Have I Got a Guy for You: What Really Happens When Mom Fixes You Up

by Alix Strauss (Editor), Rebecca Bloom (Contributor)

Shows how women got suckered into going out with the mates their mothers found for them. This collection features 25 victims of poor arrangements, well-meaning fix-ups, and just plain bad judgment calls.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Romance, Short Stories, Essays, Chick Lit

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Alix Strauss is a trend, culture and lifestyle journalist; an award-winning, four-time published author; speaker; and frequent contributor to The New York Times.

Her books include: The Joy of Funerals (St. Martin’s Press & Palagram Press), Based Upon Availability (Harper Collins), and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous and the Notorious (Harper Collins). She is also the editor of Have I Got a Guy for You (Simon & Schuster), an anthology of mother-coordinated dating horror stories. Her work has been optioned for several TV and film projects.

A media-savvy social satirist, she has been a featured lifestyle, travel, and trend writer on national morning and talk shows including ABC, CBS, CNN, and the Today Show. During the past 25 years she has written over 1500 articles. Her articles, which have appeared in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveler, the Financial Times, Time Magazine, and Departures, among others, and cover a range of topics from trends in beauty, travel, and food to celebrity interviews.

The Joy of Funerals is an Ingram Award winner and was named Best Debut Novel by The New York Resident. Alix was the inaugural “First Chapters” pick, Cosmopolitan Magazine’s new launchpad of fiction excerpts, giving readers exclusive sneak peeks of gripping new work. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Primavera Literary Journal, Hampton Shorts Literary Journal, The Idaho Review, Quality Women's Fiction, The Blue Moon Café III, Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, and A Kudzu Christmas. Her short story, “Shrinking Away”, won the David Dornstein Creative Writing Award. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships from programs such as the Wesleyan Writers Conference, the Skidmore College Writerʼs Institute, the Sarah Lawrence Summer Program, and the Squaw Valleyʼs Screenwritersʼ Summer Program.

Alix lectures extensively and has been a keynote speaker, moderator, or panelist at over 200 conferences, symposiums, seminars, and summits including The Southern Festival of Books, The Northwest Bookfest, The New England’s Writer’s Conference, Wesleyan Writer’s Conference, The 92nd Street Y, New York University, Center for Communications, University of Connecticut, and Columbia University. She was chosen to speak at the National Jewish Book Festival and is on the National Speakers Bureau for Israeli Bonds.

Alix Lives in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Amy]

I think I want to read this thanks Danielle and Emily.....

My mom called me last summer to drive down to the hospital to see my Grandma after she broke her hip. Ok mom I can do that. Mom: Oh yeah and by the way there is this really cute guy that is the grandson of the woman your grandmother is sharing a room with.... he is single and cute. So here goes the list of reasons why I should really come down to the hospital, he is soooo sweet with his grandmother. And of course our moms (his and mine) totally gave our (mine and his) whole life stories to each other. Well by the time I got to the hospital (I rushed) the woman was changed to another room (I was too late, darn it). So what did my mom do she asked the nurse which room this other woman was moved to so that she could say goodbye. Of course she had no alterior motives. Oh and she wanted me to come to the room with her. I declined. Can you imagine if they had set us up on a date. MOM'S!!!!! I had to laugh. It was the same time that the General Womens conference was broadcast and I was eating dinner with some of the women in my ward. They thought I should have rushed down. I probably missed meeting my e.c. I doomed forever.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason, I really like to read books in the "bad dates" category. I think it makes me feel better that I am in the "no dates" category. Anyway, I picked up this book at the library the other day. As the title states, this one is about bad dates that ensue when women are fixed up by their mothers.

The stories are mildly funny. Nothing really laugh out loud.

I was really struck by how many in this collection made a big deal about men's height. I expect a certain type of woman to be focused on how much money a man earns and spends on the date, but height? Well, maybe because I am only 5'2", I have never even considered a man's height. Every man I have ever known is taller than I am. Maybe some transmen are shorter than I am, but not even by much. I could date Prince for goodness sake, and he would be taller than I am. So maybe height is a much bigger deal than I think.

