Have you ever bought a book at a comedy show? I hadn’t until I went to see Taylor Tomlinson live, and her opener, Dustin Nickerson, had a book for sale. He was pretty good, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I mean, I’m not one to turn down a signed book, so I bought a copy of How to be Married (To Melissa) [Buy Bookshop Amazon] and went on about my merry way.

It ended up being the first book I read in 2023 andit went by in a flash.

Despite the title, How to Be Married (To Melissa) is not really a marriage advice book. It’s Dustin (mostly) sharing stories from his life and experiences. He got married young and is still with her, so his experience is limited to one woman, hence the parenthetical part of the title. Dustin repeatedly reiterates that the things that work for him and his wife won’t work for everyone and that couples need to find ways to make things work in their own unique way.

If you’ve ever seen Dustin’s comedy show, the book feels a lot like his set. Heck, some of the jokes are straight out of his performance. The book covers a lot of aspects of marriage in a fun, lighthearted, and honest manner. He shares about some of their fights and struggles. They do have a lot of unique circumstances since he travels for work and she runs his business end, but there are still plenty of moments that will make you think about how you and your partner would handle it if it happened to you.

It’s funny. It’s sweet. It’s honest. Just read it already.

Bonus: Melissa pops in here and there to share her thoughts, and she seems lovely.

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