Writing about love can be a deeply personal undertaking, which could be why so many intimate narratives about relationships and sex stick out amongst the cute puppy photos and celebrity gossip stories that dominated our feeds in 2015.*Of course, all personal essays about love have their own unique value. But a few particularly great ones stuck out to us throughout the year. These essays tugged at our (easily reachable) heartstrings. They surprised us. And, sometimes, they made us want to high five our screens.As you jet off to your holiday destination — whether that's your home in the suburbs, an exotic getaway or your local Chinese restaurant — here are 11 of our favorite personal essays of 2015 about love, relationships, and sex from Refinery29 and beyond.Click through the slideshow to see all of our picks.*Not that there's anything wrong with those things — but a well-balanced media diet never hurt anyone.