Thinking this book would give me more insight into the divorce process, instead it holds very basic information for those who have no idea what divorce is. I felt it didn’t fulfill my expectation and giving meat to understanding the complexity of the situation.

Thank you NetGalley River Grove Books for the chance to read and review this book.

Overall, the Dissolution Solution is a good introduction to the divorce process in California. It provides a general overview of what happens in the pretrial, trial, and post-trial phases of the divorce process. It also provides helpful advice for those who are considering divorce and how they can empower themselves to make good, productive, and (sometimes) cost-efficient decisions. Similarly, it discusses some basic DOs/DON'Ts for people who are prospective parties to a divorce. It is by no means a divorce handbook that will enable readers to represent themselves in court. In fact, the author exhorts readers to get competent legal representation throughout the book.

My Dislikes: There were a few parts that were a bit superfluous (e.g. knowing the history of divorce, which may be interesting as an academic exericse, but takes away from the practical orientation of the book; a very extensive example using the Six-Day War of 1967, etc.). There were also a few times while reading that I felt like the author was writing the book as a love letter to himself or at least using it a plug for his firm. The author is upfront that his practice involves mostly affluent clients and that he does not do low-income family divorces. For readers more in that category, there are lots of legal aid societies and groups that help provide helpful information. That said, the general principles discussed in the book would apply to all people regardless of their net worth. There were also a few places in the book where I thought that it would be a good idea to have more extensive citations to sources; however, this may be an issue with the version I was using.

What I enjoyed: The author does a great job discussing major concepts like property division, child custody, and the role of children in the divorce process. He gives great advice for parents about how to avoid turning children into collateral and avoiding the temptation to weaponize child relationships. I also thought it was great that he provided some greater detail on how divorce impacts children and was to help children deal with the major life change that they will be going through. He also does a good job helping readers see that a good attorney is going to set clear boundaries and may, at times, protect a client from themselves. The book also has a good collection of war stories and lessons learned from interesting (and often dramatic) client experiences. The book finishes with some Q&A with other experts like a life coach, forensic accountant, and financial planner, all of which provide useful insight into general guidelines for navigating a divorce. The writing is clear and easy to follow. It can be technical at times, but it is important for those getting into a divorce to learn the lingo that will be a part of their lives during this experience.

It is important to remember that divorce in other states may be very different. The author does address this a bit at the beginning, but I felt like it should be in larger letters up front: THIS IS BASED ON CALIFORNIA LAW.