
The End of Romance
Lily Meyer(Author)
Verve Books (Publisher)
Published on 26. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-85730-954-9 (ISBN)
Description
After escaping a suffocating marriage to her abusive childhood sweetheart, Sylvie Broder decides she is done with love. She returns to graduate school and sets out to prove that, for a straight woman to be truly happy, she must separate love from sex and give up on all pursuits of romance.
Driven by PhD research, relationship trauma and pride, Sylvie's new philosophy seems set to stick. Until Robbie comes along. And then Abie... Finding herself falling in love - not once, but twice - Sylvie must make a decision: to be brave and let this love in, or to choose her research and burn everything else to the ground.
Deeply relatable and utterly compelling, The End of Romance is an anti-romance for anyone who, despite their very best efforts, has fallen in love and wondered why.
Driven by PhD research, relationship trauma and pride, Sylvie's new philosophy seems set to stick. Until Robbie comes along. And then Abie... Finding herself falling in love - not once, but twice - Sylvie must make a decision: to be brave and let this love in, or to choose her research and burn everything else to the ground.
Deeply relatable and utterly compelling, The End of Romance is an anti-romance for anyone who, despite their very best efforts, has fallen in love and wondered why.
Reviews / Votes
Meyer so beautifully captures the cumulative effect all of our past relationships (romantic and otherwise) have on us... She's crafted an unforgettable cast of characters (including one splendid imaginary turtle). The End of Romance will be an encouraging companion to anyone who's struggled with the question of how to be true to yourself and how to let love in -- Katie Yee, author of Maggie Meyer has created a funny, relatable and empathetic protagonist... The End of Romance is a brainy, highly original anti-romance romance that will speak to anyone who has ever wrestled with questions of love -- Susan Coll, author of Acceptance Gripping and incisive... You root for Sylvie at every turn... Meyer has created a woman I learned from, suffered with and, now that I've finished this terrific novel, miss terribly -- Adam Ross, author of Playworld Meyer's prose is both graceful and skillful. A charming and complex book full of intellect, humor, and - despite its title - romance * Kirkus *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 188 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
233 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-85730-954-9 (9780857309549)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2026
1st Edition
Verve Books
from
€7.99
Available for download
Person
Lily Meyer is a translator, a critic, and the author of the novels The End of Romance and Short War. She is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Her stories and translations can be found in The Dial, The Drift, The Sewanee Review, The Southern Review, and many other journals.