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The Single Girl's Guide to Meeting European Men
The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men shows single traveling girls how to get what they want─adventure, empowerment, romance, and fun. This timeless book gives the inside scoop on meeting quality men and dating locals if you’re planning to study, vacation, or work abroad. Learn from the true, romantic stories of other women. Receive insights on the culture and history of 20 European countries that will help you succeed.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 30, 2012
I received this book over a year ago, and it has taken me that long to finish it. I took it to the gym every time I went to force myself to finish it but more often than not, I found that staring at the walls was vastly more entertaining and a better use of my time.
When I was offered this book for a review I thought I was being offered a fictional RomCom book. I mean, with a title like that, it seemed completely plausible. Well, imagine my surprise when the book arrived and it was an actual travel book guide for meeting European Men. I resolved to give it a fair chance and proceeded to read it. Ten pages in I could not believe this... I googled the author and I stumbled upon her promo videos. -_- Suffice it to say I was completely taken aback by the utter idiocy of the video content. Ohhh I get it (so I thought), this is all a joke! Not so. The joke was on me for having read this.
I can just imagine how this book was born:
Friend: ‘Katherine, you are soooo good meeting European men. you should totally write a book.”
Author: “OMG! I should! Oh that is so ..like...awesome!”
The book assumes your desperate need for a European man and proceeds to generalize every nationality, provide stereotypes, uphold the stereotypes and give examples per guy type.
The only saving grace of this book are its well researched party locations tips. It provides good information as to where to party, with the addresses, sites and phone numbers.
* I received this book for free from the publisher for the purpose of a review.
When I was offered this book for a review I thought I was being offered a fictional RomCom book. I mean, with a title like that, it seemed completely plausible. Well, imagine my surprise when the book arrived and it was an actual travel book guide for meeting European Men. I resolved to give it a fair chance and proceeded to read it. Ten pages in I could not believe this... I googled the author and I stumbled upon her promo videos. -_- Suffice it to say I was completely taken aback by the utter idiocy of the video content. Ohhh I get it (so I thought), this is all a joke! Not so. The joke was on me for having read this.
I can just imagine how this book was born:
Friend: ‘Katherine, you are soooo good meeting European men. you should totally write a book.”
Author: “OMG! I should! Oh that is so ..like...awesome!”
The book assumes your desperate need for a European man and proceeds to generalize every nationality, provide stereotypes, uphold the stereotypes and give examples per guy type.
The only saving grace of this book are its well researched party locations tips. It provides good information as to where to party, with the addresses, sites and phone numbers.
* I received this book for free from the publisher for the purpose of a review.
August 22, 2017
A great Book to read..!!!
August 6, 2011
When I received the advance reader’s copy of this book, The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men, in the fall of 2010 with a request for a review, I was curious at best. I was packing to go to Europe at the time, had no interest whatsoever in pairing up with anyone—I prefer to travel alone for a list of reasons—but thought this might at least be an amusing review to write. I could bring the perspective of a single woman to it, one that enjoys travel abroad and is not averse to sharing an occasional moment in pleasant company.
Normally, out of principle, when reviewing a book, I read every page. It is long into the next summer since I received this book, but I have not been able to get past a dutiful less-than-half read. I just can’t. So there, fair disclosure, although skimming the remainder tells me that it will just be more of the same.
I’m a dyed in the wool feminist, thank you, and am all for empowering women—but this guide to picking up European men is not for any feminist I know. That claim is about as lame as calling Playboy Bunnies empowered women, when everything these women do is meticulously regulated and controlled by the club owner, usually male, down to needing permission to drape a coat over her bare shoulders when standing at the door as a greeter in the winter cold.
No, what this book does is give women a bad name (I can think of several, none of which I will post here in print) and treat men like imbeciles. Both are heavily stereotyped, and from what travels I’ve enjoyed in Europe, all inaccurate—both in descriptions of best places to hang and in descriptions of the local men.
“My girlfriend’s European man fantasy was to create her own erotic memoirs. Her goal was to have a one-night stand in every European country she visited and get laid in unique cultural landmarks. Her fantasy became a reality. Who says she didn’t study her history classes while she was abroad?” (Page 2.)
This kind of insipid commentary gets sandwiched with “flirty tips” on where to find and nab men, what to wear (show as much skin as possible), what to say, how to reel ‘em in. Of course, for the most part, the recommendation is to hit and run, although catching husbands is part of the advice, if so desired.
