Rating: 
Summary: not even if it was the last book on earth
Review: I am recently divorced so I bought a couple of books that claim to be dating books. Of the 3 I bought, this one was the most ridiculous piece of entertaining junk ever...but there is no way I would take it seriously..not even if it was the last book on earth. What Men Want was almost as bad, although the three guys on the cover were cute. The best of the books is Recruiting Love by The Advice Sisters Dunham and Freedman. At least they urge you to be honest and encourage you to use your head, not lipstick and flirting, to get the love you want. As to THE RULES, I'd give it zero stars if I could, but this review site doesn't let you do that.
Rating:
Summary: Live by the Rules and be dateless
Review: My sister bought this book for a joke. Reading through it, I realized many women I came in contact with might be following these 'rules.' They played too hard to get and never encouraged my interest. They never returned smiles, and if they gave me their phone numbers never answered the phone but totally relied on their answering machines. Of course, if I left a message, they never returned my call. So I was left to assume they were not interested. I bet their will be some women in a few years past 30, dateless and mateless and wondering what went wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: I found "The Rules" to be surprisingly helpful.
Review: As a gay man, I would seem to be the last person to be reading "The Rules". However, I did find the book to be helpful in my dating (mis)adventures. I admit, some of the statements, such as "always wear lipstick when jogging," are cringe-inducing. But, strip away the "marriage at any cost" trappings, and you will find excellent dating advice. One of the smartest "Rules" is not to reveal too much personal information. This isn't about being deceptive or coy. It's about protecting yourself. Recently, I was on a date with someone who told me EVERYTHING about himself and, because I was caught up in his honesty, I was more revealing about myself than I wanted to be. Had I been more "Rules" savvy, I could have avoided that situation. Since then, I've followed "The Rules", and have found dating to be much more enjoyable. Because it is written from a marriage-minded viewpoint, "The Rules" can seem ridiculous. But, when read carefully and analytically, the book can help anyone playing the dating game.
Rating: 
Summary: As with anything, don't knock it til you try it
Review: When I first read The Rules, I thought to myself "Get real, this is the 90's. This doesn't apply in this day and age!". I didn't want to believe their theory! Well, I actually started DOING them cause, as with any theory, I wanted to know for myself if this was "a load of crap" or "the truth". Well, guess what happened? I found out what Sherrie and Ellen write is the truth and demonstrates human nature!!! For you skeptics, before you knock the book's concept down, I would like you to experiement doing at least 1-2 Rules for a week and see what happens. Only then will your judgement of the book's content be validated. How can ya knock it when you haven't even tried it? How do you know if its a load of crap or the truth when you actually haven't put their concept to the test? Since I have read and done The Rules I can honestly say that men who don't like the book instructing women to play hard(er) to get, really DON'T WANT TO WORK HARD TO GET A WOMEN. I outta know. I've done The Rules enough to tell when men are genuinely interested, or expecting me to all the work simply cause they don't want to. Usually these men just go about their merry way and find women who are easier to get because these women will do all the work and they can sit back. This is a relief for me,knowing that I'm not killing myself to get this guy when there's a better one around the corner anyway. After doing The Rules I've also seen it work the other way around where a so-called lazy man starts working harder. With these guys, at least I know they're trying cause they know I am worth it. After reading it a couple of times (you need to in order to understand it better), The Rules is really about women setting boundaries when dating so they can finally date with self-esteem and enjoy dating and men more. No more anxiety about dating. The Rules confirm the age-old saying "May the best man win"!!
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Summary: Now I Know Why I Got Dumped and Why I Got Married
Review: For so long I violated the Rules! No wonder guys treated me so crappy! I chased after them, I called them constantly, I accepted dates on the spur of the moment! Even though a guy might say that the Rules are bulls--t, they don't respect a woman who goes after them, perhaps because that kind of aggressive woman doesn't respect herself. She imposes herself on a guy who may or may not really like her and puts herself in a position to get rejected. What it all boils down to is that if you follow the Rules, you find out if a guy really, really wants you. If he isn't motivated enough to pursue you, to call you, to respect your time, then he doesn't really want you. If he calls you, yeah, he might go out with you because you are making it easy for him, but does he really want you? "She is all right for now," guys will say. Following The Rules is not about manipulation. It's about choosing a guy and seeing if he really wants you. It is strategic. If you are going to buy something that you want to keep forever, you have to be systematic about getting it, right? Then why do people get so offended when a woman is strategic and systematic about finding a husband? If you leave it to "chance," "letting it happen naturally" you'll end up with the same losers you've been dating in the past. So buy The Rules. I followed The Rules and let a man that I wanted pursue me. And he did. Here was a man who always had women chasing after him. He never chased them. And guess who married him?
