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Rating: 
Summary: Finally, a guide book for the modern woman!
Review: A friend gave me a copy of Hitched when I got married last month, and I just finished reading it last night. I so enjoyed the book. It was the first guide to getting/being married that I could relate to. So many of the first-person accounts/magazines/reference books out there seemed to me to be so outmoded, conservative, or targeted to a suburban reader. Hitched is modern, urbane, sharp, and right on the mark. I laughed out loud reading the bits about wedding planning, and found particular value in the chapters that addressed logistical matters and other changes that take place during the first year of marriage. I even read some lines out loud to my new husband (whom I think secretly wanted to read the book himself!). I'm already looking forward to reading Julia Bourland's next book--good thing she's a step ahead of me on the curve!
Rating: 
Summary: Some useful information appropriate for younger newlyweds
Review: As both a newlywed and an avid reader, I've been searching for books to provide some witty and amusing insights into marriage. However, given that I'm in my mid-30s and that I lived with my husband for almost 9 years prior to our recent marriage, I recognized that most of the books out there won't really apply to me. I was hoping that HITCHED would be different: the author, Julia Bourland, is in her 30s, and she also lived with her husband for several years prior to marraige. Sadly, while I did find her book to be humorous and engaging, it wasn't what I was hoping for. My first disappointment about this book was that Bourland spent the first fourth discussing the pre-engagement, engagement, wedding, and honeymoon periods. This seemed somewhat unneccessary and even dishonest to me: after all, the subtitle of the book refers to the "First Year of Marriage," so that's what I had expected to read about. This section really offerred nothing that I hadn't already via various other books on marriage. Eventually, Bourland turns to the marriage itself, but even here, she spends too much time focusing on issues which usually come up immediately after the wedding (eg, the paperwork involved in the name-change process). She goes on to review some of the factors involved in setting up a household; given that my husband and I already owned a house, I found this section to be completely inapplicable to my situation. She also talks about topics such as time management, division of labor, and negotiation. Although there was some useful information here, again, couples who lived together before marriage are likely to have worked through most of these issues already. More successful was the next chapter, as Bourland goes on to discuss changes that you can expect in yourself. Given that I recently went out and got my own post-wedding chop (haircut), I found I could relate to the more universal types of issues described here. Similarly, the chapters which follow address marital problems related to sex, money, and in-laws, three areas of difficulties with wide-spread application to young newlyweds and veteran couples alike. Although the suggestions provided were often fairly common-sense, Bourland's down-to-earth style keeps the writing interesting. Chapter 8, titled "On becoming a 'smug married'," was exactly what I had wanted from this book--a discussion of the factors which change due to the marriage itself rather than to the fact of living with someone in an intimate relationship, such as a change in status, separation from single girlfriends, etc. Bourland ends the book with a review of her six gospels of marriage (flexibility, friendship, faith, fantasy, fecundity, and farsightness) as well as some tips for anniversary celebrations. Although this book was not exactly what I had hoped for, it was still an enjoyable read. As mentioned previously, Bourland has a likeable writing style, and the book has many funny moments. In addition, to prepare for writing the book, she interviewed 60 married women about their experiences during the first year; the various quotes and insights from these women truly enhance the final result. This is definitely a good book, but one that is not necessarily applicable to all newlyweds.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Entertaining
Review: I enjoyed this book. It's well written and really hit the nail on the head on many subjects a new wife faces. Many of the issues she writes about are things that EVERY new married woman will have to deal with at one time or another. This book covers everything from the emotions you may feel after the wedding day to options of how to handle finances and investments. This is a fun book to read after you've been married a few months to a year.
Rating:
Summary: Cute, quick read.
Review: My only complaint with this book is that the first couple chapters are about the engagement/wedding part. Other then that, I thought the book was great. It's mostly geared for couples who didn't live together beforehand. I'd been married 3 months when I read the book and it's helped alot with the transition. Before reading this book I didn't really understand our conflicts or some of my emotions, but this put them all into words. It was a very easy read and I'd recommend it to all new brides (or even before the wedding since there are those few first chapters....).
Rating:
Summary: Great guide for newlyweds!
Review: My only complaint with this book is that the first couple chapters are about the engagement/wedding part. Other then that, I thought the book was great. It's mostly geared for couples who didn't live together beforehand. I'd been married 3 months when I read the book and it's helped alot with the transition. Before reading this book I didn't really understand our conflicts or some of my emotions, but this put them all into words. It was a very easy read and I'd recommend it to all new brides (or even before the wedding since there are those few first chapters....).
Rating:
Summary: Cute, quick read.
Review: Very enjoyable book. Being newly engaged, I enjoyed the pre-wedding/engagement sections. If you are looking for a serious book about relationships and marriages, this isn't the book for you. It's a fun, entertaining book.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: What a waste of time this book is. Bourland tells you nothing you don't already know. The first third of the book, for instance, informs you that you may be stressed-out, teary or hungry (from pre-wedding diets) before the big day. No kidding! Or how about this gem of advice: if you can't afford the honeymoon you want, just charge it...never mind that financial difficulties are a leading source of stress for newly married couples. The worst part is when (quite unnecessarily) she injects her own political views into the book (same-sex marriages are civil rights! virginity before marriage is out-dated!). I returned this book within three days.
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