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Casting The Net - Volume 1
Anyone who's dabbled with internet dating has a story to tell, but few can tell them with as much wit and honesty as Julie McDowall.
Her online dating blog became an instant sensation on HeraldScotland.com when she charted her bizarre and hilarious experiences in search of the perfect man. Or at least a man who wasn't a total freak. Or, failing that, a freak who was freaky in the right ways...
Now for the first time CASTING THE NET - VOLUME 1 presents the unexpurgated true story of her ongoing quest for love, including all the material deemed unfit for a family newspaper. Join the eloquent and intrepid McDowall as she tackles The Janny, The Accountant, The Comedian, Foxy Doctor, the inimitable Shug -- and her ultimate nemesis, The Clown.
Her online dating blog became an instant sensation on HeraldScotland.com when she charted her bizarre and hilarious experiences in search of the perfect man. Or at least a man who wasn't a total freak. Or, failing that, a freak who was freaky in the right ways...
Now for the first time CASTING THE NET - VOLUME 1 presents the unexpurgated true story of her ongoing quest for love, including all the material deemed unfit for a family newspaper. Join the eloquent and intrepid McDowall as she tackles The Janny, The Accountant, The Comedian, Foxy Doctor, the inimitable Shug -- and her ultimate nemesis, The Clown.
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2013
402 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 19, 2013
*Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
I haven't heard of Julie McDowall until recently when I was contacted by her for reviewing this book. Usually, I read very carefully the blurbs of those books I am requested to review, because I sure don't want to end up reading a book (and not enjoying it at all) just for the sake of reviewing it. Life is too short for that, right?
Well, I checked the blurb and have to admit I immediately thought 'Oh, this one is definitely a fun read'. And it really was, but still I had few issues, hence the 3* rating.
But before telling you a bit more about the things I liked/disliked about Casting the Net let me tell you this - Julie is one brave woman! I mean it, she really is!
As you can read from the blurb, the author actually blogs about her online dating experience (which she also shares in this book), but unfortunately I still haven't had the chance to check her site. However, now after reading this fun book I will probably do it.
So, basically in this book she gives us an insight of her pretty crazy dating life, specifically her online dating experience. I'm telling you, the author is really brave for sharing with us all those details, and I can't help but admire her because she's so honest to the world.
What I LOVED about this book is the humor! Some of the situations she's telling us about are simply hilarious. On few occasions I even had tears in my eyes from all the laughing. I couldn't help but think, OMG, I would LOVE to be friends with Julie, she seems like such an amazing and fun person to hang out with.
As some of the reviewers have already said, this book is really hard to put down. I didn't even want to go to sleep, because I wanted to read more about all the weirdos Julie has dated, talked to, kissed, about all the situations she's been in and how she had handled them. AND TO LAUGH. I really need to stress this out - prepare to laugh like crazy.
I rooted for her, I sympathized with her, I laughed with her. At the very end, I was even sad I finished reading and sure wished this book was longer.
However, there were few things which I disliked about it. Ok, so Julie is fun, Julie the character, Julie the person behind this book... SHE IS FUN, and obviously very smart, but sometimes I really couldn't understand her and the choices she made. Also, I couldn't understand her need to be so attracted to
Overall, this was such an easy read and really fun book. If you love books about online dating, books full of humor and real experiences on this topic, or you just need some light funny read to dive into, well this book would be perfect for you. I am most definitely looking forward to reading the next Volume, and hope it will be out any time soon.
July 18, 2013
Many readers have followed Julie McDowall for a long time as she posted a blog about her online dating experiences, including the good, the bad, and the purely hysterical moments. And after having read this, I can definitely see why her blog has been such a hit!
This is a BRILLIANT book! It is SUCH an easy read to slip into, and it is one of those books where once you have started it, you won’t be able to put it down and you will have to read it right to the end. I read this in a single morning and it was a morning well spent! Julie McDowall has written a book that is entertaining and addictive in equal measures!
In Casting The Net, Julie McDowall gives us an insight into the world of online dating. We like to think of online dating as new and exciting, but Julie give us the reality of online dating through her experiences. We are given not only the exciting moments, but the crazy moments, the strange encounters with men, and the disastrous times too! I personally have never had any experience with online dating but I know that there are many readers out there who have had experience in this and so will definitely be able to relate to what they are reading.
Julie McDowall’s writing and her way with words is excellent, I felt as though I was having a chat and a cup of tea with a friend and listening to them tell me about what they got up to in the world of online dating. This book was hilarious – at times I laughed so much that I cried! But then it’s also quite emotional too as you are reading about the life of a woman trying to find her way through the world of online dating and love, I desperately wanted the best for her, and for her to find her Mr Right! I think one of the things that I like so much about this book is that it is refreshingly honest – Julie tells it like it is and she doesn’t hold back.
