Unrequited

Women and Romantic Obsession

By: Lisa A. Phillips

Narrated by: Karen White

The summer Lisa A. Phillips turned 30, she fell in love with someone who didn't return her feelings. She soon became obsessed. She followed him around, called him compulsively, and talked about him endlessly. One desperate morning, after she snuck into his apartment building, he picked up a baseball bat to protect himself and began to dial 911. Her unrequited love had changed her from a sane, conscientious college teacher and radio reporter into someone she barely recognized - someone who was taking her yearning much too far.

In Unrequited, Phillips explores the tremendous force of obsessive love in women's lives. Interweaving her own story with frank interviews and in-depth research in science, psychology, cultural history, and literature, Phillips describes how romantic obsession takes root, grows, and strongly influences our thoughts and behaviors. As she illuminates this mysterious psychological experience, placing it in a rich and nuanced context, Phillips offers compelling insights to help any woman who has experienced unrequited obsessive love and been mystified and troubled by its grip.

©2015 Lisa A. Phillips (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Deeply researched and compellingly written." (Colette Dowling, author of The Cinderella Complex)

Amazing

I thank God for letting me fine this book!! It will help me overcome so much!!

Great book! So-so narrator....

I think this book is awesome. I actually purchased the hardcover, but then I got the audio book. It's easier to listen to it, now that I have young children. It has truly helped me get over my own unrequited love. It was also the distraction I needed to keep myself from contacting him.

The narrator is quite monotone and doesn't do characters/accents very well. Still worth the listen 😊

Incredibly helpful

I absolutely needed this book and was sad when I was finished. It is incredibly helpful to stay focused when you’re experiencing love addiction.

Worthy of your time & attention despite somewhat annoying vocal narration.

Smart, well-written, accessible, and thoughtfully healing. The vocal narration (done by someone other than the author) is a bit disconcertingly newscaster-like, unfortunately.

Let me save you some time

I really, really disliked this book. It reads like one long apology letter to the author’s, “B” and an attempt to cleanse herself of the shame and embarrassment of throwing herself at a man that didn’t want her. If you’re looking to feel ashamed of yourself as well, look no further. The only constructive or helpful bit of advice to be found here, is to find a creative outlet for your frustration. If however you’re looking for some solid advice to get through the process of letting someone go, check out, “Women Who Love Too Much” and a find 12 step program like SLAA for your love addiction.