I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It took me a long time to read this book. The story is presented in an interesting way (in reverse) and that is what kept me returning to the book. Somewhat brilliant, really. Unfortunately, rather than caring about the narrators journey, I found myself annoyed by it. I think it’s just one of those books—you either like it or don’t. I didn’t.

A love story told in reverse, starting with the heartbreaking ending and working its way back to the first glimmer of feeling. 

It makes you wonder if you’d feel any differently about the main characters if you had been taken along their journey in a linear fashion. Starting with a breakup, it’s so obvious that these two don’t belong together. But it’s so easy to think that way when you already know how it ends, isn’t it?

I loved reading ‘Out of Love’. The storyline was so refreshing and the idea so unique that it is impossible not to be interested. Hazel Hayes also has the perfect narrative voice — its captivating and I love it. The story was immersive and the book itself was impossible to put down.

This story is told backwards. Starting with Theo picking his things up and moving out of their shared apartment, we are taken back in time to watch their relationship back to the beginning. 

Although there were some parts I did not enjoy, overall this book was lovely. The story is so true and so sad. You hear their beautiful story of how they met and fell in love and it’s so sad to know things didn’t work out. It’s so true, as this is how a lot of relationships come to, to an end, regardless of their lovely beginnings.

I took to this book straight away, as I am known for looking back at previous relationships with a microscope! It is a slightly unusual read, the reverse bit throwing me at times and I had to reread certain pages to get the thread again. But I actually enjoyed this aspect, it showed hidden depths within that I hadn't noticed on first read.

It is a dissection that many of us can relate to, some might find this more disturbing an experience that I did. It is a definite 5 start read for me, and I have already bought two copies for friends.

This book tells a love story in reverse, as it starts with the end of the relationship and works its way to the beginning.  I liked this approach and the story flowed nicely.  This is a strong debut for the author!

💔|#Partner|Thank you to @netgalley @unbounders & @thehazelhayes for the free advanced book! 
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🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
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▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️ This book gets ALL the stars from me! I loved it! The fact that it was written in reverse and I expected what the next chapter would be about made me feel like I was a part of this couples relationship. It was brilliant! It reminded me of “500 Days of Summer” and the book referenced it a few times! I wasn’t particularly fond of the boyfriend at the beginning but as the story went on you find out why he sometimes acted the way he did. This was not your typical rom-com it was sad and great for those of us who have had horrible breakups and wonder “where did it all go wrong?”
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Overall it was such a great story and depiction of a real relationship.
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Trigger Warnings: verbal & physical abuse, reference to molestation, suicidal thoughts.

Thank you to Unbound for providing me with an E-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

"Out Of Love" by Hazel Hayes was truly something special, and I don't even know where to start.

I've been a fan of Hazel's for a few years now, and I've met her multiple times. She's always the sweetest. So I was super excited to hear that she was writing and publishing a book. Admittedly, from the synopsis alone, I wasn't sure if I would pick it up. But I am so glad I did.

"Out Of Love" follows an unnamed main character, as she recounts the history between her and her ex. The story starts off with them officially ending things, and him picking his things up from what used to be their apartment. Then the story progresses, or should I say, regresses from there. 

At first, the timeline of this story was incredibly confusing to me. It felt jumpy and disconnected, and I didn't understand it whatsoever. But by the mid-point, I'd say, everything started clicking. Then by the end - damn... it just rips your heart out. I believe the reverse-chronological order that this story was told in was truly one of the most genius decisions Hazel made. It added so much to an otherwise cookie-cutter romance plot. I also really admired Hazel's decision of never giving the main character a name. If my memory serves me, I have never read a story with a nameless character, let alone the main character. Somehow, it made the story feel even more personal. Another thing I loved was the dialogue and inner monologue from the main character. I could hear Hazel's signature Irish voice in both, and it was so endearing. 

