The Guide for a Single Man

by Aaron Goldfarb

is the first of its kind. Not a sequel, not a prequel, but an equal. Its counterpart is The Guide for a Single Woman. Two comedic novels that can be read in either order to learn both sides of the story of... Two thirtysomething men drinking and flirting their way through New York's bars one typical Friday night...before things get crazy. After too many beers, Devin and Les meet Cheryl and Erin and the night suddenly gets interesting. They discover why being a single man is like being on a constant bar crawl, why you don't ever want to "get lucky" with a woman, and how the lines between success and failure in love and sex are often blurry.

230 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2014

About the author

Aaron Goldfarb is a journalist and the author of 12 books, his most recent of which was Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirit. He is generally regarded as one of the top drinks writers in the country.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads: First Reads giveaways.

I thought that Goldfarb had a pretty good concept; two books & four main characters, only the books aren't sequential but rather they take place at the same time, just from different view points.
Having only read the Single Guy's side of the story, I am interested in reading the Single's Woman's, but I don't feel as if I am missing half the story. This truly read like a standalone novel.

I know in a few years that it will be dated due to this but I do like pop culture references in my reading material and Goldfarb filled this quota rather well.

The writing was nicely done, heavy on dialogue with some flashback chapters and random commercial script-style inserts, but it added to the story, not distracted. I will admit that the D&PI story threw me for a second as I thought it was had occurred, not just an idea. The "chick flick" chapter was great, a favorite.

Goldfarb infuses his characters with realistic flaws and personalities as each character (male and female) sound like someone I know and at times, even like myself. I laughed and cringed at them due to the life-like qualities that the characters had. I enjoyed the rough edges and the frank language as it was quite true-to-life as well as entertaining.

I wasn't expecting the end to turn out as it did. It had a chick-lit flavor to it as I recovered from being blindsided. It's not a bad thing, just unexpected.

Nice social commentary underneath the story if you are paying attention, one that will most likely touch a nerve with both genders, regardless of which book you read.

A few times I got lost trying to figure out if it was Devin or Les speaking due to the talking sentences without the occasional so & so "said", replied", "sneered", "asked" etc.

I look forward to reading more of Goldfarb's books in the future.

[Charlotte Genevier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guide for a Single Man is the "equal" (not "sequel" or "prequel") to The Guide for a Single Woman, but I read it first and in retrospect, without spilling any spoilers, I was really glad I read them in that order.

TGfaSM follows two guys bar crawling their way around New York City, discussing the successes and failures of their love (and sex) lives. It's cleverly written, incredibly witty, and though it's raunchy and, at times, a little over the top, by the end of the book I was completely smitten with the characters. It reads like a smart romantic comedy - it doesn't make you think too hard, but scores very high marks for entertainment.

Highly recommend it. And when you're done, go read The Guide for a Single Woman!

[Len Edgerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel and look forward to interviewing the author today for this week's Kindle Chronicles podcast. From the vantage point of a 30-year happy marriage, it's mind-opening to read about what it's like out there in the world of 30-something singles crawling the bars of New York City looking for true love, or something. This story is hilarious, racy, snarky, wise, and--in the end--touching. Its pairing with The Guide for a Single Woman, published the same day cover the same setting and same four main characters, is simply brilliant.

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winning a free copy from a Goodreads contest, The Guide for a Single Man is a quick entertaining read that feels as if you are friends with the main characters right from the start. With a twist at the end, this book is hard to put down, yet feels as if there should be one more chapter at the end based on the last words of the book.