Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World [Paperback]

Rachel Sarah (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The racy adventures chronicled in Sarah's new and collected essays (some from her column of the same name on literarymama.com) initially make for breezy reading, a west coast Sex in the City roundup of romantic escapades and frustrated desires for the Pampers (as opposed to the pampered) set. Unfortunately, Sarah's tales lack both insight and momentum. Throughout the five years covered here, Sarah never comes up with a more compelling reason for pursuing the "thorny," "chaotic" life of a single-mom "serial dater" than her up-front admission, "I missed having a man." Two hundred pages in, talking plans with her next disastrous date despite "red flag" warnings, "in big, bold letters, 'I'M UNAVAILABLE,' " Sarah ponders the obvious: "So, why don't I call it off right now?" She doesn't seem to know (lamely offering, "it' s my pattern"), and neither will readers-making it difficult to muster enthusiasm for yet another mismatch. Readers will also wish for more of Sarah's daughter, Mae, often mentioned but rarely seen; calling "Something's coming down the pike!" on her way to the potty, she's a natural-born scene-stealer. Sarah's ability to communicate her longing and lust is the best reason to read this book; unfortunately, it's also the reason why some readers will lose interest long before the "Where are they now?" postscript.
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Review

"Rachel Sarah offers a sexy, edgy, honest expose of single parenthood." -- Susan Shapiro, author of "Secrets of a Fix-Up Fanatic" and "Five Men Who Broke My Heart"

"A great middle-of-the-night phone conversation with a best friend. Rachel Sarah is charming, intelligent, and vulnerable." -- Ellen Sussman, author of "On a Night Like This" --- Ellen Sussman, author of "On a Night Like This."

"Surely the first book about single parenthood that will be described as 'hot.'" -- Marion Winik, author of "Lunchbox Chronicles"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051669
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051668
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an author, journalist, speaker, relationship coach, and mother.

As the 28-year-old newly-single-mom of a seven-month-old baby, the thought of dating again gave me cold feet.

But eventually, I got back out there... and so can you!

The only thing that kept me sane while mothering and dating in unison was writing about it.

Single Mom Seeking is my first book.


My writing has also appeared in Family Circle, Parenting, BabyCenter.com, American Baby, Family Circle, Washington Post.com, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Save your money!, May 11, 2011

By 

thoughtfulreader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World (Paperback)

I am a single mom about to re-enter the dating world. I bought this book hoping for some great insight into what I had in store, maybe some practical advice and tips for single parent dating. Instead what I got was a collection of thoughts from an obvious love addict (yes, they do exist) who makes very bad choices in men and seems to always be looking for how to get laid. No disrespect to Rachel Sarah, she seems like a nice person and a great mom, but I found her book useless and very uninspiring. It made single moms look desperate, needy and easy. In fact, I'm surprised there were so many glowing reviews about this book!

Save your money, do not buy this book. Read her blog, rent her book (for free) from the library, maybe borrow a friend's copy if you must have it, but I would not advise buying this book. It will offer you no insight whatsoever that you can use when it comes to dating. The only positive thing I will say about this book is that it did make me laugh. There are some parts where she discusses her daughter where I totally understood where she was coming from. However overall, this fell far short of expectations.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why I loved it, why you should read it, January 19, 2010

By 

J. A. Britt (NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World (Paperback)

I ordered Single Mom Seeking after finding myself on [...] When it arrived in the mail, I had no idea how much I would love Rachel's story and laughed out loud at many of the embarrassing occasions she shared in great detail. Situations she found herself in which I am all too familiar with as a single mom of two. You will feel that Rachel is one of your girlfriends phoning you about her latest exploits, which were hysterical. I happily read along as she takes her little one from east coast to west coast in search of roots, and cheered her on as she began to find herself. I would recommend this book to any single mom but also to mothers in general who will also love her journey and understand and relate to this incredibly brave woman.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality of being a single mom...finally presented well!!!, May 6, 2007

By 

Kristin Bennett "Kimby" (SEATTLE!!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World (Paperback)

Thank you Rachel for writing this fabulous book...I can totally relate to your story and I loved reading it. It is bringing more courage to the single mom population which is important, there are a lot of women who feel 'guilty' about taking care of themselves...when in reality, taking care of ourselves is the most effective way to make sure our children learn that it is important to take care of themselves too, it really does keep everyone more stable and secure. FABULOUS BOOK BY A FABULOUS WOMAN!!! -Kristin