Love Letters

The Boston Globe

Love stories. Dating stories. Relationship stories. Stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss, and the human heart. Served with a side of advice. Hosted by Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein.

Join our Friends With Benefits club for an ad-free experience, a monthly bonus episode, and more.

For details, visit ⁠Globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits⁠.

Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

200 episodes
Updated July 21

Episodes200

Newest first

Jun 14, 2022 · 26 min
Bonus: Get Off the Apps! With Jon Birger
Meredith chats with business writer and journalist Jon Birger about why he thinks we should get off the apps and seek connection in other ways. Birger is the author of the books "Date-Onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game" and "Make Your Move: The New Science of Dating and Why Women Are in Charge." Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
May 5, 2022 · 36 min
Bonus: Romanticizing Everything with Casey McQuiston
We’re back with a bonus episode today. Meredith chats with writer Casey McQuiston about all the things: finding romance for yourself in times of uncertainty, how they get their work done, and what makes a really good love story. McQuiston is the author of the new book "I Kissed Shara Wheeler," the widely successful "Red, White & Royal Blue," and "One Last Stop." Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Apr 21, 2022 · 2 min
Send us your stories of big change
Sometimes life is about big change. You move across the world. Quit or lose a job. Suddenly get Internet famous. Decide you must join the circus. Maybe not that, but you get it. For the next season of Love Letters, we’re looking for stories about big, monumental changes in people’s romantic lives. Have you ever made a 180 like this? Share it with us at loveletters@boston.com.
Mar 29, 2022 · 34 min
S6E10: Never Gonna Give You Up
For our final episode of the season, we collaborate with the podcast This Is Dating to bring you the story of Manny, a San Francisco thirty-something who’s been kinda sorta breaking a big relationship rule for 11 years and counting. The one that says: You’ll never get over an ex without making a clean break. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. For more on This Is Dating, visit thisisdatingpodcast.com.
Mar 15, 2022 · 33 min
S6E9: I Couldn't Help But Wonder
Yes, Devin Tomb knows that TV isn’t real life. That “Sex and the City” never explicitly promised her anything. And yet, it was hard not to believe in the future the show presented. Devin figured she, too, would have a squad of single women for adventurous nights and opulent brunches well into her 30s. So what happened? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Mar 1, 2022 · 40 min
S6E8: Red Flag Parade
When Margaret hit her early 30s, she felt like one of those collectible toys you keep in a box – in mint condition, untouched. She wondered: What am I saving myself for? So she said yes to a throuple that seemed romantic and daring and exhilarating. It turned out to be all of those things and more. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Feb 15, 2022 · 32 min
S6E7: These Rules Are Meant for Breakin'
Meredith sits down with two smart people who have spent a lot of time studying relationships – how we make them, what we look for in other people, and the “rules” that color these big decisions. Lamont White is a dating coach and matchmaker. Angela Bahns is a social psychologist whose work raises an important question: Is it actually true that opposites attract? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Feb 1, 2022 · 39 min
S6E6: Dancing With a Stranger
Ayesha Mattu was supposed to marry a man whose background mirrored hers: Pakistani, Muslim, and from a certain caste. For a time, that was the plan. Then, one night in a dimly lit club, she saw a cute guy dancing. And thus their adventure began. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jan 18, 2022 · 28 min
S6E5: The Old College Try
When the pandemic hit, Iz was a junior in college with a vibrant social and academic life. They also had a serious partner, with whom they’d been in a monogamous relationship. COVID turned all of that upside down. So Iz decided to try something radical: to forego app dating and look for love IRL. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jan 4, 2022 · 36 min
S6E4: 98 Percent Perfect
Just about everybody in a long-term partnership worries they’re not having the right amount of sex. It’s easy to wonder: What is “normal?” For Katie and her husband, this became a central question in their marriage – until she realized she should just stop asking. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Dec 14, 2021 · 40 min
