, MA, living in basically a backyard shack, working on her novel in the morning and at a restaurant at night. She’s reeling from the recent loss of her mother, the unexpected end of an all-consuming relationship, and overwhelming student debt. Still, she searches for meaning. She’s not afraid to feel her grief. She cries freely, and she finds beauty in small moments, like in the geese she passes in the park. She doesn’t take her time for granted - she works on her novel when exhausted, and though she’s afraid of failure and disappointment, she doesn’t stop hoping. She is drawn to two polar opposite men - Silas, a brooding young writer with whom she has a strong physical connection, and Oscar, a widower, a charming father of two boys, also a writer and seemingly more adult.

I thought this novel was really tender and beautiful. I found Casey’s self-doubt to be completely relatable, and her journey through intense fresh grief was raw and powerful. I can see why so many have loved this book. If you are a fan of Sweetbitter or Sally Rooney, I highly recommend it for sad girl autumn.