Natalie Portman Just Chose This Popular Novel for Her November Book Club Pick
The college love story has everyone talking
Key Takeaways
- Natalie Portman’s November Natalie’s Book Club pick is Lily King’s ‘Heart the Lover.’
- 'Heart the Lover,' published in 2025, is a companion to King’s ‘Writers & Lovers.’
- Julianne Moore commented on Portman’s post, saying, ‘I love that book.’
Actress, producer, director and mother Natalie Portman is opening up about what’s on her bookshelf. In a new Instagram post, the Star Wars star revealed the book she’s reading and loving right now—she’s enjoying it so much she even named it her November book club pick. To learn more about which book Portman picked, keep scrolling!
First, what is Natalie Portman’s bookclub?
Portman’s book club is called Natalie’s “Nat’s” Book Club. It was founded in 2019, and her first selection was Virginia Woolf’s 1931 novel The Waves. Since then, the actress as chosen dozens of titles from a variety of genres. Some standouts include Normal People by Sally Rooney in February 2020, Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker in June 2022, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner in March 2023, Trust by Hernan Diaz in November 2023. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar in February 2023, Heartburn by Nora Ephron in March 2023 and Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala Yousafzai in December 2025.
“I believe that reading books is one of the first ways we start practicing empathy. We feel for characters in stories as we might for ourselves or our own friends. Whenever we imagine someone else’s life—their hopes and fears, their feelings and thoughts—we are practicing empathy,” Portman wrote in a letter to her book club members on the club’s website. “I try to find books that deepen our understanding of ourselves and of the world around us. Seeing yourself reflected in characters can be just as eye opening as empathizing with a character who you might not readily identify with. At the same time, I also believe nonfiction has an important role in shaping our culture and thinking. Thank you for being here and for reading along with me.”
What is Natalie Portman’s November book club pick?
On Monday, November 2, Portman announced Lily King’s award-winning 2025 novel Heart the Lover as her November 2026 book club pick. The plot follows a female stuend in her senior year of college, after she befriends star students Sam and Yash, who nickname her Jordan. Their friendship soon turns into something more. Decades later, the narrator is living a seemingly perfect life with her husband and children—until an unexpected visitor forces her to confront her past. It’s a gorgeous novel of love and friendship that serves as the prequel to King’s 2020 novel Writers & Lovers, which was A Read with Jenna pick.
“For November’s book club pick, I’m reading Heart the Lover by Lily King,” Portman wrote on Instagram. “The novel follows a young aspiring writer in her last year of college who becomes close with two longtime friends, a connection that shapes the years that follow. Join me in reading this month’s pick and thank you Pippa for the recommendation!”
Following the announcement, several celebrities took to Portman’s comments to share their thoughts on the book. This included Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore, who wrote, “I love that book.”
Readers react to ‘Heart the Lover’
Ever since Heart the Lover published last year, readers everywhere have raved about the book.
One called the novel “a masterpiece.”
“I started and finished this in one day because I just needed to know how it ended!!” they added. “This was my first Lily King novel and will definitely not be my last because the emotional rollercoaster of these characters and their relationships was so well done. I was a blubbering mess by the end and when a book can evoke that kind of emotion out of me. Five stars.”
Another said the book “should come with warnings.”
“It started off so tame, I wasn’t sure if it’d be to my liking, and then suddenly I was swallowed up: consumed, only to be spat out in tears by the end,” they continued. “How can so much be packed into just 250 pages? The language is so simple, the reader feels like they’re having a conversation, or reading a journal, perhaps this is what makes the emotional impact so much more forceful when it hits. Any literary fiction lover will love this.”
You can pick up your copy of Heart the Lover by Lily King wherever books are sold.
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