S6E3: So Long, Splitsville
When Ian Coss talks about the legacy of divorce in his family, he’s not kidding. Everybody split up -- parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, multiple aunts and uncles. So when Ian fell in love himself, understanding these broken commitments became his way of avoiding the same fate. Plus, writer and podcaster Christina Tucker on whether universal rules even exist in love and dating. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. (Next episode: Jan. 4)
Nov 30, 2021 · 32 min
S6E2: In Love, on Duty
Naomi and Chandler didn’t know each other before deploying to the same air base in Afghanistan. But they had much in common — they both came from big families and small towns, and neither was looking for love. They also knew the military frowned upon relationships on base. And yet… Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Nov 16, 2021 · 30 min
S6E1: Because I Wanted To
Welcome to Season 6! Our theme for this season is “Breaking the Rules.” It’s all about people who went against the grain, challenged convention, or ignored those relationship myths and tropes we’ve all heard. In the first episode, Meredith tells the story of fellow journalist Kimberly Atkins Stohr, who made an unexpected choice upon getting married. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Sep 28, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min
Bonus: A Conversation with John Paul Brammer
Meredith talks to fellow advice columnist John Paul Brammer on the occasion of his new book, “Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons.” Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Aug 31, 2021 · 42 min
Bonus: Erin’s Hot Girl Summer
Meredith has a glass of frosé with Erin, whose dating journey Love Letters chronicled in Season 2. Erin gives an update on her love life, shares what changed for her during the pandemic, and admits to crushing on a guy in a cemetery. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Aug 10, 2021 · 39 min
S5E10: Meredith, Explained
In the final episode of the season, Meredith turns hosting duties over to her sister, Brette. And for an important reason: It’s finally time for Meredith to share her own story -- her own new beginning. It’s a story about saying “yes” when that feels right, and about the growth that comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jul 27, 2021 · 36 min
S5E9: Save It for Later
Knowing whether your partner is "the one" can be hard. Especially when you meet earlier in life. It’s tough to know who is truly here to stay, and who may just be right for the moment. That was true for Monica, who fell for a guy in college and then wasn’t so sure. Hers is a story about multiple new beginnings, and about the importance of getting to know yourself before going all in on someone else. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jul 13, 2021 · 26 min
S5E8: The Connecticut Wife
Many of us have clear expectations for our romantic lives. We envision a certain kind of partner, a certain kind of relationship. But Nicole found her new beginning after giving herself permission to change course. The end result? She’s built a life she never imagined for herself. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jun 29, 2021 · 36 min
S5E7: Boyfriend Person
Trenni used to pity the “boyfriend people” -- women she knew whose lives seemed to revolve around a guy. She valued her independence and wore it like a badge of honor. Then, a chance encounter on the street led her to a life-changing discovery. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Jun 15, 2021 · 37 min
S5E6: How to Step-Mom
When a step-parent enters the picture, it can be an especially fraught new beginning -- for everyone involved. Stacie discovered this after she and Tim decided to make a life together. Tim came with two kids; Stacie had none. Nor did she have any idea -- at first, anyway -- what it meant to be a step-mom. Plus, Meredith and her sister, Brette, sing Mary Poppins. Sort of. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.

Love Letters

Bonus: Get Off the Apps! With Jon Birger

Bonus: Romanticizing Everything with Casey McQuiston

Send us your stories of big change

S6E10: Never Gonna Give You Up

S6E9: I Couldn't Help But Wonder

S6E8: Red Flag Parade

S6E7: These Rules Are Meant for Breakin'

S6E6: Dancing With a Stranger

S6E5: The Old College Try

S6E4: 98 Percent Perfect

S6E3: So Long, Splitsville

S6E2: In Love, on Duty

S6E1: Because I Wanted To

Bonus: A Conversation with John Paul Brammer

Bonus: Erin’s Hot Girl Summer

S5E10: Meredith, Explained

S5E9: Save It for Later

S5E8: The Connecticut Wife

S5E7: Boyfriend Person

S5E6: How to Step-Mom