Casting The Net is a truly fantastic book and along with many others I am eagerly awaiting Volume 2 – I can’t wait to find out what will happen next!
This is a BRILLIANT book! It is SUCH an easy read to slip into, and it is one of those books where once you have started it, you won’t be able to put it down and you will have to read it right to the end. I read this in a single morning and it was a morning well spent! Julie McDowall has written a book that is entertaining and addictive in equal measures!
In Casting The Net, Julie McDowall gives us an insight into the world of online dating. We like to think of online dating as new and exciting, but Julie give us the reality of online dating through her experiences. We are given not only the exciting moments, but the crazy moments, the strange encounters with men, and the disastrous times too! I personally have never had any experience with online dating but I know that there are many readers out there who have had experience in this and so will definitely be able to relate to what they are reading.
Julie McDowall’s writing and her way with words is excellent, I felt as though I was having a chat and a cup of tea with a friend and listening to them tell me about what they got up to in the world of online dating. This book was hilarious – at times I laughed so much that I cried! But then it’s also quite emotional too as you are reading about the life of a woman trying to find her way through the world of online dating and love, I desperately wanted the best for her, and for her to find her Mr Right! I think one of the things that I like so much about this book is that it is refreshingly honest – Julie tells it like it is and she doesn’t hold back.
Casting The Net is a truly fantastic book and along with many others I am eagerly awaiting Volume 2 – I can’t wait to find out what will happen next!
September 25, 2013
Review: I loved the sound of this book. I love reading about internet dating and knowing that someone has had just as much trouble with it as I did. It's always reassuring to know that other people come across the most random things on these sites and go on terrible dates too, and so a whole book about it, based on real life experiences-wonderful. I did, however, find this book the tiniest bit disappointing, but nevertheless I stormed through it!
I loved the setting! I've said before I'm a lazy reader and so to read about someone going on dates in my favourite city, and to places I've been on dates to as well! Amazing! The places she went were all mentioned, however I felt they could have been described a little further, I could picture them in my head and feel the description there but it wasn't actually written on the page. I thought that perhaps, readers who hadn't been to Glasgow and experienced the delights or Oran Mor and Byres Road, wouldn't have appreciated the setting as much as I did, but would have had more of an experience if they were better described.
I really liked the fact that Julie comes across as a strong women, I like a woman who knows what she wants and gets on with her life. There are points where she is hooked in by one of the many men she has been having dates with, and she weakens, however, we've all been there. That was a totally realistic situation, sitting by the phone, waiting for him to text, to arrange another date after a fabulous kiss, and so the fact that she weakens slightly at this point can be completely forgiven!
I found the descriptions of her bad dates and indeed the men she never even made it on a date with really funny! Part of the reason for this was that it was all so totally true. It was brilliantly realistic, and I wanted to hear more about the men and the dates, and again I think this was a slightly negative point about the book, there was a little bit of a lack of description here too. I would have liked to have known more about the other dates, the random emails she received, and the ones she sent out but with no reply, there was massive scope for description here and yet she doesn't go into major detail.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book and read it in a day, even though I did a full days work. It's got some really funny bits and does tell the real story of Internet dating, it has also left me wanting to read the sequel or volume 2 if there is one, which is always a good thing! If you've been on any dating sites online, you'll definitely be able to identify with some of the moments in this book, and if you haven't, you're in for an eye opener
I loved the setting! I've said before I'm a lazy reader and so to read about someone going on dates in my favourite city, and to places I've been on dates to as well! Amazing! The places she went were all mentioned, however I felt they could have been described a little further, I could picture them in my head and feel the description there but it wasn't actually written on the page. I thought that perhaps, readers who hadn't been to Glasgow and experienced the delights or Oran Mor and Byres Road, wouldn't have appreciated the setting as much as I did, but would have had more of an experience if they were better described.
I really liked the fact that Julie comes across as a strong women, I like a woman who knows what she wants and gets on with her life. There are points where she is hooked in by one of the many men she has been having dates with, and she weakens, however, we've all been there. That was a totally realistic situation, sitting by the phone, waiting for him to text, to arrange another date after a fabulous kiss, and so the fact that she weakens slightly at this point can be completely forgiven!
