Heart The Lover by Lily King

 

She meets them in a college class when the professor picks her essay to read.  Sam and Yash are best friends and living in a professor's house this senior year while he is on sabbatical.  Sam asks her out and she accepts although the first date is awkward.  It gets better when Yash comes home with his engaging extroverted personality.  Soon she is a regular with Sam but spending most of her time at the house, meeting all their friends and playing cards.  The crew nicknames her Jordan and that is how she is known for the rest of her time at university

When she and Sam break up, she and Yash admit their attraction.  Both feel that being together would be unfair to Sam but the attraction is more than they can resist.  When Sam finds out, there is a schism and Yash hangs with one or the other but it puts a strain on him.  He and Jordan plan to move to New York after graduation but Yash is still torn.  

Jumping forward, the three don't see each other for years.  By the time Yash asks if he can stop by on his way to see other friends, Jordan has been married for years and has two boys.  She and Yash part as friends but both are keeping secrets.  Will there be a time when all the truth comes out?

Lily King is an American author who writes about the twists and turns of relationships.  Her books have won many awards and I expect the same will be true about this one.  I loved this novel and I'm sure it will be one of my favorites for the year.  She captures the truth about first loves, college friendships and how our choices in our youth influence our entire life.  The ending will both break your heart and give the reader hope for life.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.