'This book would have been useful before we got married.'
——Anthony Congedo, Annie's ex-husband

'Annie's given me mostly helpful relationship advice for years – even when I didn't ask for it.'
——Catherine Chisholm, Annie's friend

　　You're on date #17 since your last relationship ended in flames and within a nanosecond of meeting Doug at a bar you realise you've made a huge mistake. You head to the bathroom to text your mate Lizzy and complain about how your date says aaaahh after every sip of beer, seems to style himself after Donald Trump and definitely sniffed your hair. Ten seconds later, you realise you accidentally texted Doug instead. You sit frozen on the loo, wondering if there's a back exit or if you should fake your own death instead of facing the music. You wonder how you ended up here again, locked in a small room, hiding from an orange-wigged man.

　　Whether it's dating someone wearing horns and a kaftan, a relationship where blobs of toothpaste are left smeared in the bathroom sink, or being dumped via text with just one word – enough! – the philosophy of the Stoics can help us all navigate the life cycles of love. Across more than 40 rules, from dating tips like Do your due diligence to relationship advice like Don't tell your partner to calm down to break-up wisdoms like Resist putting your foot in your mouth, Annie Lawson applies ancient wisdom to the modern world of being in love, out of love, lovesick, love-bombed or just love-tired. She reminds us that life is all about change and to keep our focus on the things we can control – like our thoughts and actions – and to let go of the things we can't, like finding out our date's living room is a shrine to David Beckham. Love and its rocky pursuit often sucks but fortunately, not always, and Stoic in Love helps us realise that we can all use a little help in getting together and staying together. Or getting the hell out of there.

Annie Lawson is a former journalist who has had a diverse love life, from kiss chasey in the school yard in primary school, to a first pash as a teenager with braces to several boyfriends including one who alphabetised cereal packets, and finally to marriage, which ended. This all taught her that the key to a good relationship is not only lots of storage, regular holidays at a nice resort and someone who is funny, but finding a partner to do nothing with. She now works on the dark side of the corporate world and is a devoted student of the Stoics, taking every opportunity to apply their wisdom to life's hard things - from the workplace to matters of the heart.