Here’s my thought: if feminism is about being treated as whole human beings, with respect, why should women treat men like lesser human beings? There’s a Golden Rule in there somewhere—treat others as you would wish to be treated, and if you didn’t enjoy being treated like a piece of meat, taste and discard, why treat the opposite gender that way? It’s not about sinking to the lowest common denominator.
If the reader might for a moment have the good sense to wonder about the riskiness of such behavior, the author addresses those risks this way:
“Until you are sure you can trust a guy, I’d play it safe … looking back, they asked me to warn single girls that losing control can lead to scary situations. Even my girlfriend who put the hookup stars on her European map feels that she took too many risks. She was nineteen at the time. Now that she is older, she says that if she had it to do again she would be more careful … STDs aren’t the European souvenirs single girls seek. It may seem obvious, but sleeping with random men can be dangerous … I don’t want to linger on unpleasant topics, so whatever you choose to do with the men in Europe, just be careful.” (Page 33)
And on to the next “flirty tip”: “As with your hometown hotties, only stay with guys who make you feel good.”
Okay. That’s safe and smart. (I’m still wondering how you can “trust a guy” you met only an hour ago.) And if you have a homeboy, no need to worry overmuch and don’t keep in touch too much. It might ruin your fantasy.
What else can I say? I have been blessed with memorable European romances, but I did not travel with a mission to hunt down a male of the species, or a romance. Such things happen, if they happen, while you are traveling with an authentic wish to experience a new place, meeting across cultures to find common interests, enjoying an experience that enriches both parties.
This is an unserious book at best, an ugly and cheap portrayal of both genders at worst. If you are traveling to Europe, don’t miss the scenery—the history, the architecture, the culture, the cuisine, the locals of all ages and types. This book can only put blinders on to what should be a fantastic journey.
Read
September 2, 2010Women looking for love in Europe, lend me your eyes! (And ears. Or both.) When a copy of Katherine Chloe Cahoon’s The Single Girl’s Guide To Meeting European Men landed in my hands, I was prepared to be entertained — but I wound up a little educated, too.
Part self-help book, part travel guide, Cahoon’s book is an actual field guide filled with tried-and-true tips for catching male attention in Belgium, Germany, England — anywhere within the confines of Europe. Written from the perspective of an American woman abroad, Cahoon discusses U.S. social conventions and flips them to explain the ways many international men think, operate and want to woo a woman.
And, you know. You could be that woman.
Her advice stems from personal experience. Cahoon explains,
"This book is for single girls wanting to meet desirable European men who are into them and pass by those who are not — without regret. It arose out of several semesters that my girlfriends and I spent studying in Europe. I toured more museums and was tested on more scholarly material than I can ever remember, but one of the most meaningful parts of my international major — which was not included in the official course work — was my in-depth study of and practical exams on how to meet exciting local males."
And exciting they were.
Now, full disclosure: though I’m getting ready to make a trip to the UK, I’m in no way looking to entice a man into buying me a drink — or an engagement ring. Happily in love stateside, I accepted this one for review from the author because the premise is just too good to miss.
Who doesn’t love daydreaming about guys with awesome accents?
Having a wonderful (American) boyfriend, I read Cahoon’s guide for the travel tips more than ways to flirt — but there are forty of them, and they seemed pretty logical to me. Dress to impress. Look confident and happy. Don’t be deterred by jerks. Always, always be safe — and use your head, not your heart.
Solid advice.
But The Single Girl’s Guide . . . shines for me when Cahoon breaks gentlemen down country by country, giving us a little background on the flirting and romance customs inherit in each place. For women taking a college semester to study abroad, I can see how this would be the perfect companion to your travels. “Real-life” stories about meeting men in many of the locations are included, too, along with further suggestions of where to meet certain types of guys (like, say, artsy men).
Tongue-in-cheek and written in good fun, The Single Girl’s Guide To Meeting European Men would be fun reading for young women planning trips abroad for school or recreation -- and has some fun, practical dating advice for everyone else, too.
Part self-help book, part travel guide, Cahoon’s book is an actual field guide filled with tried-and-true tips for catching male attention in Belgium, Germany, England — anywhere within the confines of Europe. Written from the perspective of an American woman abroad, Cahoon discusses U.S. social conventions and flips them to explain the ways many international men think, operate and want to woo a woman.
And, you know. You could be that woman.
Her advice stems from personal experience. Cahoon explains,
"This book is for single girls wanting to meet desirable European men who are into them and pass by those who are not — without regret. It arose out of several semesters that my girlfriends and I spent studying in Europe. I toured more museums and was tested on more scholarly material than I can ever remember, but one of the most meaningful parts of my international major — which was not included in the official course work — was my in-depth study of and practical exams on how to meet exciting local males."
