Rating: 
Summary: Helped Me Make a Decision
Review: I just finished this book and must say that these two women know their subject. I felt like they were sitting on my shoulder and experiencing my relationship first hand. The three option reminder at the end of each chapter helped to keep it real. This is the first self help book I've read from cover to cover - it is a quick and easy read with humor and seriousness intertwined very effectively. If you are in this situation and unsure of what's happening or where it's going - read this book and you will be surprised at how easy a decision will come to you. It did for me!
Rating: 
Summary: A very hands-on book - I pencil-marked particular sections!
Review: I thought that the book was very well written with a humorous up-beat tone. I especially appreciated the summaries of each section and continual reminders at the end of each chapter about my 3 options! I have re-read it already several times! It is a helpful book for working through any relationship. I would have liked some cases where the woman is divorcing/divorced herself and has children, too. The focus seemed to be on the never-married, single woman with no children, who were jet-setters. Those stories were harder for me to relate to because I am recently divorced with sole custody of 3 children.Thanks for the tips on keeping sane!
Rating:
Summary: highly recommended!!!!
Review: I'd give it 6 stars if I could. This book is extrememly helpful. It was great to hear that I was not alone in my experiences. Not only that, but the book gave tips for how to handle the variables inherent in this special situation. The book may not give everyone the answer they are hoping for but it does speak the truth. With open ears and an open heart, this book speaks honestly about the good the bad and the ugly.
Rating:
Summary: The Trick Is Keeping A Copy For Yourself
Review: I'm not even in the circumstance described by the title, but I'm always curious about any and all situations we women will try to pretend we can make work when it comes to relationships. I've now bought my fourth copy - I keep thinking of friends who will find it useful. Don't just buy one, buy several. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: An Invaluable Resource!
Review: I've been involved with a divorcing boyfriend for a year and bought this book soon after we got together. As the stages of his divorce have unfolded and our relationship has evolved, I've turned to this book again and again -- and found something meaningful and helpful every single time. What sets this book apart from other relationship books isn't JUST that it addresses the specific challenges of involvement with a divorcing man -- it's also that first and foremost, it focuses on honesty. If like me, you've been frustrated by books that suggest the route to a successful relationship lies primarily in understanding and soothing your man's ego, read this book instead. About the only flaw (and it's minor) is that the book assumes the reader's ultimate goal is marriage. Obviously, for many people marriage IS the goal, but more fundamentally, the goal of any committed relationship is that it genuinely nutures and satisfies both partners. The book doesn't overlook those fundamentals, but the constancy of the marriage as goal message DOES overshadow them at times.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many assumptions...
Review: My boyfriend actually bought this book for me, and I thought it would be really interesting to read. This book assumes a few things: 1) you are a female who has never been married, AND 2) you do not have children of your own, AND 3) your (soon-to-be-divorced) boyfriend lives in the same town as his soon-to-be-ex. Since I do not fit into that neat category, I found many of the ideas and scenarios interesting, but quite irrelevant. Beware, it also paints men with a fairly broad "selfish jerk" brush. Instead of reassuring me that this was a situation that was well withing my abilities to deal with, it resurrected old insecurities.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Not Alone!
Review: My boyfriend and I had just begun the "putting it on hold" process when I bought this book, and although I knew it was the right thing to do, I wasn't sure why I couldn't "fix things" myself without a break. Now I know that I am not alone, and that even being a Cindy Crawford/Mother Theresa combo won't help me get through these difficult times, or make the process go any faster. Like the majority of women who read this book, I too, believed that love could conquer all, and was surprised to find the relationship with my recently-separated boyfriend floundering despite the love that existed. This book truly dropped out of the sky at the right moment for me, reaffirming our decision to take a break, and suggesting many alternatives to help us move forward in the future. I have never been a big self-help reader, but I would encourage anyone even remotely considering purchasing this book to do so. It was worth every penny and triple that! I am on my third read-through and am absorbing more, and in the process, becoming a stronger person AND a stronger partner each time! Thanks so much to the authors for their much-needed work!
Rating:
Summary: Separation is a different state...
Review: Separation is not quite married, not quite single, not quite divorced. It is chaos, often when you least expect it. A relationship during this time is certainly not an affair, but it is not just standard dating either (as you probably now know ). I have found no other book that recognizes this and therefore is so helpful. You're probably wondering how helpful and why was it so helpful? I would've paid many times more the price of this book for just half of the chapter which I read and reread, photocopied, marked up, and where I found myself. As cliche as it may sound, this book was a bright light in a very dark time. It does not matter what the page numbers were, I suspect that if you're drawn to this title you may very well find such a similar passage about a relationship. I'm not surprised to hear that many people purchase a second copy for the other person in the relationship. As you may have suspected I was the man trying to survive my girlfriend's divorce. This book works in either case. (Actually, she was also trying to survive mine.) It has been slightly more than a year since I started reading this book and we're still together because of it. Why only four stars? At the end of each chapter the book reminds you that you have three options: I can stay in the relationship, I can put it on hold, or I can leave. In my opinion the book did not provide enough information or examples for putting the relationship on hold. My other reason is that this is a perfect book for people to add their stories on the Web, but there's no complementary website. So to the authors: thank-you! This book was a very important part of last 12 months of my life. I hope the next edition has twice as many case studies.
Rating:
Summary: Makes Sense
Review: Tackling a relationship with a man in the seperated/newly divorced category is a huge endeavor. It takes a special person to put up with the constant variables and cob-web of emotions. This book is a helpful guide and really gives honest feedback and solutions. Stuff your friends would like to say, but don't for fear they get their heads bit off! I thought the author painted an accurate picture with this book and it helped me keep things in perspective. It was a big help during the relationship- for my own sanity- and refreshing to finally find solace with someone who can truly understand (via case studies and her own experiences). Also- it is important not to delve yourself too far into the chaos and keep your own outside interests going. I agree with the first person who reviewed this - if you find your self lured into a relationship of this sort- take the exit ramp! But, if you're for certain and in for the long haul, strap on your seatbelt.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall good nuggets of truth
Review: The authors did a fairly good job with tackling this sticky subject. Everyone has their own particular set of circumstances, but I think for the most part, the majority of women will be the "transitional woman" for a man going through his divorce, which is why I can understand the authors' choice to be quite negative about their thoughts on the man. For me personally, I stuck with my gut and knew that I had a special situation, and I was right. We made it through b/c we both had to acknowledge our temporary limitations and work within those boundaries (this tactic is outlined by the authors). As the book suggests to all women, I kept my own apartment, kept friendships intact, started new hobbies to keep myself occupied, and definitely kept a mental "side door" ajar in case I needed out. So, in general, I think this book is smart b/c it reminds women that they have choices, they must take responsibility for their own happiness, and it also outlines what to expect if a woman chooses to be in a situation like this. If you're willing to take on this kind of "high-risk" relationship with a man going through a divorce, good luck, but remember to always be honest with yourself, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and even the smartest, savviest woman can be brought to her knees in this type of situation, so brace yourself, and having a copy of this book handy is probably not a bad idea, since it's really the only one of its kind.
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