A gay man who wants women to feel great, look great and find love, Singleton is hilarious and hard-hitting. A little Queer Eye and a little Sex and the City, his self-help book makes 21st-century dating sound like snorkeling among sharks. You need a gay male friend, Singleton suggests, for his fierce loyalty and honesty, and as a guide to help you screen the metrosexuals and avoid the “seagull daters” (a.k.a., “a man who flies over you, looks better from a distance, swoops in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything and then leaves”). Dating successfully, Singleton writes, requires women to embolden their style (“Don’t Blend In. Stand Out!”), behave smartly and carefully evaluate the respectfulness of their suitors. He prescribes “location, location” as a tonic to nights lost looking for eligible men in dysfunctional Cheers hangouts. Try pool halls, golf courses, adventuring clubs, continuing education, church and, yes, work. Despite some stereotypical depictions of astute gay men sharing their creativity with mixed up, fashion-blind gals, Singleton’s wisdom goes beyond his marketing specialist credentials. With humor, tact and compassion, he proposes ways to overcome the more stultifying aspects of women’s hardwiring, like their tendency to channel their “inner good girl” halfway through a hot fling. “Women overestimate the evil of men’s motives. You think men are acting awful when in fact they are just clueless and apathetic,” he points out in a section about pre-date anxiety. Elsewhere, he reassures readers, “You can be happy on your own.” A quick read with usually good advice and succinctly coined phrases for every modern dating situation, this book is plain fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dave Singleton is a marketing professional and the author of The Mandates: 25 Real Rules for Successful Gay Dating, as well as numerous articles on pop-culture, politics, and entertainment.