And exciting they were.
Now, full disclosure: though I’m getting ready to make a trip to the UK, I’m in no way looking to entice a man into buying me a drink — or an engagement ring. Happily in love stateside, I accepted this one for review from the author because the premise is just too good to miss.
Who doesn’t love daydreaming about guys with awesome accents?
Having a wonderful (American) boyfriend, I read Cahoon’s guide for the travel tips more than ways to flirt — but there are forty of them, and they seemed pretty logical to me. Dress to impress. Look confident and happy. Don’t be deterred by jerks. Always, always be safe — and use your head, not your heart.
Solid advice.
But The Single Girl’s Guide . . . shines for me when Cahoon breaks gentlemen down country by country, giving us a little background on the flirting and romance customs inherit in each place. For women taking a college semester to study abroad, I can see how this would be the perfect companion to your travels. “Real-life” stories about meeting men in many of the locations are included, too, along with further suggestions of where to meet certain types of guys (like, say, artsy men).
Tongue-in-cheek and written in good fun, The Single Girl’s Guide To Meeting European Men would be fun reading for young women planning trips abroad for school or recreation -- and has some fun, practical dating advice for everyone else, too.
August 29, 2010
4 stars as a travel guide. 3 stars for advice on flirting and meeting men.
If you are under 35, want to meet men, and want to travel to Europe I’d recommend this.
The first 100 pages include ideas on how to flirt and give examples of how the author’s friends met guys. Smiling is important. Asking questions frequently works. A lot of it seems like common sense, but I’m sure it would provide at least a couple of ideas or reminders to someone wanting to meet men. In a separate email the author said “I’m so surprised at how uncommon common sense really is.” The goal is dating and enjoying local activities, not having sex on the first night. Personally, I would have liked more details and examples of actual conversations. This is my first self-help dating guide so I can’t compare it to others, which is why I gave it 3 stars.
The next 150 pages are actual places to go in Europe. It’s a travel guide listing nightclubs, beaches, restaurants, etc. There are some tidbits about local customs. For example, it’s preferable to wear short skirts in Irish Pubs. Irish guys think that women who wear jeans and sweaters are not interested in meeting men. In Italy, men look for “quality shoes” before they look at boobs and butts. When in Portugal, if you see a bar with the name “Bar” be careful, it may be a brothel.
REVIEWER’S MOTHERLY ADVICE TO YOUNG SINGLE WOMEN:
I am reminded of at least one documentary and a movie I saw about the sex slave trade. A young woman meets and dates a good looking guy who takes her to a nice looking house. After she goes inside, she sees armed guards. She is then kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Not speaking the language reduces her chances of escape. So you young things, travel in pairs, stay in known public places, be on guard, have good instincts, what else can I tell you? I don’t know, be careful.
DATA:
Story length: 266 pages. Copyright: 2010. Genre: self-help, dating and travel guide.
DISCLOSURE:
The author sent this book to me free of charge, requesting a review.
If you are under 35, want to meet men, and want to travel to Europe I’d recommend this.
The first 100 pages include ideas on how to flirt and give examples of how the author’s friends met guys. Smiling is important. Asking questions frequently works. A lot of it seems like common sense, but I’m sure it would provide at least a couple of ideas or reminders to someone wanting to meet men. In a separate email the author said “I’m so surprised at how uncommon common sense really is.” The goal is dating and enjoying local activities, not having sex on the first night. Personally, I would have liked more details and examples of actual conversations. This is my first self-help dating guide so I can’t compare it to others, which is why I gave it 3 stars.
The next 150 pages are actual places to go in Europe. It’s a travel guide listing nightclubs, beaches, restaurants, etc. There are some tidbits about local customs. For example, it’s preferable to wear short skirts in Irish Pubs. Irish guys think that women who wear jeans and sweaters are not interested in meeting men. In Italy, men look for “quality shoes” before they look at boobs and butts. When in Portugal, if you see a bar with the name “Bar” be careful, it may be a brothel.
REVIEWER’S MOTHERLY ADVICE TO YOUNG SINGLE WOMEN:
I am reminded of at least one documentary and a movie I saw about the sex slave trade. A young woman meets and dates a good looking guy who takes her to a nice looking house. After she goes inside, she sees armed guards. She is then kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Not speaking the language reduces her chances of escape. So you young things, travel in pairs, stay in known public places, be on guard, have good instincts, what else can I tell you? I don’t know, be careful.
