The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up [Paperback]

Jessica Rozler (Author), Andrea Lavinthal (Author), Cindy Luu (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Dating is a thing of the past, gone the way of dinosaurs and stirrup pants. It's extinct. Kaput. Over. It's given way to two mighty opponents: In one corner, wearing matching sweats and cuddling up to DVDs every Friday night, we have the Serious Couple. In the other corner, armed with open bar tabs and clad in his-and-hers Seven jeans, the Hookup. By the looks of things, for the millions of people who bravely head out each night in search of this wily conquest, the Hookup is the new heavyweight champion -- and hooking up is here to stay.

In The Hookup Handbook, Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler have braved the hookup trenches to bring you the essential guide to the new, nondating game -- from the players and locations to the long walk of shame home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Savvy singles Lavinthal and Rozler have come of age in an era when decorous dating has ceded to the "hookup": an impulsive sexual encounter often fueled by alcohol, executed after midnight and not necessarily pursued any further the day after. Their droll primer to the new era, which turns The Rules on its head, addresses the experiences of 20-something singles charting the murky territory of the hookup-with older guys, younger guys, metrosexuals, co-workers, old friends and anyone else in their social orbit or local bar. After pinpointing the cultural enablers of hooking up-including the cell phone, a logistic essential for on-the-fly encounters, and the Too-Busy-to-Have-a-Boyfriend Syndrome common among ambitious working girls-the authors proffer wry advice on the subtext of booty calls and the hookup-friendly pad (e.g., no framed photos of your cat). They also help singletons allay their "Are-you-my-boyfriend?" angst by providing helpful markers of men's intentions (if he asks to see a wine list, it's a date; if he asks which shot you want, it's a hookup). Written with a breezy bluntness, this handbook seems to be of two minds about the volatile and drama-heavy hookup: ticking off its baggage-free perks while sardonically cautioning against the "obsessive agony" and drunken desolation it may wreak. The frothy layout and fun pop quizzes ("How shameful was your walk of shame?") may not tackle the hookup's long-term impact on romance, but Lavinthal and Rozler's knowing allusions will have readers squealing in delighted recognition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Jessica Rozler has joined forces with Johns Hopkins University to develop a Breathalyzer-activated cell phone that will eradicate drunk dialing as we know it. She works in book publishing and lives in New York City. This is her first book.

Often referred to as "boy crazy," Andrea Lavinthal likes to point out that while she enjoys having several suitors at one time, she's not opposed to finding her Prince Charming and settling down in New Jersey. She is a beauty editor in New York City, and this is her first book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Gallery; Original edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689876467
• ISBN-13: 978-0689876462
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,450,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrea Lavinthal has been a beauty editor for almost a decade, but her obsession with makeup and hair products can be traced back to when her mother first took her to the magical place known as the Health and Beauty Aids aisle of the supermarket. Andrea joined the beauty department at Cosmopolitan magazine in 2001, the world's largest women's magazine with a readership of 3.1 million women. She then became the Content Editor for Cosmo Radio on Sirius XM where she co-hosted a weekly show covering beauty, fashion, and lifestyle topics. During that time she launched the blog, "Sexy Beauty Secrets" on cosmopolitan.com, which she wrote daily for over a year.

Currently as the Senior Beauty Editor for RealBeauty.com, Andrea reports on the latest trends and products, in addition to offering expert tips on everything from mastering the perfect at-home blowout to creating a believable faux glow.

Andrea has co-authored three books including The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up, Friend of Frenemy? A Guide to the Friends You Need and the Ones You Don't, and most recently, Your So-Called Life: A Guide to Boys, Body Issues, and Other Big-Girl Issues You Thought You Would Have Figured Out By Now.

When she's not working or writing books, she enjoys experimenting with injectable facial fillers. (She's actually 85 years old, but, thanks to the wonders of non-FDA-approved substances, she doesn't look a day over 29.)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Perspective of a 36-year-old male, October 3, 2005

By 

Allen R 1969 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up (Paperback)

I came across this book in the collection of my 19-year-old niece -- and a certain sense of curiosity compelled me to read it. I can only say that I hope this book is safely in oblivion by the time my nine-year-old daughter starts dating.

First of all, I grew up in the 1980s -- not the 1950s -- so I'm not about to call for a return to old-fashioned standards of morality. When I was a college student, young people were having sex. Neither my wife nor I were virgins when we met -- and neither one of us loses any sleep over this fact today.

However, there was a general consensus then that sex [should] take place in the context of a relationship. This book suggests that women should adopt the worst aspects of male behavior, and seek an endless succession of alcohol-inspired couplings with near strangers.

The hook-up approach denies young women [and men] an important formative experience that was a right of passage in my day: meeting a special someone, then gradually navigating through the levels of physical intimacy. In the 1980s, we had a concept of romance -- even if we didn't come right out and call it that. This book takes sex -- which should be something special--and turns it into something that you casually grab on the go --like a cheeseburger.

This book also makes me wonder about the social skills of women born after 1980. Do today's young women really have to dangle easy, no-strings sex in front of their male counterparts in order to hold their attention? A college-aged woman probably has more power over men than she will at any point in her life. The women I grew up with knew how to handle men without resorting to the loser strategy outlined in this book.

There is something to be said for making the guy work for it a bit. Trust me, ladies, you have a monopoly on something that every man wants. Don't be too eager to give it away to every drunken frat boy wearing baggy pants.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute and funny--though not really advice, January 9, 2006

By 

J. Katz "jackstv" (MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up (Paperback)

Cute book and has many humorous parts....especially if you are young and have been hooking up because many of the situations are relatable. However, I would not say it is a guide to hooking up or "living it up" but rather a commentary on the situations that revolve around a hook-up. I would borrow from a library rather than spend $10 for a new copy.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely funny, October 6, 2005

By 

KKirk (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up (Paperback)

I bought this book with another book called The Happy Hook up and enjoyed them both, but for different reasons. This book is sarcastic and funny--definitely not a how to book. It's an anti-guide, if you will. The authors both describe and poke fun at a lot of the scenarios and behaviors associated with the "phenomenon" of the hook up. I found myself laughing a lot.