From “the most entertaining chronicler of nice guy romance since Nick Hornby” (A.J. Jacobs), a memoir about an unexpected break-up, one self-imposed year of being single, and how a “nice guy” survived dating in the twenty-first century.
Matteson Perry is a Nice Guy. He remembers birthdays, politely averts his eyes on the subway, and enjoys backgammon. A serial monogamist, he’s never asked a stranger out. But when the girl he thought might be The One dumps him, he decides to turn his life around. He comes up with The Plan: 1. Be single for a year. 2. Date a lot of women. 3. Hurt no one’s feelings. He’s not out to get revenge, or to become a pickup artist; he just wants to disrupt his pattern, have some fun, and discover who he is. A quick-witted Everyman, Perry throws himself into the modern world of courtship and digital dating, only to discover that even the best-laid plans won’t necessarily get you laid. Over the course of a year he dated almost thirty different women, including a Swedish tourist, a former high school crush, a born-again virgin, a groupie, an actress, a lesbian, and a biter.
In Available, award-winning storyteller Matteson Perry “illuminates dating” (Bustle) bringing us into the inner sanctum of failed pick-up lines, uncomfortable courtships, awkward texts, and self-discovery, charting the highs and lows of single life and the lessons he learned along the way. A charming and personal story about a guy and a girl—and twenty-nine other girls—Available is the ultimate real-life rom-com “a thoughtful, interesting, and most of all, funny memoir about relationships, filled with universal feelings but unique stories” (Justin Halpern, Sh*t My Dad Says).