Technology has changed the way we date—a single swipe gives new meaning to being rejected. But no matter what the advances—good and bad—the ritual is pretty much the same: meet, connect, and fall in love. And while a positive chemical reaction can boost your confidence, a series of bad dates can lead to depression, giving up, or remaining stuck in a negative dating cycle.

Beloved, world-renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth will finally take the drama out of dating. She will help you figure out how and where to find someone (a Tinder hookup is not a date!), get you mentally and physically ready for that anxious first meeting, and prepare you for ghosting and other twenty-first-century rebuffs.

With her trademark insight and compassion, Dr. Ruth’s commonsense guide will improve your prospects and help you weather the challenges and recognize when it’s time to transition from just you to you two.

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer is the beloved, world-renowned therapist whose discussions of human sexuality and relationships on the live radio show Sexually Speaking catapulted her to fame in the early 1980s. The author of nearly forty books, she has hosted her own television shows and been named one of the 100 Most Intriguing People of the Century by People magazine. A one-woman show about her life, Dr. Ruth, All the Way, is currently touring. Dr. Ruth is also a distinguished educator who has taught at Yale, Princeton, West Point, and Columbia, and she has lectured at colleges and universities around the country. She has two children and four grandchildren and lives in New York City. You can find out more about Dr. Ruth at www.drruth.com, on Twitter @AskDrRuth, and at www.youtube.com/drruth.

Pierre A. Lehu is a publicist, agent, and writer. He has written twenty-five books, including Sex for Dummies, Saké: Water from Heaven, Fashion for Dummies, and Living on Your Own.