Best Relationship Books: The 20 Best Books on Love and Lust

Looking for the best relationship books ever written?

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Love Is Hard

I still remember walking into the kitchen, aged 14, and announcing to my mum that I was pretty sure that nobody would ever love me. I was disconsolate. No matter what she said, I knew the truth. I was destined to go through life alone.

Silly, right? 😅

And yet this moment of crushing insecurity was probably the least alone I’ve ever been.

Because we’ve all been there with 14-year-old Arthur, haven’t we?

We all know what it feels like to wonder if we’ll ever find what the whole world is looking for; if we’ll ever truly penetrate the secret machinations of love.

It’s a complicated subject. And it doesn’t help that we only have one word to describe a HUGE range and depth of attachments.

You’re Not Alone!

But the good news is, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Because if there’s one passion I never realised would so impact the way I think, feel and go about lust, love and relationships it’s been my life-long love-affair with books.

From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, from the sad to the wise to the scintillating there is almost no part of the wonderful world of love and partnership that hasn’t been beautifully captured in writing.

This reading list focusses on the best practical, nonfiction in that canon.

So here they are, the 16 best relationships books that everyone should read.

I hope you enjoy them, I hope they inspire you and (if you haven’t found them already) I hope the best friend and partner out there looking for you has the good fortune of finding you soon.

And until next time, be awesome, love yourself and go well. 🙌

(P.s., You might also like these book recommendations on the best books on emotional intelligence and the best books on communication.)

The 20 Best Relationship Books Ever Written

Why these best relationship books and not others? The best relationship books below are the top picks from my master database, ranked by a combination of Goodreads rating, the number of Goodreads reviews and first publication date. The goal is to give a good balance of what’s most loved, what’s most popular and what’s delivered timelessly relevant advice.

Where should you start? Treat this list of the best relationship books ever written like a menu. Start at the top, work your way down and begin with the first couple of titles that jump out at you. Remember, you can always come back for more later.

Think something’s missing? Leave a comment or email me and I’ll add it to the next round of updates. I honestly love hearing from you so please, do get in touch!

Books 1-5: The Top 5 Best Relationship Books of All Time

Here are the 10 best relationship books from my database…

1. The 5 Love Languages – Gary Chapman (FREE Summary)

The Secret to Love that Lasts

A concise, actionable and time-tested guide to letting others know they are loved and feeling loved and appreciated in return – by best-selling author, pastor and marriage counsellor, Gary Chapman.

Published 1990 // 209 pages // Rated 4.3 over 334,400 reviews on Goodreads

2. The Mastery of Love – Miguel Ruiz (FREE Summary)

A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship

A beautiful, poetic and easy-to-read self-help book that illuminates the false and unnecessarily dramatic lives we lead, filled with fear and self-rejection, and how to wake up to our own inner power so that we can learn to love others and ourselves — by Toltec Nagual and best selling author, Don Miguel Ruiz.

Published 1999 // 240 pages // Rated 4.2 over 42,100 reviews on Goodreads

3. Codependent No More – Melody Beattie

How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

Published 1986 // 276 pages // Rated 4.1 over 31,200 reviews on Goodreads

4. The Symposium – Plato

Published -385 // 131 pages // Rated 4.1 over 47,400 reviews on Goodreads

5. Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs

The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

Published 2004 // 336 pages // Rated 4.2 over 48,500 reviews on Goodreads

Books 6-20: 15 Good Relationship Books to Read Next

Here are the next 15 best relationship books from my database…

Best Relationship Book FAQs

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Arthur Worsley
I founded TAoL to discover and share the best wisdom on how to live long and prosper. Before that I studied Psychology, Philosophy & Physiology at Oxford and consulted at McKinsey. Still curious? Learn more or take my FREE productivity quiz.