Looking for books on infidelity and how to rebuild trust after an affair — whether for yourself or the relationship? Here are our recommendations from relationship experts to help you take the first steps towards healing.
Are you struggling to make sense of your relationship and yourself after infidelity? Finding out you’ve been cheated on can shatter everything you hold dear about your relationship, your partner, and your sense of self. It can turn your life upside down and leave you with a lot of conflicted emotions and questions to sort through.
Confusion, anger, shock, sorrow, guilt, shame… It might feel like you’re trapped on an emotional rollercoaster with no clear way off.
Right now, it may seem like a lonely place, but you’re not alone. Many have walked this painful path, searching for understanding and a way forward. No wonder so many books have been written on infidelity — to help bring clarity to the chaos. Ready to dive in?
9 Must-Read Books on Infidelity from Relationship Experts
Discover insightful books on infidelity from leading psychologists, relationship counselors, and therapists. Backed by research and real-life experiences, these expert recommendations offer practical strategies for healing, rebuilding trust, and understanding the complexities of betrayal.
Please note, that the order of the books is not ranked or significant; each offers valuable ideas to help guide you through this challenging journey.
Getting Past the Affair: A Program to Help You Cope, Heal, and Move On — Together or Apart
by Douglas K. Snyder, Kristina Coop Gordon & Donald H. Baucom
Written by award-winning couples therapists, this guide offers expert advice and real-life stories to help partners navigate infidelity in all its forms — emotional, physical, in-person, or online.
Combining research-backed insights with compassionate support, it provides tools to process betrayal, manage difficult emotions, and choose a way to move forward, whether together or apart.
The Betrayal Bind: How to Heal When the Person You Love the Most Hurts You the Worst
by Michelle Mays
This book explores the deep conflict betrayed partners face — longing for connection while feeling unsafe to reconnect. Grounded on attachment theory and compassionate storytelling, it sheds light on betrayal trauma, validates the partner’s experiences, and provides encouragement and support.
Through fresh concepts and practical guidance, it offers a path to healing and understanding in the aftermath of intimate betrayal.
After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful
by Janis A. Spring
From a clinical psychologist with over four decades of experience, this award-winning, newly updated guide offers proven strategies for surviving infidelity and rebuilding a relationship.
It helps both partners navigate three key stages of healing: understanding the crisis, deciding whether to recommit and restoring trust and intimacy. This edition also includes a new section addressing common questions, with practical strategies for earning trust and forgiveness.
The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity
by Esther Perel
Bestselling author and renowned couples therapist Esther Perel presents a bold and thought-provoking exploration of infidelity.
Drawing on a decade of working with couples worldwide, she offers deep insights into love, desire, and human nature while challenging conventional views on affairs. With a fresh perspective, she examines how relationships can evolve and even grow in the wake of betrayal.
Healing from Infidelity: The Divorce Busting® Guide to Rebuilding Your Marriage After an Affair
by Michele Weiner-Davis
Renowned therapist and bestselling author Michele Weiner-Davis offers a powerful, step-by-step guide to rebuilding trust after infidelity.
Based on over three decades of experience, she provides practical strategies to navigate the emotional turmoil of betrayal and reconnect — both emotionally and physically. Filled with real-life case studies, this book serves as a roadmap for couples looking to recover and create a stronger marriage after an affair.
What Makes Love Last?: How to Build Trust and Avoid Betrayal
by John Gottman & Nan Silver
World-renowned relationship expert John Gottman delves into the science of love and what it takes to build a trustful, intimate, and emotionally fulfilling connection.
This book provides couples with actionable tools to assess their relationship, prevent betrayal, repair relationships in crisis, and heal after betrayal. Perfect for couples ready to confront past hurts and strengthen their relationship.
Living and Loving after Betrayal: How to Heal from Emotional Abuse, Deceit, Infidelity, and Chronic Resentment
by Steven Stosny
This book offers practical strategies to overcome betrayal-induced trauma, chronic resentment, and depression through a compassion-empowerment approach. It also helps readers regain trust in others, whether they choose to repair their relationship or move forward with a new partner.
Unlike most books on infidelity, which focus solely on common issues, this one delves into less-discussed forms of betrayal, such as emotional manipulation, dishonesty, deceit, and financial cheating.
The Courage to Stay: How to Heal From an Affair and Save Your Marriage
by Kathy Nickerson
Based on 22 years of clinical experience working with thousands of couples, this proven program leads both partners through each phase of the healing process — from suspicion and discovery to rebuilding and recovery.
With compassion and expertise, Dr. Kathy Nickerson guides couples through the anguish, resentment, and overwhelm of infidelity, helping them move toward safety, trust, and a renewed relationship.
Not “Just Friends”: Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Your Sanity After Infidelity
by Shirley P. Glass
This book provides profound, practical guidance on preventing cheating and, if it occurs, recovering and healing from it. It highlights how workplaces and the internet have become breeding grounds for “friendships” that can gradually turn into affairs.
By recognizing the red flags of inappropriate intimacy, couples can protect their relationship from emotional or sexual betrayal and safeguard their marriage.
How Can Books on Infidelity Help?
Recovering from infidelity is not a linear process, and there’s no single right way to move forward. While a book can’t erase the pain you’re experiencing, it can offer valuable insights and tools to help you navigate the path ahead.
Whether you’re looking for strategies to rebuild trust, understand why affairs happen, or figure out what comes next, a book can be a meaningful step in your healing journey.
But if the pain ever feels overwhelming or moving forward seems impossible, remember — you don’t have to go through this alone. Working with a therapist can offer the extra support, guidance, and understanding you’re searching for.
Find Support for Relationship Issues in Baltimore, MD
While books can be a helpful start, the road ahead can be hard to walk alone. An experienced therapist can help lighten the load, offering a safe space to share your feelings, gain clarity, and rebuild trust.
Whether you’re seeking support individually through relationship counseling or together through couples therapy, we can help you heal, rebuild, and move forward at your own pace — one step at a time. Talk to us to know more, or schedule a free 15-minute consultation here.
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