I found the descriptions of her bad dates and indeed the men she never even made it on a date with really funny! Part of the reason for this was that it was all so totally true. It was brilliantly realistic, and I wanted to hear more about the men and the dates, and again I think this was a slightly negative point about the book, there was a little bit of a lack of description here too. I would have liked to have known more about the other dates, the random emails she received, and the ones she sent out but with no reply, there was massive scope for description here and yet she doesn't go into major detail.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book and read it in a day, even though I did a full days work. It's got some really funny bits and does tell the real story of Internet dating, it has also left me wanting to read the sequel or volume 2 if there is one, which is always a good thing! If you've been on any dating sites online, you'll definitely be able to identify with some of the moments in this book, and if you haven't, you're in for an eye opener
March 14, 2014
Anyone who’s dabbled with internet dating has a story to tell but few tell them as well as Julie McDowall.
Her online dating blog was an instant sensation when she charted her bizarre and hilarious experiences in search of the perfect man. Or at least a man who wasn’t a total freak. Or, failing that, a freak who was freaky in the right ways…
Now for the first time Casting The Net – Volume 1 presents the unexpurgated true story of her ongoing quest, including all the material deemed unfit for a family news site.
Join the eloquent, witty and intrepid McDowall as she tackles The Janny, The Accountant, The Comedian, Foxy Doctor, the inimitable Shug — and her ultimate nemesis, The Clown.
"Sex. Pain. Humour. Ups. Downs. All varieties of the human condition are here, laid bare in an alarmingly candid style."
I was honored when Julie approached me to give an honest review of this book and although I hadn't read anything about this book I couldn't wait to give it a try.
Something that I absolutely love about this book that Julie has written this book about herself and what actually happened to her whilst trying out online dating, this means this book would be so much better than other books because this is first hand experience and some of the things that happen you couldn't make up!
Having not tried online dating myself it was not something I was familiar with and obviously everybody has there own opinions of it, Julie shows me that as people think its not all plain sailing! You can meet some crazy (even strange) people on dating sites. With internet dating being used by so many people today, this book is a humorous tale of one girl's experiences. Following the break up of a relationship and period of moping Julie sets out to bag herself a man, and there are hundreds to choose from, finding the right one is the hard work!
This is a perfect short, funny read that I think people of any age would enjoy, so pick up a copy and get reading. I finished in a day after being in work.
Her online dating blog was an instant sensation when she charted her bizarre and hilarious experiences in search of the perfect man. Or at least a man who wasn’t a total freak. Or, failing that, a freak who was freaky in the right ways…
Now for the first time Casting The Net – Volume 1 presents the unexpurgated true story of her ongoing quest, including all the material deemed unfit for a family news site.
Join the eloquent, witty and intrepid McDowall as she tackles The Janny, The Accountant, The Comedian, Foxy Doctor, the inimitable Shug — and her ultimate nemesis, The Clown.
"Sex. Pain. Humour. Ups. Downs. All varieties of the human condition are here, laid bare in an alarmingly candid style."
I was honored when Julie approached me to give an honest review of this book and although I hadn't read anything about this book I couldn't wait to give it a try.
Something that I absolutely love about this book that Julie has written this book about herself and what actually happened to her whilst trying out online dating, this means this book would be so much better than other books because this is first hand experience and some of the things that happen you couldn't make up!
Having not tried online dating myself it was not something I was familiar with and obviously everybody has there own opinions of it, Julie shows me that as people think its not all plain sailing! You can meet some crazy (even strange) people on dating sites. With internet dating being used by so many people today, this book is a humorous tale of one girl's experiences. Following the break up of a relationship and period of moping Julie sets out to bag herself a man, and there are hundreds to choose from, finding the right one is the hard work!
This is a perfect short, funny read that I think people of any age would enjoy, so pick up a copy and get reading. I finished in a day after being in work.
July 27, 2013
This was truly brilliant and incredibly funny. Julie McDowall manages to write what are actually painful dating experiences as incredibly entertaining. I read this so quickly as once you start it you will not want to put it down.
The story starts with Julie breaking up with her really awful boyfriend who is constantly drunk and Julie decides that she just can't take it anymore; packing and moving into her Gran's. With a little help from her Gran she manages to get a place of her own but she quickly realises that a man is missing from her life. So ensues Julie's online dating escapades, starting with a janitor and an accountant. She is also messaging a clown- yep an actual clown.
Julie gives us a very true, very real insight in the realities of online dating and she really did have me in stitches. But although she portrays the funny side really well, I did feel for her on her quest to find the perfect man. I could really relate to Julie as well having come out of a relationship not long ago and still finding myself single. My friends did even put me on a dating website, but to be honest I wasn't keen on the people on there. But even though Julie is still looking for someone I think it was great that she bit the bullet and went on these dates.
