Out of Love

A Novel

By: Hazel Hayes

Narrated by: Hazel Hayes

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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, best-selling author of The Midnight Library)

“A smart, touching, time-bending romance. Funny and affecting.” (David Nicholls, best-selling 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.

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

©2021 Hazel Hayes (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"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 How to Stop Time and The Midnight Library

“Hayes has created a moving, memorable, layered story where each new revelation brings the reader to a greater understanding of both the narrator and Theo, the complexity of their relationship, and, indeed, who they are as people. This story deals unflinchingly with tough topics: Love, sexuality, heartbreak, and hope are a given considering the storyline. But Hayes also deals with trauma and abuse and how those experiences affect a person’s mental health, life, and relationships. It’s rare to finish a book and immediately begin reading it again. For many readers, this will be just that book. A gorgeously told story of heartbreak and recovery that still leaves the reader feeling hopeful about love.”—Kirkus (starred review)

“[A] bittersweet love story without heroes or villains. Hayes strips away the layers to reveal the heart of a relationship between two flawed but appealing characters with their whole futures ahead of them. Recommended for fans of One Day (2010) by David Nicholls and Normal People (2019) by Sally Rooney.”—Booklist

Honest Emotions After Losing Someone Close

This book is brilliant. It is perhaps the best accounting of the complex emotions one feels after coming to the end of a long term relationship. I'm left feeling emotionally raw but in a way that helped me grow. While the events differ I can draw parallels to my own experiences. This book inspires me to be more supportive to those around me, and it filled me with deep regret for the times I've failed to support my love in the past.

What stands out most though is how this book deals with time. As it is structured you live through the events that bright on the end of the relationship and then slowly progress backwards through life. Eventually what you are hearing about are the tender times that kindled those feelings of love in the first place. I think that is where I find myself most times. The hurtful memories fading away, and in their place I recall the good times. The moments that made a person special to me.

RELATABLE

It's like I was reading my OWN story. I was able to connect with all the characters. This is a great self-reflecting book after a breakup.

Hard listen

I found this book a bit hard to stomach. I felt so painfully sad for the main character. If you’re looking for a book that’s chill this is not the listen for you! But if you do decide to read this book or have a listen please do so in a happy environment.

Captivating

I could not stop listening to this one! The descriptive quality of the story was tangible, the reading was beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, and relatable. Highly recommend!

Tears and Giggles

I love the author's witty, yet deeply vulnerable, waiting style. Thank you for the elements that feel may likely come from deeply personal experiences.

Well it’s going to move you

It took a little bit to get going at first. I thought to myself is that all she’s going to do is complain about a broken up relationship, but as the story went on the author managed to bring you into it and have the characters come to life. The method of storytelling was also very interesting. A few too many similarities to the movie 500 days of summer, besides that it was well written interesting moving and thoughtful. I have a good author here who it if she stays in her genre should do very well,. I recommend this book it’s worth the effort to read

Beautiful

The story we all know told in an absolutely beautiful new way. Flipping boys meets girl on its head.

Love

This book was good, would I pick it up again? Probably not. I love how the story it was going backwards. I lost myself sometimes, having to go back to make sure I was understanding. Overall really pretty story. The part I loved? The fact that Hazel Hayes narrates the story herself. It made you a little closer to the character.

Snoozer

Boring story. Dragged on, nothing gripping or interesting about this book. Save your credits for a story with character depth and development. Found the main to be less then relatable.

She still sucks at endings.

A book that really starts and ends nowhere, without the sense of relief that comes from wandering inside a character’s mind.