Rating: 
Summary: my experience with it
Review: I read this book several years ago. A few months later I met a really wonderful guy. He would do just about anything in this world for me, and today we're very happily engaged. All I can say about this book is thank goodness I realized early on how much baloney is in this book! Because luckily I stopped following the advice in the book a couple of weeks after reading it (BEFORE I met my fiance), and if I'd been following it when I met him, I wouldn't be with him today.I've been reading some of the reviews, and I think the reason the book is useful to some women is because it encourages women not to waste their time on men that don't care about them or appreciate them. It also encourages women not to get too physical early on in the relationship and thus keeps a lot of women from getting used by men who are only interested in sex. But there are ways to do these things that don't involve cheating yourself of opportunities to get to know wonderful guys like this book does. If you're one of those women who keeps ending up in bad relationships and are wondering how to find the right one I really recommend "The Real Rules" by Barbara DeAngelis. She has a lot of information about how to protect from getting used or hurt by the wrong guys.
Rating:
Summary: Guys Are Stupid!
Review: Girls, don't follow the rules in this book. Only guys that'll keep playing are losers and obessive. Guys are stupid and if you don't return calls they'll think you're not interested in them. After a week you'll never hear from him again. The book is a good read for a few laughs.
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Summary: This book is hilarious, but please don't take its advice!
Review: First, one of the co-authors of this book is recently divorced. So obviously there are serious flaws in its content. This book explains things to people that you should already know. It is just EXAGGERATED. It tells you not to disclose too much on the first few dates, well... DUH. It tells you not to call him, well... that is just silly. But there is a happy medium to these things. The RULES is so absurdly rigid. It simply tries to show you how to act like you have self confidence and are ultra-important. I think that if you don't already feel that way about yourself, you are certainly not going to get it from a book. Just be yourself. There, my advice works!
Rating: 
Summary: rebuttal to "Ha, Ha"
Review: The book does not recommend lying as one reader who "skimmed 60% of it" says. In fact it advises to be honest at all times. It advises healthy boundaries and not giving out too much information too soon.
I say if what you have been trying in the past hasn't worked it doesn't hurt to try a new approach.
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, scary to contemplate
Review: I've owned this book for several years now and periodically turn to it when I need a good chuckle. Content aside (more about that below), it's just so badly written that it never fails to amuse. The "evidence" backing up every one of the rules is an anecdote or two about some friend, mentioned by first name only, who followed said rule and is now happliy married, or conversely, another woman they know who BROKE a rule and ended up either dumped or divorced. Yet they caution their readers not to believe married friends who scoff at The Rules; who knows how happy thier marriages really are? Breaking every rule doesn't seem to have hurt my marriage! As far as the content goes, it's a little frightening. "If you have a bad nose, get a nose job"?!? The basic idea of this book is that women should bend over backwards to attract men but then pretend that they want nothing to do with them. And once you're in a relationship, supress all feelings and limit your communication. You don't need to be a marriage counselor to realize what a bad idea this is. I find it amusing that the strongest argument the authors can scrape together is along the lines of "most people who disagree with us are either single and bitter or in an unsuccessful marriage." You might notice similar statements in some of the positive reviews here. Interestingly enough, at least one of the book's authors is now divorced. I've got to give this book one star for obvious reasons, but I do highly recommend it! The paperback version is relatively inexpensive, and you can't put a price tag on laughter.
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Summary: I Read The Rules and Found My Soul Mate in Laughter!
