The Last Year of Being Single

by Sarah Tucker

He proposed.
She has her doubts.
She said yes.
Now what?

Everyone tells Sarah Giles how lucky she is to be engaged to Paul O'Brian, a handsome hotshot who's financially secure, knows how to throw the perfect dinner party . . . and taught Sarah how to, uh, take care of herself. Everyone thinks he's great. Except for Sarah. But she has too much on her plate trying to become career woman of the year and hiding the fact that her seemingly blissful relationship is all but celibate (those lessons he gave her should come in handy) to figure out what's wrong with Mr. Right, let alone qualify for the role of perfect fiancee.

Meanwhile, what started as an innocent office flirtation with a man named John Wayne (really), has now moved beyond illicit lunches and harmless text messaging, and is fast turning into erotic obsession. Sarah can't get John out of her head and she's plunging deeper into a double life. But which life is the lie?

Torn between two men, and trying not to lose sight of her own dreams, Sarah writes a scandalously honest diary of one life-changing year, and faces the challenge of writing her own happy ending . . .

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Adult

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

British author Sarah Tucker is an award-winning travel journalist and broadcaster. She divides her time between England and France, and only has room for one man in her life: her four-year-old son, Thomas.

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Last Year Of Being Single is the first of the Sarah Giles novels by British travel journalist, broadcaster and author, Sarah Tucker. Sarah Giles has been with Paul for five years. It’s a most unsatisfactory relationship: after an early hiccough, they live apart and don’t have sex. Then she meets (not the actor) John Wayne. Not handsome, but sexually attractive. A fling seems in order, but that also doesn’t go as planned. Then Paul proposes.

This one has an irritatingly indecisive main character whose self-indulgence and rationalising soon becomes quite boring. Her behaviour, ignoring sound advice and, in particular her dishonesty, do not endear her to the reader. She professes to love Paul, but it’s unconvincing: does she even know what love is? She doesn’t act like it.Does she get what she deserves? Will the reader care enough to read the sequel, The Last Year Of Being Married? Written as a series of diary entries, this is a repetitive, self-indulgent and tedious read.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I said I was in the mood for a trashy mindless romance novel so idk what else I was expecting.

[Nicola Hopewell · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the beginning this book had promise. Then after the first couple of chapters, it seemed as if I was reading the same chapter over and over, just ever so slightly reworded. 'Rich boyfriend is selfish - must dump him. Selfish lover is exciting, but must dump him, oh woe is me, life is hard with my rich boyfriend and selfish lover and I'm super skinny and I only eat Tuna Nicoise!'. Then finally with five pages to spare there’s something of a vaguely exciting twist and it’s all rounded off with dullest ending there could have been, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but after slogging through all that mundane shit, I was hoping for there to be something rewarding, that made the slog worthwhile.

[Gleniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Na-hook ako. Halos ilang hours ko lang sya natapos basahin. Nakaka-hook basahin kasi sobrang totoo nung mga sinasabi nya. Kapag nasa tamang isipan sya, yung wala syang iniisip na iba kundi sya lang, kapag hindi nya iniisip yung sasabihin ng ibang tao, tama yung mga rationalizations nya. Walang bias. Di ko masyado ma-explain basta medyo magulo.

May funny parts sya. Nakakatawa yung character ni Sarah. May isang part din na naiyak ako dahil narelate ko sa sarili ko yung situation. Haha.

Ang kwento eh may boyfriend sya of 5 years. 9 months bago sila ikasal, nagkaron sya ng fling na sa huli eh minahal na din nya yung lalaki. During sa 9 months na yun, gulong gulo sya kung sino pipiliin nya. Kung si Paul ba o si John. Ako boto ako kay John (yung naka-fling nya). Masaya kasi sya kay John, kaya lang mas matagal sila nagkasama ni Paul kaya mas mahal daw nya si Paul. Araw ng kasal nya, saka lang sya nakapag-decide. Di sya naka-imik ng "I do". May sinabi sya kay Paul tas nag-walk out na sya dun sa kasal. Nagandahan ako dun sa pag alis nya kasi hindi sya yung usual na tumatakbo yung bride. Basta naglalakad lang daw sya ng mabagal, lumalakad lang sya ng diretso.

'I don't look back. I just walk very slowly, without the music, to my own pace, at my own time, not knowing where I will go, only knowing that I must.'

Buti naman, atleast may chance pa si John.

Journal format yung novel kaya nakakaentertain basahin. Ang kasunod na book eh The Last Year of Being Married. Na-curious ako kung ano nang mangyayari. Bitin kasi yung ending. Ang ending eh nagtext sya ng "I'm not going to be married. Not today." kay Paul, kay John at sa sarili nya.

