Non-Fiction Annotation: 40 Days of Dating: An Experiment

40 Days of Dating: An Experiment  

  

By Jessica Walsh & Timothy Goodman

SYNOPSIS:

This is the true story of a relationship; the beginning of a relationship, the joys of a relationship, the trials of a relationship, and the future of a relationship- or the lack thereof, your guess is as good as mine!

Read as Jessica and Timothy, two friends with much in common, including a series of failed relationships develop an experiment, one in which they will manufacture the “perfect” relationship amongst themselves. As they develop a plan, and then a relationship, they strive to tackle the emotional and behavioral hindrances that have crippled previous relationships for them both. The results are both shocking and perhaps, exactly what you expect to happen…or maybe, not at all what you were expecting.

Although this is a non-fiction book, created from the blog that they maintained during their relationship, this book reads like a quirky rom-com. You will root for them, you will root against them, and you will want to shake them both as you read their revelations from an outside perspective.

Does the “love” story element not appeal to you? This book is worth picking up just to appreciate the thoughtful design that went into printing this tome (IN PRINT!!!!- the digital copy doesn’t read the same due to layout).

CHARACTERISTICS/APPEAL:

Narrative Context- This book reads like a fictional love story. The reader is offered an inside perspective into the inner workings of two people trying to, and perhaps successfully, falling in love, including the ups, the downs and everything in between. Although this story has not been fictionalized, it is easy to imagine that this is the next big rom-com.

Subject- Relationships and love are extremely successful subjects in non-fiction and fiction, and this book combines those popular elements with the ever-present topic of self-help. When reading about Jessica and Timothy, we learn how to be better, how to be more aware,  and how to be more present individuals and partners.

Type- This book provides a manual as to how to improve your self while also improving your present or future relationships, and reads like a non-fiction love story.

Appeal- The initial appeal of this book lies in how it reads like a fiction romance story, but once the reader digs in, the aesthetic appeal of this book creates a layer of appeal that provides a wider audience than the story alone. Laid out to mimic the blog from which it was born, this book features an alternative style and is rife with typography and exceptional graphic design.

READ-A-LIKES:

He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt

Emma by Jane Austen

Soppy: A Love Story by Philippa Rice

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham

Hand-Lettering Ledger: A Practical Guide to Creating Serif, Script, Illustrated, Ornate, and Other Totally Original Hand-Drawn Styles by Mary Kate McDevitt

Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters by Oliver Jeffers

WATCH-A-LIKES:

The Breakup (Film)

Just Friends (Film)

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Film)

He’s Just Not That Into You (Film)

No Strings Attached (Film)

Friends With Benefits (Film)

My Best Friend’s Wedding (Film)

Reality Bites (Film)