Love's Labor: How We Break and Make the Bonds of Love

by Stephen Grosz

An acclaimed author and psychoanalyst shares moving true stories from his practice to expore the central question of our how do we find and keep love?

In these brief but powerful true stories drawn from his more than thirty-five years counseling patients, Stephen Grosz brings us into the lives of people who cannot fully connect with lovers, spouses, parents, or friends. With patience and compassion, Grosz helps each patient draw a map of their internal world in order to uncover the unconscious fears and desires sabotaging their relationships.

One man obsessively tends to everyone around him, hoping to avoid love’s end; another retreats from the world, unable to live fully until he’s able to confront a tragic romance; adultery and betrayal tear apart two married couples, but love persists between spouses in surprising ways. Each one works with Grosz to decipher the language of their heart and learns to surrender to the difficult reality of truly connecting with another person.

More than just case histories, these deftly rendered encounters of everyday suffering—and profound relief—are true short stories, marked by Grosz’s deep understanding of the human condition and of obstacles on the path to true connection.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

192 pages, Hardcover

Published February 10, 2026

About the author

Stephen Grosz is a practicing psychoanalyst—he has worked with patients for more than twenty-five years. Born in America, educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Oxford University, he lives in London. A Sunday Times bestseller, The Examined Life is his first book.

Reviews

[BayouCat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 10th, 2026.

This book follows a practicing psychoanalyst in his professional practice, his education, and his personal internal musings and growth.

I found the stories about patient interactions both interesting and moving, such as the man who felt he was dead, despite being very much physically alive.

What I found most enjoyable was the way Grosz walks us through how each session impacts the way he thinks, not only when treating patients, but also in how he lives his life.

This book prompted deep introspection and thoughtfulness in myself in a way I found quite valuable, which warrants 5 stars.

[Melissa (honeybee.reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

✨️Thank you to #partner @prhaudio, @randomhousecanada & Stephen Grosz for my gifted audiobook & ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer

Love's Labor is a collection of true stories from the author's work as a psychoanalyst. It was definitely interesting, the stories were compelling and had a nice depth to them but that's how far it went for me. The writing just didn't grab me or work for me in any way. I had a hard time truly connecting with the stories due to feeling so detached from the writing. I felt like it was very monotone and that the stories lacked emotion to give the full impact of each story.

Also, I felt like the stories were missing core parts. Some took years to reach a conclusion, but I felt like the journey to get there lacked. I just thought it would be more engaging, more emotional. I just needed more from this collection of stories to truly have the impact I was expecting from it.

Overall, this was just not the read for me. The writing threw me out of the story entirely, the stories were interesting, but the delivery missed the mark for me.

[Laura Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 10th, 2026.

This is a collection of client “stories” as told by Stephen Grosz, a psychoanalytic therapist in the Freudian school. I did enjoy some of the insights extracted from these encounters. Grosz comes up with the “actual” question buried in an initial complaint and these are both surprising and gut-feel correct. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the writing to be terribly engaging. It is the character’s neuroses that come to life, rather than the characters as whole people. But what is really missing for me is the journey. Some of these “stories” took literal years to achieve closure. I would have been far more interested in learning how the essential problem and possible resolution came to light. I have enjoyed books by Oliver Sacks, Irvin Yalom, and Lori Gottlieb quite a bit and was hoping to get some similar understanding from reading this book but it seemed to be missing the essential parts that would have led me to learn more about how human beings work and how people can solve their problems (the answer seems to be “spend several years in therapy” and I need a little more than that!

[Apothecary of Stories · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Love’s Labor✨

Quick Vibe
This book follows a psychoanalyst as he shares real stories from his practice, focusing on his patients and the struggles they carry. It explores love, heartbreak, grief, and the childhood wounds that shape us more than we realize. At its core, both the patients and the book are circling the same question: how do we actually find and keep love?

What I Liked
I’m not usually a huge non fiction reader unless it’s a memoir, but I flew through this. It’s short, but it doesn’t feel small. Every story had emotion behind it, and you can tell the author genuinely cares about the people he’s writing about.

There were a few moments where I literally paused and just thought about my own childhood and relationships. I love when a book makes you reflect without being obvious.

What I Didn’t Love
Honestly, nothing major. If you don’t love introspective, psychology type reads, it might not fully hit for you.

Overall Thoughts
Overall, Love’s Labor did exactly what it set out to do. It made me think. It made me reflect. I’d definitely recommend it if you like thoughtful reads with a theme of human behaviour and psychology.

⭐ Rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me the advanced reader copy.

