My Real-Life Rom-Com: How to Build Confidence and Write Your Own Relationship Rules

by Carrie Berk

Overview

A guide through the ups and downs of teen love, intimacy, and coming of age in a social media–infused world.

Navigating dating as a teen is tough. My Real-Life Rom-Com tells it like it is. Written by twenty-year-old TikTok star and journalist Carrie Berk, this book is a resource you can turn to for any and all questions and concerns about coming-of-age love and heartbreak. Carrie shares her dating adventures (and misadventures) to help you discover more about yourself and the relationship you deserve.

How do you meet someone in a post-pandemic world? Are dating apps a good idea? When do you know if you’re really ready for sex? My Real-Life Rom-Com is filled with helpful information on everything from first kisses to devastating breakups. What if you develop a crush on your best friend’s ex? Or you’re catching feelings for an older guy? Carrie has been there, done that.

This book is packed with humor and advice that takes the edge off uncomfortable conversations. Prepare to laugh at dozens of dating disasters experienced during middle and high school. Like the date who had a fly stuck in his tooth. Or the guy who had his mommy send a breakup text.

Through Carrie’s unflinchingly honest stories, you’ll learn how to get over your first breakup; understand the art of the “situationship;” make smart, not impulsive decisions; and ultimately love yourself before loving someone else.

Ready to build your own real-life rom-com? Start here!

Be sure to follow Carrie on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat: @carrieberkk

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888450529
Publisher:	Post Hill Press
Publication date:	09/19/2023
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Carrie Berk is an NYC-based journalist, content creator, and bestselling author. Her most recent book, My Real-Life Rom-Com, was a Barnes & Noble bestseller and peaked at #1 in the Dating & Intimacy category on Amazon. Berk freelances for several publications, including New York Post, Page Six, HuffPost, Women’s Health, and Newsweek.

Berk is a bestselling children’s book author with twenty-one books to her credit. She penned her first book, Peace, Love and Cupcakes, in 2012. The Cupcake Club series went on to publish twelve books (selling over 300,000 copies worldwide), and became an award-winning Off-Broadway show and featured selection in 2017’s New York Musical Festival. Her second series, Fashion Academy, stems from her passion for fashion. The six-book series also became an Off-Broadway production at Vital Theatre and is currently licensed worldwide by Concord Music Publishing. She also published a three-book series, Ask Emma.

She is a verified content creator with 3.8 million followers on TikTok and 880,000 on Instagram, with a combined engagement of more than 100 million. You can follow her @carrieberkk.

Editorial Reviews

Dating as a teen was so hard. Reading Carrie’s dating guide really opened up my eyes and gave me such good advice! I think we could all use some love advice in our life, and this book is amazing for that.

Danielle Cohn

Carrie is like a big sister! She is always there when I need advice about boys.

GiaNina Paolantonio

Anyone who knows Carrie can tell how sweet and sensitive she is. It’s easy to see why she would have the best advice. Carrie is one of the kindest, caring, and loyal people you’ll meet! She’s a people person, and I trust any advice she gives me on relationships.

Sophia Gennusa

Carrie is an unbelievable writer. Her skills are unmatched. A teen book is much-needed, especially right now. Every teen experience is different, and people can learn from Carrie’s mistakes and successes.

McKenzi Brooke

I’ve known Carrie since our early days in social media. She has a gift for connecting with teens and making them feel seen. This book is a must-read for teenagers.

Zoe Laverne

The struggles, success stories, and advice surrounding dating are often told from an adult’s perspective. However, as a teen, it’s comfortable and relatable to read advice and hear stories from a teen’s perspective. I’m even more thrilled to have it come from Carrie’s perspective. She is such a talented writer whom I have read for years.

Jenna Davis

Carrie’s writing is always so relatable. She’s seen it all, and what she writes about holds true to so many people. She is a very talented young woman, and I can’t wait to read the book!

Sway Bhatia

Carrie is a wonderful person that has a lot of insight on people and relationships. She has given me and my girlfriend amazing advice and wise words.

Ayden Mekus

Carrie poured her heart and soul into her solo debut book, with a fresh, vulnerable take on the trials and tribulations of finding love that everyone can relate to.

Ariel “Baby Ariel” Martin

2023-09-14
Berk shares stories about her dating experiences in this advice guide/memoir.

“Like Carrie Bradshaw, I’m a New York City native who has always been interested in love and relationships,” writes the author, a blogger whose given name is Caroline but always called “Carrie” (“my mom adored the [Sex and the City] character when she worked as a writer on the HBO website”). Berk, who notes that she has been “boy crazy from the second my parents stuck me in elementary school,” dedicates 13 chapters to specific relationships, including “The Bar Mitzvah Boy,” “The First Love,” “The Pandemic Fling,” and “The Dating App Disaster(s)” (her “First Love” is a fellow popular influencer, an Australian boy on a United States media tour with her). She concludes the book with a chapter entitled “The Journey to Self-Love,” detailing her “anxiety journey,” which involved being diagnosed with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and her growing realization that “if I were insecure in my own skin, it would be impossible to understand and accept love from others.” The author scatters info boxes throughout the book, including “Learn the Lingo” definitions focused on online behavior (like “kittenfishing” and “zombieing”) and advice on topics such as “What to Keep in Mind for Your First Hookup” and “How to Slide Into DMs.” Berk, the co-author (with her mother) of several children’s books series, here offers a compelling portrait of growing up with a large part of your life playing out online. She beautifully captures the bravado and uncertainty involved in online bantering and the often jarring IRL meetups that follow. Some of Berk’s “hookup” anecdotes are quite amusing (such as her dealing with a chin-biter in “The Vampire”), but she also offers a wealth of serious insights and guidance worth heeding.

An entertaining and enlightening account of coming of age as a Gen Z digital native.

Kirkus Reviews