Available Formats
Love Matters: Heartwarming stories of finding love from the former host of the ABC radio show Life Matters
By (Author) Hilary Harper
ABC Books
ABC Books
28th January 2026
Australia
General
Non Fiction
Self-help, personal development and practical advice
True stories / true accounts of events
Biography and non-fiction prose
Paperback
320
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.
Hilary Harper grew up in regional Australia and loves radio's ability to connect people through storytelling, a practice which transcends time, space and football codes. She has a degree in English Literature and Cultural Studies, a Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing, and 30 years' experience in radio. She's been at the ABC since 2005, presenting local, statewide and national programs, including Radio National's flagship social affairs program, Life Matters. She's covered everything from news and current affairs to traffic reporting, arts, health, gardening, science, finance, education, relationships, parenting, and much discussion of food. She's currently the voice of Radio National, on weekday afternoons. Hilary is curious about everything that affects us through the different stages of our lives. Her own life goal is to one day own enough bookshelves.