In Defense of Love is an intriguing and bold argument for something many of us feel but rarely take the time to define. Rosenbaum challenges the growing trend of reducing love to algorithms, brain chemistry, or data points. Instead, he makes the case for keeping love mysterious, sacred, and fully human.

The book feels like a thoughtful conversation between philosophy, science, and literature. Rosenbaum’s intellect and curiosity shine throughout. I especially appreciated his reflections on how our modern culture might be losing something essential by trying too hard to explain or measure love. His writing encourages readers to ask themselves what love really means beyond logic or science.

Some sections do read a bit dense, and the tone leans academic at times. I found myself wishing for more emotional grounding or relatable examples to balance the heavier concepts. Even so, the message is clear and important.

This book is a thought-provoking read for anyone curious about the value of love in a world that often prioritizes data and efficiency. Rosenbaum reminds us that love, in its truest form, doesn’t need to be solved. It simply needs to be felt.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

In "In Defense of Love: An Argument", Ron Rosenbaum explores love. He lays out how love has become a dangerous thing when it is identified with quantifiers and data. Rosenbaum discusses why we are so opposed to making the concept of love a quantifiable thing and how we can remove this aspect of it from social conversation.

I won't beat around the bush about my opinions of this book. I hated it. It was so incredibly boring and made absolutely no sense to me. I wouldn't consider myself dumb or necessarily cynical about love, and that's not why I hated this book. It seemed like this book was trying to pose as something intelligent when in reality, it was slightly pretentious.

It felt as if one was trying to ascertain the point of a conversation with someone that was rambling on and on and on. It went in a million different directions with numerous details that I didn't need nor did I really care about and didn't really have anything to do with the concept of love. I wish I could have gotten the time back that I spent reading this book to read something of a little more pleasure.