A Great, Humorous View of Dating
353203
Feeling like a late bloomer myself, I really enjoyed Cohen's sarcasm and wit throughout the book as she wanders through the not-so-fun world of dating. There were many times that I laughed out loud, though I do appreciate pretty heavy sarcasm. This book isn't for those who only think positive, its for us pessimists.
1423058
Lot's of hilarity AND cool insights throughout the entire book, but the section on dating by itself has convinced me to buy like a dozen copies(hello income tax refund) to gift at friends, relatives, literate strangers, maybe even a local library or two.
3601611
A book to relate to all dating issues. A must have !! Combination of reality and comical stuff
852862
I would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor.  The author does a great job of humorously sharing his experiences of dating in his 60's.
4679179
I got this book on audio format to listen to on my commute in the Washington DC area. I needed something funny and light-hearted, because I needed to get my mind off the stop-and-go traffic on the Capital Beltway.  So the book was that, especially with Aziz's funny narration of his own material. My husband and I, in fact, met through a dating agency in the 1980s. (This is why I don't use my real name on Amazon and use my cat's name.)  The agency was called Together and was based in Maryland. It was even BEFORE the age of computer dating, because we filled out forms by HAND using a PEN! It was underwhelming because the only criteria they had was to match people who were the same age. (I don't think the agency even read the handwritten forms we had to fill out.) So after going through unacceptable and undereducated 25-year-olds (although one was a nice guy, he reminded me way too much of my brother, definitely gave me a weird feeling), I finally met my husband. He had had his fill of the agency trying to match him up with 25-year-old nannies who had high school educations, at the most. (Both of us have master's degrees.) Well, for once, that "same-age" criteria worked and we have been married almost 30 years! But after laughing along for most of the book with Aziz, I became depressed. I thought about my kids who are in their early to mid-20s.  Now THEY are going have a hard time finding compatible, serious partners. I became even more sad when I realized that I many NEVER become a grandmother! It might be the end of the line for my and my husband's genes. What a downer!  Oh, and by the way, my brother? He was a serious electrical engineering guy, wrapped up in his career. But he did love his music, playing piano and singing, as a hobby. In his late 30s, he met a doctor in his choral group. What a nice, old-fashioned way to meet. They eventually got married and he has enjoyed a nice, wealthy lifestyle, thanks to his wife's salary. Who says nice guys finish last?
547336
I'm a big Aziz Ansari fan, so when I saw that he had written a book giving his take on the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding romance in this day and age, I had to read it. But far from being just a repetitive set of riffs on dating, sexting, sex, breakups, etc., Ansari teamed up with a noted sociologist and other researchers, did a tremendous amount of work (including in-person and online focus groups all over the world), and provided a fairly comprehensive look at relationships, love, sex, and dating trends, complemented by his distinctive comedy style.

"In the history of our species, no group has ever had as many romantic options as we have now. So, in theory, this should be a great thing. More options is better, right? Well. It's not that easy."

Ansari takes a look at the way different generations approached dating and choosing the person with whom to settle down, as well as how the advent of computer dating, personal ads, dating apps (like Match.com and Tindr), texting, and sexting have impacted relationships. He looks at how the so-called "phone world" (where all of us are so ruled by communicating via our phones) affects infidelity, paranoia, and snooping. And he also looks at dating and the relationship between the sexes in different societies, such as Qatar, Japan, France, and Argentina.

While I didn't find most of what Ansari wrote about to be particularly shocking (except, perhaps, looking at certain statistics, like how many people in younger generations think it's okay to end a relationship via text or social media, yet don't want it done to them), but his spin on everything, punctuated by quotes from those who responded to focus groups or other inquiries conducted through the research for the book, is humorous, insightful, and in most cases, dead-on accurate.

This is an interesting book with flashes of humor, rather than a humorous book with flashes of information, as you might expect simply seeing Ansari's face on the cover. If you go into this book knowing that, and are interested in just how much the dating world has changed through the years, you'll be surprised, enlightened, occasionally appalled, and entertained.
4198822
This is one of the 3 best dating advise books which I own, and I definitely would recommend it HIGHLY to others.  A fun and whimsical read packed with HELPFUL and PRACTICAL dating advise, which, in fact, I have been practicing with GREAT success!  While I did not agree 100% with all she recommended, SO MUCH of it is right on target for me that I would recommend this to all. Buy it, give it to single gal friends!
166839
My first thoughts when reading this book was OMG you too!  When I first divorced online dating seemed to be the thing to do but after a few of those meet-ups and recommendations, I quickly learned it wasn't for me.  Now after reading some of the hilarious tales brought forth in Whatever Dude! I realize that it wasn't only me.

Whatever Dude! is laugh out loud funny.  I'm sure the instances weren't that funny while they were taking place but it surely brought back some memories.  While reading this book, I'm not sure which story I enjoyed more, but certainly the duck-walking cowboy and the Terry Crews to the Ceelo Green transformation.  Those two were definitely memorable.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny and a reminder that dating online isn't for everyone for various reasons. I highly recommend this book for a good laugh any day!
4292556
A funny sincere reflection on marriage  great for newlyweds and old-lyweds alike

This humorous and self-deprecating memoir is a fun read. If you've been married, you'll probably find yourself snickering and nodding along. I definitely did.

It's refreshing how openly Shankle shares her life mistakes. She doesn't seem to pass judgment on herself; it's more like she pats her past self on the head in a you'll understand one of these days sort of way. It's a good lesson for us all.

She shares the illusion of marriage many of us have and compares it to the reality. The early fights that seem like the end of the world. The compromises, the battles chosen, and the merged lifestyles. But most of all she shares the joy of having a shared history with someone.

