The Unexpected Joy of Being Single Paperback – January 15, 2019

Insightful

This book is seriously the best book I have come across about being happy single. It has helped me so much and many of the things I learned from this book I carry into new relationships. I know that you can be just as happy single than in a relationship and that is something I think many people don’t realize. Fantastic, well-written, witty and thought-provoking book!

I have mixed feeling about this book. It is affirming to see someone give permission in print to chose to be single. That helps to normalize what is a perfectly normal choice. But every time the author talks abut how she took one year off dating, I just think, I have more experience being single than she does. This seems like a detox book to me, more than a book about considering staying single as a lifestyle choice. Maybe that's exactly what it is meant to be, and I bought the wrong book. I did find the book beneficial.My marriage ended a bit over two years ago. I promised myself that I would take at a year off before dating, then I decided to make it a year after my divorce was finalized, and now I just keep putting it off. Somedays, I can't remember why dating is important and in general, I'm fairly busy with new hobbies and parenting. Lately, I've been wondering, what would it be like to consciously decide to identify as single, rather than treat dating like filing my taxes- something on my to do list that I really should get around to eventually. This book certainly affirms staying single as a choice, and I appreciate that. I probably need to hear it 1,000 times before it really sinks into my brain that being single is a valid choice. I'd like to hear about the experiences of someone who has been single longer than me, though.

Really liked the author’s way of reframing singlehood as just as wonderful and viable and option as being coupled. She doesn’t play up singlehood as if it’s something worlds better than being in a relationship, but she also doesn’t make it seem as if we just have to “wait” until we find the one. Instead, she opens her heart to the readers about her own struggles with addiction, love, and relationships, breaks down our preconceived notions around singlehood in a society that encourages couplehood, and doesn’t try to sell the reader on BS tips for being ok with singlehood just until you meet someone. Instead, she embraces the joys and tribulations that come with singlehood and reminds us to find joy and meaning in our own selves.

I don't face as much single-shaming as the author seems to have and I'm a little jealous of all her friends, but she is funny and relatable and deftly depicts a healthy perspective that is not often shared in such depth.

I enjoyed her fun quips and real stories throughout her life. It was fresh and relateable. I Enjoyed this book, but it got long in the second half with the same points being made.

As someone who has been perpetually in & out of relationships for over a decade, this book was a necessary read. I’m happy to say I got so much out of it, & finally, in my mid-20s, I’m learning that I’m a complete person all on my own, even without the male validation I chased down for so long. As I get ready to move & start a new chapter in a new city, I will keep Catherine’s words with me, & remember that being coupled up will ultimately only make me 1% happier, & there’s so much I can do with the freedom I have - freedom that women didn’t have the luxury of throughout most of history.

The author should not be recording her own books on Audible. Very poor. I would give the Audible version one star. The material is great, however. Get it on Kindle or paperback.