brennadavis24 's review for:

How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson

4.0

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I saw this book at the library and laughed out loud as I read the first two pages. I know some people were upset because they were expecting this to be a sociological study or feminist critique (and there are pieces of that), but it was clear from the start this is a personal narrative that is very “relatable” in the best way possible. I kept taking pictures of different lines and texting them to friends because they were so fitting to our own experiences. From the beginning she makes it clear that she doesn’t actually hate men (nor do I) but does bring up issues unique to trying to date in an era when patriarchal conditioning (along with rom coms) have distorted our understanding of love and partnership. Our new progressive ideals create some dissonance with how we’ve been raised (both men and women), and women walk a tight rope between empowerment and the lingering latent expectation that women should be in relationships and there is something wrong or missing if we are not. Smart and funny. Definitely read if you’re in the mood for a laugh and some social commentary (spoiler alert: she’s not a fan of Trump).