Ang ayoko lang sa character ni Sarah, halos lahat na ng sign at ng tao nagsasabi na wag nya pakasalan si Paul. Pero humantong pa sa araw ng kasal nya bago sya nakapag-decide. Pero maganda na din kasi kung umayaw sya agad ng hindi pa sya sigurado, baka hindi nya kayang mapanindigan. Nung umayaw sya nung araw ng kasal nya, 100% sure sya sa desisyon nya. Hindi sya naguguluhan. Hindi lang sa sarili nya sinasabi na ayaw na nya. Nasabi nya mismo ng harapan kay Paul at sa mga tao na nandun. Natagalan bago sya maging ready. Nakakaawa lang si Paul kasi sa mismong araw pa ng kasal nila naging sigurado si Sarah sa desiyon nya. Kaya lang parang wala din kasi silang magagawa dun. Eh kung ganun talaga.

At kung pagdating ng araw malalaman nyang mali yung naging desisyon nya, atleast wala syang regrets. Kasi naging totoo lang sya dun sa nararamdaman nya. At kung babalik sya kay Paul (kung tatanggapin pa sya ni Paul), haharap sya kay Paul nang siguradong sigurado na sya. (Naalala ko dito yung My Amnesia Girl. Parang ganun ang nangyare. Haha.)

FAVORITE LINES:

• Most of the couples who were eating there weren't looking at each other. They were looking at other couples. What they were wearing — their jewellery, the labels — but never who they were with. We only had eyes for each other. We only talked to each other. We held hands. We kissed in public. We made love in private. We slept very little. Ate very little. Drank very little. Danced a lot.

• (Paul to Sarah) I love you so much sometimes I need to come up to the surface to breathe before I can dive again to be surrounded by your love.

• Do people do that anymore? The old-fashioned way. Handwritten in cards. I was always getting the length wrong and having to use the back cover to complete my work. E-mail and text messaging are so deletable and lazy and quick. Not as clever. Writing takes longer. Means more. Mistakes, smudged by tears, crossings-out and all.

• Looking back, my relationship with Paul in those first years was innocent and special and wonderful and naïve and I wish it could have lasted for ever. But, like the ink on the cards and letters, over time it faded leaving only the impression of happiness rather than the reality of it.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, and its protagonist, are like that one friend you have. You know the one I mean. Everyone has one. Well, at least every woman, and for all I know every man too. That friend who has some problem in her life - some big decision to make, or something that is making her unhappy, or that terrible thing that she is doing and knows she should stop but doesn't. I know this friend. Hell, I've been this friend. Well, this book is exactly like that friend. It goes on and on for pages and pages about the same damn problem - formulated in a million different ways, to be sure, but still the same essential thing. And this friend knows what they need to do, and yet they hem and haw and justify and toss themselves to and fro and still don't make up their fucking mind until the last possible second, until something happens that forces their hand.

This woman is also like that other friend. Maybe its even the same friend. The one who is constantly struggling with some difficult decision - possibly the same one as above - and is awaiting some sign from god or the universe or whatever. That sign that will tell them what they should do. Yet even when they are smacked upside the face with a million signs, left and right, they still don't decide.

This book might have made an interesting short story. But as a novel, it kind of sucked. I can appreciate that there are people like this in real life, but that doesn't mean a novel should be written about it. I wanted to feel something for this character, and I guess I ultimately did: it started as annoyance and grew to pretty much a blinding hatred.

I know there is a sequel, so I thought I knew how this book was going to end. I was pleasantly surprised it didn't end that way, but the fact that I know that the sequel is what it is about makes me less appreciative. Not really this book's fault, but there you have it. I was planning on reading the sequel, but after this experience I think I will not.

One other thing of note: interesting how when a woman has an affair, it's because her husband or boyfriend or whatever is a wanker; and when a man has an affair, it's because he's a wanker. Short story: men are wankers. And in this book, yes they are, but the women aren't much better. In fact they aren't any better at all. Better story: people suck. Because they do. But that point seemed to be lost on this author.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of 74 books I have on my bookshelves to read. It is the lowest rated by Goodreads members which I take as a challenge! I will give it a good go! Well just a few days on and I've finished it. I did laugh about a few things but generally my 2 star rating sums it up quite well - "it was OK". I found the main character totally irritating in the way she dealt with her life decisions - well she didn't deal with them actually! It is one of those books that'll disappear into the back of my mind and in a few years I'll be saying, "yes, I think I've read that one, but can't remember it at all!"

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, any book that starts from the premise that you're not actually not-single until you're actually married is going to involve some pretty seriously obnoxious behavior. This did not disappoint. On the one hand, you gotta feel kind of bad for Sarah since she has clearly let this relationship with Paul drag out way longer than it should. On the other hand, she is a jerk and needs to just break up with him. That about sums it up.

