It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken

September 19, 2005
If He's Just Not That into You
told a woman how to spot a man who's not really interested in a relationship with her—and how to deal with it proactively—this follow-up is for those, male and female, who've been blindsided by a breakup after thinking Everything Is Fine. Speaking less this time from a guy's perspective and more as someone who has been dumped and survived, Behrendt tackles the often inevitable symptoms of a broken attachment: the obsessive thinking (and calling and e-mailing), the crying, the debilitating depression (and its effects on one's job performance), the crazy acting-out, the food and spending issues, the friend burnout. This time, Behrendt is aided by his wife, who offers her own breakup stories, with the two together serving as a constant reminder that one can love again. The book is padded with not-so-funny vignettes, and anecdotal letters from readers are answered in a rather wearying Dear Abby style. There's little new or insightful, but Behrendt's frankness—never too harsh—is as winning as ever, and the title is catchy. Everything is more or less in place for this burgeoning franchise. Agent, Andrea Barzvi. 475,000 first printing.

September 15, 2005
The "New York Times" best-selling author of "He's Just Not That into You", Behrendt returns with this frank, irreverent look at dealing with the fallout of relationships gone wrong. Writing in a tone reminiscent of chick-lit fiction, he encourages the reader to become a "breakup warrior": to get over it, let him go, and get on with her amazing "SuperFox" life. Chapters are varied yet easy to read, entwining personal experiences from each of the authors (Ruotola-Behrendt is Behrendt's wife), "Letters to Greg" segments, "Sad Person's" workbook sheets, and "Psycho Confessionals" guaranteed to make the reader feel that, no matter how pathetic she views her own breakup behavior, it could have been much worse. Behrendt's myriad fans will clamor for this sequel; teens could also take a tip or two with the caveat that profane language is occasionally used in the text. Recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/15/05.] -Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2005
Behrendt, coauthor of the wildly popular dating guide " He's Just Not That into You" (2004), teams up with his wife to offer a how-to guide for coping when a relationship goes south. Both Greg and his wife, Amiira, went through extremely traumatic, drawn-out breakups before finding happiness with each other, and they share the stories of what they did wrong (and what they eventually did right) as they go through the basics of how to survive a breakup: stop calling him or waiting for him to call, don't sit at home moping, avoid wearing sweats (unless exercising), and find a friend to help you through it. They also include letters seeking advice and Greg's responses to them, breakup horror stories, and "psycho confessionals," real tales of women who went too far in reacting to a breakup. The authors take a lighthearted and positive tone throughout their boisterous guide; expect demand from the many readers who made " He's Just Not That into You" a hit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)