The no-nonsense guide to divorce Getting through and starting over

Divorce is complicated, but family and criminal defense attorney Hellis aims to make things manageable from both a legal and a self-help perspective. The "no-nonsense" of the title is evident in her advice to cry in the shower and her rules for going through a divorce ("Rule 1: Whatever this shit is, it belongs to you. Don't make your shit your children's shit. Ever"). Amidst the tough love is solid advice on managing the legal process: how to choose a lawyer, how child custody arrangements are built, choosing mediation before or instead of a trial. Hellis suggests therapy and covers a lot of the nonlegal aspects of divorce: handling social media and dating after divorce, for example. She also covers worst-case scenarios, as in instances of abuse and addiction. Occasionally her references are a little clunky, but it's not enough to take away from the helpful guidance presented here. Though geared primarily toward divorcing couples with children, The No-Nonsense Guide to Divorce offers both practical and emotional advice for anyone dissolving a marriage.