SHACKING UP: The Smart Girl's Guide to Living in Sin Without Getting Burned

Citing a 72% increase in the number of couples shacking up in just the past decade, and claiming, for many, it is a "new step in the mating process," freelance magazine writer Stacy Whitman, teaming up with her sister Wynne, a tax and estate attorney, offers a "new millennium relationship handbook" for 20- and 30-somethings. By turns humorously irreverent and practical, the authors combine a hip, insider writing style with extensive interviews of couples who've lived together, expert advice from psychologists, social scientists, financial planners, and loads of Cosmo-style quizzes and advice boxes, allowing readers to assess their individual situation. Topics range from the momentous (breaking the news to your parents, how to tell if you're ready to tie the knot, and compiling joint purchase agreements) to the truly lighthearted (getting your boyfriend to ditch the wagon-wheel coffee-table, and taking matters, literally, into your "own hands" when your boyfriend can't sexually satisfy you). While admittedly targeted to the heterosexual, childless woman, this book will be useful for anyone else ready for the fantasy to end, and reality to begin. (Mar.)

Forecast:The cover is appealing in a Cosmo magazine way. Although the publishers target their audience at 20–40, more realistically, the book will catch the eyes of those between 18 and 32.