“A much-needed guidebook to empower us all.”

—Dr. Nicole LePera, #1 NYT bestselling author of How to Do the Work and How to Be the Love You Seek

A few months into Lindsay Jill Roth’s transatlantic courtship with a handsome Englishman she’d dubbed “the Brit,” he made an off-hand comment that hit her like a gut punch: “But I don’t know you well enough yet.” Despite hours on FaceTime and memorable dates in London and New York City, she reluctantly realized that he was right: they didn’t know each other very well. And their budding relationship, while certainly romantic, was hardly practical. Did they have a shared vision for the future? Did he want kids? In what country would they live?

In an age of increasingly impersonal dating—where “ghosting” is the new norm and “situationships” abound—how do you actually get to know someone? How do you break the endless cycle of first date after first date and advance a relationship along the path to commitment? How do you know if the person to whom you’re committing is really (or really might be) “the one?”  

Enter Romances & Practicalities, a set of 250 research-backed questions spread across twelve chapters—from money to children to chores to sex—designed to help you identify red flags and non-negotiables, assess compatibility with a potential or current partner, initiate tricky conversations with grace, and build a stronger, deeper relationship.

Lindsay weaves the questions and her approach to them with her own charming love story, provocative interviews with real-life couples who’ve used the system, and guidance from a range of experts, including psychotherapist and author Lori Gottlieb, the “holistic psychologist” Dr. Nicole LePera, Dr. Mark Hyman, sex therapist Dr. Emily Morse, Suze Orman, Justin Baldoni, David Kessler, Barbara Corcoran, and many more.

Lindsay’s wise and witty book explores the reasons we don’t often equate romance with practicality, and reveals a surprising truth: healthy communication isn’t just vital, it’s sexy.