Review: I got this book out from the library and laughed from start to finish (yes, I read the whole book! I couldn't stop - it was too entertaining!). I then proceeded to call my boyfriend and read him all The Rules and we laughed together for hours about the book and the silly things people do to fall in love. Two months after we scoffed at The Rules he asked me to marry him (so I owe a big thank you to the authors for increasing the humor in my relationship). We've been married for six months now. My husband is attentive, kind, honest and good looking and I am proud to say I captured his heart by behaving honestly and being myself. I'm sure many women find men through this book, but honestly, most women probably don't need it. If you're unpleasant and annoying to date, The Rules will probably help to bring you back to the level of normal people. Otherwise, avoid this book like the plague. It does not teach self-confidence! Real self-confidence comes from loving yourself, not by being loved by a man. A person with actual self-esteem wouldn't need to worry so much about getting married - they would be happy with other aspects of their life (job, family, friends, hobbies). I love being married, but I wouldn't have shrived up and died if I never found the right man. And as a side note, if you think The Rules end when you get married, think again. Check out "The Rules for Marriage" by the same authors. Browse through the chapters and check out some of the helpful hints for being "easy to live with". Here's a preview, most of them involve repressing your feelings, avoiding confrontation and generally letting your husband have control so that there are no conflicts in your marriage. I can't wait...
Rating: 
Summary: If you think this book is manipulation you didn't read it.
Review: It sounds like most of the women that wrote negative reviews on this book are still single? Hmmmmm. You can't deny that men you are not interested in seem incredibly facinated by you and never leave you alone. I know I used to wonder why the men I LIKED never seemed that interested for long..then I found The Rules. Men now treat me like a queen. The only Rule I bend a little is not returning their calls. I usually call back, just not the same day. This book is not about manipulation it's about having respect for yourself and not dropping everything for every man that comes by. If you think this book teaches manipulation you probably just read the chapter titles and dismissed it. Don't believe me. Try it yourself.
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Summary: How to Make a Mess of Your Dating Life
Review: As someone who has a background in psychology and counseling, I can say that this book is complete garbage. If honesty and integrity in dating and relatiosnhips are your goals, DON'T buy this book. It is pure manipulation and games, and will set relationships up to self-destruct over time. There are plenty of good books on dating - this one became a fad - hopefully, it has passed.
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Summary: This is a keeper for ages 9 -99!!
Review: I highly recommend this book for every woman. It doesn't matter if you are pre-puberty or post menopausal! I am a 35 year old married woman and have read many relationship type books. This book is the best I've ever read! It's a quick and easy read! I know many women may read this book and feel like they have to be a big game player who is manipulative. However, if you indeed follow the rules, you will have so many men on thier knees begging you to marry them! After reading the book in my mid 20's and following "the rules" for 2 short months, I had my first marriage proposal. I didn't accept, but found it intriguing. It is true, EVERY man loves a challenge!! The harder they have to work for something, the more they respect and treasure it. Ask yourself ladies, "Aren't I worth being respected and treasured?!" It's no different than ALL the other games that go on in relationships. BUT this time, you are in control..... you are the "challenge" and in the end, you get what you want and he gets what he has worked so hard for!! Read and re-read, it's a keeper!!
Rating:
Summary: Paradigm Shift
Review: I've read the book and I've read the many not-so-positive reviews and I think some of us missed the point. One can look at the iron-cast rules as playing games, being manupilative and dishonest or really, it's about loving and respecting yourself as a woman. In this day and age, it seems like a harsh set of rules, but frankly that's what our mothers and grandmothers did naturally in their time and there was a lot more mystery to women then. Yes, we all wanna find that one true love, but we shouldn't have to throw everything aside and rearrange our lives just because we've found a mate! Practically every gal I know disappears once they are attached only to come back frustrated because he still does what he does. How many times have we seen this happen? She finds a boyfriend, she stops all the things she used to do, the people she used to see. She is always available and always there for him. After a while, he gets bored, starts doing the things he used to do before they dated like going out with his mates etc. She gets upset, starts getting paranoid. Cries a lot and overwhelms him with her emotions. She expects him to change, he wished she hadn't, they break up eventually. This book goes both ways and actually saves men a lot of grief too! It not about one sex manipulating the other. It acknowleges the differences of both sexes and by understanding that diff. we can maximise what we've got. Read it with an open mind and you might see it differently.
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