You Need To Read These 8 Relationship Books For Couples
Being in love is fantastic! But it’s also a lot of work, and sometimes you need help to do it right. You can ask your family and friends when you need relationship advice, but that can get awkward.
You can try couples counseling, but that doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget. Instead, reach for these awesome relationship books for couples!
Each one of the books on this list focuses on different aspects of romantic relationships and how to do them better. Whether you are struggling with communication, quality time, or healing emotional wounds, there’s a title here that can help. I’ve even thrown in a few fun ones to help you strengthen your bond with your sweetie.
The best part?
Your relationship doesn’t have to be going downhill to benefit from these books for couples. Everyone has room to improve. If you want to learn about how to have the best love possible with your sweetie, keep reading for my list of eight relationship books for couples!
1. The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman
One of the most beloved and classic relationship books for couples is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This book helps you sort yourself and your partner into one of five different communication styles the author calls “love languages.”
Love languages are the way that you show your love for others (romantic or platonic) and, hence, the kind of love that you wish for most in return. The five love languages include:
- Words of Affirmation
- Physical Touch
- Quality Time
- Acts of Service
- Giving Gifts
By knowing your partner’s love language, you can adjust the ways you show your adoration for them so that they feel the most loved. It sounds simple, but the concept can help you understand how others communicate!
My husband and I did the love language quiz, and it has helped me “get” him so much better. His love language is Words of Affirmation, meaning he likes to give and receive verbal compliments, praise, and “I love you”s. Love notes work great, too!
Mine is Quality Time, which means that spending uninterrupted time with the people I love both makes me feel loved by them and is my way of showing I care for them.
Snag your copy of The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman here!
2. 47 Little Love Boosters for a Happy Marriage: Connect and Instantly Deepen Your Bond No Matter How Busy You Are by Marko Petkovic
One of the most common reasons people don’t put effort into their relationship is because they are too busy. In 47 Little Love Boosters by Marko Petkovic, the author proves that time is no excuse.
Each “booster” takes just seconds to do or say but can make a huge impact on your connection with your partner. Even if you have kids, pets, a busy schedule, or stressful jobs, you can easily find the time and energy to do the little things in this book.
Unlike some self-help books, there is no long process required to follow the tips. The love boosters are all free, don’t need any cooperation from your partner, can be done anywhere, and are super easy! You can also do them over and over again to show your love even more.
The overarching theme of this title is thinking about what you can do to make your spouse’s day great, which will make both of you feel awesome.
You can purchase 47 Little Love Boosters by Marko Petkovic here!
3. The Bucket List For Couples by Lovebook
In case you’re not familiar with the term, a bucket list is a list of things you want to complete before you “kick the bucket.” It can include places to visit, things to accomplish, or foods to try. While we all have our own bucket lists, it can strengthen your bond with your sweetheart if you make one together. This book can help!
The Bucket List For Couples is a part planner and part journal. It is divided into six sections to help you organize the bucket list items you want to complete as a pair.
Each category (Travel, Adventure, Career & Finance, Relationships, Personal Development, and Community) has a few starter ideas to help you get on the right track as well as blanks for your additions. The “Results” section at the back of each category lets you journal about all the fun you had together and even add photos and mementos.
Nothing strengthens your bond like making memories together. You get to try new things with your favorite person . . . what could be better? Grab this book and start having fun with your bae!
Grab your copy of The Bucket List For Couples here!
4. Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit, and Devotion by Daniel Jones
There are some things about relationships you just don’t want to share. Whether it’s good or bad, certain topics and happenings should be kept private. That can make it easy to feel alone.
While many of the books for couples on this list are designed to help you change your behavior and strengthen your relationship, this title is a little different.
Modern Love is a collection of true stories that tackle every aspect of love and relationships. You’ll find tales of the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of love, some of the best real accounts featured in the “Modern Love” column of The New York Times.
If you are feeling like no one else has ever gone through whatever you’re experiencing in your relationship, these stories can offer guidance, solidarity, or even just make you feel better about your own situation!
