Sometimes ordinary people have the most extraordinary love stories.

After separating from a 20-year partnership, ABC Radio National host Hilary Harper thought the chances of finding real love in her 50s were slim. But after facing down heartbreak, braving the weird world of dating apps, and dealing with her own complicated emotions, she discovered that love had a few surprises up its sleeve - and that it takes many forms.

Harper's unfiltered account of her foray into modern dating is an entree to this collection of ordinary people's extraordinary love stories. She introduces us to childhood sweethearts, lovers who have found each other by chance encounters across distance, time or culture, and partners making it last through child-rearing, hardship and changing needs. With warmth, compassion and incredible insight, she explores all the unique ways people find love and what such a seemingly universal term means individually.

Written to inspire, delight and melt the hardest of hearts, these fascinating and sometimes hilarious tales celebrate the resilience of the human heart and the beautiful, messy truth of finding connection and enduring love.