I first discovered Sex and the Single Girl in my college library, more than ten years after it was first published. Later, when I found a used paperback copy, I snapped it up. Still later, I found a hardback copy in pristine condition, and bought that, too. Now I'm in my fifties, I haven’t been single for many a year, and I still re-read it every so often. When the ebook version became available on NetGalley, well, I had to have that, too. As dated and silly as it can be in some parts, there are still life lessons in it worth reviewing from time to time. Yes, it's a feminist work, and it opened my eyes to a world beyond the suburb where I grew up. But it's also full of plain old practical advice about getting the most out of life. If I'm feeling stuck or sorry for myself, reading a chapter or two will inevitably get me moving again.

I really appreciate the fact that the Kindle version I read was proofread and formatted well. Too many sloppy ebook versions of older books are being thrown out into the market, and I was apprehensive about what I might find in this one. Happily, Open Road has treated the book with the respect it deserves and has produced a high quality ebook.

I received a free electronic advanced reading copy of this book from Netgalley, but received no other compensation. ( )

It's certainly dated, but still a fun read - and some of the things she advocates are still shockingly modern! Her joie de vivre is infectious, and she's such a fun narrator that you can't help but go along for the ride. Having never read it before, the content really surprised me coming from the period it was written in - I see why it was so popular and vilified, and as a liberated woman of 2012 I have to say - hats off to Helen! This book is essential to any modern feminist; I mean, it's always good to go back to your roots so you can track your progress. ( )

This was not as old-fashioned as you would think. On the one hand, that was a good thing. On the other, it made it less entertaining. The worst thing she does is over-emphasize the staying-slim angle. There's a nice focus on getting personal satisfaction from your career rather than from your relationships. There's even a sympathetic reference to lesbian relationships. This was an original edition from the library; most of the fitness chapter was missing. ( )

I read this book 47 years ago, when I was 14 years old, but I remember the “event” as if it were yesterday. The book made a feminist out of me before the term even existed.

There were five of us girls reading the book at the same time. We finished it over one long night at a slumber party. We loved it! We could hardly believe our eyes! We laughed. We giggled. We turned the pages in astonishment. We discussed it amongst ourselves. We learned an important lesson: as young women, we didn’t need to get married to have a happy life.

This was my first and only “group read” and it was also my very first “early reviewer” book. You see, the mother hosting the slumber party was a writer and a good friend of Helen Gurley Brown. She had a typewritten manuscript copy of “Sex and the Single Girl” in her home office perhaps six months or more before the actual book was published. I don’t know if she was proofreading it or reviewing it.

We sneaked the manuscript out of her office and pulled it into our bedroom, but I think the mother knew what we were up to. She must have realized that the book would do us no harm, and indeed it didn’t. This was not the swinging book the title suggests. However, it was a groundbreaking feminist work, and I am sure it eventually made feminists out of most of us who had that rare opportunity to read this important work in its pre-publication form. ( )