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A Novel
by Jessica George
Friendship is the love story you can count on.
Remy is lucky. Her debut novel, based on her three best friends, became an instant bestseller when it was released, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But just as Remy's creative inspiration seems to leave her, so too do her friends: one moves to New York, one gets pregnant, and one gets back together with her (awful) boyfriend. After an ill-advised one-night stand complicates matters further, Remy is left deeply alone―and unable to find her next book idea.
Simone is successful. A Kindergarten teacher with a passion for kids, and a well-paying side hustle that affords her all the material comforts she desires, Simone doesn't have time for a robust social life. All she needs is her close-knit family―but after the true nature of her work is revealed, they cut her off, and she realizes for the first time just how isolated she is.
When Simone and Remy bump into each other (literally) in a bookstore, it isn't exactly soulmates at first sight. Simone is guarded and prickly, Remy is insecure and heartbroken, and each woman is harboring a secret. And yet they might just be the missing piece the other has been searching for―if only they can let each other in.
Can Simone help Remy make one of the most important decisions of her life―and can Remy help Simone recover all that she's lost? In Jessica George's heartwarming, funny, and soulful second novel, she explores the restorative nature of female friendship and the life-changing power of platonic love.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/28/2026)
I just finished "Love By the Book" by Jessica George, which turned out to be rather different than I expected–and I mean that in a positive way since I was expecting a light rom-com but it centered on the changing nature of female friendships as we get older (altho they were in their early 30's, ...
-Carol_Ann_Robb
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/30/2026)
Love by the Book by Jessica George (ARC). I loved Maame and so far am enjoying this one. Lots of characters so trying to keep them sorted but the concept is timely for me as I've decid...
-Evonne_Benedict
What are you reading this week? (3/20/2025)
I just finished Maame by Jessica George for an online book club. Loved the main character and her story!
-Evonne_Benedict
"George has crafted a story here in which friendship is just as important, if not more so, than romantic or sexual partnership...[and] writes with an uncommon degree of care and nuance about complicated topics. In a sea of romances, this novel stands out for asserting that friendship can be a love story, too. A beautiful and all-too-rare look at the importance of platonic love." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A fresh perspective on female friendship." —Publishers Weekly
"Love by the Book reads like a rom com for platonic friendship. After Maame, Jessica George brings us another fresh look at young women's lives. Love by the Book offers a charming and nuanced take on contemporary friendships, putting the spotlight on the value of different kinds of love in people's lives. A celebration of women's friendships and families, in various configurations." ―Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"Friendships are often the central relationships of our lives; why are they usually treated as storyline B in novels? Not in this transporting new novel by Jessica George. As enveloping, soul-filling and moreish as an evening with a friend, Love by the Book challenges us to take a closer look at adult friendship and platonic love. As is true with the best friend-dates, I couldn't wait for evening to come so I could hang out with Remy and Simone (and especially with Remy's mom). This novel might just inspire you to put yourself out there and ask a new friend out to dinner." ―Emma Knight, bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
This information about Love by the Book was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jessica George is the New York Times bestselling author of Maame. She was born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents and studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield.
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