Review By Gabrielle

Funny and deeply moving, Marianne Power’s new book Love Me will inspire you to look at relationships differently.

Favourite Quote:

“As a single woman, I’ve lived my life with an echo of ‘What’s wrong with me?’ inside my head. It’s followed me every day. What’s wrong with me that men don’t like me? What’s wrong with me that when they do, I don’t like them? What’s wrong with me that I don’t seem to want the thing that everyone around me wants? What’s wrong with me that I have none of the trappings of adult life? What’s wrong with me?

At that moment the truth was clear. Nothing was wrong.”

Book Synopsis:

Can you be happy without a partnership at the centre of your life?

Society still sets the gold standard for successful living as a marriage and kids. As Marianne Power turns forty, she wonders why this is still so elusive for her and whether, in fact, this is what she even wants, or just what she feels like she should want. At first, she tries to lean into the alternatives – self-love, self-marriage, sisterhood – but is she avoiding confronting her fears about commitment, relationships and sex?

Determined to find out for sure, Marianne sets off on a journey to answer the can you have a life full of love without marriage and kids? From tantra to Skype sex, from polyamory to sologamy, Marianne’s quest takes her to some hilarious, scary and moving places – and she discovers that maybe, in these chaotic times, loving thy neighbour is more important than romantic ideals.

Review:

The premise of this book intrigued me. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about society’s rules and who they are supposed to serve. I think a lot of people are. As the news in our feeds seems to worsen by the day, many of us are thinking about how we got here and where we are headed. Relationships might not seem relevant in this line of thinking, but for most of us, our relationships are at the centre of our lives, impacting all other aspects. So, it made sense to me that Marianne would want to interrogate that and see where it leads.

What we get is a book that is part memoir, part researched non-fiction. Marianne seeks out books by experts, workshops, and experiences that can teach her more about sex and relationships, and she takes us along for the ride, spilling all the tea as she goes. I loved every minute. Marianne is lovable and relatable, and despite her and I being very different people, I could still see moments of my own journey in hers. At times, you just want to hug her so hard as she doubts herself, and others left me cheering as she had an empowering breakthrough moment. And all this comes with Marianne’s wonderful sense of humour. Despite the serious topic, there are many laugh-out-loud moments that balance out the more heartwrenching ones.

My big takeaway is that despite what society tells us, there is no right or wrong way to approach relationships. We can all learn and change as we go. We don’t have to have it all figured out. If you need a bit of hope in the area of love and relationships, give this one a go.

Thank you, HarperCollins, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.