The way Julie writes as well makes it feel like she is actually talking to you about her experiences. She is incredibly honest. Her writing style is simple and straight forward, which makes it so easy to get into. It is honestly perfect for the stories that she tells, as if written any differently I do not think it would get across as well.
This was incredibly refreshing due to Julia's honesty and I like that she wasn't at all afraid or embarassed to share her experiences.
I look forward to reading Volume Two!
The story starts with Julie breaking up with her really awful boyfriend who is constantly drunk and Julie decides that she just can't take it anymore; packing and moving into her Gran's. With a little help from her Gran she manages to get a place of her own but she quickly realises that a man is missing from her life. So ensues Julie's online dating escapades, starting with a janitor and an accountant. She is also messaging a clown- yep an actual clown.
Julie gives us a very true, very real insight in the realities of online dating and she really did have me in stitches. But although she portrays the funny side really well, I did feel for her on her quest to find the perfect man. I could really relate to Julie as well having come out of a relationship not long ago and still finding myself single. My friends did even put me on a dating website, but to be honest I wasn't keen on the people on there. But even though Julie is still looking for someone I think it was great that she bit the bullet and went on these dates.
The way Julie writes as well makes it feel like she is actually talking to you about her experiences. She is incredibly honest. Her writing style is simple and straight forward, which makes it so easy to get into. It is honestly perfect for the stories that she tells, as if written any differently I do not think it would get across as well.
This was incredibly refreshing due to Julia's honesty and I like that she wasn't at all afraid or embarassed to share her experiences.
I look forward to reading Volume Two!
September 16, 2013
Casting the Net follows a woman’s dating life. After breaking up with her boyfriend she’s left wanting a man and decides to try her hand at online dating. Out of the hundreds she can choose from she goes for the weird guys, not wanting anyone normal.
I had a laugh reading this book, reading all about dates with her online men was hilarious. There was definitely times I didn’t laugh but found myself laughing throughout most of it.
I can definitely say I won’t be online dating anytime soon, casting the net has put me off that path, I don’t know what I’d do but I admire Julie being able to write about her experiences and share them with us all.
I haven’t checked out Julie’s online dating blog but I have marked it as to do at some point, I look forward to seeing what she’s done.
Casting the Net was fun and definitely a good laugh, I would have liked to see more as the experiences were a good read and I felt it finished well too soon, but it’s only volume one.
**A copy was provided for review purposes**
You can find my original review at: http://morphybooksblog.wordpress.com/...
I had a laugh reading this book, reading all about dates with her online men was hilarious. There was definitely times I didn’t laugh but found myself laughing throughout most of it.
I can definitely say I won’t be online dating anytime soon, casting the net has put me off that path, I don’t know what I’d do but I admire Julie being able to write about her experiences and share them with us all.
I haven’t checked out Julie’s online dating blog but I have marked it as to do at some point, I look forward to seeing what she’s done.
Casting the Net was fun and definitely a good laugh, I would have liked to see more as the experiences were a good read and I felt it finished well too soon, but it’s only volume one.
**A copy was provided for review purposes**
You can find my original review at: http://morphybooksblog.wordpress.com/...
November 11, 2013
Julie lives with her boyfriend. But what is wrong with that picture? Nothing except he is drinker and he wants to past his time with his friends on the flat where lives with his girlfriend. He is negligent, untidy and he isn’t romantic at all. Julie lives with him under excuse that he is just bohemian and free spirit. One day when Julie got home and finds bottles all over the living room and all flat in chaos that was final day with him, she leaves him. Julie begins to require a true love on net. She got blind dates and many freaks presented in hilarious way.
This book is publication of Julie’s online dating blog. I enjoy till I read this funny book. It’s interesting and funny way to make your life more pleasant and joyful, when you don’t have someone with who will spend your time, who will understand you and take care of you.
Julie is honest and interesting woman, who decided to live her life on the other and braver way that she used to.
This book is publication of Julie’s online dating blog. I enjoy till I read this funny book. It’s interesting and funny way to make your life more pleasant and joyful, when you don’t have someone with who will spend your time, who will understand you and take care of you.
Julie is honest and interesting woman, who decided to live her life on the other and braver way that she used to.
July 19, 2013
Dive head first into the world of internet dating and meet the good, bad and the ugly on the net. With internet dating being used by so many people today, this book is a humorous tale of one girl's experiences. Following the break up of a relationship and period of moping our girl sets out to bag herself a man, and there are hundreds to choose from! Read this anywhere, any when and give yourself a chuckle.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews