Liz Tuccillo

On a brisk October morning in New York, Julie Jenson, a single thirty-eight-year-old book publicist, is on her way to work when she gets a hysterical phone call from her friend Georgia. Reeling from her husband's announcement that he is leaving her for as

How to Be Single

Colleen

2 Stars

I read this months ago but have been procrastinating about writing my review. 

The short version is that How to Be Single was disappointing, uninspiring, and frankly quite depressing. The characters were obnoxious. There was not much of a plot. And it read like a twisted self-help book secretly designed to drive single women to the edge of despair and despondency. 

The flimsy plot is that the main character, Julie, decides to write a book about how women in different cultures handle being single. That was the main thing that interested me in the book. I was expecting something along the lines of Eat, Pray, Love or Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman. A symbolic journey of self-discovery while taking a literal journey around the world. But there is no way that this book could inspire any wanderlust and even less chance of it inspiring anyone. 

In terms of the traveling, Julie goes to several different countries, goes to various bars, chats to an average of 3-4 women, and from there makes overgeneralized assumptions about their culture's view on single women. There is no cultural immersion. In fact, Julie spends an awful lot of time in her hotel room - mostly having pity parties. She may travel the world, but she never leaves the sidelines. ((view spoiler)[Unless you want to count her banging a guy she knows is married and then getting all heartbroken when he will not leave his wife even though he told her that he would not from the very beginning. I'll be honest and say that was what I hated most about this book. I cannot stand cheaters. So when the book pleaded with me to feel sorry for Julie and her piss poor decisions and self-inflicted misery, it was completely out of luck. (hide spoiler)])

The advise in the story is generic and uninspiring. Combine that with some very narcissistic, whiny characters and a mangled plot and all you are left with is a mangled lump of muddlement. The bottom line is that Tuccillo tried to turn a less than inspiring self help book into a Chick Lit type novel, and the result was disorganized, lackluster, and disheartening. 

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

Summer Stanley

I think this book just wasn't what I expected, especially the relatability of the characters.

Jessica

Shafa

Paula Alonso Ishihara

Omnia AlYousef 

Janessa Tolpa

Shannon Cullum

Lauren Attaway

Caitlin Snyder

Corey White

Libby

Now in paparback, from the coauthor of He’s Just Not That Into You and a Sex and the City writer, How to Be Single is a humorous account of a woman who gets fed up with New York City’s dating scene and leaves the country to learn how women around the world deal with being single. Julie Jenson is a single thirty-seven-year-old book publicist in New York. When her friend Georgia’s husband leaves her for a samba teacher, she forces Julie to organize a single girls’ night out to remind her why it’s so much fun not to be tied down. But the night ends up having the opposite effect on Julie. Fed up with the dysfunction and disappointments of singledom, Julie quits her job and sets off to find out how women around the world are dealing with this dreaded phenomenon. From Paris to Brazil to Sydney, Bali, Beijing, Mumbai, and Reyjavik, Julie falls in love, gets her heart broken, sees the world, and learns more than she ever dreamed possible. All the while her friends at home are grappling with their own issues—bad blind dates, loveless engagements, custody battles, single motherhood, and the death of a loved one. Written in Liz Tuccillo’s pitch-perfect, hilarious, and relatable voice, How to Be Single is “a summer read that, for once, accurately depicts the hopes, fears, and bad dates of a single woman looking for love” (Parade).

A Novel

Em. DL

Catalina Petre

How to Be Single

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