The Girlfriend Test: A Quiz for Women Who Want to Be a Better Date and a Better Mate [Paperback]

Wendy Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2003

Are You Good Girlfriend Material?
If you really gave it some thought, would you say that you are a full-fledged Daddy’s Girl or queen of the Girls’ Girls? At work are you the nonstop Chatty Cathy or the no-nonsense Corporate Cat? On dates do you wear your best Barbie Doll outfit, or are you the proper Miss Priss? Whether you can admit it or not, the fact is that we women assume many roles (and not all of them positive) at work and at play, and especially in the dating game. And, whether we like it or not, the men in our lives can spot a woman who isn’t exactly “relationship-ready” from a mile away. If you trigger a fight-or-flight response in a potential mate, Wendy L. Walsh wants you
to take a long hard look at yourself in The Girlfriend Test.

With commentary from hundreds of single and committed men throughout the country, The Girlfriend Test offers insight into the male mind, as well as the chance to learn how you rate—as a date and a mate—through a series of quizzes. These tests offer such thought-provoking questions as:

• Do you see your future husband in every man you date?
• Are you confident enough to go out on the town alone, or do you prefer to travel with a pack of gal pals?
• On a first date, do you talk way too much about your past relationships?
• Do you enter a relationship planning to change him?
• Do you know when to say no to sex? When to say yes?

The Girlfriend Test is a must-read for any woman who is brave enough to do some self-reflection, any woman who wants to enter a new relationship with a healthy outlook, and any woman who wants to become the best girlfriend she can be.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Are You Good Girlfriend Material?
If you really gave it some thought, would you say that you are a full-fledged Daddy?s Girl or queen of the Girls? Girls? At work are you the nonstop Chatty Cathy or the no-nonsense Corporate Cat? On dates do you wear your best Barbie Doll outfit, or are you the proper Miss Priss? Whether you can admit it or not, the fact is that we women assume many roles (and not all of them positive) at work and at play, and especially in the dating game. And, whether we like it or not, the men in our lives can spot a woman who isn?t exactly ?relationship-ready? from a mile away. If you trigger a fight-or-flight response in a potential mate, Wendy L. Walsh wants you
to take a long hard look at yourself in The Girlfriend Test.

With commentary from hundreds of single and committed men throughout the country, The Girlfriend Test offers insight into the male mind, as well as the chance to learn how you rate?as a date and a mate?through a series of quizzes. These tests offer such thought-provoking questions as:

? Do you see your future husband in every man you date?
? Are you confident enough to go out on the town alone, or do you prefer to travel with a pack of gal pals?
? On a first date, do you talk way too much about your past relationships?
? Do you enter a relationship planning to change him?
? Do you know when to say no to sex? When to say yes?

The Girlfriend Test is a must-read for any woman who is brave enough to do some self-reflection, any woman who wants to enter a new relationship with a healthy outlook, and any woman who wants to become the best girlfriend she can be.

About the Author

WENDY L. WALSH, M.A., is an Emmy-winning TV journalist and former news anchor, boasting stints on Extra, the Weekend Today Show, the Learning Channel, and Court TV. As the author of The Boyfriend Test, Wendy has appeared as a relationship expert on The Other Half, the CBS Early Show, and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and lives with her boyfriend, an architect, and their four-year-old daughter in Venice Beach, California.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (January 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609809415
• ISBN-13: 978-0609809419
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,343,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BAIT YOUR HOOK WISELY!, May 20, 2003

By 

Steve Nakamoto "The Friendly Voice of the... (Huntington Beach, California USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Girlfriend Test: A Quiz for Women Who Want to Be a Better Date and a Better Mate (Paperback)

Heres a book that most men will be happy about. Instead of The Boyfriend Test (how men measure up) author Wendy Walsh takes a serious look at what it is the women have to do in order to become a better girlfriend and thereby get the love of her dreams.

As a fellow relationship author Im always interested in what others in my field have to say about dating, romance, and love. And while I liked Wendy Walshs previous book, I appreciate this one even more.