I only really had one minor gripe with the plot and that was that every Queer interaction that the main character had was cheating. The main character is bisexual, but she had never had any sexual experiences outside of her cis male partners. As she puts it, she "never got to explore that side" of her. So I understand why Hazel wrote the character's same-gender interactions the way she did, but honestly, I'm just tired of the whole cheating storyline from Queer characters. So I had to dock a 0.5-star from my overall rating because of that.

Otherwise, this was an absolutely beautiful, incredibly well-written story. "Out Of Love" will undoubtedly stick with me for a long time. A solid 4.5/5-stars. I highly recommend you check it out if you're interested in romance, or actually... even if you aren't, as this really isn't that romantic. I hope more people read this! I'm so proud of Hazel for releasing such a wonderful story.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Unbound for an advance copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.

I have never really considered to write a book myself, but if I ever did, I would have loved to write this book.

Although Hazel Hayes is quite popular, I had never heard of her before so I didn't know what to expect from this book. I only knew that I liked the title and the cover.

Out Of Love hooked me up from the very first paragraph in a way that I had never experienced before. I couldn't stop reading, I couldn't care for anything else but this story, I didn't rise my eyes from the kindle until I was crying and in need of a tissue. It absorbed me.

It took me over two months to read the book just because every time I tried to read it I would end up in tears.

There were so many topics that were too close to home for me, too many small situations, certain sentences, feelings and emotions that made me wonder if Hazel Hayes was writting my book!

It was magic, the connection I felt with the main character, with her story, her relationship, her mum... (Sigh). I adored this book.

This is the first and only book ever that I had felt the need to buy the physical copy of to finish it. I wanted to hold it in my hands and turn the pages and feel the story even closer than it was already feeling.

Definitely this book has become in a new favourite one and I will recommend it all the time.

Thank you Hazel Hayes. Thank you so much.

I love Hazel Hayes and have watched her videos for years, so I was excited when I heard she had written a book. Despite the stigma around Youtuber books, I had a feeling this one would be different. It follows a couple who have just broken up and tells their love story in reverse. This was such a unique concept, unlike anything I have read before. I did find it hard to follow at times and had to be concentrating in order to not get totally lost in the story. This isn't a grand, dramatic story, but it is quite beautiful and bittersweet story about love and hope. I'm interested to see where Hazel goes next in her writing and will pick up whatever she writes next.

When a book has floored me, like truly floored me I usually start my reviews with ‘Every so often a book comes along…’ and I was tempted to start this review the same way but Out of Love by Hazel Hayes needs much much more. It has been nearly 24 hours since I finished reading it and I am still sitting in a state of shock. A post book malaise. A ‘where do I go from here’ness. It was just that bloody good.

It is a relationship book which is the kind of story I like driven by a fantastically flawed protagonist. The story of Lena and Theo is their relationship in reverse. Now, I’m generally a purist when it comes to stories. I like a beginning, a middle and an end and when writers deviate from this or deviate from grammar rules I get very stressed out. However, I loved the narrative choice of Out of Love. It is told in reverse and little nuggets of information is scattered throughout that become relevant earlier on which is in later chapters. Sound confusing? It should be but it just isn’t. Holmes’s magnificent writing makes it work. I am genuinely so very impressed with it.

It is also so very enjoyable when a story opens up new things for you, it could be a reference to another book or music. You get that with Out of Love. It is also one of those books that has those rare ‘profound-drop your-book-and-stare-at-the-wall moments littered throughout. I just loved it.

I can honestly say that Out of Love is going to be one of my books of the year. It will be going on my for-keeps shelf and I am pretty sure it will make its way into the hands of my friends for birthdays and Christmas.

God, I just bloody loved it!

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes is available now.

For more information regarding Hazel Hayes (@TheHazelHayes) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Unbound (@Unbounders) please visit www.unbound.com.

I've been a follower of Hazel's for a couple of years now so when she announced she was writing a book I was intrigued. I applied for a review copy, got accepted, and halfway through the book decided it was so good I needed to have a physical copy. That's how good this is. 

