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Meredith Goldstein is an advice columnist and features reporter for The Boston Globe.

She also writes books.

Contact Meredith

About

Meredith Goldstein is a longtime writer for The Boston Globe who also writes other things, including books. Her advice column, Love Letters, is a daily dispatch of wisdom for the lovelorn that started in 2009. The first season of the Love Letters podcast launched in 2018. It is a very lovely podcast.

Meredith’s books include the upcoming young adult novel Things That Grow, about a teen in love (who also learns how to deal with the complicated adults in her life); Meredith’s memoir, Can’t Help Myself: Lessons and Confessions From a Modern Advice Columnist (Grand Central/Hachette); Chemistry Lessons (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a young adult novel about a young woman who uses science to manipulate her love life; and The Singles, a novel about a group of dateless guests at a wedding.

Meredith has been interviewed by – and written for –  The Washington Post, Bustle, Elite Daily, Apartment Therapy, Shondaland, and Real Simple.

 

Books

Can't Help Myself: Lessons and Confessions From A Modern Advice Columnist is a memoir/letter collection based on Meredith's popular column in The Boston Globe. Chapters include stories about work romances, millennial friends, sickness and health, and grilled cheese.

CAN'T HELP MYSELF is everything we need right now. Meredith is hilarious, smart, and-as you will learn-gives excellent advice without judgment. By the time I got to page two, I was already asking myself, 'how are we not friends?' Every page is a combination of relatable, funny, cringeworthy, and helpful. This book is evidence that none of us is alone, ever.
–Alyssa Mastromonaco, New York Times Bestselling author of Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

When Lori’s Dorothy Parker–loving grandmother dies, Lori’s world is turned upside down. Grandma Sheryl was everything to Lori—and not just because Sheryl raised Lori when Lori’s mom got a job out of town. Now Lori’s mom is insisting on moving her away from her beloved Boston right before senior year. Desperate to stay for as long as possible, Lori insists on honoring her grandmother’s last request before she moves: to scatter Sheryl’s ashes near things that grow. Along with her uncle Seth and Chris, best friend and love-of-her-life crush, Lori sets off on a road trip to visit her grandmother’s favorite gardens.

"From Love Letters advice columnist and podcast host Meredith Goldstein, this emotionally resonant novel is perfect for fans of Robin Benway and Jenna Evans Welch."
–HMH Teen

Chemistry Lessons is about Maya, a teen science whiz who tries to use science to manipulate her love life after her first bad breakup. It's a tale of family, friendship, breakup survival, and a girl's passion for research.

... there is an intriguing premise at the heart of this romance, and Goldstein provides greater emotional weight as Maya comes to better understand her own grieving process and gain insight into the organic ebbs and flows of authentic love.
–Publisher's Weekly

Meredith’s debut novel follows the only five dateless guests at a fancy Maryland wedding. Those unattached characters include a misbehaving bridesmaid, the bride’s creepy uncle, and the guy who doesn’t bother to show up because he never bought his plane ticket. The Singles was published in the UK, France, Brazil, China, Italy, and Germany, where it was called Besser so als anders (rough translation: Better this than that).

For anyone who has found herself hitting a wedding solo, Meredith Goldstein's The Singles is a charming debut novel--and a thoroughly enjoyable plus one.
–Laura Dave, author of The First Husband and The Divorce Party

Love Letters

Love Letters is a daily dispatch of advice for the lovelorn that runs Monday to Friday on Boston.com, and in the print edition of The Boston Globe on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Meredith offers her advice to letter writers, as do a pack of often-witty and wise commenters.

The Love Letters podcast, hosted by Meredith, launched its 4th season in September, 2020. Hear her delve into stories about people’s breakups, meet-cutes, life lessons, and happy endings. Find the podcast on iTunes and other platforms here.

Read Love Letters Submit A Letter

Love Letters

Events

To reach Meredith about an upcoming event, email meredith.goldstein@globe.com.

The Leslie Goldstein Scholarship

My beautiful and incredible mom, who passed away from colorectal cancer in 2013, was an excellent piano teacher. She taught for more than thirty years, and her kids – many of whom she knew for decades – were a huge part of her life.

My mom always wished more people had access to good music and a musical education. She didn’t have much disposable income, but before she passed away, she set up a scholarship in her name through the Baltimore Community Foundation.

The money pays for music lessons for kids in Baltimore. If you want to learn more, please visit the Baltimore Community Foundation.

Also, if you’re a former student of my mom’s, know that she cared about you very much. (You’re welcome to reach out to me with any questions.)

She’d also like you to keep practicing, and, at the very least, to see live music whenever possible. I know this because she told me so.

– Meredith