Diving in Stilettos First: Memoirs of Dating Mr. Right Now

by Shauntay L. Dunbar

Single life in New York City is something Shaunie thought was far behind her. That is until her husband dropped a bomb days after her birthday that would leave her no choice but to end their union.

Challenged by the reality of heartbreak, she breaks free from regret and never looks back. This charming, career driven event planner would enter her 30's as a single independent woman ready to embrace her new beginning. Armed with wit, a sense of humor and plenty of wine, she embarks on her bright future full of hope to find love again.

With her girls by her side, she will encounter blasts from the past, make new acquaintances, dabble in online dating and ultimately discover herself along the way. How hard could it be to find "The One"? Will juggling two jobs interfere with her personal life? Will the men drain her energy or lift her spirit? Getting back onto the dating scene is not easy, but with whatever challenges she faces, she's Diving In Stilettos First.

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2017

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shauntay set out to tell every horrible dating story we all experience and she accomplished it. To read her relationships, was a reminder that we all make mistakes.

This novel is a page-turner! I was laughing the whole time. I loved her wit and humor. She never bad mouth the men, she was just honest. In fact, after I interview her, she mentioned she still talked to a few of them.

I cannot wait for the next book!

[Fhey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely an amazing book and the first favorite book at the start of the year😀 This book will make you laugh, gasp, reminisce and remind the values of woman. It seem like i am talking to my girlfriends😁😁😁
Ms. Dunbar is an amazing author and I cannot wait for the next book or probably the part 2😉😉😉

[Divya Mahajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no story, no plot , no central character, no bad guy and yet the book is good. It is a hilarious, tongue in cheek kind of book on dating the different men the author dates after her divorce.
The nicknames she chooses for the men also make you laugh out loud but justifies them in her account. One thing I liked most, she doesn't call names or becomes bitter even after the relationship fizzles out and is friends with some of them.
It is a very enjoyable light read with no emotional heavy traps. By the time you finish, you root for Shaunie not to settle for anything mediocore but go on searching until she is sure about The One.

I received this from the author through @BookTasters

[Sky Sommers · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked Sex and the City and Bridget Jones, you’ll love this one. It reads like an honest and mostly PG-approved diary of a thirtysomething dating in NYC. Going back to her exes, trying Match.com, Tinder, mom setting her up - it’s all there, peppered with incredulity and humour. And the MC Shaunie is sometimes too good to be true and too kind, but rather endearingly so. It’s a book about self-realisation, growing as a person and figuring things out. I feel there is a sequel coming, given the ending, perhaps about how Shaunie fares in a long-term relationship. I loved the honesty and giggled at confessions like “My body is attracted to your body, but when you speak, my brain gets angry” that were actually said out loud. The author had certainly made an effort editing the text, which flowed nicely (I only spotted a few grammar mistakes - low and behold, standing on line, but found no typos whatsoever). All the nicknames of the men Shaunie dated were awesomely chosen and to the point, I found myself frequently wondering what will the guy do to justify his nickname, lol. And yes, I was rooting for Superman, but maybe in another life. Or another book? ;)

[Aliaa Rockatansky · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Diving in Stilettos First" is the fresh sweet memoir about dating that you don't know you need till you read it. The vitality of this book lies in dissecting the phase any woman, and maybe some men, reach sooner or later after spending sometime seeking a meaningful relationship. It is a phase you think you are the only one going through , clearly reading this memoir has proved otherwise. A lot of women will find themselves relating to the stage the book is shedding some light on. If you don't find yourself among those, then you should definitely watch out and put this memoir into consideration. There isn’t a lot of fun dating memoirs and for that alone we should thank the author. If you didn't laugh, then at least you will learn something, and I guess that is the whole purpose of sharing such personal experiences.
"Diving in Stilettos First" is one of those books you cannot go wrong with. The book style is simply compelling and compellingly simple. So, Thanks Shauntay!

[Debbie Viscosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really doesn’t matter where you live, dating can be tough. Do you trust fate that you will randomly meet the right person? Is there someone in the past that you still think about? Or do you try the online dating sites? These are the questions that Shauntay (Shaunie) Dunbar has to answer for herself.

This book is so enjoyable. It’s fun to live vicariously through her navigating the NYC dating scene. No matter how she meets the man, they all miss the mark. By listening to her friends and family, Shaunie learns from each encounter and grows closer to finding what she is looking for in a man.

This is a true story based on her life. Shaunie has some sad times. She also has amazing and funny experiences. Her open and honest manner of sharing is endearing. At the end of this book, which comes far too quickly, you want two things. #1 Shauntay must continue sharing her story. #2 she would be a great friend.