From polyamory to forbidden love to unrequited feelings, this book covers every situation you can imagine in the dating world today and more. Read this with your partner for its entertainment value or as a way to start a hard conversation.
You can purchase Modern Love here!
5. Getting The Love You Want by Harville Hendrix
Sometimes you can be in love with a person but still feel like something is missing. Nothing is really wrong with your relationship, but not everything is quite right, either. That is where Getting The Love You Want by Harville Hendrix comes in.
Hendrix has decades of experience as a therapist and shares his findings on the psychology of love in this book. He has created a step-by-step method to help you and your partner achieve a more satisfying and profound connection in your relationship. The program enables you to figure out exactly what is missing and how to fill in those gaps for each other.
That’s not all.
This book can help remedy all sorts of relationship woes through the same method. Whether you and your boo lack passion, support, communication, or something else, you can find solutions in these pages.
Purchase your copy of Getting The Love You Want here!
6. When the Past Is Present: Healing the Emotional Wounds that Sabotage our Relationships by David Richo
If you have ever wanted to unpack your past but can’t afford (or don’t want to work with) a therapist, this is the book for you. When the Past Is Present: Healing the Emotional Wounds that Sabotage our Relationships by David Richo allows readers to recognize when they are transferring past problems to the present and how to stop.
As a psychotherapist with tons of experience under his belt, Richo understands how we project expectations and beliefs about relationships that we learned in the past to our current ones. These lessons can come from childhood or old romantic exploits and applies to all types of connections, including family, friends, and partners.
A lot of this book is about working on mindfulness and not allowing ourselves to accidentally sabotage our relationships based on old wounds. Even if you don’t think you carry any emotional baggage like this, give it a read! It’s a super interesting topic and can also help you understand your partner and their actions better.
You can find When the Past Is Present here!
7. Our Q&A a Day: 3-Year Journal for 2 People
Books for couples don’t have to be all work and no play. Unlike the more serious titles on this list, Our Q & A A Day: 3 Year Journal For 2 People is fun and intimate!
While going to therapy to improve your communication or turning to one of the books on this list to learn how to strengthen your bond are both great ideas, this journal can help both of those areas without you even realizing it.
Each day of the year has a page with a question designed to spark an in-depth conversation between you and bae. Questions include things like “I’ve always wondered why you . . . ” and “What’s the prevailing theme of your life?” Chat about your answers together and jot them down. You’ll be surprised what you can learn about each other!
The coolest part of this book is that there are three spaces on each daily page, so you can use the journal for three years. Reading back on your answers from past years and seeing how your opinions have changed will cement your bond even more.
Snag a copy of Our Q&A A Day here!
8. Deal Breakers: When to Work On a Relationship and When to Walk Away by Dr. Bethany Marshall
Listen up, ladies.
Too many of us get stuck in the pattern of thinking our romantic partner will change for us. While that can happen, passively waiting around for it to happen does no one any good. Love does take work, but just how much work should you be willing to put in? Deal Breakers by Bethany Marshall can help.
Unlike many of the books for couples on this list, this one is more about looking inside yourself than working with your boo to resolve problems. Marshall teaches readers to approach a romantic relationship the same way you would a business one. If your partner isn’t meeting your needs, you should move on.
The author uses relatable scenarios and examples to illustrate her points. It even talks about what to do about different types of unhealthy relationships. Deciding on your “deal breakers” and choosing to walk away from an unfulfilling relationship can be empowering. If you’re questioning whether or not you should stay with your SO, this is a must-read!
Purchase your copy of Deal Breakers here.
Want even more great book suggestions?
I could go on and on with amazing relationship books for couples you and your honey can read, but I’ll leave it there for now. If you want even more great book suggestions, check out our Amazon List curated just for you!
You and your sweetie can read these books together to work on your communication, build intimacy, or even plan out your future together. No matter which of these books for couples you choose, your love will be stronger after reading it!
