Do You Love Me or Am I Just Paranoid? makes a woman feel good about being single. Although that probably was not the sole intention of this book, the author’s portrayal of women who are looking for love in all of the wrong people will make you glad that you’re young and single, rather than trapped in a relationship that you know is going to end eventually anyway. Unless, of course, you are one of the women whom Carina Chocano describes, continually stepping from one doomed relationship into another and wondering how you began this vicious cycle in the first place. If that’s you, you might just have to read the book.

This comical book comes from the heart of the author and contains no psychological merit whatsoever, though you might believe that it does once you see yourself in the book a few times. Chocano ventures through the life of any woman who is looking for love, from the point where she initially meets her man of the moment to the breakup, and provides some guidance along the way. The book, which is also described as “the serial monogamist’s guide to love,” presents some scenarios that seem rather abstract, but could very well relate to you if set in the correct context.

The author provides several insights into the nature of being a woman, and especially being one in today’s modern world. With chapters that explain many of the irrational thoughts that curtail a woman’s judgment during the enduring process of being in a relationship, the book serves as a 150-page claim that you’re better off alone than in a relationship that is going nowhere.

Chapter titles such as “Living Together vs. Marriage: How to Tell Them Apart” and “Why Wait? The Rebound” leave a lasting impression that the ideal boyfriend/girlfriend relationship is, well, less than ideal.

This book won’t save your doomed relationship, but you can turn to the chapter about the five-year breakup plan to figure out how to find another man right away.

In the words of the author that echo continually in this reviewer’s head: “Someday your prince will come. And if he doesn’t, some other dude will. In the meantime, why not milk the drama for all it’s worth?”

Chocano’s book is well worth reading.

Her humorous portrayal of a relationship gone sour definitely makes a woman feel good about being single.

Contact Whitney Meersat oraclescene@yahoo.com