The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale

“one of the smartest, funniest books I’ve read about love in a long, long time” - Red Magazine

Haley McGee is in debt. The solution? A yard sale of the gifts from her ex-boyfriends.

When it came to pricing, she got stuck. Surely the ways we invest in our romantic relationships should be reflected in the price. But how?

Is the mixtape from your first love worth more than the vintage typewriter from a philanderer? Does sitting on a box cutter wedged between seats on bus when going to see the boyfriend you lost your virginity to increase or decrease the value of the necklace he gave you? Do the lies you told the guy who gave you a jewellery box dock its price?

Should you be compensated for the miserable times or do they render an item worthless?

Haley decides to gamble on a larger pay out. She interviews her exes and enlists the help of a mathematician to create a formula – with 87 variables – for the cost of love. As she wrestles her financial literacy and tackles romantic and professional woes, the one that got away reappears with a new proposition.

Female desire, heartbreak and the chance for integrity are held up in this whip-smart, original and daringly candid memoir. As Haley McGee interrogates her romantic triumphs and failures with unflinching detail and hilarity her exquisite proses elevates this all too human conundrum: is love worth it?

“exceedingly witty” - The Independent

“illuminating” - Metro

“A totally original and captivating memoir about money, theatre, capitalism and relationships . . . [and] a heartbreaking testament to the unquantifiable marvel of romantic love.”
- Martha Schabas, author of My Face in the Light

“I suspect it’s only a matter of time until Haley McGee is a household name. And frankly, that time can’t come soon enough.”
- Jordan Tannahill, author of The Listeners

“A fascinating, deft and insightful journey into the intersections of debt, heartbreak and the creative process.”
- Rosie Wilby, author of The Breakup Monologues