Did not receive/read in time due to technical error on kindle/tablet. Not having left feedback has due to error has impacted my shelves. Leaving 4 stars.

Enjoyable story by new to me author Melissa Pimentel based on her own personal experience chronicling several months of dating following different dating guides. Lauren is disgusted with the dating prospects facing her living in London but unlike so many women, she is not looking for something serious.

I laughed out loud throughout this book and found Lauren quite a different character with a refreshing take on modern dating and sex. She drinks and smokes and each month her goal was to find someone who is not a psychopath that she would want to have sex with. The downside to Lauren’s project is that with each guide, she reinvents herself in the hopes she will be successful. I enjoyed meeting Lauren and liked her immensely. I thought she was brave to take charge of her dating life and put herself out there, but I would have preferred she just wing it instead of trying to fit herself into the mold each dating guide expected of her.

Lauren’s roommate Lucy is also entertaining and Lauren’s interactions with the “angry bookseller” were fantastic. Some of my favorite scenes in the book involved Lauren’s interactions with these characters. I also enjoyed learning more about Lauren’s background and her family, though some of it came as a surprise.

My Final Verdict: Let’s face it, most self-help guides, especially those dealing with finding the perfect mate are pure rubbish. In the end, Lauren realizes this and decides to date herself, which I thought was brilliant. I recommend this book to readers who believe it is better to be themselves, whether they are looking for the perfect life partner or if they have already found them.

A very intriguing read, bound to make women think long and hard about their own approach to dating. Love by the Book will make readers think about the 'rules' that seemingly dictate the game of love, and perhaps open their minds to the fact that, at the end of the day, there are no rules better than the ones we write for ourselves.

Cute story! Liked the narrator's voice and humor. Perfect beach read!

declined to review due to very poor proof-reading in ARC leading to difficulty reading properly.