So, what is this book about?
This book is a love story, but as it says on the back, told in reverse. You start with the breakup and you end when they first meet. This makes it different from any other romance I have ever read, because it doens't only focus on the good and on the lovey dovey stuff, it shows you how the castle came crumbling down. This means that even when the relationship is good and they're having fun, your heart is still aching because you know how their story is going to end, or how this book starts.

While reading this I got my heart broken over and over and over again, it's just that good. There was never a dull moment, the pacing was wonderful. I would recomend this to anyone who's had their heart broken, who has been in a serious relationship where it hasn't worked out. This book might even help you pick back up the pieces if it was a recent break. 

And that's really all I want to say. Because the less you know going into this book, the better. 

TW: Descriptions of anxiety, depression, alcoholism. Abuse, rape. pregancy scare. strong language. Sex on page.

If you're really really sensitive to any of those trigger warnings you might want to skip this one, but it's really not that bad. I'm usually really sensitive to that stuff but this book handled them in such a way that I was perfectly fine after reading it.

Having known of Hazel Hayes for a long time I was slightly concerned that this would be 'just another YouTube book'. Thankfully I was an idiot for thinking that, and knowing how beautiful Hazel's other work is, I feel ashamed for doubting her. This book was so beautiful. A break up story told in reverse, it dredged up old emotions from past experiences and made me reexamine them in new lights. Anyone that has been through a break up, or any kind of relationship, will be able to relate to events in this book, descirbed more eloquently than I ever could. It made me both laugh and cry in public, which was great, and it was so atmospheric that I was able to forget that I was actually in public. The backwards storytelling did cause me some confusion at points, but I guess that just adds to the unsettling feeling of trying to figure out what went wrong. All in all, a solid book with a unique concept and a beautiful execution.

I thought Out of Love was a charming yet heartbreaking novel about the end of a relationship, made all the more painful in that you see it happen in reverse. It felt very real, and I was absolutely rooting for the characters to succeed, knowing that they wouldn't. Thanks for the digital ARC.

I don't typically read romance novels, I find them a bit boring and tedious. However, I knew Hazel from watching her on Youtube and I kept hearing positive things about this book so I thought I'd give it a shot and....wow. I've never hated a character more in the first chapter, and yet wanted the protagonist to be with that same character in the final chapter. 

This book made me feel so emotions and I can't say it was a romance novel because even as we started to see the romance, we all knew how it ended up. We even knew why it ended up the way it did, more or less. 

Hazel has an extraordinary, yet very real, way with words. I felt like I was there with the protagonist, chatting with her and listening to her story.  And the characters felt so real.  At first, at the start, I thought, 'how could she be with him?' and it made more and more sense as I went through. Right at the end, I thought, yeah, I can understand how they got together. And it's painful, because it ends so horribly. It doesn't even stay good for all that long in the grand scheme of things. 

My only criticism is sometimes the scene changes too abruptly and I'm not sure when or where we are. It got easier to navigate as I went through, but was a little jarring at the beginning. 

Hazel is right that love is the true horror. I will admit this made me feel a little pessimistic with the notion, but perhaps, has also taught me just what to look out for, to make sure that I get the real deal. I really hope Hazel continues to write. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is wonderful. I loved so much about it and urge everyone to read it.

The tale of a breakup told backwards is such a great concept and it really helped us to explore the relationship between Theo and our unnamed narrator, in a unique way. How you feel about each of the characters really evolves over the duration of the book. The characters are so well developed and authentic that you really become invested in them. My heart broke multiple times throughout the course of the novel.

The plot sounds unusual and complex, because it is a breakup told backwards so you know how their story ends, but I did not find this confusing at all; in fact, it is such a simple yet effective device to tell their story. Its obviously doesn't end with a happily ever after, yet it did not feel incomplete by the time I reached the end. It was a real bittersweet reading journey.

Hayes' writing is stunning at parts, and she has such a way with words that sometimes I just had to stop and really take in a sentence or section of the book. She is firmly on my list of authors whose next book I will be buying without hesitation.

One of my favourite books of the year so far. Thanks to Netgalley and Unbound for the eARC.