DATA:
Story length: 266 pages. Copyright: 2010. Genre: self-help, dating and travel guide.
DISCLOSURE:
The author sent this book to me free of charge, requesting a review.
June 15, 2011
I'm perfectly happy with my dude, an all-American comic book nerd. So why the heck would I pick up and read "The Single Girl's Guide to Meeting European Men"? I was curious after meeting the author during a grueling writers bootcamp. Katherine is a very genuine, encouraging and truly, sincerely nice person. So full of ideas! There is no doubt more to come from this author, and the talk of a movie version of this: perfect! In fact, I hope Katherine with that sparkle in her eyes and Bridget Jones-cute-comic style has the starring role.
Readers seem to either love or hate Katherine's book. I enjoyed it. It's fun. It's a light, quick read. It's not a travel guide in the line of Rick Steves or Frommer's. It's not European literature like Umberto Eco or Albert Camus. The author never meant it to be. Katherine offers her readers several locations in Europe that are great places to meet hunky Euro-dudes. In addition there are safety tips, travel advice, and humor.
But seriously, in the U.S., as in other parts of our crazy hectic world, where single girls' go-go schedules don't leave a lot of time for play, thank God a writer is throwing them options other than online dating. Get those single girls out of their cubicles, on those planes, and headed for adventure! Maybe by doing so, a girl will meet their dream guy in addition to seeing some beautiful European sights, and as a plus the global economy will get a boost!
Readers seem to either love or hate Katherine's book. I enjoyed it. It's fun. It's a light, quick read. It's not a travel guide in the line of Rick Steves or Frommer's. It's not European literature like Umberto Eco or Albert Camus. The author never meant it to be. Katherine offers her readers several locations in Europe that are great places to meet hunky Euro-dudes. In addition there are safety tips, travel advice, and humor.
But seriously, in the U.S., as in other parts of our crazy hectic world, where single girls' go-go schedules don't leave a lot of time for play, thank God a writer is throwing them options other than online dating. Get those single girls out of their cubicles, on those planes, and headed for adventure! Maybe by doing so, a girl will meet their dream guy in addition to seeing some beautiful European sights, and as a plus the global economy will get a boost!
August 26, 2010
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Single Girl's Guide. At first I thought it was a memoir, then a novel, then a collection of stories. Turns out it is actually a guide book for meeting European men! Yes ladies, there is hope for all of you American women who are tired of American men and want someone foreign.
Because I wasn't quite sure what to expect from TSGG, I can't really say it met or fell below my expectations. It was interesting (some of the stories were pretty funny!), There was definitely some good advice… but keep in mind that I'm certainly not the dating professional to ask (It's me remember?… the one who is having her father arrange her marriage? yes, I'm serious.) so I can't really tell you how well the advice will work. I will say that most of the "attention grabbers" are somewhat familiar to what has happened to me in the past, and I will say that through reading the stories, Cahoon seems like she knows what she's talking about.
This book is also a great travel guide. There are places to go, hours and phone numbers, and specific people's names mentioned to enhance your European adventure.
Because I wasn't quite sure what to expect from TSGG, I can't really say it met or fell below my expectations. It was interesting (some of the stories were pretty funny!), There was definitely some good advice… but keep in mind that I'm certainly not the dating professional to ask (It's me remember?… the one who is having her father arrange her marriage? yes, I'm serious.) so I can't really tell you how well the advice will work. I will say that most of the "attention grabbers" are somewhat familiar to what has happened to me in the past, and I will say that through reading the stories, Cahoon seems like she knows what she's talking about.
This book is also a great travel guide. There are places to go, hours and phone numbers, and specific people's names mentioned to enhance your European adventure.
January 28, 2013
I laughed a lot when reading this, but I do jot think I was supposed to. The overall impression I had from this book was that having money and looks will help you snag a man in Europe.
Though an entertaining read, I could never shake the feeling that the reader was being instructed to use men. The writer said she was worried about leading on men, but that's what this whole book felt like.
As far as guides go, it needs a little help. Even with some mentions of a need for safety, I never truly felt that a proper explanation was given. I also wondered how much money living the writer's lifestyle would cost.
Though an entertaining read, I could never shake the feeling that the reader was being instructed to use men. The writer said she was worried about leading on men, but that's what this whole book felt like.
As far as guides go, it needs a little help. Even with some mentions of a need for safety, I never truly felt that a proper explanation was given. I also wondered how much money living the writer's lifestyle would cost.
January 13, 2013
Great! Loved it. See, I do read some fun books!
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