Love and . . . ─ Bad Boys, the One, and Other Fun Ways to Sabotage Your Relationship

Why is dating so hard? Has Disney screwed us up? How many times have you entered into a new relationship immediately convinced that this person was “the one”? At last, you've met the partner who will “complete you,” make you feel like all those previous terrible relationships were somehow worth it, and finally complete your fantasy rom-com happy ending—your inner Jennifer Aniston already squealing with delight. How many times has that relationship abruptly veered off course, leaving your heart the victim of yet another romantic fatality?

In her first book, Love and . . . , Jen Kim turns to science to make sense of why, after three decades, she hasn't been able to find lasting love. She puts a lens to the destructive pathology of her relationships, including her current long-term relationship with a partner who “just isn't ready” for the next level . . . and, honestly, may never be. Will they or won't they end up together? You'll learn the prognosis by the final page.

Love and . . . is a relationship self-help book that doesn't want you to change, mostly because a) it's really hard to change, and b) you probably don't want to. Kim focuses on the science and psychology behind why we behave the way we do, reserving judgement for no one, but herself.

Jen Kim blends real-life confession, pop culture, and psychology in, at times, TMI fashion into one delicious and good-for-you life lesson smoothie on her Psychology Today blog: Valley Girl With a Brain. Kim’s blog explores everything from the most effective ways to get over a breakup (all backed by research), and the art of flirting (without actually seeming like you’re flirting), to turning thirty (it can suck), and the perils of being too nice (it’s not so nice). The author resides in San Francisco, California.