When I first requested the book The Rules According to JWoww: Shore-Tested Secrets On Landing A Mint Guy, Staying Fresh To Death, And Kicking The Competition To The Curb (deep breath...), by Jenni Farley, aka JWoww from MTV's Jersey Shore, I must admit that I felt a little bit iffy about it. The mere title and cover image alone of JWoww in a sexy schoolgirl uniform is enough to make one feel as if this book is not really meant to be taken seriously.

It's pretty much a given that there are two types of people. There are those who think this book is a joke, possibly compromising the integrity of those who appreciate good writing (more than likely these individuals are also not Jersey Shore fans) and then there are those who are interested or curious in hearing what a woman who has seemingly done it all has to say to her fellow ladies. Awkwardly enough, while I was reading this on the train, a woman in the midst of a conversation about politics with her male friend, kept peeping my way reading along with me. [Also: while writing this post a woman read the cover and asked me what I was reading; her daughter had to explain to her who JWoww is.] On the other hand when my co-worker saw that I was reading this, she looked at me like I was crazy with an expression that said, "Really?" After I explained that it was only for the blog she laughed and said, "Oh okay... I forgive you." Call me biased but in JWoww's defense, The Rules According To JWoww is not only a pretty good read but what she says can benefit a lot of young women especially when it comes to love which is indeed a very serious topic.

PROS...

If you know JWoww from Jersey Shore, you know she can be a tough cookie who doesn't take any crap from anyone but she is also observant and empathetic and that is how she is in this book, although it's the tough cookie side that you encounter the most. She's like that BFF who bluntly tells it how it is and forces you to see all the scary red flags waving when love or lust is blinding you, all in the name of tough love, and this can be quite an admirable trait.

The best way to describe The Rules According To JWoww is as a mix of Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov with My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler; two amazing books. Similar to Why Men Love Bitches, JWoww has a harsh but down-to-earth approach to giving advice to her readers. She numbers and breaks down each of her rules in much the same way as Sherry Argov and provides the reader with prime examples to back up these rules, illustrated through episodes of Jersey Shore. Like My Horizontal Life, JWoww tells us some of her very personal stories that include breakups, romps, etc. Her candid tales allows the audience to put more trust in the advice she is giving because the best way to learn life lessons is through experience and JWoww seems to have a lot of it. In providing us with examples she also appears more human, and less judgmental. She appears to simply want to prevent women who may be having trouble in some of the departments she talks about—be it love, sex, confidence—from making the same mistakes that she has.

Many people may assume that JWoww may be trying to glorify the "party life" but she makes it clear that things such as "hooking-up" and alcohol consumption and even falling for someone are not to be taken lightly because it can lead to destruction of some sort.

JWoww speaks to her readers, not at them, and oftentimes she lets it be known that she's fully aware not everyone reading her book will agree with what she is saying and she acknowledges and respects that.

This book is also relatable for many of us (men and women) who have had moments that we now look back on and say, "Ugh! What the heck was I thinking..." yet have become stronger because of it.

CONS...

At moments when JWoww is trying to exude confidence in an effort to convey that to her readers, she may come off as a bit cocky. I personally don't think she is as a person but I fear that she can be misconceived as being so.

Some of the advice may sound old school or submissive depending on the reader (i.e. she speaks of cooking a huge meal and cleaning up a man's place to impress him.) In all fairness, she admits that she knows some women may not like this kind of advice.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• How to recover from a break-up
• How to keep in shape.
• The benefits of displaying confidence.
• How to handle women who are trouble.
• Make-up and fashion tips
• When to move on from a relationship
• When and how to keep 'em.

and more..

Tips:

• This is probably the perfect book to read after a break-up.
• Do what you're comfortable with.
• If you're not a "Guido" or "Guidette" feel free to skip over certain things, but keep an open mind because you'll still find plenty of good advice or lessons to learn from.

If you've read The Rules According To JWoww or you're interested in reading it, please feel free to share your thoughts.

See also: Celeb-Readies: Chelsea Handler and Do you like Chelsea Handler? Then Try...