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: I bought this book not for it's advice, because I wrote a paper trashing it, and for good reason. It boils down to telling women to shut up, look pretty, act dumb, primp like Barbie, and pretend your not interested. Some advice includes: "Where lipstick while jogging, let him take the lead always, wear sheer black stockings and hike up your skirt. You may be embarrased, but men will love it!" PUH-LEEZE!! It tells women to try not change the man and yet we have to do all the changing!! If I have to accept a man for who he is, we can't he accept me for who I am? If a man can't accept me for me, than it's his loss-not mine. Save your money, ladies! This book is 100% trash. It gets one star because I can't give it a zero.
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Summary: A Way to Meet the Wrong Man and Have an Unhappy Marriage
Review:
I consider myself a nice man and wondered why I'm not having much luck in the dating game. I read THE RULES and now understand why. When women treat me the way THE RULES suggest, I don't want to date them anymore.
The best relationships start off as friendships and the happiest marriages are those where you consider your partner your best friend. But when women treat me with Rule #5: "Don't call him and rarely return his calls," I'm not interested in even being friends, because friends don't treat each other that way.
Since I cannot read a woman's mind, I assume that not returning my phone calls is a signal she's not interested in me. As the authors state on p.6, THE RULES are to teach women how to play hard to get. But playing hard to get means that women will attract men who don't take "no" for an answer. "No" means "try harder." Is this the kind of man an intelligent women wants to attract? More likely it leads to misunderstandings, sexual harassment, and date rape.
THE REAL RULES by Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D. are what I hope women will pay attention to. Rule #1: "Treat men the way you want them to treat you." It seems so obvious, but goes against everything in THE RULES. Rule #5: "Be yourself." Again, this is the opposite of THE RULES which tell you to pretend to be someone you're not so you can attract Mr. Right. But if Mr. Right falls in love with the person you pretend to be, how will he feel when he discovers you are not that person? He will feel tricked and angry because you lied to him and were playing games.
THE RULES is a book written to teach women how to lie, how to play games, and how to manipulate men. I'm not interested in women like that, and the men those women do catch are probably stupid Neanderthals. If those are the kind of men women want, then they should buy this book and follow THE RULES carefully.
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Summary: The Rules are a little extreme, but the ideas are right
Review: This is an excellent book for girls beginning to date, so they can learn not to be dependent and too "available" for guys. The book boosts self-confidence and is an all-around good tool for presenting oneself well and not overdoing friendships and relationships. It may be a little extreme, but the Rules work if they are followed in one way or another. Everyone should read this book at least once to learn a little something on how to keep a man.
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Summary: You already know it, they just affirm it
Review: This book is one you will reach for again and again when you find yourself in a crazy relationship. It is so truthful, it makes you mad. If you think The Rules are dumb, good luck finding a happy relationship. The Rules is a reference book that should be kept on hand at all times. It doesn't guarantee happiness, but it prevents a ton of unnecessary heartache. Read it, live it.
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Summary: The most pathetic book I have ever read.
Review: Basically, this book lays out a set of fixed "rules" that every girl should follow in order to get married to "Mr. Right" in absolutely no time. The rules imply that the man is the agressor, and will chase you forever if you only play hard to get. And that means VERY hard to get. Basically, the woman should just sit back and wait for the man to do every single move. And yes, this includes not making yourselv available on the phone, never returning calls, never asking for a dance or a date, never talk to a man first, and so on. Guys: Read this book. Now. Whether you decide that you like "rules girls" or not, reading this book will teach you the rules, and you will be able to spot who is following them, and who isn't, sparing you from a lot of agony (believe me, I have been there). Girls: I have no doubt that the rules work. If you follow them, you will get married. The question is: how soon, and to whom? No one set of behavior attracts everybody, and mostly, the kind of people you attract depends on who YOU are. If you are a woman who is selfish, egocentric, manipulative, emotionally cold and devoid of intuition and empathy (which is what you will become if you follow "the rules"), think about whom you will attract, and what your marriage will look like. Caution: This book is very manipulative in itself, and contains very suggestive advice and logic of the same kind used in religious sects and extreme cults. For example, if following "the rules" drives your heart's desire away, he wasn't really interested, and would never marry you (nothing is ever "the rules" fault). You should not discuss "the rules" with your friends or with your therapist, because they will try to talk you out of it, or make you uncertain whether you should be following the rules. The book features many examples of what happens to the unfortunate people who break the rules (they always end up heartbroken), whereas rules girls always get married and live happily ever after. Don't fall into this trap!
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