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The End of Romance

A Novel

Author Lily Meyer
Read by Kristen Sieh
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On sale Feb 03, 2026 | 9 Hours and 0 Minutes | 9798217282937
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A big-hearted, wise, unceasingly buoyant novel about a woman who, after escaping a bruising marriage, theorizes that happiness is possible solely with the eradication of all romance--only to find a love that could change her life forever

Sylvie Broder was taught early to embrace joy. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors whose greatest priority was enjoying the life they'd snatched back from Hitler, Sylvie believes in the tenacious pursuit of pleasure—yet, somehow, finds herself trapped in a suffocating, emotionally abusive marriage. With enormous fortitude, Sylvie frees herself and turns to graduate school, where she develops a new philosophy: Straight women will find true liberation and happiness only once romance is eradicated.

Now, Sylvie prides herself in separating sex from tenderness—having fun with men, but never committing to one. Then she meets Robbie and Abie, and finds her philosophy sorely tested. A warm and gentle man, Robbie treats Sylvie with patience and enormous kindness, offering her comfort she hasn't had since childhood. Abie is passionate and dynamic, a man who challenges Sylvie, and with whom she finds herself constantly disarmed. With both men, she feels a deep desire that looks, worryingly, a lot like love.

Cleverly constructed, delightfully funny, and beautifully written, The End of Romance is an anti-romance romance novel that charts its fallible heroine's tumultuous journey to love and happiness with erudition and deep feeling—a story for anyone who, despite their very best efforts, has fallen in love, and wondered why.
"An anti-romantic finds herself at odds with her own beliefs when she falls in love with not one, but two men...A less capable writer would stumble under the weight of the book’s intricate themes, but Meyer’s prose is both graceful and skillful. A charming and complex book full of intellect, humor, and—despite its title—romance." --Kirkus

“It is one of many delightful ironies in Lily Meyer's gripping and incisive novel, The End of Romance, that her unforgettable heroine, Sylvie Broder, finds herself constantly untangling herself from love. It is also one of its many pleasures that you root for Sylvie at every turn, from her loveless childhood to her flight from an abusive marriage to a life of passion and intellectual pursuit…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 NYTBR Editor's Choice PLAYWORLD

“Sylvie Broder is in the midst of a philosophy crisis. What’s a briliant young Ph.D candidate to do when her thesis --- that romance must end --- turns out to be at odds with her life? Lily Meyer has created a funny, relatable, and empathetic protagonist who combs the literatures of moral and feminist thought---and frequently consults her imaginary turtle friend--- to confirm her theory that for a woman to thrive, her private and public lives must be bifurcated. Can the likes of Rich, Hegel, and Foucault help solve Sylvie find clarity? Perhaps not. 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, bestselling author of Acceptance

“Meyer so beautifully captures the cumulative effect all of our past relationships (romantic and otherwise) have on us…in The End of Romance 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

“If Grace Paley and Miranda July had a baby, the result would be Lily Meyer’s The End of Romance. Hilarious, off-kilter, sparklingly special, deliciously Jew-ish, and disarmingly deep, this book made me feel 10 percent less dead inside.” —Emma Copley Eisenberg, national bestselling author of Housemate

"[S]harp and sexy...This thought-provoking novel pulls off big ideas and steamy romance all at once.” —Publishers Weekly
© Pete Kiehart
Lily Meyer is a translator, a critic, and the author of the novel Short War. She is also a contributing 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, and her essays and criticism appear in outlets including Bookforum, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Book Review. View titles by Lily Meyer

About

A big-hearted, wise, unceasingly buoyant novel about a woman who, after escaping a bruising marriage, theorizes that happiness is possible solely with the eradication of all romance--only to find a love that could change her life forever

Sylvie Broder was taught early to embrace joy. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors whose greatest priority was enjoying the life they'd snatched back from Hitler, Sylvie believes in the tenacious pursuit of pleasure—yet, somehow, finds herself trapped in a suffocating, emotionally abusive marriage. With enormous fortitude, Sylvie frees herself and turns to graduate school, where she develops a new philosophy: Straight women will find true liberation and happiness only once romance is eradicated.

Now, Sylvie prides herself in separating sex from tenderness—having fun with men, but never committing to one. Then she meets Robbie and Abie, and finds her philosophy sorely tested. A warm and gentle man, Robbie treats Sylvie with patience and enormous kindness, offering her comfort she hasn't had since childhood. Abie is passionate and dynamic, a man who challenges Sylvie, and with whom she finds herself constantly disarmed. With both men, she feels a deep desire that looks, worryingly, a lot like love.

Cleverly constructed, delightfully funny, and beautifully written, The End of Romance is an anti-romance romance novel that charts its fallible heroine's tumultuous journey to love and happiness with erudition and deep feeling—a story for anyone who, despite their very best efforts, has fallen in love, and wondered why.

Reviews

"An anti-romantic finds herself at odds with her own beliefs when she falls in love with not one, but two men...A less capable writer would stumble under the weight of the book’s intricate themes, but Meyer’s prose is both graceful and skillful. A charming and complex book full of intellect, humor, and—despite its title—romance." --Kirkus

“It is one of many delightful ironies in Lily Meyer's gripping and incisive novel, The End of Romance, that her unforgettable heroine, Sylvie Broder, finds herself constantly untangling herself from love. It is also one of its many pleasures that you root for Sylvie at every turn, from her loveless childhood to her flight from an abusive marriage to a life of passion and intellectual pursuit…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 NYTBR Editor's Choice PLAYWORLD

“Sylvie Broder is in the midst of a philosophy crisis. What’s a briliant young Ph.D candidate to do when her thesis --- that romance must end --- turns out to be at odds with her life? Lily Meyer has created a funny, relatable, and empathetic protagonist who combs the literatures of moral and feminist thought---and frequently consults her imaginary turtle friend--- to confirm her theory that for a woman to thrive, her private and public lives must be bifurcated. Can the likes of Rich, Hegel, and Foucault help solve Sylvie find clarity? Perhaps not. 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, bestselling author of Acceptance

“Meyer so beautifully captures the cumulative effect all of our past relationships (romantic and otherwise) have on us…in The End of Romance 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

“If Grace Paley and Miranda July had a baby, the result would be Lily Meyer’s The End of Romance. Hilarious, off-kilter, sparklingly special, deliciously Jew-ish, and disarmingly deep, this book made me feel 10 percent less dead inside.” —Emma Copley Eisenberg, national bestselling author of Housemate

"[S]harp and sexy...This thought-provoking novel pulls off big ideas and steamy romance all at once.” —Publishers Weekly

Author

© Pete Kiehart
Lily Meyer is a translator, a critic, and the author of the novel Short War. She is also a contributing 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, and her essays and criticism appear in outlets including Bookforum, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Book Review. View titles by Lily Meyer

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From the Author

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Lily Meyer, Author of The End of Romance

“Sylvie, the main character, is formed even more deeply than she realizes by the ideas she learned from her grandparents, both of whom died when she was 13. You might even say those ideas save her. I was lucky, growing up, to have a host of adults expose me to real ideas, but I think my librarians did it most. In that way, too, they made me who I am.”

Read more

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Lily Meyer, Author of The End of Romance

From the Author

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