[Peaarly · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️.
I had higher expectations.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House and the author, Stephen Grosz, for the privilege to read this advanced copy through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is a book of true stories from the author's work as a psychoanalyst. The challenges a psychoanalyst encounters during treatment of patients, such as identifying the root cause of problems. Examples include how a person's parents addressed issues during childhood (because of events in childhood, he dreaded the idea of surrender to someone else), or a girlfriend threatens suicide if there's a breakup. An interesting aspect of treatment is "if his psychoanalysis was to be a success, this was a mystery we would have to solve." I didn't realize the degree of sleuthing these clinicians had to do to help their patients.

There are numerous pearls of insight into the reasons this psychoanalyst's patients seek help. Such as, "Because love ends, Osman [the patient] avoided love." It is like a book of short stories about people in therapy. At times, patient sessions triggered memories and the psychoanalyst was even analyzing himself.

I found it interesting and an easy read. It gave me food for thought when trying to figure out somebody. This is not written like a textbook but like stories of people and their troubles. It also provides tips of the psychoanalyst's trade, that is, details a clinician looks or listens for, looking for "habits of mind." Topics include, in part, adultery, brokenheartedness, suicide, depression, drug addiction, guilt. It's not your typical nonfiction, but worth reading if it's an area you're interested in.

To summarize the book, "a journey to the underworld is a necessary part of every psychoanalysis: to see the light, you have to go down into the dark."

[Karen]

LOVE'S LABOR: HOW WE BREAK AND MAKE THE BONDS OF LOVE.
BY: STEPHEN GROSZ

This second book by experienced, and well educated, Author named STEPHEN GROSZ, who has had me so excited to read his EXCELLENT volume of Case Studies from this decades of experience practicing Psychoanalysis is my Most Anticipated Non Fiction reading experience in fourteen years. He is most definitely a top favorite Author who I read, and also loved his first book called, THE EXAMINED LIFE, when it was first Published in the U.S. in December of 2012 which were shorter essays and right before I switched over to reading everything on my Kindle. I remember looking on this Good Reads website hoping to find something very similar to no avail. Back then I had been recommended it by a friend of mine, and I owned the physical hardcover which within the last year I also bought the Kindle version since it was so unforgettable. I never forgot the first short story that was probably longer than the rest about a man who Dr. Grosz met with as an out patient at his office. The two met regularly for an extended amount of time when he suddenly stopped showing up to his sessions without any indication, or notice that he was stopping his therapy without so much as a phone call. Either Dr. Grosz called him, but I think he instructed his wife to tell Dr. Grosz that he was dead. It was astonishing since he turned up after awhile back to see Dr. Grosz very much alive, and resumed treatment or they saw each other, and he admitted to some excuse that he didn't seem to think how shocking that deliberate act was for Dr. Grosz who kept his composure, and compassionate describing the incident seemingly unaffected, and it struck me as the oddest, patient in that entire first volume compared to any other essay he wrote about. Nothing prepared me for that, since the man who pretended to be dead didn't seem embarrassed, but maybe Dr. Grosz just ended the story just like he does with these in "LOVE'S LABOR," sort of surprising me that when I turned the next page seeing that his demeanor is so unfazed, but also this second book has more longer Case Studies that seem more like short stories than his first book with essays.

