Reading lists

Books to help you be better at love

Love can be a labyrinth of clichés and conflicting advice, but there are wise experts out there – whether you’re in a relationship, out of it, or just looking to understand yourself better.

A flatlay of books about love on a pink background
Recipes for romance. Image: Flynn Shore/Penguin

Every year Valentine’s Day rolls around, inevitably prompting us to reflect on the state of our love lives. Perhaps you’re being whisked away on a romantic retreat with your beau, perhaps you’ve forgotten about it entirely, perhaps you’re nursing a heartbreak, or perhaps you're celebrating being single.

While pink hearts and date nights take over the Western world on 14th February, checking in with your hopes, priorities, and contentment in relationships is a lifelong commitment – and rarely something that can be helped by the closing scenes of a rom-com.

With that in mind, here is a list of brilliant, insightful and inspiring books that can help you to better understand what you need from – and what you bring to – the romantic relationships in your life.

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