My favorite part of The Girlfriend Test is when she writes about the 9 types of girls/women. Im sure we can all think of a person that we know who fits one of these bills:

1) Daddys Girl: no ones can live up to Daddy
2) The Barbie Doll: the perfect girl as long as youth & beauty last
3) The Girls Girl: the perfect friend to every woman at the expense of her own love life
4) The Material Girl: the one who appears to want money more than love
5) The Miss Priss: the one who lives by family standards primarily
6) The Corporate Cat: the female executive with all the perks except a man
7) The Chatty Cathy: talks too much, too many stories
8) The Jockette: one of the boys in her recreational activities
9) The Mirror: the one who surrenders to men at her own expense

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My only beef appears on page 22 where she writes, Hes the Hook, But Youre the Fish. And on a philosophical level I have to let her know that an old American proverb states, a man chases a woman until she catches him. What that means is the woman is the angler and the man is the fish. (The Power of An Enlightened Metaphor For Love)

Back to her book.

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As far as Walshs tests, there are actually 5 of them, all of which are very practical and insightful. Here they are with my favorite question from each test:

The Hook-Up Test (sounds fishy doesnt it?): Question #2 Are you more worried about your appearance than your disposition?

The First Date Test: Question #7 Do you talk too much about past relationships?

The Five Date Test: Question #5 Are you rewarding bad-boy behavior?

The Girlfriend Sex Test: Question #9 Do you know how to say no to sex?

The Ninety-Day Test: Question #3 Do you know how to deal with the boys club?

Along the way the author also has important side-bars like tips on going out alone (valet park for safety, meet the business happy hour people instead of the late-night crowd & leave by 11:30 PM because nothing good ever happens after that).

I hope this book gets in the hands of a lot of women. I said much of the exact same things in my second edition of Men Are Like Fish, but the difference here is that it comes from the more trusted voice of another woman instead of from a guy (the nerve of a man talking about love....what do they know, right?)

Anyway, dont be fooled by the whole test idea. While it is more on the tactical side than the spiritual side, it does a darn good job of making refined distinctions in the area of hooking (creating secure attachments wisely).

This is one of my favorite new books because it is so focused on this one area of dating which is a key element in the big picture of fishing for love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wendy Gets Better Second Time Around, May 12, 2004

By 

William B. Bangs (Irvine, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Girlfriend Test: A Quiz for Women Who Want to Be a Better Date and a Better Mate (Paperback)

It's strange how sometimes a sequel can be better than the original. I had good things to say about Wendy's first book, The Boyfriend Test -- but I have to say that this one is MUCH more consistently excellent and light years kinder to both men and women, a must-read if you were a fan of TBFT.

Once again, Walsh affects the informal, chatty "girlfriend" style readers of TBFT will remember. But this time the emphasis is on equiping women with the tools to take an inner journey of discovery crafted so as to make them "a better date, and a better mate" on the other end. Once again, there are scored tests and detailed elucidations for each item.

But the real heart of this book is at the beginning, and even more so at the end -- when Walsh lays out her personal wisdom about the work needed to build life's most important adult relationship, as well as the rewards of doing that at-times painful, always revelatory work on yourself BEFORE you hit the trenches looking for a man to share your life with. Drawing on her MA in psychology (and especially something called "Attachment Theory"), Wendy gently, frankly and patiently guides her reader to a place of such inner strength that any guy worth his salt would be crazy not to fall head-over-heels for her. Once again, she shares personal anecdotes so you know it's real. And unlike in her other book, you finish this one with a satisfied sense that all loose ends have been tied up perfectly -- like the pleasantly full feeling you get at the end of a perfect meal among close friends.

So once again, I find my single, male self endorsing a book by and for women on the subject of dating and relationships. And this time, guys, I can wholeheartedly assure you: Wendy Walsh really DOES feel warm things toward us! In fact, the astute reader of both books will note that Wendy puts women through one more test than she subjects us to. But perhaps the very best thing here is the sense you'll come away with that the word "test" has a whole different meaning than it did in school -- being less about scoring points, and more about self-realization and keeping your eyes open, keeping your heart and soul's radar on so as to sidestep life's landmines and go straight for the gold. If you're a man, this may be interesting. If you're a woman looking to develop a higher relationship IQ, "The Girlfriend Test" is pure gold. Good for you, Wendy!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Profound, November 29, 2005

By 

Dottie Randazzo "Reader of Everything" (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Girlfriend Test: A Quiz for Women Who Want to Be a Better Date and a Better Mate (Paperback)

I loved this book. My girlfriends loved this book. It is a must for anyone in a relationship. It doesn't repeat things you already know. It opens your eyes up to things that you should see but don't.