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

Blog > Book Recommendations > Love & Partnership

by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.

Looking for the best relationship books of all time?

You're in the right place!

Here's what you'll find on this page...

Looking for the best relationship books ever written?

You’re in the right place!

Here’s what you’ll find on this page…

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, communication and sex.)

The 20 Best Relationship Books Ever Written

Why these best relationship books and not others? To stay objective, I rank all my book recommendations by what’s most loved (Goodreads rating), what’s most popular (Goodreads review count) and what’s proven timelessly relevant (first publication date).

This isn’t a whimsical list. It’s a data-driven, crowdsourced collection of the best relationship books ever published as decided by book lovers just like you. (Note: To maximise diversity, I only include the top ranking book from any series in a list.)

And if you think something's missing? I LOVE book recommendations so if there are any other best relationship books that you think deserve mentioning, email me and I’ll be sure to include them in the next round of updates.

Until then, enjoy this ultimate list of the 20 best relationship books of all time...

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

The top 5 best relationship books of all time are...

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

The Secret to Love that Lasts

The 5 Love Languages is 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 // 232 pages // Rated 4.3 over 374,000 reviews on Goodreads

2. The Language of Letting Go - Melody Beattie

Daily Meditations on Codependency

A restorative collection of daily meditations for those who struggle to let go of their codependent tendencies — by self-help author and codependent, addiction, and recovery expert Melody Beattie. This book provides rejuvenating inspiration and motivation that reminds us to own our responsibility of self-care — perhaps one of the most important components of breaking codependency.

Published 1990 // 408 pages // Rated 4.3 over 7,600 reviews on Goodreads

3. Boundaries - Henry Cloud

When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life

Boundaries is a landmark book that has helped over 4 million people understand boundaries, where they are lacking in setting them, and how to confidently establish them. — by New York Times bestselling American Christian self-help author Dr. Henry Cloud. If you’re exhausted from doing everything for everyone and need help breaking the loop, this book is for you.

Published 1992 // 314 pages // Rated 4.2 over 66,800 reviews on Goodreads

4. The Mastery of Love - Miguel Ruiz (FREE Summary)

A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship

The Mastery of Love is 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 4.3 over 46,300 reviews on Goodreads

5. The Symposium - Plato

Published -385 // 131 pages // Rated 4.1 over 55,900 reviews on Goodreads

Books 6-20: The Best Relationship Books to Read Next

Here are the next best relationship books from my database...

More Book Recommendations

Enjoyed this list of the best relationship books of all time?

You'll also like TAoL's other book recommendations...

More Best Books of All Time (by Type)

These are some lists of overall best books to read...

More Best Nonfiction Books (by Topic)

These are some lists of best nonfiction books to read...

More Best Fiction Books (by Genre)

These are some lists of best fiction books to read...

Or, you can read all my book recommendations.

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