For what it's worth, I read this book not because I'm planning to become polyamorous, but in the interest of discussing with a friend who at the time was in a polyamorous relationship. I also don't have any problem with the concept of polyamory, so this book didn't need to convince me past that bias.

All that said, this book got off on the wrong foot for me. Something that often happens when you read a book that touches on gender and sexuality topics from 10+ years ago is that the language can be dated and provoke a negative reaction. The words and phrases that were intentionally used by the authors didn't resonate right with me. And on top of that I was dealing with, as expected, reading a book that promotes polyamory as the "enlightened" way to be, as a happily monogamous person 🤷

I was settling in expecting this book to be a complete slog when it took a turn for the better. Most of the chapters focusing on relationship skills for the poly person apply to readers in any kind of relationship. Topics such as navigating jealousy and communicating boundaries may be especially relevant in a polyamorous situation, but are vital also to monogamous couples, single people dating, and even to friendships. I found these chapters full of insight I could apply to my own life and was naturally more interested. As the book progresses the topics delve more into poly specific topics, which was what I was most interested in going in, and I found lived up to my curious expectations.