Other insights include clear-eyed guidance for “breaking the chains of habit” in relationships, the important role of playfulness and teasing in creating strong bonds and understanding, and thoughtful consideration of topics like “ghosting,” online deception, and much fresh advice for “relationship revivals”—or keeping things fresh and lively. Following the author’s relationship classification method is a novel philosophy in regard to dating apps: “Pick a place, then a face,” the basis for TerriTie, which has users select a date activity or location before matching with another user. Though the relationship style framework is illuminating, the transition to heralding TerriTie is abrupt and may give some readers pause. Still, Aljazeeri offers useful, up-to-date, nuanced, and even cathartic examination of the challenges of dating and friendship apps, with many compelling real-life examples.
A particularly refreshing and vital promise of Aljazeeri’s system is its recognition of diversity in relationships and a commitment to “aligning with contemporary society’s varied experiences and values,” which readers can observe in practice if they take the “PICCK A SPICE” relationship test at the end of the book or online. With celebration of human diversity at its center, TerriTie, which is set to launch in summer of 2024, and Aljazeeri’s overall methodology, constitute a keen, state-of-the-art revitalization of romance and friendship in the smartphone age.
Takeaway: Fresh, insightful breakdown of styles focused on diverse contemporary lives.
Comparable Titles: Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller’s Attached, Anita Knight Kuhnley’s The Four Relationship Styles.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