This book is nice for the newly married, because she is reflecting from a decades-long union. I think her hindsight is useful to someone like me  someone who has been married a few years. It makes me feel normal, understood, and like I'm building something truly special. I would imagine those who've been (happily) married a long time would enjoy relating to someone who's also been there.

One dislike: her (clearly intentional) avalanche of parenthesis. She uses them to create some comical triplets, but I find it distracting. For example:

She writes something funny. (Writes something funny that it reminds her of). (Writes another layer of funny). This device just didn't appeal to me.

Also, potential readers, know that this book is strongly rooted in faith. The theme seems to be that if you work your hardest to build a life together, God will provide the rest. Not that this is a problem, but if you prefer to leave God out of it, then this will not be for you.
1816957
An informative and engaging (and often humorous) read, The Nice Guy's Guide to Online Dating Profiles is a guide for those new to the daunting world of online dating or else in need of sprucing up their profiles. Not being a nice guy myself (not being a guy, but hopefully nice), I nevertheless found it very illuminating with regards to the psychology of attractive first impressions. Greentree shows that first impressions are make-it or break-it in the online dating worldfrom your handle, to your profile pic, to what you say about yourself, you may be sending unconscious negative signals, and she gives helpful advice and useful tricks on how to turn these negatives into positives and construct a profile that will attract attention.

Greentree insists that the first step on the road to an attractive profile is self-knowledgeonly then will you know what it is that you are looking for. The next step? How to articulate who you are in 250 words or less. Digging into marketing strategies and drawing from her writerly craft, Greentree shows that online we have the power to construct a narrative of ourselves, and it is important that this narrative not be artificial, but a truthful representation.

Does all of this seem like too much effort? Greentree shows that women often judge that how much effort a man puts into his online profile relates to how much effort he will put into the relationship. In the rapidly growing world of online dating, your profile is the bait, but as Greentree adds tongue-in-cheek, what happens afterwards is up to you.
4213243
The reason I rarely go to close friends for relationship advice is that I think they will be too much on MY side and condemn the man in question. While condemning men is certainly fun, it's not generally productive. So I really like that these authors have the [..] to tell me to look at myself and my own behavior. I truly and honestly had some Eureka moments here. I'm not even single right now, but this book kept me interested with its smart humor and chatty tone. Not all the advice and situations felt applicable to me personally, but I definitely recognized myself in some chapters. I usually find that humorous books pack no punch and are filled with silly sidebars, but this team managed to make me giggle AND think, with advice from both a man and a woman. A powerful combo! You can zip through this book quickly because it's fun, but the issues will keep you thinking for much longer.
430861
I do not usually find time to read typical "self-help" books; however, Elizabeth Lewis' book First Date Next Mate is a quick read and provides insightful and interesting statistics about dating and single life to keep even the most skeptical reader turning the pages. Her book offers many useful dating tips and strategies for individuals who find themselves single and in search of a mate. Lewis has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and perspectives on dating, and life in general, and shares these with her audience through a practical and humorous  approach.
4046364
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was absolutely hilarious but, as a single woman, it solidified the fact that dating is not easy... On- line or off!
Dalia told the stories in such a way that although I know how frustrating each encounter must have been, she was able to find humor and be able to keep it moving.
She also made it clear that these are "her experiences" and did not try to dissuade others from trying on-line dating.
It think it was candid, humorous, and well written! I wonder if there'll be a sequel!
2258258
This book is a series of vignettes interspersed with the author's experiences with dating after a divorce.  I found the stories to be humorous, as I come from a world view of a male who has been married for a couple of decades.  I suspect that, if I were single, I would find the stories perhaps humorous, but also a bit disturbing, as the various unsavory characters (both male and female) would be striking a lot closer to home.  The stories certainly strike a chord regarding the types of people encountered on-line.  Lest the impression be all negative about on-line dating, it should be noted there are some success stories of people who have found the right partners.  Like many self-published works, the editing has a few misses, but the innate goodness of the stories and their presentation and flow are decent.
1187923
When fellow Chicagoan Francine Pappadis Friedman found herself widowed in her fifties, she was devastated. "When I got married years ago it was .. 'til death do us part. I just never counted on that death part."

Spurred on by two good friends, Francine, an attractive, hard-working professional woman and fifty-something mother of two grown children, tried the world of Internet dating. Her encounters with a rogues's gallery of lonely men are hilarious; her dates range from the always-angry, cynical lawyer who sees a potential personal injury suit everywhere and the aging hippie with long white hair, earrings, tattoos, and a motorcycle to the extreme health nut, obviously much older than stated in his on-line profile, who talks only about his diet and exercise regimen. They are all there: the extremely needy, the seemingly deranged, the not-so-funny joker.

Along the way through her journey, Friedman also describes a trip to Greece when she was twelve. It was a family trip to the country and the tiny village where her father was born and raised. Understanding her heritage was important to her life journey, as was reflecting about her happy marriage and family life.

Francine Friendman seems to understand the men she meets very well, but this book is not really about Internet dating. She does not find her soul mate, but along the way, she finds herself. Discovering who we really are and what we really want and acting on that knowledge are what really matter. The author learns this lesson. Her book is about an awakening and about following one's own dreams.
4726234
A funny, smart, sweet and sincere look at dating and relationships and all the things we do to help us figure out who we want to become, I liked this book so much that I married the author.
2918331
If you're a single 20 or 30 something, this book is a must read. Being a fan of comedy and Aziz Ansari, this book is a combination of thorough research with tid bits of comical anecdotes in between. It is easy to relate to the scenarios Aziz presents: what to text a date, when to do it, how long to respond to avoid being perceived as desperate, what to write in an online dating message, etc. He also compares and contrasts the dating culture in Tokyo, Paris, and Buenos Aires, and how the perception of marriage has changed since the turn of the century. Overall, it's an easy, entertainment and insightful read.