Must-Read Marriage Books for a Healthy Relationship

Conflict is the top reason couples seek help — but it’s also an opportunity for greater intimacy, deeper connection, and lasting love. Through decades of research, Drs. John and Julie Gottman, founders of the world-famous Love Lab, have identified the five common mistakes we make when we are at odds. In Fight Right, we learn the five secrets that help us to get back on track and harness conflict to build stronger, healthier relationships.

Emily Nagoski, PhD, takes on a fundamentally misunderstood subject: sex in long-term relationships. Most of us struggle at some point to maintain a sexual connection with our partner/s or spouse. And many of us are given not-very-good advice on what to do about it. In this book, Nagoski dispels the myths we’ve been taught about sex. Written with scientific rigor, humor, and compassion, Nagoski shows us what great sex can look like, how to create it in our own lives, and what to do when struggles arise.

Not much is harder than figuring out how to love your partner in all their messy humanness — and there’s also not much that’s more important. At a time when toxic individualism is rending our society at every level, bestselling author and renowned marriage counselor Terrence Real sees how it poisons intimate relationships in his therapy practice, where he works with couples on the brink of disaster. The good news: Warmer, closer, more passionate relationships are possible if you have the right tools.

Eli J. Finkel’s insightful and ground-breaking investigation of marriage clearly shows that the best marriages today are better than the best marriages of earlier eras. Indeed, they are the best marriages the world has ever known. He presents his findings here for the first time in this lucid, inspiring guide to modern marital bliss. The All-or-Nothing Marriage reverse engineers fulfilling marriages — from the “traditional” to the utterly nontraditional — and shows how any marriage can be better.

We already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. Why not use science to help us improve our relationships? In this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller scientifically explain why some people seem to navigate relationships effortlessly, while others struggle. Discover how an understanding of adult attachment — the most advanced relationship science in existence today — can help us find and sustain love.

Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone—Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged—the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.

Relationship experts Milan and Kay Yerkovich explain why the ways you and your spouse relate to each other go back to before you even met. Drawing on the powerful tool of attachment theory, Milan and Kay explore how your childhood created an “intimacy imprint” that affects your marriage today. This expanded edition will bring vibrant life to your marriage.

Marriage is the most profound human relationship there is. In this gorgeously packaged daily devotional, bestselling authors Timothy and Kathy Keller offer stories, daily scriptures, and prayer prompts that will take you on a year-long journey into discovering the meaning of marriage.

For any woman caught in an emotionally destructive marriage, Leslie Vernick offers a personalized path forward. Based on decades of counseling experience, her intensely practical, biblical advice will show you how to establish boundaries and break free from emotional abuse. Discover how you can initiative effective change to stop the cycle of destruction and restore hope for the future.

Negotiating the Nonnegotiable takes you on a journey into the heart and soul of conflict, providing unique insight into the emotional undercurrents that too often sweep us out to sea. Daniel Shapiro presents a universally applicable method to successfully navigate conflict. A deep, provocative book to reflect on and wrestle with, this book can change your life.

In Marriageology Belinda Luscombe examines the six major fault lines that can fracture contemporary marriages, also known as the F-words: familiarity, fighting, finances, family, fooling around, and finding help. She presents a smart and concise guide to staying together that draws on scientific findings, expert advice, and years in the marital trenches to explain why marriage is better for your health, your finances, your kids, and your happiness.

In Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage, marital psychologists John and Julie Gottman provide vital tools—scientifically based and empirically verified—that you can use to regain affection and romance lost through years of ineffective communication.

This marriage book provides couple’s therapy in a unique format perfect for today’s world. All that’s required is a genuine wish for a better relationship and a willingness to practice. Marriage Rules is a treasure chest of lively, practical advice to help you navigate your relationships issues with clarity, courage, and joyous conviction.

Nate and Kaley Klemp were both successful in their careers, consulting for high-powered companies around the world. Their work as mindfulness and leadership experts, however, often fell to the wayside when they came home in the evening, only to end up fighting about fairness in their marriage. From this frustration, they developed the idea of the 80/80 marriage, a new model for balancing career, family, and love. The 80/80 Marriage pushes couples beyond the limited idea of “fairness” toward a new model grounded on radical generosity and shared success, one that calls for each partner to contribute 80 percent to build the strongest possible relationship.

It’s Not You, It’s the Dishes is a clear-eyed, rational route to demystifying your disagreements and improving your relationship. Smart, funny, deeply researched, and refreshingly realistic, this book cuts through the noise of emotions, egos, and tired relationship clichés to solve the age-old riddle of a happy, healthy marriage.

Change the relationship you have into the one you want. Written with humor, compassion, and honesty, and illustrated throughout with engaging line drawings, Making Marriage Simple is a strategic blueprint for creating a stronger, more satisfying partnership in today’s world.

From bestselling authors Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, a book devoted to helping you start your marriage strong and keeping it strong as the years pass. On Marriage is a short, powerful book that gives you the tools to understand the meaning of marriage within God’s vision of life.

Is your relationship with your spouse far from the union you’d hoped it would be? In this eight-week devotional, John and Stasi Eldredge will guide you through new insights, encouraging Scriptures, and practical exercises that will help you develop a personal plan for a vibrant marriage.

In this study, you’ll examine God’s design for marriage, and you’ll learn from the Designer’s perspective, what it means to be a godly husband or wife. You’ll discover biblical wisdom for pursuing harmony in difficult areas such as finances, communications, and respect for each other’s roles. Most important, you’ll learn the principles you need to build a love that lasts.