In this work, Robert Sternberg opens the book of love and shows you how to discover your own story - and how to read your relationships in a new light. What draws us so strongly to some people and repels us from others? What makes some relationships work so smoothly and others burst into flames? Sternberg provides answers to these questions by showing that the kind of relationship we create depends on the kind of love stories we carry inside us. Drawing on extensive research and fascinating examples of real couples, Sternberg identifies 26 types of love story - including the fantasy story, the business story, the collector story, the horror story, and many others - each with its distinctive advantages and pitfalls, and many of which are clashingly incompatible. The author argues that these are the largely unconscious preconceptions that guide our romantic choices and that it is only by becoming aware of the kind of story we have about love that we gain the freedom to create more fulfilling and lasting relationships. As long as we remain oblivious to the role our stories play, we are likely to repeat the same mistakes again and again.