[Ange Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** Book received by author in exchange of an honest review. ***

The book tells the love story of Shaunie in NYC. Imagine Sex and the City, but with only one of the friends romantic escapades on display. The other friends are somewhat in the background.

I liked the book. I laughed a lot. It took me a couple of seconds to fall into the fast rhythm storytelling. But, once you get into it, it's an enjoyable read.

I'd recommend everyone going trough dating issues to read the book, for a laugh, for a lesson, but most importantly to realize, there are a lot of frogs on the road to meeting Prince charming.

Thanks for the opportunity Shauntay L. Dunbar

[Saachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recieved an ARC for this review.

Wow wow wow! I cant explain how amazingly funny and fantastic book this was! Tbh, I'm really sorry for taking so long to review this! (Pardon me BookTasters and Shaunie!) But oh God! Was this book awesome! Revolving around real life adventures of the author in her quest to find love and happiness, she learns about people and even herself. Everything happens for a reason- a blessing or lesson and this book sure helps one in loving oneself.
It is so relatable and so hilarious, especially the sass and personality 😁😂 I literally laughed out loud while reading it. You can feel the chaos and frustrations of dating in this book and even the value of friendship.

[Layne Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diving in Stilettos First chronicles a woman’s dating adventures in New York City over the course of 5 years. I’ll start with a negative. The book really needs more editing; there were multiple spelling and grammar mistakes, and lack of paragraph breaks sometimes made things difficult to understand. For example, it made it harder to tell who was saying what in the dialogue. That said, Shauntay Dunbar is a hilarious writer who told her stories with both wit and humor. If you’d like an entertaining window into the modern dating world, DISF is a fun little read.

Book received for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Asseyah Briones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great read. Very down to earth and interesting. It shows the funny and weird side of finding 'THE ONE' which isn't really as to find easy as it seems from other stories with a hopeless romantic heroine.

Slight spoiler: The ending is super hilarious!

"Diving in Stilettos First" is a fun and light story about love and romance. The change of love interests keep you hooked!

Thank you to Ms. Dunbar for giving me the chance to review this. Side Note: The author was kind to provide me an ebook of this but all the contents of this review of mine is made up of nothing but honesty and all the thoughts that stuck on me after reading it

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number of stars 5 out of 5

I really enjoy this book it's today dating and how hard life and dating can be.

This story is about a single hard working woman who lives in nyc. She trying to live her life to the fullest and to found Mr. Right. Well I laugh a lot because it was funny at a lot of the times.

But it's true that today is very hard to found mr right with online dating and when you are working long hours.

This book really show you how it's like but it's awesome read and you guys need to pick up this book.

[Natasha Sheganlall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is about a young newly divorced lady. She is in her 30s and and she is trying to balance her career and love life. This book makes you laugh. The author has a unique way of nick naming her boyfriends. She shows woman how truly difficult it is to find Mr. Right. Its definitely recommended as its an absolutely lovely book to read. Woman will enjoy this. Thanx Shauntay!!

[Samantha Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! Loved reading this one. Shauntay has such a funny, candid writing style - these memoirs are like reading a glimpse of her personal dating diaries. And what an eclectic mix of potential suitors! I can definitely see why her friends recommended she wrote a book about her experience of dating in NYC. A really fun, lighthearted read.

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and quick read. As someone who was also divorced around 30 this book was very relatable. Reading this book made me almost feel like I was part of Shaunie’s entourage. This book serves as entertainment as well as dating advice for anyone who reads it.

[Stacey Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single life in New York City with the main character, Shaunie is hilariously funny and a true page turner. Highly recommend this book for all looking for a fun and sincere read.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been looking for a fun, modern day "Sex and the City" style read, and had high hopes for this book. But as a fellow single 30-something on the dating scene, it felt a little juvenile. Shaunie tells the story of her dating experiences throughout her late 20's and early 30's, but to me, her stories were more reminiscent of dating in high school or college (ie guys who take you to Applebee's on a first date, live with their parents and don't own a car). I was at least hoping there would be some correlation between each "frog" and a lesson learned, similar to Sex and the City, but I didn't get much beyond the cookie-cutter "be single, find yourself, love yourself" we're all told after every breakup. I also had a hard time getting a good grasp of who the main character is and what drives her. There is one chapter where her friend calls her "Captain Save-A-Lame-Ass" for keeping losers around and trying to fix every one of them, then just pages later another friend tells her she throws people away (even though several of the characters she dates in the book are exes). All in all, while it wasn't a home run for a woman in her 30's looking for more than tongue-and-cheek dating-gone-wrong stories, I do think it could be a fun and relatable read for a younger demographic.