Top 16 Books About Long Distance Relationships Updated 04 /2024

A year ago, I moved from New York City back to my parents' house in Southern California without telling them where I was going. Then, after living with my best friends and family for years, I was thousands of miles away. But my story isn't unique. Since the quarantine started about a year ago, almost everyone has been separated from the people they care about, from their neighbors to their favorite coworkers to their best friends or lovers.

But at the same time, a lot of new relationships have been made over the last year. We still find ways to communicate with each other, even though we live far apart. We started new jobs and fell in love over TikTok.

A lot of stories show how to keep going when you're apart from each other. Zoom and Netflix Party are two of them. Here are seven books about how to stay connected even though you live a long way away.

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

When Patsy, a Jamaican mother who is gay, sees a chance to move to Brooklyn, she takes it. She leaves her young daughter, Tru, behind in their working-class neighborhood in Kingston. Before she goes to New York, Patsy wants to be with her childhood best friend and crush, who has married and changed her life. Tru has a hard time figuring out how she feels about her mother, whom she misses so much, and how she feels about herself.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

El-Mohtar and Gladstone are writing Blue and Red, respectively. Their characters send threats and boasts to an opposing agent in a war that travels back and forth through the past and present. Agent Red of the Agency finds a letter from an enemy Garden spy, Blue. In a world that has been shattered by time travel and chaos, Agent Red finds a letter from an enemy Garden spy, Blue. It takes the spies a long time to figure out that the soldiers of war have more in common with each other than the people who order them to fight than they did before.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

In 1949, Helene Hanff was living in New York. She was trying to build up her collection of old and rare British literature. In the newspaper, she saw an ad for Frank Doel, the chief buyer of Marks & Co., a London-based bookstore. She started writing to him after she saw it. There 

are 20 years of letters that have been recorded. In the beginning, the correspondence between Hanff and Doel may be stiff. But over time, it turns into passionate discussions about obscure authors, a life-long friendship, and a proof that you can find community even if you live far away.

Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

In her first book, Pik-Shuen Fung tells the story of a "astronaut" family. An unknown person grows up with her mother and grandmother in Canada, while her father worked in Hong Kong. Years later, when he dies, she has to figure out how to deal with the grief of someone she barely knew because of both his physical and emotional distance. In her search for answers, she connects with her family through their shared sorrow and love.

Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin

Kentukis, remote-controlled stuffed animals, are everywhere in Samanta Schweblin's book, Little Eyes. They could be dangerous. These creatures don't care where they are because they are connected to an online network. Anyone can buy one and become a voyeur from Oaxaca to Berlin to Tel Aviv. People in these stories learn about this new kind of mass surveillance and how it works.

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

When Ludwick came to New York from the Polish People's Republic, he was gay and had to flee. At an agricultural camp, Ludwick met Janusz, who was a student and very religious about the Communist Party. They talked about how they could get out of debt by joining the party. In James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, the two get to know each other. Over time, they fall in love in a country that doesn't allow them to be together. This book is written in the second person and tells the story of Ludwick's thoughts to his lover, who is still in another country.

Love at the Speed of Email by Lisa McKay

There were humanitarian workers in PNG who sent Lisa an email. She didn't think much of it. After growing up on the move and getting her psychology degree, Lisa started a career coaching and helping humanitarian workers all over the world. The thing that Lisa didn't expect from Mike's email is that they would become more than friends and that they would finally teach her what "home" means.

When you read about someone else's experience, it can help you better deal with your own at times. During her own life and love journey, Lisa McKay wrote a beautiful book called Love at the Speed of Email. Before Lisa was 31, her heart was broken by a man she met halfway around the world. After living a life of travel and adventure, Lisa is forced to face the idea of "home." In her book, she talks about how to have a good long-distance relationship. Many people have been moved by it. The pages are full of advice on how to deal with the difficulties of having a love that isn't close enough to you.

From Stranger To Lover by Lisa McKay

From Stranger To Lover can help you avoid the problems that come with long-distance relationships, no matter how long you've been together. Each chapter focuses on a common mistake that couples make and gives them simple ways to fix it. The information in this book can help you figure out what your relationship is good at and what it isn't so good at.

The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman 

All people in relationships should read The 5 Love Languages, whether it's long-distance or not. It's a good book even if you live far apart. The book has been a New York Times best-seller for eight years. It gives simple ideas for a more fulfilling, long-lasting love that are easy to follow. Inside the book, Dr. Gary Chapman talks about a new way to show and get love. This method helps couples have more intimate relationships. This communication is especially useful for long-distance relationships, and the new edition even has updated chapters on how relationships work in the modern, connected world.

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