Be Honest - You're Not That into Him Either

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JAN 31, 2005

Hot on the heels of the bestseller He's Just Not That Into You comes this funny, forthright response from author and sex therapist Kerner. The author of the sex guide She Comes First and the "dating doctor" for Lifetime TV, Kerner takes up the cause of "Sex and the City" women everywhere, urging ladies to dump the "inthemeantime" men and raise their standards on the husband hunt. Kerner's book will appeal to the chick lit audience, with his sassy quizzes and blunt language, as when he writes that women settle on a mediocre boyfriend because "they like having their egos and (and lower parts) stroked." How unfortunate, then, that Kern's logic is often so sloppy. Can it really always be true, as he writes, that being married "is harder than being single, even in the best of circumstances" or that "If women were really disposed to have sex like men, they'd be greater consumers of porn and prostitution"? The book equivocates in trying to promote sexual freedom while encouraging emotional responsibility, and all the laugh lines don't quite hide the fact that the entire book's wisdom is essentially contained in the subtitle. A final chapter, written jointly by Kerner and his wife, does stand out for its personality and wit. Here's hoping they team up for a whole book next time. Meanwhile, this one's sure to do brisk business among singletons.