The Unexpected Joy of Being Single cover art

The Unexpected Joy of Being Single

Locating Happily-Single Serenity

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The Unexpected Joy of Being Single

By: Catherine Gray
Narrated by: Catherine Gray
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About this listen

Having a secret single freak-out? Feeling the red, heart-shaped urgency intensify as the years roll on by? Oh hi! You're in the right place.

Over half of Brits aged 25-44 are now single. It's become the norm to remain solo until much later in life, given the average marriage ages of 35 (women) and 38 (men). Many of us are choosing never to marry at all.

But society, films, song lyrics and our parents are adamant that a happy ending has to be couple-shaped. That we're incomplete without an 'other half'*, like a bisected panto pony. Cue: single sorrow. Dating like it's a job. Spending half our lives waiting for somebody-we-fancy to text us back. Feeling haunted by the terms 'spinster' or 'confirmed bachelor'.

Catherine Gray took a whole year off dating to find single satisfaction. She lifted the lid on the reasons behind the global single revolution, explored the bizarre ways cultures single-shame, detached from 'all the good ones are gone!' panic and debunked the myth that married people are much happier.

Let's start the reverse brainwash, in order to locate - and luxuriate in - single happiness. Are you in?

*Spoiler: you're already whole.

©2018 Catherine Gray (P)2018 Octopus Publishing Group Art & Literature Journalists, Editors & Publishers Love, Dating & Attraction Relationships Happiness Inspiring Dating Feel-Good

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Critic reviews

"This refreshing, unusual book needs to exist. A culture shift which repositions a single person as someone who is relationship-free, complete, and not lacking is long overdue." (The i )

"Absolutely f--king brilliant." (Florence Given)
All stars
Most relevant  
Thank you for giving me the facts! Thank you for sharing the good and bad side of being single and how you’re treated by others people. But mostly, thank you for the stats and the research, you’ve helped to feel happy being single and I’m so relieved that I no longer want to search. I’m happy to enjoy life for now, finally!

Love this! Actually completely changed how I view being single

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Listening to first few chapters I was close to putting 1 star in reviews and returning the book. Then I forwarded couple of chapters and ca. from the middle the book became interesting and even useful and I listened it to the end and happy about it. Definitely worth listening, but may be for the next edition I would suggest to change the first 5-6 chapters.

Interesting book, but from the middle

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Excellent and relatable.well written and kind and fun. Highly recommend
This was an excellent listen

Informative and reassuring

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Although I found the voice awkward to listen to at times, the content is thought provoking and interesting. It certainly opened my mind into single life and different ways to view it, rather than sticking to the norms of society. Celebrating single life and our achievements, how marriage and being single hold the same value of happiness... They're just different experiences... and after all, we are all different, wanting different things... One life doesn't suit everyone... We just need to learn to enjoy the journey, and this is certainly a great read for newly found singles.. Or long term... It's all good to be single baby. Xx

Thought provoking and enjoyable

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Absolutely loved it! Gets right to the heart of love addiction.
Superbly written with equal measure of anecdotal and academic text.
The author generously shares explicitly personal experience and invites readers to honestly take a good look at ourselves.
She provides us with statistical, personal and physiological information to mull over.
Egaging, informing and poignant with a steady stream of genuine LOL moments throughout! Highly recommended! A life changer!

Listen with Caution! This could change your life!

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I am listening to this book for the second time. It has totally changed my thought process for the better, would highly reccomend to anyone who worries about being single, finding "the one" .

Fantastic

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I wish this book had been written thirty years earlier!
A brilliant account of how damaging it can be, to pursue the wrong relationship.
This book has changed my life.

Brilliantly narrated by the author.

Great book

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Our society would be far better if everyone read this book. Change is here!

My opinion:

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Made me feel normal when often made to feel abnormal due to society’s expectations of being with anyone even if ill-suited rather than be god forbid alone. Hallelujah!

Single life affirming

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I love Catherine's writing and in this book she explains the upside of being single in a very personable, thoughtful and intelligent way. She explains her thinking through personal experience and her take on respected principles of behavioural science. It will make you view being single in a very different way and fill you with positivity... Great stuff!

Interesting, entertaining and inspiring!

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