Anyway, this book was easy to read, good for a mild distraction when suffering from a mild cold.

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

My mom read this and found it uproariously funny. She handed it off to me. I found it sad and stupid: people who fail to recognize any boundaries are abusive, not hilarious.

[Alea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have I Got A Guy For You: What Really Happens When Mom Fixed You Up is a anthology of 27 stories of woman and their mothers who set them up on blind dates.

It's hard to give a summary since this is a anthology. So let's see some of my favorites involved Hindu Matrimonials, "Cousins", the Perfect Son In Law, and a live-action game of Dungeons and Dragons. For the most part this was a good natured look at blind dating. It was funny!

Most of these matches end up in mismatches. But I found myself hoping that something good would come from these blind dates and in a few cases something did! Most of these mothers had their daughters best intentions in mind so it made the stories more lighthearted and loving.

It seemed like a large group of friends got together to contribute to this and a good number of them happened to be Jewish and live in New York, nothing wrong with that but it was definitely a theme throughout.

Reading these all in a row could get a little bit repetitive but at the same time anthologies are nice because you can set them down and pick them back up without losing your place. This is one of the many reasons I love anthologies. I read several stories a day for maybe 3 or 4 days.

I love love love anthologies. The idea of look at one subject (be it vague or specific) from multiple angles introduces you to many new and exciting ways of looking at a subject. And also getting to sample a bunch of different authors at the same time! I still need to go back to this one and look up some of the authors other works. (There are great bios in the back) I love that anthologies have the potential to lead you to your new favorite author.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for short-stories, because they're just so easy to read. I finished this book in a couple of days, and was somewhat-to-moderately entertained the whole time. The writing wasn't impressive, but it wasn't so bad I had to close my eyes and count to ten before continuing. Most of the stories are pretty funny. I would have preferred a collection of just bad dates (who cares that it was your mom who set you up?), but all but of few of these were truly cringe-worthy date stories. I'm not sure what that says about me that I found them amusing, but I did like it.
I would recommend it if you have nothing better to read. Although, if your library has it, check it out (or stand in the aisle for 5 minutes) just to read the second-to-last story. That one's hilarious--you're sure to love it.

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, ahem, a kind of ad. My essay, "You'll Have A Wonderful Life With Him" is in this just-out hilarious collection of mother's trying to fix their daughters up on blind dates. It makes a great Mother's Day gift or a gift to anyone in the single's world or who remembers what it was like being there. A number of the writers are stand-up comics. I'll be doing a reading from it on Monday: April 21st in Mahhattan at:
Telephone Bar & Grill
149 Second Ave (Bet. 9th & 10th Street)
(212) 529-5000
8:00pm

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining look at the differences between the way moms and daughters view dating. Daughters are looking for someone compatible, and of course good-looking. Moms can be preoccupied with occupations and connections, without really thinking through the match.

These stories and well-told, and you really relate to the characters because the stories are true. Even if your mother has never tried to set you up, you can still relate to these ladies as their mothers try to find their daughters love.

[kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

kevin picked this up for me from the library so i'd have something new to read this past weekend--what is he trying to say to me? that i need to be set up with guys? that MOM set us up?

anyway, most of the stories were amusing, and i tried to overlook the typos (come ON, editor--were you asleep at the damn wheel?), but when kevin pointed out that EVERY story followed the same format (phone call from mom, resistance, acceptance, moment of truth at the door, reluctant attendance on the date, then dissable exit), i started to dislike it.

still entertaining. and i love the D&D story.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of women set-up on bad dates by their mothers, this story is by women of various ages, cultural backgrounds and in different time periods. Whether its the twenty-something daughter of a demanding Jewish mother, a newly divorced daughter on a date with a very unexpected person or one woman who had to go through a very interesting convention, each story will give you something to laugh about. Most women have been there are some point or another and it's fun to remember, relate, and thank God it wasn't as bad for us. I enjoyed it. It was a very good brain candy.

