Square Peg falls for Rachel Thompson's The Love Fix

Square Peg has signed “a rallying cry for radical intimacy”, The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World by Rachel Thompson.

Marianne Tatepo, publishing director of Square Peg acquired world all-language rights from Florence Rees at A M Heath. It will be published in hardback and e-book in January 2025.

The blurb reads: “Swiping, situationships, love-bombing, ghosting, healing… Dating is hard. And although making connections has never felt so simple, keeping them has never been so complicated.

“Weaving anecdotes from Rachel’s 15 years of dating with expert research and interviews with real people, mental-health experts and sociologists, this book offers comforting insights and actionable reflections. The Love Fix is a rallying cry for radical intimacy and a key resource for protecting your wellbeing, asserting healthy boundaries and communicating your needs. It is a path towards real connection with others and yourself, offering a new vision for love beyond the algorithm.”     

Thompson said: “The Love Fix is my offering to my fellow daters: to those who are finding the quest for connection and partnership emotionally challenging and who want to forge a better dating culture for us all.

“As someone who’s been single for 15 years and reporting on themes of sex and relationships for over a decade, I’ve witnessed the seismic shift in our dating culture from a unique vantage point. I wrote this book because I had burning questions and my love life (and sanity) depended on getting those answers. For anyone who’s ever stared at their phone in despair and wondered why dating wasn’t going well for them, or perhaps wondered if there was something wrong with them, this book is for you.”

Tatepo said: “The Love Fix is a timely, heartfelt exploration of modern dating dynamics, full of empowering sociological insights and data science on how we start, maintain and navigate relationships from first encounter to breakup.

“Spanning the full dating cycle, Thompson acts as a sympathetic ear and gentle guide for anyone wanting deeper, lasting connections – with special regard for those from marginalised communities. In this age of emotional avoidance, she makes a compelling case for reclaiming vulnerability as a practice and path towards true intimacy with both others and ourselves.”

Thompson is a journalist specialising in reporting on sex, dating and relationships. She is the features editor at Mashable, and has written for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Telegraph, GQ, Stylist and Refinery29. Her first book, Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way into the Bedroom and What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence, was published by Square Peg in August 2021.