By Anna David
Harper, $14.99, 320 pages

Julie and Julia, meet Anna and Helen. Frustrated by her disappointing love life, writer Anna David stumbles across a copy of Helen Gurley Brown’s classic ’60s book Sex and the Single Girl and decides to follow Helen’s advice (David always refers to the Cosmo editor by her first name) to improve her chances of finding and keeping a suitable man.

So begins a year of tackling “SS&G” guidance. David works on ways to make herself a more fascinating single girl, with skills and style. She takes to heart Helen’s counsel to learn to cook, to decorate her apartment and to dress with flair appropriate for her age, often enlisting friends and professionals to help her achieve these goals. At the same time, she decides to be more open in where she looks for men, signing up for Match.com and trying a speed-dating service, for instance.

It’s all fairly fun for the reader, and the tips for making oneself a better person can often be helpful for anyone—single gal or married with four kids: smile, be adventurous, take care of yourself (health and appearance), etc. Overall, David manages to entertain, inform a bit, and offer a little guidance of her own.

Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim