This Is Why You're Single

October 5, 2015
Lane and Spera charm in this laugh-out-loud self-help book, based on their comedy show of the same name, about the perils of the modern dating scene. After acknowledging the perils of taking too much unsolicited dating advice, the authors proceed to discuss such useful topics as effective places to seek out members of the opposite sex, marketing oneself effectively on dating websites, relevant technology (email, texts), when to sleep with a new conquest (answer: use your best instincts), escaping the friend zone, finding humor in blind dates, and learning to compromise. Humor-filled and irreverent, this book actually has quite a bit of useful advice, reinforced by the humorous quizzes and exercises sprinkled throughout; an especially clever one is a dating-related Mad Libs–style exercise replicating typical bad date conversations. Anyone in the dating scene will empathize with the authors’ hilarious take on a fraught subject—and their message that dating is meant to be fun, not a chore. This is a must-read for both singletons and those who have found their happy-ever-afters.

November 15, 2015

Comedy writers and coauthors Lane and Spera based this entertaining book on their sketch show with the same title. They provide a series of likely dating scenarios that features actual physical meetings in the subway, texting protocol, traveling in packs, and go-to excuses for leaving a date early. An extensive section supplies charts and quizzes on "your type" and includes a prototype "Application for a New Boyfriend." Entries such as "rules for dating drink games" and charts on compromise make prospective dating less formidable and even fun. VERDICT Terrific guidance for those who know FOMO, Tumblr, and Anthropologie.

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