If you love messy love stories, Out of Love is the book for you!
Hazel Hayes has created a unique and creative read and it broke my heart!
If your stories have to have a HEA, then this is not the book for you! If you love heart wrenching, traumatic reads [like I do], I highly recommend Out of Love!

I really wanted to love this one but sadly I just didn't get on with it!
I found the characters lacking and I wasn't interested in finding out what happened to them at all.
I DNF'd at 21%

I enjoyed that this story was told in reverse- definitely a refreshing way of writing. I enjoyed it overall but felt it drag slightly at times. A quicker pace would have been preferred.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

The fact I enjoyed this book so much must say something about me as it absolutely destroyed me. I was a mess at the end. Honestly, I was sat in the bath hugging my knees. It was all very Bridget Jones when she finds that American Stick insect in Daniel Cleever’s bathroom. Sans the bunny ears.

Anyway, back to the book. Interestingly this love story starts at the end and it’s fascinating trying to spot when the relationship fell apart. But like many things it wasn’t as simple as one big thing but a multitude of little ones. It breaks my heart watching it happen moving from misery and heartbreak to hope and romance. Bizarrely I rooted for them the whole way, even knowing the outcome – I’m just a big softie. Deep, deep DEEP down. Or an idiot. You decide.

This book was more than just a love story, although this was its heart. It was a hopeful story oh obstacles overthrown and of a life lived. You watch as our protagonist faces the life challenges of friendship and being away from home and discovering herself – it just happens to also be a love story. You watch as she makes unhealthy choices and healthy ones - Seeing depression and anxiety written about with such candour was deeply refreshing, it was hard hitting and sometimes incredibly hard to read but it was honest and massive trumps for showing her actively working through it. Reading about therapy is wonderful – more of this please!

I gave it five stars when I first read it and in preparation for writing this (long) overdue review I skimmed it at 4am this morning – all this did was make me want to read it again. I hate to say I was sceptical about this book. But I have struggled with youtuber books in the past. What this novel has shown me is that Hazel Hayes is a writer as well as a youtuber/director/many other thing(er). Bit of a girl crush now on this lady’s brain.

I reviewed this book as part of my March Reading Wrap Up https://youtu.be/53Dl-yoZSbo
I also featured it in a reading vlog https://youtu.be/7DlfWjiGhLc

Overall I enjoyed this book and found the narrative device of viewing the romantic relationship backwards to be creative and compelling. While this was a strong debut, there were definitely aspects of the writing which I thought could be refined.

I found the book quite clever in the approach of a backwards love story. The timeline this way makes negative aspects of relationships and some red flags more apparent. I enjoyed how thought-provoking the book was and Hazel's capture of characters.

I have since recommended the book to friends.

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.