The L.O.V.E. Club - by Lio Min (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Three estranged high schoolers are pulled into a video game to pursue the disappearance of their friend"--

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

Praise for The L.O.V.E. Club

"The L.O.V.E. Club is a spellbinding journey through grief, friendship, and the power of memory, where the past refuses to stay buried. Blending gaming, heartache, and unraveling mysteries, Lio Min crafts a haunting, immersive odyssey through code and surreal environments--where the hardest boss to defeat is the past itself." --Aiden Thomas, bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

Min's story takes place inside a liminal space that's half video game, half fever dream, an irresistible setup that unfolds into a dark reckoning with buried secrets and scabbed over griefs, all written in tactile, glimmering prose. --Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series and Our Crooked Hearts

"A devastating and inventive novel that feels so specific and universal at the same time. The L.O.V.E. Club unpacks friendship and Asian-American trauma in the most surreal and breathtaking package of a video game--truly unlike anything I've ever read. The mystery at the heart of the book keeps the pages turning, but it's the four girls who hook into you and won't leave you long after you've finished reading." --Maurene Goo, author of Throwback

"The L.O.V.E. Club is a beautifully written novel that will leave you with stars in your eyes and tenderness in your heart. Nostalgia personified meets generational curse in this story and no one nails this dangerous mix better than Min. Their ability to cut you to ribbons while lovingly stitching you back together in the same tale is what truly sets them apart." --Vincent Tirado, author of Burn Down, Rise Up

The L.O.V.E. Club is a hauntingly beautiful story about love, loss, and friendship. Min's fantastical worlds continue to impress. --Laura Gao, author of Kirby's Lessons for Falling (In Love) and Messy Roots

"Imagine a story that combines mystery, horror, sci-fi, teen angst, gaming, botany, and some of the most stunningly mind-bending visuals this side of a Miyazaki film, grounded in the emotional truth and observational powers of a poet. Only Lio Min could pull this off." --Sean McGinty, author of Rainbow in the Dark

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.