Straight Up and Dirty - by Stephanie Klein (Paperback)

About the Book

A young woman relates her hilarious adventures--post-"Sex and the City" and pre-"Desperate Housewives"--as she jumps back into the pool of single women after her divorce from a "Big"-like character.

From the Back Cover

Marriage fit Stephanie Klein like a glove . . . but unfortunately it fit her husband like a noose. She thought she had the perfect marriage, but just like that, Klein found herself "divorced when you're firm, fashionable, and let's face it--fetching."

Celebrated bloggist, photographer, and freelance writer Stephanie Klein lets it all hang out in this juicy tell-all tracing her jump back into single life following her divorce. On the dating advice of her therapist, Klein attempts to keep "a pair and a spare" of men always at hand and has lots of bawdy fun along the way. But when the anniversary of the devastating breakup from her "wasband" forces her to revisit what happened, she finds herself wanting more than her therapist's recommended gimmick to keep her emotionally safe.

Straight Up and Dirty demonstrates that the true measure of success isn't what's crossed off life's to-do list. It's having the grace and fortitude to move through change, curls intact and smiling.

Review Quotes

"Klein intersperses surprisingly touching observations with crackling, punny lexicon. Grade: A-" - Entertainment Weekly
"Klein's sense of humor is downright wicked...a great, fun read." - Publishers Weekly
"Beneath the wisecracking tales of solo supermarket shopping, phone therapy and Hamptons houseshares, the raw emotion about her divorce and nightmare mother-in-law rings true. Plus, any girl who can pen such gems as, 'I wanted to verb his noun', deserves respect. - Marie Claire (UK)
"Masterfully intertwines the breakdown of her marriage with postdivorce dating exploits...Her confessional, intimate writing style has a magnetic and often voyeuristic appeal that transcends the gloss of her Sex and the City-style escapades." - Daily News
"Stephanie Klein's hilarious Straight Up and Dirty is perfect beach-blanket reading." - New York Post
"Klein is a talented writer who tells the story of her love life with boldness and irreverence ... Told through funny and sad anecdotes, raw and realistic arguments, and all-out fights ... Klein's story, like most memoirs, is a tale of redemption." - USA Today
"Stephanie Klein's raw account of divorce at age 29 is refreshingly honest and funny, without delving into cheesy chick-lit territory. You'll easily relate to Klein--even if you don't have a "wasband." - Marie Claire
"Stephanie Klein is so gut-wrenchingly honest that it's embarrassingly entertaining to read her oh-so-real stories, even if you haven't experienced what she's gone through--from divorce to hating tuna fish to attending weddings alone ("Something to really look forward to, you know, like a Pap smear")." - Jane
"Nothing, it seems, is too private not to share with . . . Ms. Klein's legions of followers. And that is exactly how they like it. . . . [She is] the Carrie Bradshaw of New York bloggers." - New York Times
"Fearless. . . . Her adventures take her from Soho to the Hamptons--looking for love, with a cocktail in her hand." - The Independent
"A kooky, heartfelt, and ultimately triumphant chronicle of young divorce and the importance of family, friends, and a good shrink." - Susan Shapiro, author of Lighting Up
"Klein's appeal comes not just from her nocturnal wonderings, but from her relentless plumbing of what went wrong in her twenties and how those mistakes inform her present." - Elle
"You could call her "a real-life Carrie Bradshaw," but it wouldn't do Klein justice. With a fearless voice, the blogger weaves a memoir filled with heartbreak and humor...a compelling writer." - People