[Nari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This entertaining collection of blind date war stories reads like a mix of Sex and The City meets Because I Said So. Have I Got A Guy For You, edited by Alix Strauss is a fun summer read, that tailgates the Sex and The City feel of big city dating frustrations, but throw into the equation moms who can’t distinguish decent from dorky and are desperate to see their daughters married off. There are 26 stories written by 26 intelligent published authors, recounting the days of dating disasters.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! I have to admit I didn't finish reading it, but it's not because I didn't like the book. There were so many stories about the horrible dates these many women have been on. I got half way through it and they were just starting to get painful. I was starting to have sympathy pains. If you think you've ever had the worse date this collection of horrible blind dates will prove you wrong.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fast read. It only took me about a day. It was rather interesting to read about the disastrous dates these women had to suffer through because of the arrogant mother's who took their own interest above their daughters. It also makes me really glad that my mother has never been selfish like that and reasserts my feeling that if she ever did try to interfere in my love life I would be forced to sever our relationship.

[RaiLynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a different concept for me. Not being single, but moms actually trying to set up their daughters. All in all, it was pretty interesting reading all the (mostly) bad blind dates and it left me feeling overall grateful that I've not been set up on too many. I guess it makes sense, but it was still a little strange that almost all of the authors are Jewish and live in New York or Los Angeles. So maybe the mother as matchmaker is just something you have to worry about on the coasts?

[Krysia]

Some amusing dating anecdotes in a collection of essays written largely by daughters, in their late teens and twenties, who were set up on blind dates by their Jewish mothers. Wonder why the book was not marketed as such? The cover resembles your standard dating self-help book, e.g. He's Just Not that Into You. I'm not in marketing, but IMHO this is a marketing mistake.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that will make you laugh, this is the one for you. The book is a collection of short stories about some horrible blind dates. My favorite one had to do with a D&D convention; it was so funny I had to read it to Chris who found it mildly amusing even though he was offended that I was reading the book in the first place :).

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

You'd think a collection of my-mom-set-me-up-on-a-blind-date stories would be hilarious and poignant. Yeesh -- this was just awful. The vast majority of the stories were poorly-written, not engaging, the girls were unlikeable and no moral-of-the-story. This was so bad I left it on the plane.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A random snag from the library-normally I like horrible date anecdotes, but almost every story read the exact same way. It's like I was reading the same chapter over and over again. Only a couple of the accounts made me smile, but mostly I was just yawning.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny little book filled with numerous stories of bad dates. At some point, they all started to sound the same. I was very happy that the author ended the book with a final story of a motherly fix-up that did work out. Nice to know that not all dates end up bad! :)

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the short stories were amusing but I have to admit that I had worse dating stories. :( I guess the only factor that makes it interesting was the fact that the women were set up by their mothers.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious.

[DelGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny stories of over zealous mothers trying to fix up their single daughters. Wow, what some women won't do to get the absolute right man for their precious daughters!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

enjoyed a few stories, but then the author talked about some strange encounters and I didn't feel comfortable reading about and decided to not finish.
I would not recommend this book.

[Shelby]

I picked this as a total no-brainer book to read over the holidays. It is easy to start/stop, because each "chapter" is a different story.

[Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sounded like it would be funny, but most of the stories were very predictable and not especially engaging.

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting funny and entertaining stories, but was disappointed when I read this.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether your mother sets you up or not, some dates are just plain bad, because some guys are just plain weird/crazy/etc. This was certainly a light read, but very entertaining.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS HILARIOUS! I loved it! Single ladies will especially enjoy it....some of these dates are almost unbelievable. I highly recommend it!

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories about blind date setups by "concerned" mothers. This book is really funny and has a good mix of the terrible and the good behind mom setups.

[Mary Elizabeth Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me giggle. :)

[Ally.Always.Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories were funny. But during it you're left kind of thinking 'what is the point of this?'