We are thrilled to announce that neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy’s book Smitten: Romantic Obsession, the Neuroscience of Limerence and How to Make Love Last, has been acquired by Watkins Media in the UK, with an audiobook publishing with Bolinda, and in the United States by St Martin’s Press. SMITTEN investigates the under-explored area of limerence – obsessive love – through the latest ideas in neuroscience, and sheds light on the little-understood element of the human experience: infatuation. It offers practical guidance for those experiencing limerence and seeking emotional balance. You can pre-order the book here.
Former Watkins Commissioning Editor Lucy Carroll bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Juliet Pickering, with Commissioning Editor Sophie Blackman now editing the book. Audio rights for the UK and Commonwealth were won at auction by Bolinda, while US rights were pre-empted by Senior Editor Anna deVries at St Martin’s Press. The hardback and audio editions will be published in the UK on 8 April 2025, with the US edition following in Autumn 2025.
Dr Tom Bellamy says, ‘I'm delighted to be publishing SMITTEN with Watkins, who were so supportive of my vision for a science-based approach to practical self-help. Having blogged about limerence and its impact on relationships for seven years, it's great to now be able to bring that vision to life, and explain how the fundamental neuroscience of intense infatuation affects people's lives. Working together to craft the book into a guide that makes sense of obsessive love, and learn how to manage it, has been a fantastic experience.’
‘Neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy is just the person to help people manage their limerence, combining empathy and advice with groundbreaking science,’ said Sophie Blackman. ‘“Dr L” offers important tips on how to manage this little-known phenomena that is experienced by so many people, and we're excited to be championing his book at Watkins.’
Watkins Head of Marketing & Publicity Laura Whitaker-Jones added: ‘As Dr. Bellamy has proven through his blog and website, which receive around 120,000 hits per month and for which views have exceeded 3 million overall, there is an audience of readers clearly very curious about the science underpinning love and attraction. I particularly love that in the book he marries his extensive research with comments from those who have experienced limerence first-hand, allowing him to thoroughly dive into the ins and outs of obsessive love in an approachable, frank and engaging style. It is our hope, after reading this book, that anyone struggling with unwanted feelings negatively impacting their wellbeing can use this book to find emotional equilibrium.’
Juliet Pickering says: ‘I believe that SMITTEN will become an essential and classic book on romantic love, and submitting it to publishers has led to some fascinating and brilliant conversations. I look forward to readers being able to identify and move past their own limerence, and hopefully Tom’s book will ensure many happier relationships are able to thrive!’
SMITTEN
“Butterflies” in the stomach, intrusive thoughts, fantasies about imaginary scenarios, mood swings from euphoria to despair… aren't these all the familiar hallmarks of new love? Not quite. These are characteristics of the psychological state of “limerence”, also known as obsessive, passionate or addictive love that can become unhealthy.
Millions of people will experience limerence at some point in their life, and in this book, neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy explores advances in neuroscience since the term was coined in the 1970s, and sheds light on this little-understood element of the human experience. Discover:
What drives limerence
How to recognise limerence in yourself and others
How to manage the phases of addiction to another person
How to move past it to sustain longer, more fulfilling relationships.
With supportive advice about next steps, this book will help readers struggling with unwanted feelings to find emotional equilibrium.
About Tom Bellamy
Dr Tom Bellamy, PhD is a neuroscientist and Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham. He received a PhD in Neuroscience from UCL in 2001 and held a personal fellowship at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge from 2004 to 2010. He has published over forty scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters on esoteric aspects of neurophysiology. He now writes about how the mechanisms of neurophysiology can help us understand human behaviour. He started the blog “Living with Limerence” in 2017, where "Dr L" offers practical guidance on coping with unwanted infatuation. Page views have exceeded 3 million. The blog is an active online community that also offers guides and courses.
Visit the Living with Limerence website.