Rating: 
Summary: Even Worse than the Complete Idiots'....
Review: I'm glad I borrowed this and didn't pay money for it. All Dr. Joy seems to do is preach her own philosophy. (I'm not sure I'd take it too seriusly, either -- my sister met her husband at work and their both very happy, Joy says this is baaaad...!) I'd rather have had practical (concrete) tips, like ideas for dates to start my imagination going -- that is what the clueless need. Common sense would be more useful than this book even if didn't know what a date was (-- this is not so much a slam on this book, though as a good description of intellectualism in general, and there a lot of people without sense out there). Really, though, if you already have ideals and values of your own, and have even a vague idea who you are and what you might want, this book will give you little. If you are looking for a set of rules-of-thumb to take dogmatically and become the guiding light of you love-life, this is good though.
Rating: 
Summary: Dating For Dummies
Review: A great book for single friends as a gift!!! A must have for all singles. Funny and very true to life.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and easy to read, but effectiveness remains to be seen
Review: About 1/3 or so of "Dating for Dummies" by Joy Browne is very good. It is easy and fun to read with a lot of the advice serving a purpose both within and/or outside the realm of dating. Much of that portion of the book is useful for all general human social interaction, particularly male-female interaction on various levels. The only problem with this aspect is that you can get most of this advice in hundreds of other books. The other 2/3 are just OK. When you start to get into the sections strictly applied to dating, which is why you would likely buy this book to begin with, it starts to get a little disappointing. As another reviewer said, many times Dr. Joy puts considerably more emphasis on the female perspective than that of the male. In her sections on the best and worst life situations in which to be dating, she also often does a disservice of sorts to her own gender while discouraging males by attaching some implied truth to the theory that women care more about money, wealth, success, etc. than being with a good guy. You should never use dating as an actual cure for personal problems, like losing a job or a family member or friend, but at times, she kind of implies that everything else in your life should simply be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT before you even consider dating. Aside from the fact that perfection is non-existent, this is not healthy advice. I don't know exactly why having someone special in your life couldn't be a cause of motivation in these areas, and not just a result. In other cases, the book becomes a printed advertisement for her profession as a therapist. Read this book at least just for the sake of having something fun to read and again, to glean some good information about everyday social interaction. With its minor flaws, it is still better by a longshot than "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating", but being that the book is entitled "DATING for Dummies", the effectiveness of the content in a dating context should be tested with caution.
Rating: 
Summary: not realistic enough
Review: after reading her section on places to meet the opposite sex, I fully reject her ideas on the places not to meet the opposite sex. My sisters, 4 of my cousins and several of my friends and myself, all met the "right one" at bars. My other cousin met his wife at work. And these people all married people in high-income groups:lawyers, vice-presidents, doctors, etc. Meeting at work is one of the best places to meet. So, if one person has to quit the company, so be it. At least the person found the one that they were searching for. Overseas in Asia, people normally meet at work or in bars. So, in this area she is dead wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the real world.
Review: All of the stuff in this book is very superficial. It would work great if we lived in the world of Donna Read and Leave it to Beaver but we don't. After reading this book and studying it for quite some time I came to the conclusion that unless you are a wealthy charismatic handsome individual living in some small bible belt town you would end up looking like a fool following most of the advice that this book gives.
Rating:
Summary: A Note from a Villanova University Senior Thesis
Review: Amazon.com Review for Dating for Dummies
(...)This review was completed by a group of five college seniors from Villanova University. We spent a semester researching and reviewing best-selling self-help books on the subject of romantic relationships. We evaluated five texts after reviewing academic literature specifically on the topics of commitment, trust, conflict, verbal communication, and intimacy. In order to make you a more informed consumer, we hope to provide you with a review of Dating for Dummies.
The author's intent is to provide information on and fundamental ideas about dating so that everyday individuals are able to learn more about themselves. Then, the author helps one find a date, and provides helpful tips and insight in order to make the dating experience more enjoyable, less stressful, and a complete success.
