Ex and the City

We''ve all been there: one minute you''re in a loving relationship, or maybe just on your third date with a guy who''s not too weird, the next minute you''ve been dumped. Now you''re a reject, choking back the sobs as you trundle home alone.

If Dumped was a kingdom, Alexandra Heminsley would be its queen. She''s been dumped in a restaurant, dumped in a stairwell, dumped in a graveyard - the locations changed but the excruciating pain stayed the same. Now in this intimate and witty memoir she shares her experiences, taking us on a laugh-out-loud journey from her initial helpless dejection to the rebound fling and several other failed relationships that finally set her on the road to recovery. She shares the insights she gathered along the way, from what heartbreak really does to your hormones to what he really means when he says, ''It''s not you, it''s me'', as well as what not to do with your hair when you''ve been dumped. And, of course, the best ways to utilise the healing power of songs - after all, no one wants to get stuck in the Mary J. Blige Contemplative Stage for too long but woe betide the girl who attempts the Eurythmics'' ''Thorn in My Side'' too soon. Above all, Alexandra reveals the important truth she learns: that being dumped should not be a source of shame but should be a badge of honour. Because unless you''re ready to risk all, you''ll never find love.