KIRKUS REVIEW
A debut self-help book for men and women to learn how to build better relationships.
As defined by Peak, the “85% man” isn’t perfect but just an average Joe trying to live and love the best he can. In this book, which aims to build better relationships between men and women, the author uses lessons from his own life as well as insights from his mother, Lucille. He offers advice that rings with honesty, as it’s always grounded in real-life, everyday experiences. The first lesson comes from Lucille’s belief that men and women are from completely different planets, and from there, Peak works through the ups and downs of his love life, using an extended metaphor of his ex-wives as experimental aircrafts. His first marriage to his high school sweetheart ended because he wanted children and she did not, and Peak offers the advice that one can only be responsible for one’s own happiness. Later, the book delves into the author’s online dating history, in which he shares his rule to add 10 years and 15 pounds to the figures women provide in personal ads. The second half concentrates on 15 lessons to help readers as they travel on the path toward love, including ways to find unconditional love, let go of past hurts and maintain a marriage. The final section leaves readers with important questions to ask themselves when choosing a mate. Although the book’s vivid anecdotes are entertaining, there are times when the story’s moral isn’t always clear. The self-help aspects suffer in comparison to the more intriguing stories about Peak’s parents, children and friends, and the book might have been more compelling if it was a more straightforward memoir. Overall, however, although the book’s insights aren’t groundbreaking or revelatory, it does offer solid, reliable and common-sense advice.
An often engaging guide on how to find and sustain love that finds shrewd lessons in the author’s own life.
