I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

Plus One Plus None is a slightly comical book about being single in your 40s. I had hoped there would be more humor linked into this book honestly. There was so much potential. It just fell a tad flat for me.

Nice feel good book. It flowed very well. was easy to read. Nice characters. Good storyline. What’s not to love.

Not what I expected.

I was promised: "an insightful, funny and straight-shooting narrative". Well, I didn't find the narrative insightful or funny and I'm at a loss what it was shooting straight at. It's the rather dull musings of a single woman that's happy with her life but not OK with being single. (Although near the end she says she is, after 15 years of dating-failures.)

It didn't help that many of the anecdotes or insights were accompanied by "LOL", "Wahaha" or "Waa". This was supposedly the narrative of a 42-year old. If she can't write like a grown-up, what makes her think she's mature enough for an adult relationship?

I was sort of expecting a book along the lines of Inappropriate Men by Stacey Ballis, which I didn't think was a good book either, but still better than this. There's 4.5 pages on how scammers on online dating sites work. And that's without mentioning that the dating site itself could be scamming you.

I guess if I want to read about a woman not being able to meet the right guy, I prefer it to be an actual story, with plot and dialogue. And actual humour.

Definitely not a "must-read for single women in their late-20s, 30s and 40s".

I admit it, I fell for this book cover hard. It looked like a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy, just what I needed for a weekend read.
Unfortunately, that is not this book. First, the main character may have been meant to be awkward, but instead felt like she had social problems where she wan't able to understand social situations. Then, the most off-putting part, the constant use of "LOL". As in every paragraph.

Did not like.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

Life lessons of being single - honestly, I read this and I wondered what I'd do if Zita was my friend other than possibly whacking her upside the head a couple of times. This read half funny, half really really whiny and self-absorbed, and just didn't land with me.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as others might, but there was very little technically wrong with the writing - it was a bit overwrought for me at points, but it's not a bad thing if that's how you like your books. It's not exactly the challenging book I thought it was going to be going into it, and to be honest, but I did think about some of the things she wrote about.

This wasn't quite what I expected it to be. Lots of anecdotes (of mixed success from funny to eh??) and a monologue about the trials and tribulations of dating as a single introverts. I"m not sure if it was my expectations of something different or not but this book just didn't enthrall me.

As a "plus none" myself when I saw this title I was immediately intrigued. The book wasn't exactly what I expected. There were many pieces I could relate- especially the first chapter when she talks about her belief about the linear path for life. I was thinking- yes, somehow else thought that too! Also I enjoy her idea about having a DWIC- or do it while you can list, taking responsibility for your life and going after what you want. While I did enjoy some of her stories and mishaps while navigating the relationships it seemed a little negative at times. Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I rather liked this story and the way the story was told by the narrator - who seemed to be somewhere on the spectrum, but determined to live as normal a life as she could.
However, I do have some criticisms -one of which was on every page and nearly every statement - the use of LOL. Not only is this very outdated in terms of current language use, but it really irritated by the time it was repeated and repeated and repeated. 905 of these should have been cut out.
The bit about prayers was not for me and in my opinion seemed not to fit the the general trajectory of the story. Which led to the final chapter. Oh dear. Where did this come from? It turned into a self-help book. Which was not what it originally appeared to be, but reading the author’s comments it clearly was. This really reduced my admiration for the story as it turned each chapter on its head and even though it was not aimed at me, it felt too prescriptive as a self-help book.
So my star rating zoomed down to a 2.

I understand what the author was trying to unravel with this story but I found it too negative for my liking.

Not what I was expecting. I was hoping for a more positive spin on life being single. I did enjoy her stories and mishaps while navigating the relationship world. I did not prefer the lists she provides throughout the book of things you can do for yourself. I would have preferred hearing about more stories and lessons learned.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy to review.

After reading an advanced copy of Plus One Plus None, I spent some time reflecting on this book. Emica Mao does a great job of making this book practical and relatable for single women. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading, but it ended up being a fantastic, easy to read book. I am thankful to NetGalley for connecting me with authors I’ve never read before.

Check this out, Emica always wanted to write a book and after eons of distractions and experiencing life, she finally did, and it’s an interesting outlook on being single, staying single or simply put, wanting to put your best foot forward and reaping positive results.

4 important lessons that stood out for me from Emica’s life:

1. Write your own Do-While-I-Can list and pursue those things. I’d love to follow through on some of the things I have always wanted to do and traveling is one of them and since I am still single, I will definitely do this.

2. Take responsibility for your actions. If you are accountable then it’s the first step in being in-charge and having a clear perspective on the course your life is taking.

3. If you really want something to happen in your life, you have to make it happen. Like go out on dates to meet people.

4. Live the life you want to live.

I love books that are personal and you get an inkling of the author’s voice. This book is a fun and encouraging read. And for the record, I got to read this book courtesy of Netgalley- isn’t it amazing how they almost know what I need to read and when?