Review of 28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir

[mjbrodienz]

[Following is a volunteer review of "28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir" by Poppy Mortimer.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir by Poppy Mortimer is exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of stories about various dates the author has been on in her life, ranging from the unfortunate to the downright uncomfortable. As the time period of the book spans around twenty years, we also get to see the shifting ways we've found dates over the years, from a good old-fashioned in-person meeting through to the rise of dating apps.

The tales in this book are told with a lot of heart and humour, with a somewhat irreverent way of looking at what can at times be truly horrifying dating stories. The author has a great way with words and describes the scenes in her book with a kind of visceral realness that I almost wished she didn't possess when it came to stories of dates with less than ideal hygiene practices! I also really appreciated the warnings at the beginning of a few chapters when the titular disasters were less upsetting and more potentially upsetting to readers.

I did find, however, that the stories themselves became somewhat repetitive after a while. Whether it was just because there are only so many forms a bad date can actually take, or because it felt like the author was learning a lesson from the dates only to immediately repeat the same mistakes, I'm not sure, but as I made my way through the book, I did find my amusement giving way to a slight annoyance.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Due to the repetitive issues noted above, I found myself less engaged with the stories as I went on. It just felt like the same mistakes being repeated over and over. In addition, while I certainly don't think every book like this has to end with some great love story, it did feel very abruptly wrapped up once the 28 date stories were told — in some ways it felt more like a website listicle than a book.

All in all, I'd consider this a good beach read — and in fact, I did read this while on vacation. It's light, and interesting enough while still being easy to put down if you want to get out of the house and do something else for a while. If you're still in the middle of the dating game, you'll probably enjoy this, though it might also serve as a little bit of a warning as well!

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28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir
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