This is exciting! I just received my first critical book review as an author. Of course, before hand I was feeling scared. You know, what if people don’t like it? It is so hard to put your work out there, definitely makes you feel vulnerable. Here is the Review:
Review Rating: 5 stars!
Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite 5/25/15 at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/dr-stephanies-relationship-repair-for-couples
Dr. Stephanie’s Relationship Repair for Couples: A Customer Service Approach for Minimizing Conflict and Creating Lasting Love in Your Relationships is a non-fiction self-help relationship book written by Stephanie Weiland Knarr. The author is a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist who recommends that her clients approach their relationships with their partners in a way that’s similar to how businesses deal with customer complaints. She employs the metaphor of a relationship repair counter to help the reader get the gist of her argument. Relationships require a certain amount of give and take; however, there are times when a partner may have a grievance, complaint or another issue that needs to be addressed. It’s important that they know that their partner will listen to their problem and help resolve the issue. Knarr discusses the right and wrong times to address the relationship repair counter, the need for the other partner to listen to the issues raised and be able to restate the problem in their own words, and the need for the complainee not to jump across the counter with counter-complaints or justifications.
Stephanie Weiland Knarr’s relationship self-help book, Dr. Stephanie’s Relationship Repair for Couples: A Customer Service Approach for Minimizing Conflict and Creating Lasting Love in Your Relationships is written primarily for couples who are currently experiencing less-than-perfect relationships, but, as the author states, knowing the way to resolve issues with one’s partner or spouse is an essential skill for anyone involved in a relationship or even when they are dating. I thought the author’s use of the case histories of her clients to illustrate her ideas was very helpful and made each concept covered more tangible. Her metaphorical use of the customer service counter is useful for getting relationship problem resolution to be less about personalities and more about the actual problems that need to be addressed. Knarr approaches the subject in an informal and non-judgmental way, and she equally attends to the needs and requirements of both genders. Her writing style is conversational, and her inclusion of her own relationship work with her husband gives her added warmth and credibility. Dr. Stephanie’s Relationship Repair for Couples is recommended.