[Fiona Hocking · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible plot. Hopefully there aren't any such pitiable people out here in the real world. Didn't mind the writing style, or the diary device, but the characters were all shockers. Hope I never meet any of them!

[Luisa Huang · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked it when i read it....though i would say most people probably wouldn't dig it.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started this book last night and it is REALLY good. There is also a sequel!!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, I learned to love myself first and to take career risks. Had good laughs too.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

https://jenninsf.wordpress.com/2011/1...

[Sangay Choki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. Sarah mentions the true essence of women in today's world and how they suffer not just physically but a mental torture. Nice ending too. I like that.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 2 out of 5]

What should have been a charming and insightful look at love, self-discovery, and the chaos of impending marriage ended up feeling predictable, frustrating, and, at times, painfully shallow. The premise had promise—a woman with a year left before tying the knot began to question everything about her relationship, her choices, and whether she was truly ready for forever. But instead of an engaging journey of growth, it often felt like an exercise in indecision, miscommunication, and cliché romantic tropes that overstayed their welcome.

The protagonist was difficult to root for. While uncertainty before a major life event is understandable, her actions often leaned more toward reckless than reflective. Her internal struggles could have been compelling, but they were overshadowed by self-sabotage, unnecessary drama, and decisions that made it hard to sympathize with her. The love interests and side characters didn’t fare much better—one-dimensional at best, frustrating at worst. The fiancé was written in a way that made it difficult to see why she was with him in the first place, while the alternative romantic possibility felt like a walking trope rather than a fully developed character.

The setting—a bustling city filled with opportunities for new experiences and self-reflection—had potential, but it was barely utilized. It felt like the story could have taken place anywhere, as the descriptions lacked the depth to make the environment come alive. The themes of commitment, personal growth, and the pressure of societal expectations were present, but they were handled in a way that felt surface-level rather than deeply explored.

The writing itself didn’t do the story many favors. While it moved quickly enough, it often relied on overused dialogue and inner monologues that repeated the same dilemmas without adding anything new. What should have been witty and insightful often came across as forced or, worse, tiresome. The humor felt strained, and the emotional beats lacked the depth needed to truly resonate.

In the end, the story followed a predictable arc, leading to an ending that, while inevitable, didn’t feel entirely earned. There was a sense that the protagonist had learned something by the final page, but the journey to get there was more frustrating than fulfilling. What could have been an engaging, emotionally complex exploration of love and self-identity instead felt like a drawn-out, sometimes exasperating ride to an ending that lacked impact.

Read more here: https://annietheinkdrinker.wordpress....

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of context: I first read this in high school (long before I was on Goodreads), bought from a secondhand book store not too long after the book came out. I have no idea why I picked it at the time, because it's not something I'd give a second glance today and also seems at odds with most of the things I was reading at the time. About a woman who's in a loving but unhappy long-term relationship and also having an affair, it had no bearing on my life then and has no bearing on my life now.

But somehow it stayed on my shelf for years, because something resonated⁠—I liked the voice, and the fact that we were seeing an affair in fiction from a relatively sympathetic perspective, which is unusual (affairs in chick lit do not go down well with readers, so I usually only see affairs in books if the person having the affair is the soon-to-be-ex).

I found it again on Goodreads, and...well, gosh. People don't like this book much, do they? Always curious to see people reacting so negatively to a book because they don't think the protagonist makes good choices, so...I read it again. And it's true: it takes narrator-Sarah (as opposed to author-Sarah) pretty much the entire book to start making the choices that she's known all along will be best for everyone involved. But those bad choices...they're kind of the point, no? And more realistic for many people than a character who sees that things aren't working out as planned and immediately goes forth and fixes them. I don't know how I'd feel about the book if I'd read it for the first time this year (for some reason I can't really separate my then-take from my now-take), but I think it's going to stay in my brain as a book of which I'm inexplicably fond.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have read a Red Dress Ink book. I still have so many of them. I'm trying to get books off of my shelves so I chose some to knock out. This one was OK. The format of the story as diaries was different, but there seemed to be so much repetition that did not feel authentic if it was truly a diary. Story OK as well. I have the sequel and will probably read it to see why she made the choices she did after this one.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read of this author and I enjoyed it because of things I have been through I really understood the main character. The mental, physical and emotional angst and how lost you feel when you are in enforced celibacy by your partner is real. I had that in the last years of my marriage with my husband and boy does it make you feel worthless and doubt yourself and make odd choices. So good on this author for tackling a subject that is very tough and complex and hard to analyse.

