Singleholic

by Katherine Bing

Mixed-race 30-year-old Sarah is dumped by her Muslim boyfriend and finds herself single once again. Fed up with being alone, she gives herself one year to find a man. With the help of friends Georgina, a happily married blonde, and Jacquie, a single black diva, Sarah learns to alter her game with hilarious consequences. An adventure in the spirit of Sex & the City, Singleholic introduces multiculturalism to chick-lit.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Lisa Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second attempt at reading Singleholic, I liked it much better the second time around. I wanted to know how things turned out for the main character, Sarah, but I can't say that I was ever really rooting for her. She's likeable, but too shallow. What could have been a lighthearted look at a heavy topic (racial stereotyping), was really just the journey of an immature woman who finally realizes that it isn't a crime to be single (big deal). There were some funny moments and I liked Sarah's do-gooder spirit (her relationship with her elderly neighbor is very sweet).

My favorite character in the book was the city of London. I enjoyed following Sarah all over London and I found myself wanted to ride the same buses and have a drink at the same bars.

[Cadedria · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first i was really enjoying it till Sarah kept on talking to her goddam self and confusing me with her back and forth tragic love life .

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book has it all: unlikeable, instantly forgettable, unidimensional characters; a self-centered, superficial protagonist who spends all of her time at the gym, in coffee bars, and whining (she's allegedly a teacher, but you really have to take that on faith, since I think you see her in the classroom twice); offensive racial and religious stereotypes; superficial treatments of subjects that had the potential to give the book some depth. SPOILER: Sarah, the main character, has the obligatory "I don't need a man" revelation in the last ten pages of this book, but it feels tacked on, as do the instances in which Sarah Helps The Less Fortunate and Sarah Assists The Elderly. The book needed a good working over by a competent editor (I've never heard of this press and have to assume that they just publish whatever you hand them): it meanders along, plotless, for about 75 pages longer than it should; about half of the random cast serve no apparent purpose and should have been red-penciled out, and someone should have worked with the author on such basic concepts as plot and character development. In a word, it's basically a first draft of what could have, given the time, several rewrites, and the investment of some actual thought, been a pretty decent novel.

[Stasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Even though at times I found her a bit annoying with her repetitive personal mantras,I enjoyed the main character and her adventures in dating and singledom.