The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale: Finding a Formula for the Cost of Love

In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Haley McGee sets out to calculate--with mathematical precision--the exact cost of love, and whether all of her former relationships were worth it.

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

But when it comes to pricing, she gets 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 an X-Acto knife wedged between seats on a bus to see the boyfriend you lost your virginity to increase or decrease the value of the necklace he gave you? Should you be compensated for the miserable times or do they render an item worthless?

Haley decides to gamble on a larger payout. She interviews her exes and enlists the help of a mathematician to create a formula--with eighty-six variables--for the cost of love. As she's searching for answers, the one that got away reappears with a new proposition.

Female desire, heartbreak and the chance for integrity in the aftermath of both are held up in this whipsmart, original and daringly candid memoir. As Haley McGee interrogates her romantic triumphs and failures with unflinching detail and hilarity, her exquisite prose elevates this all too human conundrum: Is love worth it?

Author: Haley McGee
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Published: 02/01/2022
Pages: 392
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780385694766


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/25/2022

About the Author
HALEY McGEE is an actor and writer who was born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo. She received her BFA in Acting from Ryerson University, and in 2016 relocated to London, UK, where she lives today. "Hilarious and hypnotically honest" (Exeunt), Haley's award-winning solo shows have played in thirty-six venues in eleven countries and been translated into four languages. She thrives on variety--she writes, acts, performs improv, does voiceovers, teaches online courses and hosts The Cost of Love podcast.