I found this second book to be easier for me to capture the process of every nuance of each case since he has done a more comprehensive detailed job of including the Case Studies with how this book I know is more masterfully written which I don't know if I've become more skilled at analyzing in the past fourteen years. All I know was that this second book is my favorite one, even though they are both fantastic. I would have to reread the first again, but I remember that his soothing mannerisms with how he presented himself are identical as I remembered even after all of these years. I also remembered that he was from the United States where he went to the University of California, Berkeley. He has had the same practice that has a separate office with it having a private entrance that is attached to his home where he lives with his wife, and children in the U.K, He attended Oxford. I remember that in "The Examined Life, except for that first case about the man, seemed longer than the essays in the rest of the variation of themes having to do with human connections was less structured than this second book, "LOVE's LABOR." In both he has the same writing style, and his admirable, subtle, and laid back way of practicing psychoanalysis is also my favorite style of how much more calmly, and quieter more understated, yet effective he seems when counseling his patients about the vastly different multitudes exploring love with each case distinct with different ways they connect, and interacting with others. He is extremely Brilliant, and highly perceptive while remaining humble that I intuit from his tone that he expresses through his writing. This book was fascinating and describing from each short chapter taking me, or the reader vicariously sharing his thoughts which we witness him preparing for a brand new case with the client's name that begins with each new consultation a couple of brief sentences about who his next person's reason for why they're seeking his help. The patient may or may not speak at first. Sometimes nobody speaks but we witness it as if we are invisible and usually that person will have to come back, with most times it takes exploring ideas, dreams, or a problematic relationship having to do with love of a parent or a partner. He sometimes interprets something the patient mentions and helps them by asking a question and he and the patient go through the therapeutic process as he is always kind and patient and he might get an altogether different case where he will consult and in most cases it unfolds with intrigue and the process ends with this book having more clarity. Some patients it doesn't always end abruptly as he so often ends the chapter with me having to think for a couple of minutes which is what I loved so much about this book compared to the one I read fourteen years ago. I am going to be recommending this to all the readers I know. Psychoanalysis is not written about here as much for the general audience except for one other practitioner that I can think of who I know you can read much more about regular psychologists but i adore Dr. Stephen Grosz and his work in this one "LOVES LABOR," was so spectacular that it is going to be my favorite Non-Fiction reading experiences for years. I hope that he writes more books since he is a gifted communicator so his writing is very high caliber. This should be accessible for most people with the way he's made this accessible, and it's worth many more than the Five Stars! If you like psychology you will love this. I'm very sad that it ended. It is an honor and a privilege to witness how Dr. Stephen Grosz writes about how he treats his patients compared to the several abundant Practitioners in the United States. He communicates eloquently starting the book with so much honesty, and vulnerability how he has to visit his own Psychoanalysis appointment with which he explains what love is when it is and how different it becomes as when it is surrendered as opposed to love given on a transactional basis differs from submission. He talks about transference and counter transference. His explanation of sitting and discussing dreams, memories, thoughts and when we free associate how comforting it is to stop analyzing his own during those meetings knowing you're with someone who is listening. You both are figuring out together, and interpreting whatever you're saying and it can be an emotional release.

Publication Date: February 10, 2026

Thank you to Net Galley, Dr. Stephen Grosz, and Random House for generously providing me with my STUNNING ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#LovesLabor #DrStephenGrosz #RandomHouse #NetGalley

[Heidi Tiedemann Darroch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deceptively straightforward and surprisingly short exploration of a weighty subject: what it means to be a person who loves, and inevitably loses love, and anticipates one's own death.

In these often elliptical essays, Grosz considers the case histories of patients he has worked with over the years in a range of setting, including his own private practice. He portrays their struggles with love and autonomy, with interdependence and intersubjectivity. At its core, the book is an exploration of the haunting question of who and how much to trust in the wake of the betrayals of love that begin in early childhood. Psychoanalysis, in Grosz's depiction, is a relationship that enables considering the past and present in order to achieve greater insight, which may also spur more happiness.

Or not. One of the more disquieting essays is not about his clients but about a group of four psychoanalysts, two couples, he became close to while attending the same professional conference over a number of years. When the wife of one couple falls in love with and announces her intention to claim the husband in the other couple, some chaos ensues. Grosz, intriguingly, elects to observe and comment but not to judge: not the woman who believes that psychoanalysis gives us tools to choose happiness, even at the expense of others; not the betrayed wife, who believes that psychoanalysis offers, rather, the maturity not to seek pleasure and joy at the expense of the other. The final moments of the vignette, which take place while sitting shiva, are lovely (but raise further questions).

Grosz is a psychoanalyst who appears to take a relatively eclectic approach, with a nod to Freud and object relations theory but also the contemporary work of writers like Jessica Benjamin, author of The Bonds of Love: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and the Problem of Domination. There's a nod, too, to Barthes's Lover's Discourse. So while this is an accessible and eminently readable volume, I suspect that some knowledge of Grosz's literary and psychoanalytic antecedents may be helpful.

I found this book absorbing and transformative; it clarified my thinking about a fraught relationship. But it also reminded me that I miss reading writers like Benjamin and Klein, and I need to get back to them.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚Love's Labor
✍🏻Stephen Grosz
Blurb:
An acclaimed author and psychoanalyst shares moving true stories from his practice to expore the central question of our how do we find and keep love?

In these brief but powerful true stories drawn from his more than thirty-five years counseling patients, Stephen Grosz brings us into the lives of people who cannot fully connect with lovers, spouses, parents, or friends. With patience and compassion, Grosz helps each patient draw a map of their internal world in order to uncover the unconscious fears and desires sabotaging their relationships.

One man obsessively tends to everyone around him, hoping to avoid love’s end; another retreats from the world, unable to live fully until he’s able to confront a tragic romance; adultery and betrayal tear apart two married couples, but love persists between spouses in surprising ways. Each one works with Grosz to decipher the language of their heart and learns to surrender to the difficult reality of truly connecting with another person.

