Cindy Lu was sick and tired of failed relationship after failed relationship. Like so many other single women, Lu knew she was a fabulous catch, but she sensed inconsistency between what she felt she deserved in a relationship and what she was experiencing. Struggling with the long-term repercussions of her father’s abandonment and a desire to live up to the happily-ever-after of her namesake, Cinderella, Lu took action.

Combining her self-proclaimed inherently Chinese skills in math and her past dating relationships, Lu developed The Four Man Plan, a systematic guide to finding the man of her dreams. After applying the Plan to her own life, she generously decided to share her treasure trove of dating wisdom with other fabulously single ladies and published her relationship tips in an easy-to-follow gem of a book.

For those of us girls who are more often single than not, The Four Man Plan may seem a bit daunting at first.

“Dating four men at once?” you may be thinking. “I can hardly find one!”

Never fear! According to the author, it’s much easier than it seems. Using Lu’s handy Mantris Graph, any woman can sort out the men in her life by placing them in one of four categories, each with its own requirements and level of intimacy.

As I made my way through The Four Man Plan, I expected to get a few chuckles and a lot of cringe-worthy advice. To my surprise, though, Lu’s laugh-out-loud cheekiness was only outshined by her pearls of tried and true advice, much of which can be applied to any relationship, whether strictly following the Plan or not.

The Four Man Plan is quick and spunky, accentuated by hilarious stick figure drawings that illustrate the anecdotes and principles Lu shares. The beauty of this book is that it far surpasses the average self-help book both in entertainment value and in actual solid advice. As I read Lu’s stories of her own disappointments in love, it felt like a heart-to-heart with a close friend. By the end of the book, I actually felt a bit sad that I was now on my own to fend for myself in the dating game.

Lu herself comes across as the cool older sister we all wish we had who spares us the agony of making our own mistakes by relating her own horror stories instead. The witty writing reads like a fun gossip session, and the pictures and graphs add cute touches along the way.

Ultimately, though, the best part of The Four Man Plan is Lu’s recurring message of self-respect and respect of other women in the same situation. We are teammates in this crazy game of love and relationships, and Cindy Lu, with this book, steps front and center as our captain.