I Love You, Nice to Meet You: A Guy and a Girl Give the Lowdown on Coupling Up

by Lori Gottlieb, Kevin Bleyer

A hilarious, razor-sharp look at the mating rituals of the dating species. Lori and Kevin are smart, honest, funny thirtysomething hopeless romantics who--despite their best efforts--are still single. They've seen it all in the dating wars and come back from the front with plenty of emotional scar tissue. Like romance anthropologists, they deconstruct every key moment in the life cycle of a relationship from what the fake purse grab really means when the check comes to who gets "home couch advantage" in couples therapy. In this book, get both the male and female perspectives

* Fighting etiquette (is all fair in love and war?)
* Voicemail message analysis. ("Hi, it's who?")
* Body hair (where, why, and how much?)* Blind dates (are your good friends good pimps?).
* How to identify (and avoid) freaks
* To cry or not to cry (if you're a guy) in front of a woman.
* Terms of adorement (should you save the pet names for your dog?)
* Cheating (without actually cheating)
* Knowing when a relationship is really over ( Whether it's better to dump or be dumped)
* And much, much more.

I Love You, Nice to Meet You is a hilarious and eye-opening collection of "anecdates" from a guy and a girl who just want to find the one, but--lucky for you--they haven't.

Genres: Nonfiction, Relationships, Humor, Self Help, Marriage

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

LORI GOTTLIEB is a psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE, which has sold nearly two million copies and is currently being adapted as a television series. In addition to her clinical practice, she is co-host of the popular “DEAR THERAPISTS" PODCAST, which features real sessions with real people and offers actionable advice, and writes The Atlantic’s “Dear Therapist” advice column. She is a sought-after expert in media such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNN, and NPR and her TED Talk was one of the Top 10 Most Watched of the Year.

She is the creator of the Maybe You Should Talk To Someone Workbook: A Toolkit for Editing Your Story and Changing Your Life and the Maybe You Should Talk To Someone Journal: 52 Weekly Sessions to Transform Your Life.

Learn more at LoriGottlieb.com or by following her on Instagram @lorigottlieb_author and Twitter @LoriGottlieb1.

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thumbed through this right after a breakup. I was mostly expecting to be entertained and not enlightened, but I got some perspective from this book. Also, it didn't hurt that some passages in it really resonated with me.

[Jennybug · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wasn't that into this book!

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2

Didn’t really like this book, read the whole thing though. Probably cuz I’m from a different generation. Anyways- Some of it had me reminiscing on my current relationship. Mostly to disagree with whatever i read but- yeah.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too cliche, "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" ideology. I struggled to finish it.

[Fiorella Brun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! This book provided me with honest truth and no beating around the bush. We live in a difficult world and love is no exception. This is a sure must read!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Caitlyn]

Did not finish

[Lucia Rukia]

DNF

[Lena Yen · Rating 3 out of 5]

scenarios of dating from meeting, to paying the check, to fighting, to therapy, etc.

kind of sexist and outdated in some ways lmao. twas written in 2006 so makes more sense in that context

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Can you date a book?*

Funny, "I Love You, Nice to Meet You" are the same sentiments I had as soon as I read the first few pages of this book. Like a good date, this book is packed with wit, humor, irresistibility, and, charm. And, like a good relationship, this book offers heart-felt truths, wisdom, and insights if you're ready for them.

Kevin and Lori ("the guy and the girl") share their personal experiences, perspectives, and humor on "coupling up," falling down, and getting back up again. A he-said/she-said look at the anatomy of a relationship--from the first date to the "ex-sightings" (and all the rewarding, funny, annoying, and painful milestones in between)--this book offers both a fresh look and a guide book for coupling up without selling out. It seems quite obvious that every word the authors write reflects the experiences they've really encountered, survived, and learned (or are still learning) from.

If you're currently dating, pondering dating, sworn off dating (again), or, uh, just human, this book is likely to offer (so much) more than just a good time. Just like a good date...

[Malinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book caught my eye while I was browsing the non-fiction at the local library (what else is new). Each chapter deals with a specific question of dating etiquette and Kevin responds to the question from the male point of view and Lori responds from the female point of view. Both of the writers had many funny anecdotes from their own dating histories to share. Some of the topics these two discuss are chivalry (how much is acceptable and expected), where is a good place for a first or second date, and how to juggle dating multiple people. I don't know that I read this as a dating advice book, but more as humor/memoir.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read about these two authors' dating lives, rather than a how-to tome. You get to know their hangups - the dude is totally, totally, not over his ex, and the last chapter seems to indicate that the woman isn't either, (but she manages to harp on it less).

I admit, I found the stories themselves pretty unrelatable - maybe New York and LA have the sorts of women/men you see in movies, but I don't know any of them. These guys do, so I guess they must exist?

Anyway, I definitely laughed. If you're coupled, and think that the single life is awesome, read this and be very, very glad to have your partner.

[Aja · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a painful read. Painfully bad. Skip this one if you worry about losing braincells from problematic language based on dated cis hetero gender norms. There's a few funny lines here and there but for the most part, I found myself hating on my inability to stop reading a book once I started it. The whole thing about men not being able to cry made me want to kick something and the chapter about porn was so inappropriate and wrong (why is it always the same narrative with men loving porn and women hating it?), I just don't know where to begin. But yeah, this one is not for the thinkers. The easily amused ... maybe.

[Hoan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny about dating but also sad. The authors try to add humor to their pathetic-ness but I think if you were single and reading this - it would make you feel more depressed. Being in a long-term and serious relationship - reading this book made me feel relieved for not having to date wierdos that the authors seem to be constantly running into, but I guess that is why it was funny, it's always good to be able to laugh at someone else's misery so you don't have to experience it yourself.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny...what would you expect when one of the authors is a writer for The Daily Show? But, there is a lot of actual insight into how the opposite sex thinks. Yes, it's consummate L.A., but not obnoxiously so. If you're dating, just been through a break-up, or just want a peek into a man or woman's whacked mind, go grab this book. But, be prepared for people to look at you funny when you laugh out loud in the middle of a crowd.

[Stinkydiver · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading other works by Lori Gottlieb I found this book a bit disappointing.
I found Kevin Bleyer's portions to be a bit long winded and not particularly funny, though truthfully I am not familiar him or his brand of humor so it could have been in the way I read it to some extent.
I would have rated it higher if not being funny was the only complaint but compared to Gottlieb's other works I didn't find it particularly insightful either, again largely in part to his portions.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to the format used in the book "He's Just Not that Into You" - which I thoroughly enjoyed. I could see how it could be depressing, but I've been excited to read things that validate my experience and my theories. There are some chapters that don't/didn't apply to me and this situation that it is. But there were some good tid bits.

[Rei Foh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories of our lives!! Hilarious.. the writers seem to be our very core being and made excellent depiction of our feelings and scenarios. I vote it an Essential Post-Breakup Read. Or, in fact, at any stage of your life where you need to laugh at yourself, learn from the lessons, and move forward. with dignity and self respect. or be okay with the lack-of. LOL...

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been single for more than 3 years. This is a reminder on the ups and downs of dating life and that these bad experiences are universal and across both genders. I could argue about the sexism of the book and the heteronormative gender binary and that is it not as funny as I hoped. But like dating itself there are gems, amid all the nonsense and that makes it worth while.

[Jillessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! A must read. This is a laugh out loud book. It runs through the trials of dating and gives the female and male perspective on each. It is very true to life, which is probably what makes it so funny. My Mom, Sister, and I read it together aloud and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided not to finish this book. The first few pages were so funny that I was excited for the book. But, as with any book about dating, the inevitable happened and I found myself not even desiring to finish.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really funny and so perfectly defines the differences between men and women.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny funny stuff.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

more bitter than funny...

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting concept: he said, she said about dating.
It did leave me a little depressed about life as a single person.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 'his' and 'hers' advice about dating, relationships, break-ups, and everything in between.

[Becky Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun back and forth perspectives from a girl and guy on dating and relationships. Easy read and funny at times.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, entertaining, readable. It just didn't resonate with me. Maybe this is what the dating world is like these days...very grateful that I don't have to be "out there."

[ALittleBrittofFun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I think there were valid points made and it actually started pretty strong but I think it had a weak ending. The last few chapters were kind of blah.

[Lindsey]

Cracked me up! Kinda depressed me b/c it's so true in a lot of ways..