This is Also a Love Story

Selected praise:

“In this original and heart-warming book, Sally Hayden chronicles both the astonishing acts of bravery that love inspires, as well as the touchingly ordinary connections people make in extraordinary times. By finding beauty amidst ugliness, she finds a way of making our fractured world whole again.” — Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor for Channel 4 News and author of ‘I Brought The War With Me: Stories and Poems from the Front Line’

“Sally Hayden’s gorgeous work of reportage shows us that in the midst of war, around the most acute suffering, there is also tremendous heroism. For every act of cruelty and dehumanization and indifference, there is resistance and rebellion that takes the form of compassion, humanity, and love.” — Nathan Thrall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘A Day in the Life of Abed Salama’

“Profoundly affecting … it is salutary to be reminded of the spotlights of love and altruism that illuminate even the darkest of stages.” — Bookseller (which chose it as non-fiction book of the month)

Preorder here:

UK (publishing May 21, 2026)

Lighthouse (Edinburgh)

Audible (audiobook)

The Cleeve Bookshop (Cheltenham)

The Guardian bookshop

Amazon