Between Boyfriends Book: A Collection of Cautiously Hopeful Essays FROM THE PUBLISHER
Cindy Chupack takes a hilarious look at love, dating -- and not dating -- in this witty, truthful, and utterly charming book. Tackling topics such as "sexual sorbet" (the first man you sleep with after a breakup), "the Visa defense" (the claim, usually invoked by men, that "I paid, therefore I am innocent"), and "eggsistential crisis" (a panic attack, common among women in their late thirties), The Between Boyfriends Book is as reassuring as that late-night, post-date phone call to a best friend. It says: you may be single, but you are not alone.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Chupack (Sex and the City; Everybody Loves Raymond) gathers columns that appeared in Glamour and other magazines in this funny and occasionally poignant first book. Reading Chupack's meditations on such modern mysteries as dating, therapy and male behavior, fans of Sex and the City may hear echoes of Carrie Bradshaw's wry voice. Standout chapters include "The Breakup," in which men dump their girlfriends through a proxy ("a doorman informed me that my date was not coming down. Ever") or simple desertion ("They'll say they're going to the rest room and never return. Then they'll meet friends for drinks and say,..."What do I have to do, spell it out for her?" ). In "Seventeen Dates," Chupack endures that many terrible dates ("Date #13 was a plastic surgeon ...[who] asked if I was 'swimsuit ready'), positing that she must go through that many stinkers after a break-up before she meets an eligible guy. She learns a painful lesson: "there are no shortcuts, because it's not only time and distance you need after you lose a love, it's reflection." The book is padded with magazine-style pieces that stray far afield of the single women and relationships theme: there's a chapter on adjusting to L.A. after growing up in Oklahoma and one on father/daughter communication. Enough of Chupack's material, though, is clever and original enough to make this a good beach book, and the cover reminds readers that "if you read it in public, men will know you're available." (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In this collection of essays, Chupack, a television writer, executive producer (Sex and the City), and single girl extraordinaire, gives the gals without guys advice from the front lines of the dating scene. She has been known to write for Sex character Carrie Bradshaw, the columnist, fashionista, and swinging single city girl played by Sarah Jessica Parker, and here she echoes Carrie's voice. With chapters running no longer than three pages, Chupack keeps her message short and funny-single women are not sad but sexy. Stories from the dating history of Chupack and her friends are highlighted by terms such as holloweenies, "people who break up around Halloween because it's the last stop before family filled...high pressure holidays," and cupidity, "the faulty logic that leads a well-meaning but clueless third party to believe that two random singles are perfect for each other." Not an intellectual discourse on male/female mating rituals, this is instead a look at today's scary dating scene from the perspective of someone whose humor and insight gave single women everywhere a hero in Carrie; now they have a cohort in Chupack herself. For larger libraries or where there is demand.-Rachel Collins, "Library Journal" Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Emmy Award-winner Chupack (Everybody Loves Raymond, Sex and the City) conducts a wry, upbeat tour of the dating scene for women currently considering reentry. The author herself is in her 30s and between boyfriends-a condition that isn't all bad, Chupack asserts: there is much to celebrate in that daunting territory where relationships are formed or broken over a cup of coffee. She shares her opinions and experiences in 36 essays based on years of "research" (read: dating) and divided into thematic sections. One piece in "The Breakup" observes that men, congenitally unable to break up with a woman, think it humane to disappear like the Lone Ranger, offering no explanations. Another offers a "relationship equivalency exam," which would allow women to earn credit for past dating experiences when they begin a new relationship. "The Year Ahead" includes a gloomy astrology chart to moderate expectations, a rant about Valentine's day (it makes more people unhappy than happy), and an explanation of why people breakup at Halloween ("It's the last stop before the gift-mandated, high-pressure holidays"). The section on therapy addresses the awkward question of how to deal with the actual number of sexual partners-"not to be confused with the number you give when asked," when men exaggerate and women minimize. In other sections Chupack discusses the pros and cons of acquiring a male harem, the number of bad dates to be endured before a good one, and the old "Visa-defense" ("I paid for everything") used by men to excuse bad behavior. She deals with men who take women on sports dates, examines the late-30s panic attacks that lead to pressured dating, and warns readers never to revive a deadrelationship. The last section, "Your New Boyfriend," wittily addresses the problems of finally having a new man in your life. A positive spin on a state usually considered a downer. Author tour. Agent: Dan Strone/Trident Media Group
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