The Love Thief is a soulful, cinematic journey that utterly captivated. With luminous settings, unforgettable characters, and an emotional arc of transformation, this book is not just a page-turner; it’s a balm for anyone who has ever had their heart broken.

Set against a rich backdrop of India, sprinkled with spiritual insight and culinary delight, The Love Thief isn’t just a story about losing love. It’s about finding yourself. It’s about what happens when life breaks you open and you realize this is not the end, but just the beginning.

Highly recommend to anyone navigating change, loss, or a fresh start - or anyone just wanting a really good tale of love and redemption!

I think this is a book that every young woman needs to read! it was so raw and jaw dropping that I could not put it down even for a second! I really felt for holly because she was relatable to the point of seeing bits and pieces of myself. this was probably the first read I was just wanting her to find herself and not caring about the love interest.

I received a free eARC from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is my own honest opinion about the book.

Book Review: The Love Thief
Release Date: July 22nd, 2025

⭐️⭐️ - it was okay
🌶️🌶️ behind closed doors (implied)

(These opinions are mine, if you don't agree, talk about that on your page)

A woman in her late 30s ignores her mother’s warning and gets engaged to a bad man. When said bad man cheats on her she gets in a car wreck and goes to India on a life journey. Then she comes home and falls in love with the agent on her ex-fiancés case. The end.

From the beginning the dialogue feels forced, unnatural and incredibly clunky. Somewhere in the middle I started saying “of course that happens now.” And the “romance” at the end felt very awkward and very rushed, similar to the one at the beginning. The whole book felt like someone took a nonfiction book and then tried to make it into a novel but add a little romance.

Review posted on GoodReads

This was a good story! I enjoyed the plot, found the characters lovable and interesting, and I would definitely recommend this to others!

Our main character, Holly, had an accident after discovering her fiancé with her best friend. That is the main reason she accepts her aunt's suggestion to go to India and take a cooking course. I really liked that the author put the recipes in the book. I also liked Holly's spiritual and healing journey, it was very nicely written, simple and full of enjoyment. However, I almost dnf this book. The very detailed parts of the book are just too long and almost boring. Overall, I really did like the book and I give it 4 stars.

This totally swept me away. You can practically smell the spices and feel the heat of India coming off the page. So vivid and full of color. I tore through it in two sittings. Couldn’t put it down!

Tales of spiritual journeys are always a magnet for me. This one delivers in an entertaining and informative manner – chockful of spiritual principles and wisdom as the protagonist sheds her victim identity and awakens to her true self and her life purpose.

Holly Grant had a lifelong dream of marrying for love, having children, and owning a home with the white picket fence. Now at thirty-eight years of age, her dream remains unfulfilled until she is swept off her feet by Barry, a wealthy, charismatic lawyer and part-time art dealer. Just as suddenly, her world implodes as Holly discovers her fiancé and best friend/business partner are cheating on her, her investment in a shared home has tanked her life savings, her fledgling catering business is shuttered, and she sustains injuries in a near fatal car accident. All of this is a catalyst for her journey to India to study exotic cooking, and unbeknownst to her, to heal deep-seated emotional wounds.

This is the author’s first fictional book (she has eleven popular nonfiction books to her credit) and her writing style is engaging and entertaining. Holly is a sympathetic protagonist, who despite her skepticism about all things spiritual, is open to the opportunities that present themselves in the magical, mystical city of Rishikesh. The wisdom imparted is presented in an easy-to-embrace manner without preachy overtones. The only part of the novel I did not enjoy was the development of the 1950s diner-style restaurant in an elegant hotel in Delhi.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

“The Love Thief” by Arielle Ford, is a 337-page fictional book released this year, and a debut novel among eleven nonfiction books written by said author. It was published by Hay House LLC in California, its cover artwork produced by Mary Luna, and its interior design by Bryn Starr Best. The trade paper has ISBN 978-1-4019-9906-3, the ebook has ISBN 978-1-4019-9970-0, and the audiobook has ISBN 978-1-4019-9908-7. Arielle Ford, who has spent a lot of time with Indian meditation gurus and is herself a love and relationship expert, is currently living in California, United States. The digital book is costs $4.99 on Amazon Kindle, $13.57 in paperback and $17.72 in audiobook.

This novel centers on Holly Grant, a 38-year-old server from. Southern California, who after having the best romantic times of her life, falls into the darkest trenches she has ever been into. In a short period, she loses both her fiance and her childhood best friend Barry and Carly respectively, to infidelity, loses her money, her business, and nearly loses her life in an accident. After having the most successful revenge in her life, Holly travels to Rishikesh, India to find herself, as well as to explore exotic culinary cuisines. She has an inkling that, with this trip, her life will never be the same.

Will Holly find the peace she desires? What will she encounter during her stay in India? Find out in this amazing book!

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Holly in India. It was an eye-opener into new cultures and beliefs that I found deeply insightful, as I knew little about India. Amazing landscapes, beautiful sceneries, colorful events and unforgettable characters spin throughout the book, making her journey dreamy and quite mystical. Holly is a very open-minded woman and not easily given to cultural shock, as she has already been to Budapest. Despite her constant nightmares of her reminiscing about Barry, she learnt to abate the misery and face each day with a new sense of purpose and passion, and was not shy to pour her heart to Deepak Kumar. Her experiences, her discoveries and interactions with people like Maya and Agent Jackson Turner remolded her into a more resourceful person capable of finding true peace, overcoming her inner demons, and looking forward to newer future opportunities. There is nothing I dislike about the book. Her journey feels emotionally intense and relatable.

I also admire the culinary recipes Holly explored during her interactions with the people in India. I found the Dragon fruit cocktail rather interesting, and its recipe very simple; a dragon fruit, orange-juice, honey and a shot of rum did the trick.

I did not find any typographical mistakes or any grammatical errors, because this book is excellently and thoroughly edited. Because of my love for all things fiction, or dark speculative fiction, I, Michael Lartey, find this book to be thoroughly entertaining. Its context and style possess splendor, incredibility and sublimity. Because of this, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to lovers of fiction, adventure, and readers with a desire for enlightenment.

This book is, however, preferred for adults, because it contains profane words and mild sexual content.

The Love Thief is a romance full of depth and emotion in which the main character is learning to find her purpose taking place in India! This was full of betrayal, love, and learning how to mend a broken heart. The pacing flowed well, making it easy to just keep reading. It felt like a magical fairy tale with aspects that I think every woman can relate to in some way. What stands out in the novel is the cultural and spiritual parts, something I don’t see depicted very often. If you want a romance with emotional depth and a self journey, I would recommend!

Thank you Hay House and Netgalley for this arc

Arielle Ford's Love Thief is no ordinary romance—it's richer, more emotional, and quite healing. It traces the story of Holly, a woman betrayed by a man she believed would become her husband. What starts as heartbreak evolves into a discovery of self-love, spiritual awakening, and rebirth.

The romantic plot is complicated. Rather than simply leaping into another relationship, Holly goes to India to learn to release pain and reconnect with herself. The developing love story is slow, introspective, and deeply rewarding—not only between two individuals, but between Holly and her own heart.

Arielle Ford weaves lush romance with spiritual insight, and even adds a cultural spice that gives the story a special twist. If you enjoy novels where the heroine gets stronger, learns to love herself, and finds a man who truly merits her—this is a must-read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
For fans of emotional, healing romance with substance.