More than just case histories, these deftly rendered encounters of everyday suffering—and profound relief—are true short stories, marked by Grosz’s deep understanding of the human condition and of obstacles on the path to true connection.
My Thoughts
I loved every page and only wish it was longer. Such insights, such compassion, so much food for thought. I was especially captivated by the episodes from Grosz‘s training and his supervisions: he shows that he continuously learning and developing as a psychoanalyst and a human being, which in itself is such an encouraging perspective. There is a lot of hope in this little gem of a book.
Thanks NetGalley, Random House and Author Stephen Grosz for the advanced copy of "Love's Labor" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#RandomHouse
#Love'sLabor
#StephenGrosz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️Trigger Warnings: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

[Emily Pukuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz shares ten clinical stories meditating on the ways we are opened by love, the ways we defend against it, and the enduring longings that shape the human heart and its ever-changing capacity to love. Perhaps unsurprisingly in a therapist’s collection of patient interactions, many of these stories left me heartbroken, searching for the hope or the happy ending that would place the patients’ turmoil into a more palatable narrative arc. Suicide, trauma, adultery, sabotage, envy, and grief—these devastating aspects of human existence color the pages of this collection. Many patient battles remain unresolved by the final page; others plateau in what feels like a win against the dark shadows of their past.

Through each one, we learn how love requires the open expression of hate; how passion and dependence infiltrate our dreamscape and turn it into our unconscious reality; how submission and surrender are entirely different beasts; and how we can unknowingly drift apart and fail to see the roots of our self-deception. But on occasion, empathy and connection override our deepest fears, making integration, honest compassion, and unbridled companionship a reality, even in the wake of the most gruesome backstory. And here we find our hope—that even the worst of our world cannot break our capacity for love, again and again.

This is a beautiful, if heart-wrenching, read. An odd juxtaposition against the Valentine’s Day holiday, and yet a surprisingly timely reminder of the everyday superhero effort of the human heart. For fans of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and Good Morning, Monster, those unafraid to explore the painful corners of our world and open to the underlying struggles that bind us.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on February 10th, 2026.

[Akriti Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been curious about therapy, how people describe it as transformative, how it helps unpack buried thoughts and old wounds, and how those hidden things shape our lives. But I’ve often wondered what actually happens in those sessions. What do those conversations sound like? How does the analysis unfold, and what real change does it bring about in someone?

Love’s Labor answered so many of those questions for me.

Written by a psychoanalyst, the book revisits several clients he encountered throughout his career, each grappling with love in its many forms, what it means, when to hold on, when to let go, and how its absence can quietly surface in unexpected corners of life. Every account sparked my curiosity. I found myself constantly trying to understand why a client behaved the way they did and anticipating what insight the analyst would draw from it. That process of reflection made the reading experience deeply engaging.

The cases are strikingly unique and diverse, which kept the book fresh and compelling throughout. I especially appreciated that not every story wrapped up neatly. Some clients stopped coming. Some situations remained unresolved. It felt honest, an acknowledgment that not everyone gets closure, and not everyone who walks into therapy once is ready or willing to continue.

It’s a short book, but it carries a fascinating premise and offers a thoughtful, nuanced glimpse into the quiet intensity of conversations inside the therapy room.

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the stories we read are so captivating, you want them to keep going.

Those were my thoughts as I came to the end of Stephen Grosz’s book. I was totally engaged with his work as a psychoanalyst. He gave readers a glimpse of real-life cases with a handful of patients during the 35 years of his London practice.

Most people just want to be loved but there’s all sorts of complications with relationships deep within the soul. What he conveyed was eye-opening. He shared about ten knotty situations that he had to analyze and figure out how he would proceed. The suspense kept me rushing through the pages. In the sessions, he would listen carefully and eventually there was an outcome with an impressive amount of wisdom.

It was skillfully written and at times, he revealed personal experiences from his life. I ended up writing down some of his insights about anxiety, grief and love. It’s a short book. I encourage you to read this; you may learn some things about yourself and others.

My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 10, 2026. The views I share are my own.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭?
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞?”

this story, of what felt like multiple mini stories followed a practicing psychoanalyst in his practice, education and personal growth. i enjoyed that this was pretty much a bunch of short stories that followed his patients during sessions. each person was unique and everything about this felt real because well.. it is real. while we learn about the clients, we also get a very good ‘walk through’ of how Grosz gets impacted by each one, we learn more on how he thinks and its much more than just what happens in the session as is does impact his everyday life sometimes.

from guilt, depression, addiction and adultery, you get a mix of it all and more within this book. I truly did enjoy it, so much so i finished it in one sitting and found myself highlighting quite a few parts as they felt relatable or just felt like some very good advice i can come back to when i need it.

