#13. The Overthinker’s Guide to Love by Kristen Ruth Smith
“This book was written to get women talking, to make us question our definitions of intimacy, relationship, partnership, and love. This story of one millennial woman trying to 'figure out' where she fits in the evermore complex landscape of love is bold and frank, funny and heart- wrenching, and offers intimate experiences every woman can relate to even if she never dared speak about them herself. This book is an invitation to speak to them. It's a requirement, in fact, since every chapter offers not only wit and wisdom, but practical practices for the reader to engage in herself. This book grants us permission to suspend our ideas of what love is supposed to look like and instead get playfully curious about who we truly are in love."
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Overthinker’s Guide to Love offers hard-won insight turned straight-forward practices for anyone seeking satisfying partnership in an increasingly complex landscape of dating and sexuality.
Like so many millennials, Kristen assumed dating, marriage and sex would come naturally someday, but nearing thirty and still without a clear sexual compass, she leans on her curiosity and intellect to think her way into partnership by turning her life into a Love Laboratory and candidly offers up her observations through a series of earnest, comical, and intimate real-life experiments that challenge the ways we define relationship, commitment, intimacy, and love.
Complete with data analysis and experiments readers can run at home, her combination of sincere storytelling and teaching reminds us that discovering who we are in love should be playful, fun, and always up for investigation.
Advance praise for the overthinker’s guide to love
“Love is not a script we learn. It’s a way of being on a road to deeper freedom. With wit, curiosity, & well-earned wisdom, Kristen helps you chart your own course to the love that’s true for you. If you let it, this book can change your life.”
Edwina Barvosa, Ph.D. Social Scientist & Professor, UC Santa Barbara
“Through her own curious, brave, & compelling quest for love & self-knowledge, Kristen invites you to question everything & to make your life your experiment. There is wisdom here.”
Dr. Duana Welch, Ph.D. Social Scientist & Author of Love Factually
“It is a rare dual talent that can honor both left brain and right brain. This lucid and compelling exploration of a love and intimacy, beyond the anemic cultural narrative of “normal” regarding who and how we should love, clears shame and inspires authenticity with a beguiling blend of wry humor, intellect, and heartwarming honesty."
Kim Bryson, RScP Certified Clinical Sexologist, Sex Educator and Coach
"A deeply moving, heartwarming collection of uncensored, poignant & often quite funny tales from a millennial woman's dedicated explorations of herself & ideas about relationship, intimacy and love. The additional bonus: Kristen offers up simple, thoughtful exercises [&] experiments to support other intrepid seekers exploring this evermore complex terrain."
Robyn L. Posin, Ph.D. Psychologist & Author of Choosing Gentleness
ABOUt THE AUTHOR
KRISTEN RUTH SMITH is a writer, podcaster, graphic designer, millennial, single mother, and eternal experimenter. She acts as a professional chaos wrangler in her work as brand & web consultant.
She has turned her life into a Love Laboratory and is committed to encouraging others to do the same through her website, her Curious Love podcast (May 1, 2019) and its narrative prequel, The Overthinker’s Guide to Love: A Story of Real-Life Experiments Turned Practical Wisdom (June 19, 2019). Her earnest curiosity and candid storytelling offer permission to all of us to approach who we are in love with fresh eyes and always #liveexperimentally.
Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, she brings her Midwestern sensibility to her explorations of love and life. Kristen currently lives, works & creates in Ojai, California.
You can contact Kristen directly HERE.
