Available in: Kindle and Paperback
Author: Gail Karpus
Reviewed for the NABBW by: Anne L. Holmes
Few of us want to spend the last decades of our lives alone. That’s a given. But given that the Center for Disease Prevention (CDC), recently reported that the average 65-year-old woman can expect to live for 19.3 more years, and we’ve long known that women traditionally live longer than men, the odds are pretty good that we will find ourselves single at some time in our mature years.
Beyond that, as Fast Track to Romance author Gail Karpus reminds us on the first page of this book, “…it’s hard to find love at any point in life, but when you’re an older woman, (finding love) gets a lot harder.” 
Perhaps that’s because as we age, there are fewer available men around. No doubt there’s also the fact that we’ve lived long enough we’re no longer willing to “suffer fools gladly” – so we’ve no desire to waste our time dating men who are whiners, know-it-alls and bores. Add to that the realization that we’re not looking to develop a relationship with just ANY available man. We’re looking for someone with whom we can make a deep connection.
What all mature women daters need is a “wing woman,” a great friend who – in the most traditional sense – you can bring along with you on singles outings.
  • Someone who will support you in social situations where you might meet a potential romantic or sexual partner. 
  • Someone who knows you well enough to help you avoid attention from undesirable prospective partners, as well as attract desirable ones.
  • Someone who can advise you on what to wear, what to order on a dinner date, what to say to keep the conversation going.
  • And most important, someone who’s been in your shoes, and who cares enough to make sure you don’t end up disappointed.

No matter whether you’re alone because you’ve lost a mate to death or divorce — or whether you’ve never married — if you know you’ve got a lot more living to do, and you’d like to do that with the comfort of a gentleman who can help you enjoy life; someone you can lean on, feel safe with and have fun with, the first issue you must deal with is finding appropriate men to date. According to author Karpus, who’s here to become your wing woman, the best first step in today’s world is online dating.

She’s written this handbook as a personal guide to fast track your online dating experiences. So you can become successful at it — and have a lot of fun in the process. Karpus explains in the first chapter that she first delved into online dating in 2005, having arrived alone in Beverly Hills (home of all sorts of beautiful people) after a divorce, knowing no one except her children and their spouses.

This book is author Gail Karpus serving as your wing woman. She’s got the credentials:

  • She is now married to a man she met through an online dating service
  • Before meeting him, she used a variety of online dating services for 11 years
  • During that time, she experienced over 500 meets/dates – had some hard knocks and met some really great guys
  • She also worked for one of Beverly Hills’ top matchmaking companies, learning what makes a successful match
  • Eventually she started Heart Profile Service, a company where she wrote online profiles for her Baby Boomer-aged clients, and successfully helped them navigate the online dating world.

The book includes sample profiles, and will teach you critical success techniques, like:

  • How to fill in a dating site questionnaire
  • How to create your online profile for maximum results
  • Straight talk about those online photos (they need to be current pix)
  • How to plan your first meeting
  • What to wear on your dates
  • What to say (and not say)
  • What should be a turnoff
  • Red flags you need to recognize on men’s profiles
  • How to give good email

Clearly Gail Karpus is the best wing woman any mature single woman could wish for. You might not choose to stash the book into your bag while you’re on a date. But after your first read, you’ll want to re-read the various chapters again as your successful dating saga evolves. We highly recommend this book.

NABBW Contributing Author