Review of Loverless Love

[Hannah Hampton]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Loverless Love" by Christopher Guerin.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Loverless Love by Christopher Guerin is an anthology of short stories concerning the relationship between human nature and romantic love. Despite the sexual nature of this book, to describe its works as love stories would be incorrect. Through heavily nuanced characters, narratives, and voices, Guerin has written and curated a stunning depiction of sexuality and humanity.

Each story covers a different aspect of love, although a couple of stories share characters. This anthology covers high school sweethearts, workplace affairs, unfaithful partners, and several other iterations of the inherently complicated nature of love and sex. Stories delve not only into the physical act of sex but the emotional and mental implications that partaking in sexual activity evokes. In this anthology, sex is not always an act of love. It might be bred from lust, jealousy, hatred, or any number of other complex and intertwining facets of the human mind.

My favorite part of this anthology was simply the fact that each story covered a new angle. Each chapter was long enough to fully flesh out each character and to develop a voice for itself, but short enough that I never felt that any one story was taking up too much literary real estate. Additionally, I adored how messy Guerin allowed relationships to get. They never seemed over-dramatized, just incredibly human. I do not believe there was ever a truly blameless character in any story, but I found myself empathizing with several of them just the same. Similarly, even the cruelest and most twisted of people are painted in just a sympathetic enough light to portray them as more human than monsters.

I do not have anything to criticize about this book, as the only two errors I found were small spelling issues. I would recommend caution to readers who are sensitive to topics such as sexual assault, as instances of such appear throughout this anthology. Readers who are opposed to erotica or other graphic depictions of sex should be aware that this book contains much of this kind of content.

Overall, Loverless Love is a masterpiece of an anthology. The prose was beautiful and it was only complimented by the narrative and the characters. The variety in diction between stories is refreshing and provides an even more fully developed exploration of sex. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy more mature themes and those interested in untangling human nature in the context of its relation to sex and romance. Due to its exceptional writing and lack of notable errors, I rate Loverless Love a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

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Loverless Love
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[Victor Ayub Migos]

Sounds like an awesome book to read. Have already downloaded it, can't wait to have a refreshing experience, nice review.

[Chinedum Chijioke]

Books that educate people about sexual habits are great ones, we need more of them I believe. Thanks for the review.

[Tamara Bengesai]

Love and sex is such a complicated affair. Would love to read this book to see what I can learn from this author's perspective. Good Review.

[Aleena Augustine]

Hannah, your review of "Loverless Love" is incredibly insightful and thorough. The cautionary note about sensitive themes is considerate and helpful for potential readers. It's evident that you engaged deeply with the content, making your commentary both informative and enticing. Well done!

[Leen282]

Sexuality is a big part of human nature. I look forward to reading the short stories, each with a different angle, describing all aspects including the emotional and mental implications.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

Indeed, sex is not always because of love. Sex comes with different emotions, whether because of hatred, jealousy, lust, etc. I'm curious how the author interweaves stories about love and sex. This book seems to touch on the aspect of being human. Congratulations to the author on BOTD!

[Oleabhiele Joseph]

I like the non fiction idea that involves a bit of storytelling. Nothing beats getting entertained and educated at the same time. Congrats to the author on BOTD.

[Asma Aisha Ansari]

Intrigued by Loverless Love's exploration of love's complexity, I'm drawn to the anthology's unique take on romantic relationships. The nuanced characters and varied perspectives promise a captivating read.

[Ams Strong]

Great review. I would like to read stories about high school sweethearts, that's something which everyone can relate to, although some wouldn't like to think about that era. I appreciate your comment on empathising with blameless characters, that's telling of the character development.

[Amy Luman]

Different kinds of love would be appealing to many different people. I’m don’t think stories that are not heavy on characters are for me me, though. Congratulations on BOTD!

[Seetha E]

Your thoughts on Christopher Guerin's Loverless Love have sparked my interest. I also appreciate how it is a compilation of short stories all about the same theme. You've provided adequate caution. I'd want to give it a try. Thank you for the free copy, and best wishes to the author on BOTD.

[Brienna Cooper]

Well done review! If there’s anything that will ALWAYS bring out the most human aspects of anybody it is the complications that come with love and lust (i.e. sex). We will probably forever be studying these things and make attempts to “figure it all out,” but to no avail. I believe it’s with a book like this that we can instead look at this type of chaos for all that it truly is and take the opportunity to be honest about our own wants and needs as individuals and in light of the world around us.

[Brittany Arendse]

Loverless love sounds like a wonderful piece of literature. I look forward to exploring Love and sex in this form and from the writers perspective. These are topics that can, by nature, often be so complicated but equally as often so simple…

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Love and sex are messy, complex affairs. But they also make the world go 'round. It's an incredible accomplishment to have fully developed characters in short stories. I'll add this book to my to-read list, for sure. Thank you!