This book is written individually for both men and women of any age group. Whether an individual is 15 years old and going on his or her first date, or 90 years old and rejoining the dating scene with grandchildren, this book provides information on the dating game. The only other prerequisites for reading this book are that individuals be heterosexual and dating in America. Also, Browne specifically notes that this book is designed to be in use from the time that one decides he or she wants to begin dating up until six to nine months after the first date. This book stops when couplehood begins.
Dating for Dummies reads similarly to a manual that is written in a casual, humorous style. In order to grow towards a relationship, Browne works to direct an individual into helping his or her self so that he or she can be a good date.The book provides useful advice and does so in a way that incorporates practical, everyday situations. It is user friendly and is designed to make an individual the best that they can be without being somebody else. We evaluated how the following five topics were approached in the book: Commitment- Commitment was in fact addressed in Dating for Dummies. However, it was addressed indirectly in a whole chapter as it is defined in terms of casual, serious, and heavy dating relationships. Dating for Dummies was very practical in its discussion of commitment, but not very thorough. It outlined what level of commitment should be inherent in a relationship, which depends on whether the relationship is casual, serious, or exclusive, etc. Trust- Trust was found in the index, which indicated discussion on developing trust through self-disclosure, trust as a factor in breaking up, and being able to trust someone enough in a relationship to know that one is safe. Specifically, the book was very detailed on developing trust through self-disclosure and provided examples and tips for making that happen more effectively. Conflict- Dating for Dummies did address the topic of conflict. While there were no sections mentioned in the index, there were four brief paragraphs that addressed conflict from a very common sense approach. With only four paragraphs to discuss conflict, there were not many examples or exercises for acceptable behavior in dealing with conflict.
Verbal Communication- Dating for Dummies discussed verbal communication skills by providing guidelines on how to communicate when out on a date. It limited itself to providing examples of lines and ideas of what to and what not to talk about. Also, it gave a lot of useful tips for conversations to have when one first meets someone of interest. It definitely targeted the general public with real examples that can one help truly understand and relate to the book. Intimacy- Intimacy was addressed throughout Dating for Dummies in the context of self disclosure, expression of thought and emotion, listening, and making positive verbal statements. As such, this book provided specific examples of things to tell immediately, a list of things to tell eventually, things to tell before sex, and things to tell if asked or pushed. Also, the book provided rules on sharing feelings, including an example for each rule. Finally, the book provided specific topics that should not be disclosed such as sexual stories, previous love affairs, and flings with the boss, just to name a few. Also, in the case of positive regard, the book provided specific body parts to compliment and specific compliments to give about those body parts. This book is best for the subject of intimacy. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Dating for Dummies is practical and fun!
Review: Dating For Dummies is a practical, fun, funny, and sensible book about dating. It's easy to read, addresses likely situations, and answers real-life questions - questions I hear over and over on my radio talk show. When it comes to dating - we all feel like dummies.
Rating:
Summary: excellent information, but poorly written
Review: Dating for Dummies is very informative and practical, but the text is plagued with poor grammar, padding, repetition and disorder. Ms. Browne's attempts at being humourous are not entertaining, but distracting. Just the facts, please.
Rating:
Summary: Witty and wise
Review: Dr. Browne's book is helpful and practical, with the right touch of light-hearted humor. It offers tips on everything: knowing when you're ready to date, knowing when you're NOT ready to date, how to find someone to date, how to handle the first date, how to recover gracefully from embarrassing moments on the date, how to handle the SECOND date... You get the idea; it's very thorough. Those who feel utterly clueless going in will find a lot of handholding and encouragement, tempered with a realistic attitude. Sidebars throughout the book fill in biological and gender-specific details, and some dating anecdotes. Fans of Dr. Browne's radio program will particularly enjoy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Pass on this book if you can...
Review: Dr. Joy Browne is very entertaining and humorous, and I got lot's of laughing out loud done reading her book. But for content, she doesn't deliver. I recommend purchasing the book "How To Win The Love You Want" by Thomas W. McKnight and Robert H. Phillips (ISBN 1-57866-018-1) instead. It's a much better buy than Dr. Browne's book. Everything up to Chapter 12 does a mediocre job in supplying information that is superbly done by the above mentioned book. Everything from there is downhill. Good attempt Dr. Browne but please, spare the public.
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