I Dated This Guy Once ...

by Toni Rae

This is my story, no fabrications, no bullshit, just a small glimpse into the life of a young woman. There is a lot to be said about going through the volatile years of ages 18-26. How do we get through them? How do we approach our decisions? How can we tell the difference between a man with good intentions and a man with a mission to get laid? You honestly can't. There are so many things that young women must learn on their own. No matter how much a father or mother try to protect their children from the world, somehow the world happens anyway. I Dated This Guy Once... is intended to not only entertain you, but also to somehow educate you through my experiences. We are all made up of our past experiences, both good and bad. It is these experiences that form the fabric of the future. With that said, maybe people will start looking at life, relationships and marriage differently. Maybe perspective is all we need to change this society. I have no idea. If nothing else, you will undoubtedly be entertained. Red wine recommended.

Genres: Nonfiction, Romance

206 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2013

About the author

Toni Rae was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. While at Park University, she earned a degree in Social Psychology, and went on to earn her Masters in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling. In 2009, Toni taught English in South Korea for a year, which is where she began the writing of I Dated This Guy Once…

She currently lives back in Kansas City after 5 years in NYC and is working as an author, consultant, acrylic artist and real estate guru. On December 1st, 2018, she wed her soulmate. Upon return from their honeymoon, on January 22nd, 2019, Toni was diagnosed with breast cancer and has been fighting ever since. But to her, this isn’t a setback, it is motivation to propel her even further forward, to continue to inspire women around the globe, through laughter and perseverance.

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni Rae lets the reader into her life, into the adventure and failings of dating, and the mind and wisdom of love through the eyes of experience.
I think that I could give this book closer to a 3.5 stars. Filled with brutal honesty and a woman's truthful search of love and of the definition of herself through the high school sweetheart to twenty six. As her friends and family find "the one", marry, settle down, and have a family - Toni is off exploring, meeting people, and refusing to settle. She has faith to guide her, but the insight that she is not done growing is the best part - the journey that she takes the reader on is one that I am glad she decided to share. She has bared herself to us, hopes, dreams, the mistakes, pitfalls, and the joys - which makes this one a true gem of a book.
Now, sometimes she can come across as full of herself and that's okay - I took it as her age, and then she will surprise you with such wisdom far beyond her years that makes you question your philosophy, and that's what is wonderful.

[Jamii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a hardcover copy of this book from the firstreads giveaway. Also I was happy to notice it came signed(: So I really wasn't sure how I felt about reading this book based on it's description, but the idea intrigued me, I'm so glad that I won it, because I may not have ended up purchasing it and reading it based on the description and title alone. Being 20 years old and having some awful relationships, I can easily relate to the majority of this book! This book spoke to me on a very real level, probably because the author is just being real about life and love. She's not telling you to expect a fairytale, because she use to and she realized that's not realistic. Also it doesn't end like a fairytale with her finding her soul mate, it ends where it began, single and a little impatient and unhappy about it. There were a few parts of the book that were just alright, however the bulk of it is just phenomenal and worth the read. If you are a girl(or guy I suppose) who's ever been dumped, ever dumped someone, had your whole world implode at once, or dreamed of the future, then this is absolutely something you should read. I tend to be a slower reader, and have a hectic life, but I devoured this book in one day, I couldn't put it down. By the end of it you feel like you really know the author.

[Sally Hitchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free eBook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and rating. Great job Toni Rae! This books relates to the "hopeless" romantic whoever they may be! I love the way you open up in this book through the good times and bad. I truly feel I can connect with your emotional love roller-coaster and I admire your persistence and positive outlook through the tough times. You are truly blessed and gifted for articulating your feelings at a specific point in time. I really enjoyed your book! Highly recommended.

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the "define happiness" chapter. All the different points of view really put things in perspective for me and it's great to see it was from various parts of the country or world. This book reads easily and makes me feel part of the "conversation." All the questioning and observations were great for me to use as exercise on my own thoughts. Toni Rae shares her life experiences, thoughts, and lessons. Reading this book makes me feel like someone "gets it." Great Read!

[Kim Mcgownd · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of truth to what this young lady writes about. She has a very interesting way of drawing you in to her story and I find this very relatable- I can't wait to finish this book and see what she will talk about next!

[Dawn Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book on the Goodreads giveaway page. Interesting book of searching for love and meeting new people.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads giveaway. The author seems nice and well grounded. I had a hard time relating to some of the book partly because of the author's frequent references to her Christian faith, which didn't seem totally necessary. It reads a little like a compiled livejournal, which isn't bad, but not what I'm looking for when I pick up a memoir. It's definitely honest and occasionally insightful, but it's not to my taste.