Jennifer Weiner's talent shines like never before in this collection of short stories, following the tender, and often hilarious, progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime. From a teenager coming to terms with her father's disappearance to a widow accepting two young women into her home, Weiner's eleven stories explore those transformative moments in our every day.

We meet Marlie Davidow, home alone with her new baby late one Friday night, when she wanders onto her ex's online wedding registry and wonders what if she had wound up with the guy not taken. We stumble on Good in Bed's Bruce Guberman, liquored-up and ready for anything on the night of his best friend's bachelor party, until stealing his girlfriend's tiny rat terrier becomes more complicated than he'd planned. We find Jessica Norton listing her beloved New York City apartment in the hope of winning her broker's heart. And we follow an unlikely friendship between two very different new mothers, and the choices that bring them together — and pull them apart.

The Guy Not Taken demonstrates Weiner's amazing ability to create characters who "feel like they could be your best friend" (Janet Maslin) and to find hope and humor, longing and love in the hidden corners of our common experiences.

"These stories range from an old lady held hostage to a New Yorker who gives up killer real estate for a guy. Weiner's fans will recognize the kooky-kid-sister sagas, but it's the new territory, notably 'Swim and Dora on the Beach,' that shouldn't be missed. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly

"The Guy Not Taken showcases a maturing Weiner....All the stories in Weiner's collection have that 'Calgon, Take Me Away' quality to which smart women, whose lives are complicated by careers, men, babies, parents and siblings, can relate." USA Today

"These autobiographical stories suggest that Weiner is the kind of wise-cracking pal who makes a great lunch date....The heroines-hooked-on-bad-boys notion wears thin, but fans will savor Weiner's confidential tone and salty wit." People

"Another delightful example of Jennifer Weiner's tender way with words and emotions." Harper's Bazaar

"Puts Weiner on the map as one of her generation's best literary voices." The Boston Herald

"The stories are a readable mix of love, angst, disappointment and hope....If you weren't previously a fan of Weiner's, you will be after reading her latest." San Antonio Express-News

"Jennifer Weiner can be very, very funny, and that's the saving grace of this uneven collection of stories." Philadelphia Inquirer

From the bestselling author of Good in Bed comes a new collection of stories.

Jennifer Weiner's talent shines like never before in this collection of short stories, following the tender, often hilarious, progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime. We meet Marlie Davidow, home alone with her new baby late one night, when she wanders onto her ex's online wedding registry and wonders what if she had wound up with the guy not taken. We find Jessica Norton listing her beloved river-view apartment in the hope of winning her broker's heart. And we follow an unlikely friendship between two very different new mothers, and the choices that bring them together — and pull them apart.

Jennifer Weiner is also the author of four novels — Good In Bed, In Her Shoes, which was made into a major motion picture, Little Earthquakes and Goodnight Nobody. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Philadelphia with her family. Visit her website at www.jenniferweiner.com.