Romances & Practicalities

With the pop psychology of Malcolm Gladwell and the humor of Carrie Bradshaw, Romances & Practicalities combines a charming personal love story with research-backed self-help, including a set of 250 questions to help you foster deeper intimacy and get honest about what you’re really looking for in a partner.

A few months into Lindsay Jill Roth’s whirlwind transatlantic courtship with a handsome Englishman, he made a comment that hit her like a gut-punch: “I don’t know you well enough yet.” Despite hours on FaceTime and swoon-worthy dates in London and NYC, Roth realized he was right: they didn’t know each other very well. And their relationship, while certainly romantic, was hardly practical. Did they even have a shared vision for the future?

In the age of increasingly impersonal dating, how do you get off the dating hamster wheel and advance a relationship along the path to commitment? How do you know if you’re with “the one”?

Enter Romances & Practicalities, a set of 250 research-backed questions spread across twelve categories—from money to children to chores to sex—designed to help you identify your wants, needs, and non-negotiables, assess compatibility, initiate tricky conversations with grace, and build a deeper, stronger relationship. Questions range from seemingly light and casual to intimate and serious, including:

Roth weaves the questions with her own love story, provocative interviews with couples who’ve used the system, and practical guidance from a diverse range of clinical and popular experts including Lori Gottlieb, Nicole LePera, Mark Hyman, Emily Morse, Suze Orman, Nate Berkus, and Barbara Corcoran.