The L.O.V.E. Club

The L.O.V.E. ClubFrom the acclaimed author of Beating Heart Baby, an immersive novel following three estranged high schoolers who are pulled into a video game to pursue the disappearance of their friend Three years ago, Elle (the "E" in the self proclaimed L. O. V. E. Club) disappeared from Calendula, an affluent Chinese American suburb in inland California. Soon afterward, Liberty and Vera ("L" and "V") moved away, leaving O alone with her grief, abandonment, and

From the acclaimed author of Beating Heart Baby, an immersive novel following three estranged high schoolers who are pulled into a video game to pursue the disappearance of their friend

Three years ago, Elle (the "E" in the self-proclaimed L.O.V.E. Club) disappeared from Calendula, an affluent Chinese American suburb in inland California. Soon afterward, Liberty and Vera ("L" and "V") moved away, leaving O alone with her grief, abandonment, and confusion. . . until Liberty and Vera return for their senior year of high school.

Though the L.O.V.E. Club's three remaining members once bonded as outcasts and gamers, they can't pick up the pieces of their friendship. But the girls are drawn back to their old clubhouse, where they discover, loaded for them to play, a new game created by none other than the missing Elle.

One click, and Liberty, Vera, and O are ported into Morning Glory, an ever-evolving botanical fantasy coded with their lived experiences, complicated history, and repressed insecurities. Unbeknownst to the others, O can't remember the events surrounding Elle's disappearance--but within the game, Elle has sent O a cryptic hint about Morning Glory's real nature.

While Liberty and Vera defeat increasingly sinister bosses, O grapples with the secret knowledge that her deepest wish, to reunite with Elle, might just come true. But as the girls progress through Morning Glory, O begins to wonder how well she actually knew any of her former best friends and if she's ready to confront the hard truths--and dangerous revelations--about Elle in her returning memories.

Author: Lio Min
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 08/05/2025
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.42h x 5.72w x 1.23d
ISBN: 9781250359827
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/19/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025
School Library Journal 08/01/2025 pg. 84
Booklist 08/01/2025
Shelf Awareness 08/09/2025

About the Author
Lio Min is the acclaimed author of Beating Heart Baby, a longtime music reporter, a MacDowell fellow, and a fullmetal optimist. The L.O.V.E. Club is their second novel. Min lives in Oakland, California, and writes toward the future.