[Vikki Climpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read the other reviews on here and they cover most of what I would have said, so no point repeating them. I would add that having read this book at a time when sexual harassment at work is big news, I felt very uncomfortable while reading the scene where John and Sarah meet - as colleagues - and where it is clearly sexual harassment at work. Obviously Sarah doesn't feel harassed, but to me it felt creepy.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the story was ok, but I thought it dragged on. Sadly, I almost gave up several times while reading it, but I made it through. And I am quite interested in what happens in the follow up book 'The Last Year of Being Married'. I hope the next book reads a little more easier than this one.

This review is also posted on the LibraryThing website.

[Ankita Gour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice twist, nice tangled up story, nice affair and all. But at one point it just went on and on with protagonists internal struggle.
I can understand it must have been hard to make a decision. But it was painful for the reader too.

[Tricia Cassavaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Repetitive. Couldn't finish it.
Just read the first two chapters as they just repeat over and over again

[Lori T-m · Rating 3 out of 5]

*spoilers* I really wanted to like this book a lot but just couldn't. It seemed to drag on, one bad decision at a time, until the last few pages. In short, Sarah (the main character) isn't really being treated well enough by her fiance and long-time boyfriend. They've been through an emotional situation that the boyfriend has never really gotten over so he doesn't have sex with her much and wants to wait until they are married (thinking this will fix everything???). She falls into the arms of a known womanizer and decides he can fulfill her sexual needs. The affair drags on and she keeps having her cake and eating it too. She pisses away jobs and it seems like her friends are well deserved and some of them have affairs too. Sarah keeps both men in her life thinking that they are her #1 all the way up to her WEDDING DAY and then finally decides to wise up. I guess if you're a married person and have a good relationship with your spouse (like i consider myself to have) then this book sort of leaves you a little disgusted at the selfishness and you start to wonder who should be blamed the most for all this mess. It didn't leave me feeling relieved or happy or at peace at all. Just not my type of book I guess. Contains abortions, anal sex, affairs..just leaves me thinking that Sarah is a confused person in college who never had a date in high school and is just starting to figure herself out, at the expense of others mental health. She comes across as fairly selfish.

[Kourtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of the RDI publishing line and have enjoyed so many books from the publishing company. Unfortunately, this was not one of them.

The style of writing was difficult for me to get used to. One minute she would say "I did this...I did that" then the next minute it was "Sarah then did this" - ummmm is this a new Sarah character or the narrator Sarah character because now I'm confused.

Then there was the character growth. Spoiler alert. There wasn't any. For anyone.

Plot lines? Not quite sure because it was the same two things that the author droned on and on about. Oh my partner is so boring and not for me! Oh look at me I am having an affair! But it's ok because my partner won't do me!

I felt like the author had read Bridget Jones' Diary and tried to emulate it and failed.

Skip this one. I wish I did.

[Francessca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really struggled with this book. The characters were hollow and the main character Sarah drove me crazy! I empathised with some if the relationship dilemmas and unhappiness she felt but her decision making was dreadful. I felt that you didn't really know how Sarah felt herself about either man in her life or anything else for that matter and seeing as it was written in the style of Sarah's personal diary it was disappointing to say the least.
I also found the diary format in this book did not work. It was hugely repetitive i felt i was reading the same passages over and over and slipped in and out if tenses.
This book has a sequel but getting through this one was tough enough I will not attempt the second, I'm not even too interested in what happens to any of the characters.

[Ursula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like the plot, the characters, the strange device of semi-journal writing, the lewd sexual commentary, or the "moral." I kept waiting for something to happen - for the character to change, for a crazy plot twist, or frankly anything that would make the story remotely interesting. Instead it read more like a Jerry Springer storyline - Girl slums it with railroad employee while engaged to banker fiance. I think the plot stopped developing about 1/3 of the way in. Wouldn't read more of this for certain.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took on a whole new format of writing and engaged me in the main character's unfortunate predicament. The character's story makes you rally behind her because of her awful boyfriend and really makes you feel for the character. An at times frusterating read, this book has the perfect ending.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit difficult to get into, but whe you are stuck on a 4 hr plane ride, you can read it. Sarah is engaged to a guy who has no personality and at times a jerk. Sarah then meets John at work. You probably can figure out what happens then. This an "red dress" book which is romance for twenty somthings. I think there are better "red dress" books to read than this one.

[Tehniat Ahsan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the plot of the book, however the way this book is written is a total let down. Firstly, the author is clearly obsessed with her own name, and it makes everything really confusing. Secondly, when she is trying to write dialogues in the way I studied back in the 7th or 8th grade, she totally fails.

I would not recommend this book to anyone because of the way it's written.

[Charity · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I was disgusted by this book. There was virtually nothing enjoyable about the entire book. Tucker tried to use a technique similar to Cabot's novels (messaging between characters), but the outcome was awful. I'll avoid reading anything else by Tucker for a while.