Out of Love: A Novel

One of E! News' 13 Books to Read This September | One of Bookish's Debuts to Read in the Second Half of 2021 | One of Medium's Best Releases Out Today 

“Hazel Hayes writes with such honesty and casual confidence and flowing dialogue, you feel you are overhearing it rather than reading it. The writing sparkles with wit and a poignant emotional reality. I love it.”—Matt Haig, bestselling author of The Midnight Library


“A smart, touching, time-bending romance. Funny and affecting.”—David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day and Sweet Sorrow


For anyone who has loved and lost, and lived to tell the tale, this gorgeously written debut is a love story told in reverse, a modern novel with the heart of a classic: truthful, tragic, and ultimately full of hope.

Out of Love begins at the end. A couple call it quits after nearly five years, and while holding a box of her ex-boyfriend’s belongings, the young woman wonders: How could they have spent so long together? When did they fall out of love? Were there good times before the bad? These are the questions we obsess over when a relationship ends, even when obsessing can do no good. But instead of moving forward through the emotional fallout of a break-up, Out of Love moves backward in time, weaving together an already unraveled tapestry, from tragic ending to magical first kiss. Each chapter jumps further into the past, mining their history for the days and details that might help us understand love; how it happens and why it sometimes falls apart.

Readers of Normal People; Goodbye, Vitamin; and One Day will adore this bittersweet romance, a sparkling debut that you won’t want to miss.

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416 pages

Average rating: 7.12

26 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

suzuppello
Jan 02, 2025
6/10 stars
A perfectly lovely novel for when you need something with a bit of meat without being completely overwhelmed by a story.
Anonymous
Sep 13, 2024
10/10 stars
This book was such a cool concept following a relationship from the breakup, moving backwards in time until they first meet. If you like normal people I think you would like this. However it’s a different writing style and more of a toxic relationship. It’s similar in the sense of capturing the ebbs and flows of an imperfect relationship. Super easy read def recommend !
gracie06
Nov 17, 2023
8/10 stars
A little confusing at the beginning about if we were set in past or present at what times. Disappointed by the book a little at first, but ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The last chapters both broke and lightened my heart.

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