10 Best Books About Love and Relationships UK 2023 | The School of Life, Deepak Chopra and More

We love this book because it is jam-packed with activities that can help make your relationship stronger. The School of Life is an organisation with the sole aim of providing the emotional education few of us receive as youngsters, and its approach to love is realistic and frank. 

In this book you'll find a kind of honesty and openness about relationships that you might not even share with your friends; the language is straightforward and colloquial, quite different from typical relationship guides. You'll find pledges to sign with your partner, tables to fill out which allow analysis of your relationship, and quizzes to answer together for deeper understanding.  

Understanding how you and your partner like to give and receive love unlocks immeasurable new ways in which you can communicate. Are you a gift-giver or do you perform acts of service? Is it words you need to hear or is time spent together what you crave in love? This book explains how we each feel love differently and why.

More than 11 million copies of this book have been sold around the world, and we can understand why. It de-mystifies the misunderstandings and confusion around love and clarifies the methods we can use to read our partner's love messaging and give them what they need. 

This fascinating book has been blowing the minds of heartbroken lovers everywhere for the last ten years and has recently seen a re-release due to a sudden surge in popularity. It carefully explains the three main attachment styles and why they do and don't work in love.

You'll learn through quizzes and questions what your typical attachment style is, and why you may feel stifled or rejected more than others when it comes to love. Packed with tips for understanding the attachment-rooted behaviours in ourselves and others, this book could revolutionise the way you approach love or even your current partner. 

Deepak Chopra is world-famous for his accessible approach to spirituality and this book looks specifically at self-love as a basis for solid relationships. It posits that bringing a spiritual element to our lives will make our day-to-day interactions more fulfilling and that coming to romance from a spiritual standpoint will enhance our experience overall. 

This book is full of wisdom but also includes ideas for lists to make and questions to discuss with our spouse or partner in order to know ourselves and each other on a deeper level. The overall effect of this book is to release cares, anxiety and ego-driven decision making which can cut off the potential joys of love. The key lesson here is that by loving ourselves, we can better love others; it's a timeless keeper of a book!

Michael Todd found fame with his powerful online sermons, where he preaches Christian values through a very current framework. His book is upbeat, joyful and hopeful when it comes to dating, sex and marriage. Whether or not you're au fait with Bible verses or even in touch with your spiritual side, this guy's energy and optimism about love is infectious.

There are chapters exploring the author's personal experiences of love and heartbreak, ideas on family and the bonds that connect us, ways to keep marriages strong and much more. You might even want to splash out for the accompanying study guide which encourages readers to journal, reflect and pray on topics affecting them around love. A fun read no matter your religion.

This book explores the dynamics of partners who are drawn towards 'fixing' others, whether that's alcoholics, addicts, or anyone lost in a damaging cycle that spirals out into their loving relationships. Packed with real-life examples, this book is informative without being overwhelming.

Encouraging co-dependent readers to focus on their own development rather than devoting their life to dealing with the unhealthy behaviours of their partner, this book is freeing and empowering no matter your typical patterns in love. A unique perspective on why we love addicts.  

Esther Perel is a master at the art of desire. She has worked with hundreds of couples to re-ignite passion even after years of marriage. This book explores the reasons why thrill naturally fades in long-term relationships and how we can preserve lust using simple changes. 

Described as 'the monogomist's essential bedside read' this book promotes the joys of a playful approach, teaching its readers how to build their 'erotic intelligence' so that desire and fun become second nature, rather than a chore. Warmly written and packed with unique advice. 

This book looks at the habits we can adopt in relationships and the small gestures and phrases we can employ to extinguish the early flames of conflict before they explode into wildfires. It encourages readers to see their partner as without fault (!) and coaches us through a brain transformation; from a 'warring' approach to a more understanding and loving one. 

We think this is an ideal read for anyone who knows the love they share with a partner is worth investing in, but finds minor conflicts can develop and notices miscommunications causing bigger problems than they need to. A very quick read, packed with genuinely actionable tips!

We adore Chidera Eggerue and this book is another quick and inspiring read from her that we think you'll love. Looking at the reasons we stay in toxic, painful or mediocre relationships, Chidera explains why she believes the relationship with ourselves is paramount when looking for lasting love.

Speaking from personal experience, she encourages self-reflection and high-standard-setting; interweaving her own learnings about attachment theory and the five love languages. This book is aimed specifically at cis-het women so might not appeal to all readers, but we feel the lessons are applicable to people of any gender and sexuality suffering from heartache.

This book takes the form of a novel; examining an everyday relationship which blossoms from love into marriage. With his trademark frankness and realism, Alain de Botton examines each stage of this love story from a psychologist's standpoint, explaining why we behave the way we do.

At times painful and certainly a far cry from the fairytale many of us were raised on, this book looks at how we can patch up romance after a betrayal, why having less sex isn't a disaster and how parenting affects relationship dynamics. It's a little depressing at times, but reassures us that misshapen marriages are anything but unusual.