[bookstahere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful, quietly profound collection that stayed with me long after I finished it. Each essay carries at least one insight that makes you pause and reflect especially if you’re questioning parts of your life, your relationships, or the way love has changed you. I didn’t connect to every piece equally, but the ones that resonated really resonated, and felt deeply personal.

What stood out to me is how this book meets grief, doubt, and emotional exhaustion with gentleness rather than answers. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic and disconnected, these reflections remind you that confusion, loss, and longing are part of loving are not signs of failure. This isn’t a book you rush through; it’s one you sit with, return to, and take comfort from in small doses. Imperfect, but sincere and grounding, and exactly the kind of book people need when relationships feel fragile and the world feels loud.

[Cathy Beyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very much out of my comfort zone because I almost never read this kind of book. I got sent a Netgalley invitation from the publisher and don't regret reading the book at all. It is very insightful and pushes us gently to think about our hidden motivations and about what lies behind so many of our relationships issues. The author bases himself on cases from his long career and through stories digs deep into his own and his patients' inner life, concluding that we are often not aware of how our earliest experiences with people influence our actions throughout life. It's well written and you can read it in a weekend. Worthwhile.

[Chenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was invited by the publisher to review an ACR via Net galley. I never would have picked up this book on my own and I am happy that I was given an opportunity to read this book. In an age where social media and AI is flattening and over simplifying what it means to be human it was refreshing to read stories about people and how messy, contradictory and complicated we are. There is nothing simple about living and loving other people and I feel honored that Mr. Grosz shared stories from his practice that remind me that I don't have to have it all figured out I just need to keep moving forward towards a better tomorrow and be okay with the mess that is being human and loving over humans.

[Dalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would first like to thank Penguin Random House for the advanced ARC of this book.

This book was way out of my comfort zone of what I usually read. However, it was super interesting and informative to see how Dr. Grosz helped his patients.

I do agree with some of the comments here, in the sense that I feel like something was missing out of these patient accounts. Some of the chapters made me want more details. Like what happened to some of these patients?

Nevertheless, this was extremely well-written. I’d read more books by Dr. Grosz.

[Sarah Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I think I would have enjoyed this collection of stories from renowned psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz more if I had a better understanding of the practice. I had a difficult time reading and processing his interpretations of his patients' experiences because the details were just too vague for his leaps of insight to make sense. Perhaps I would be able to follow and accept his point of view if I had a better working knowledge of Freud? I'm not sure. I think I'd rather read stories from the patients themselves in their own voice with their own details.

[Paula Lyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir by a psychoanalysist centered on his patients who struggled with issues of love. I learned that psychoanalysis's goal is to make you more "you" even if that devastates someone else and that it can take a decade or more of treatment to accomplish that. I didn't find that inspiring, but the stories were interesting.

I received an eARC through NetGalley.

[Tam📖 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Guys, this was just not for me. I was bored. It was just stories from his practice on love and perhaps it is me, but I got no takeaways from this book. I accepted this book because they said if I liked Strangers by Belle Burden, this would be my next read, I think not!

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected a lot more from this book. I was disappointed. I didn’t realize it was so short although I would have bought it regardless. It was very good, but petered out at the end and ended abruptly.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been sitting on this review, unable to put into words how I felt. Overall the cases were interesting but I didn't find the writing engaging at all.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me.

Many thanks to Random House Canada for my gifted copy!

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Random House for sending me an arc of this book. I stayed intrigued the whole time I was reading. As a psychology student I resonated a lot with the stories in this book and loved how Stephen Grosz talked about love and its meaning.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun and effective analysis of love and connection from an acclaimed psychotherapist. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m having a hard time putting my feelings into words for this one. On one side, I found the cases really interesting. I enjoy learning about people’s mental health journeys and how they figure out what’s going on in their minds. But the description of this book made me feel like we were going to learn something really profound that would really tie all these cases together, and I’m kind of missing that. While interesting on their own in unique ways, the book overall didn’t feel as cohesive as expected.

[Sue Purbrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz shares patient stories to illustrate the nature of love, and the difficulties some people find to find or express love. I found the cases fascinating – each so different, and yet each person struggling to love for different reasons.
Love’s Labor was easy to read and I enjoyed it.