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes is a book that hurt me. It hurt me in so many ways but also made me laugh, and smile, everything in-between. This book was so beautiful, and the writing, ugh, the writing was magnificent. It was such an easy read, and I found myself at the end of the book before I knew it. It was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. I wanted to read this book since it was announced, and when I listened to Hazel reading the first chapter on YouTube, I was hooked.

Out of Love follows our unnamed narrator, navigating through memories of their relationship after it has ended. We follow in first person, as our narrator takes us through the memories, with chapters titled ‘The Last Good Day’ and ‘Are You a Banana?’ it ranges from serious, to funny, to heartbreaking in the space of a few pages.

From the beginning of this novel, we know the outcome, however, I couldn’t help but feel inclined to continue the story, to want to know how Theo and our narrator met, to know the things they went through, the good and the bad. It was mesmerising. I feel like the story being told backwards was done wonderfully, and Hayes played around with narrative structure to make it work, and it did.

Both the narrator and Theo were wonderfully written. Theo as a complete asshole, and the narrator far from perfect themselves. They became different people in the space of knowing each other, and that’s so realistic to me, which made this book all that more relatable. Maya, one of the side characters, could’ve been included in the story a lot more, but it’s understandable as to why she wasn’t – it wasn’t her story. But every bit of narrative that included Maya, I loved. She was so kind, and friendly, and in the right places she displayed emotion wonderfully. I really loved Maya, if you can’t tell.

I found our narrator to be relatable, maybe because of the relationship experiences, the life experiences, or maybe just because I’m Irish too. From the way they spoke, to the way they described their home life, and relationship experiences, I honestly thought this book was talking about me. I found myself feeling for our narrator a lot of the time, as they reminded me of, well, me. I could also see other characters in the novel in the people around me, past and present. Others might not get the same experience from this novel, but it was relatable to me nonetheless.

It was also really nice finding out that our narrator has mental health issues, later in the book to be told they had BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), which is something a lot of people struggle with, including myself. It was nice to see this novel navigate that in a simple and easy way, without mentioning it in an over-the-top way, but subtlety and it didn’t feel forced into the narrative. Therapy was mentioned a lot in this book, with our narrator starting therapy in Ireland in regards to her relationship. Mental health is an important part of both characters story. It’s handled in a realistic way too, which is very important to me. I’d elaborate, but don’t want to spoil much of the novel.

Overall, I thought this book was very heartbreaking, but lovely nonetheless. I loved every second of it, so much so, that I didn’t realise it was over before it was too late. I thought there was more! I would recommend reading this if you want to read an easy and somewhat emotional backwards romance. 5 Stars.

Out of Love is the story of a romance written in reverse which I was intrigued by but I felt didn't entirely work. 

We know 'Angel' and Theo are going to break up, so I was looking for a reason to be invested in their story. Both main characters are so flawed but relatable and interesting to read about. However I still found myself at the end of the book thinking "what now?" due it not being the end of the story but the beginning. I would have preferred to have some reflection from the protagonist regarding the failed relationship and the lessons learned. 

That being said, each chapter was like a short story in itself and Hayes writing is easily digestible with sarcasm and witt that still kept me entertained. Despite the heavy themes of abuse and mental health alongside the breakdown of a relationship, the prose is still light and thoughtful. 

A great debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from Hayes.

This was a strange one for me and it took me a little while to get into. The story is written in reverse. We start the story at the point where the two main characters relationship has come to an end. Each chapter then goes back in time during their relationship and finishes at the point where they first get together. A clever idea which works.

Thank you NetGalley, Unbound and Hazel Hayes for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! 
	I finished this one a bit ago but realized I never got around to writing the review. A true shame because this book is a true gem. The format of this book, written at the end of a relationship and going backwards to where it all started. Truly brilliant and such an interesting take. The whole time I was reading I could picture this as an indie movie. 
	Your heart breaks more than once throughout this book so be prepared with a few tissues and maybe a pint of ice cream in the freezer. This is one of those books that leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. The kind of book where you need to spend a day or two reflecting on what you read before you’re truly finished with it. 5 stars!!!