This was an easy to read memoir with lots of funny anecdotal stories. This would be a great read for anyone who is a late bloomer or finds themselves single later in life. Content wasn't extremely relatable for me being in my mid thirties and married but I can see the appeal for others. The author is very direct in what she says which is refreshing to read.

4.5/5

insightful and practical guide for people who are tired of being single and looking to find love. The author shares her personal experience of going from a long-term single to finding her soulmate and offers tips and advice for readers to do the same.

One of the strengths of the book is the author's relatable writing style. The book feels like a conversation with a trusted friend who has been through the same struggles as the reader. Brandon offers candid advice and shares her own stories, making the book an engaging read.

The book is also packed with practical tips and exercises that can help readers overcome their fears, gain confidence, and attract the right partner. Brandon provides helpful advice on topics such as online dating, how to approach potential partners, and how to create a fulfilling relationship.

Another aspect of the book that stands out is the author's emphasis on self-love and self-care. Brandon stresses the importance of being happy and fulfilled as a single person before entering a relationship, and provides exercises and advice to help readers achieve this.

Overall, "Done Being Single" is an excellent resource for anyone who is looking for love but feels stuck or unsure of how to find it. The book is filled with practical advice, relatable stories, and exercises that can help readers become their best selves and attract the right partner. Highly recommended

I have to say I was not impressed with Done Being Single. It was t at all what I expected. It's a self help book, and it was good help. But I just couldn't get past all of the F bombs. It's got to be the author's favorite word and I was greatly offended by it. I never made it to the end. I might go back and try again, but I doubt it. I gave this book one star.

I gratefully received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley.
I finished this book about a week ago, and I felt I needed to wait until I wrote my review because I just wasn't sure how I felt. If I'm honest, I'm still not. But I feel more comfortable with my thoughts. So, let's do it.

I must start by saying that I am not really this book's target audience. I love a self-help book, am in a slight rush to try and make a baby before my "clock stops", and I kissed a lot of frogs before meeting Mr Right. However, I'm 37, married, and met my husband on OKCupid (more on that in a bit).

That said, I started out enjoying this book. Aside from the formatting Issues that drove me mad (I'm sure these will be fixed once published), I found myself nodding away. I even highlighted a few quotes to save for later. I loved that the author had curated a vast amount of references & "further reading" suggestions. It always makes me happy to see a good reference.

However, my enjoyment ebbed away, to be replaced with a feeling of unease. This is where I have difficulty. It isn't that the remainder of the book isn't filled with information and anecdotes that others may find helpful - I have no doubt that many women will find this entire book helpful. I think it is more that I felt feelings of judgment and self-proclaimed expertise seeping through the text.

I did have significant difficulty with the author's criticisms of online dating, stating that it "gives socially awkward and lazy people an easy out”. Not because I met my husband online. More because of the reason online dating worked so well for me. In fact, interestingly, I spotted that a fellow reviewer had difficulty with this part of the book for similar reasons I did.

I am actually not socially awkward (well, not in the way I think the author meant). And I am anything but lazy. I am, however, disabled. The most disabling aspect of my impairment is a pretty significant speech impairment. As a result, often, before people get to know me, it is assumed that I either have a significant learning difficulty or it is not worth trying to understand me. As someone with four high-class degrees, I can tell you neither of these assumptions is true. Therefore, when meeting my husband online, I was able to allow him to get to know me properly. Then, when we met, all he had to do was tune into my voice. Online dating works.

Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with being socially awkward!

I also felt a little sorry for the men in this book. Yes, there are some crappy men in this world. But there are also some equally crappy women. It is hard to balance this with a book written from one person’s perspective. But I would have liked a bit more balance on this, perhaps.

All in all, I would say this is more of a memoir than a self-help guide. Although, I'm sure it will help some. Just not me, I'm afraid.

Okay I really loved this book! I was coming out of a bad breakup when I read it, and I needed to hear a lot of this!

Treva Brandon Scharf is beautiful and bold and I admire how open and forthright she is in telling her story about overcoming odds and marrying for the first time at age 51. That said, her schtick is a little too over the top in tone for me personally. Not to say she doesn't come up with some good advice: When you're out and about, keep the corners of your mouth slightly turned up. Unfollow or mute - don't block - your ex on social media; you don't want to look at their activity, but you do want them to see you moving on. Flexibility, patience, and compromise-things that don't come easy when you're older or have been single for a long time. She also does an excellent job of curating quotes from many noted sources.

The Kindle version of this edition had a lot of repetition of complete lines, which made me kind of crazy but I'm sure that will be fixed in the published version that comes out March 21, 2023.

This is a semi-enjoyable but also uneven book - a curate's egg?

I appreciated Scharf's frankness, most of all when it came to acknowledging that yes, her readers might still never find love - it is infuriating when well-meaning people say "don't be silly, of course you'll meet someone!"

I also liked the sections where she delved into different parts of her life, including dealing with the grief of losing her parents, and not just her dating trials and tribulations.

That said, I don't think the book goes deep enough to the heart of the issue of being alone for so much longer than most other people (apparently loads of people are single these days, but I don't have a single friend who isn't married or in a long-term relationship - where ARE other the single people?). The dating advice, for example, is obvious and unoriginal. I found that Scharf's tone really veered into judgemental territory at times, and there was a really odd bit where she emphasised that she thought it was important to adhere to traditional dating roles like the man paying for dinner.

Also, she is SO American - she thinks everyone should go to therapy. Just because.

(With thanks to Greenleaf Book Group Press and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

This was a terrific self-help book and a pretty good memoir. The author dates men for decades but doesn't get married until she's well into the mid-life years.. If you find yourself single at mid to late life - for whatever reason - this is the book for you.

As a widow of two years, I needed this book. After being out of the dating game for many, many years, this book told me exactly what I needed to hear. I devoured this book in about three sittings, and it made me feel much, much better about not yet finding a husband yet. The author helps you focus on healing yourself and becoming your best self before you get yourself hitched. She also counsels women to let men do the pursuing. This was liberating advice.

As a memoir, I could have done without the author's most recent experiences. These last few years have been depressing for everyone, and I think people want to move on. I would have ended the book at her marriage, and I pretty much tuned out after that point. However, this was a very helpful book, and I"m really glad I got to read it.

I started off liking this book, but when I got to the section with dating tips I actually got angry. The author states that dating apps/online dating “gives socially awkward and lazy people an easy out”. I think online dating can be quite helpful to socially awkward people, particularly those who (such as myself) have Asperger’s Syndrome. Those of us on the spectrum are generally able to better communicate our thoughts, feelings and true personalities through writing. It’s not our fault that we’re not great at in-person flirting; our brains are literally not wired that way. Online dating helps to even out the playing field for people who are at an automatic disadvantage. I thought that the author’s stance was not compassionate toward others who are different from her. I stopped reading at that point.