Book Giveaway and Review #41: LOVE IN 90 DAYS by Diana Kirschner, Ph.D.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

LOVE IN 90 DAYS
by Diana Kirschner, Ph.D.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

LOVE IN 90 DAYS

by Diana Kirschner, PhD

Publisher: Center Street

Category: Family; Relationships, Romance

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 2/8/2010

Price: $13.99/$16.99

ISBN: 9781599951232

Pages: 368

Size: 5-1/4" x 8"

Description (from the publisher):

Finding true love is possible in just 90 days. Renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Diana Kirschner, uses the latest research, clinical and personal experience to show you how. Dr. Diana knows the questions single women everywhere face: "Why am I attracted to the wrong kind of guys?" "Why is he just not that into me?" "Why can't I seem to find the One?" She also knows the unconscious mistakes that women make over and over again in love-regardless of age, work success, or the type of men they are dating.

Over the years Dr. Diana has received countless inquiries from single women about writing a how-to guide on her work. Love in 90 Days: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Own True Love is that book.

Love in 90 Days is fun, savvy and based on the latest research on singles, online dating and healthy relationships. Loaded with step-by-step instructions, checklists, and weekly homework assignments, this revolutionary love book is also an intensely personal journey for each reader. Love in 90 Days guides you along your own path towards self discovery with proven and effective dating advice and tough love. Dr. Diana dispels common misconceptions about love relationships and dating, and share personal stories from women who have successfully completed the Love in 90 Days Program. There's also a chapter devoted to the special issues faced by African-American women, single mothers, and women forty-five and older.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  Take my advice -- don't go out there looking for love without reading Diana Kirschner's LOVE IN 90 DAYS. This book is more than sentimental, seasonal fluff -- a LOT more! I had expected a rehash of the usual advice for finding a partner. You know, join clubs, volunteer, be open to dating your next-door neighbor's third cousin's son, get a dog. I was surprised to find that though Kirschner has a fun and accessible writing style, she takes her subject very seriously.

In fact, you should be prepared to take a good hard look at yourself as early on there's a discussion of deadly dating patterns. Kirschner explains 13 patterns and helps you to identify which ones you might be stuck in. Readers are asked to do a lot of self-assessment throughout this entire book, but particularly in the first few sections.  Of course, most self-help books have sections of writing exercises at the end of each chapter, and this one is no exception. But it certainly makes sense to figure out exactly what you're looking for in a partner and why you haven't been able to find the right guy so far.

Did I say "find the right guy"?  Kirschner has aimed LOVE IN 90 DAYS specifically at women, and she covers situations from a female perspective.  I think guys could certainly benefit from some of the advice in this book, but with terminology such as the Dud/Stud Test, they might be more comfortable looking elsewhere. Kirschner does point out that to be a worthy contender, a guy should have some aptitude for self-reflection and personal growth.

One of my favorite ideas proposed in LOVE IN 90 DAYS is Kirschner's advice to date three guys at once early in the program. At first the concept sounds a bit tawdry, but the emphasis here is on dating, not a physical relationship. Part of Kirschner's reasoning here is to keep women from falling too hard too fast and becoming caught up in a "singular focus." By dating three guys at once, you can allow yourself the opportunity to really compare and contrast - and that will help you determine what attributes are most important to you in a partner.

Another thing I liked about this book is Kirschner's style of writing. Reading along, I had the sense of being advised by an older and wiser sister or cousin. While there are clinical and academic references at the back of the book, the text reads like a friendly chat. And that's nice, especially when "Dr. Diana" suggests online dating! Don't worry, she'll guide you through it every step of the way from picking a site to picking a partner.

I liked LOVE IN 90 DAYS a lot. Any lady out there who is looking for love should take the time to check out this book -- and follow the advice!

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read the author's article Five Secrets to Finding True Love.

About the author (from the publisher):
Diana Kirschner, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has more than 25 years of professional and practical experience doing therapy and workshops for singles and writing relationship articles for women. Dr. Diana appears regularly on The Today Show, has been a guest on Oprah and many other national television and radio programs. She runs the 90 Day Love Challenge on Fox's Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and her popular Love in 90 Days workshops have been featured in major media around the world.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

Thank you to Anna at Hachette Book Group

for supplying my review copy and making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.