Book Review: The City of Dating by Stevie Bowen

Disclosure: I was given this book in exchange for this post. All opinions here are my own.

Written by a fashion director residing in New York City, The City of Dating discusses, well, dating.

With minimal dialogue, this book reads less conversational and more so like letters to author Stevie Bowen’s former flings. Each lover receives a moniker dubbed by the dating experience or a characteristic (ex. Skator Boy) and the chapter concludes with one for the author as well (ex. Avril Lavigne). This gives an intimate feel to the book while simutaneously offering relatable scenarios for “situationships”.

There is nostalgia sprinkled throughout as well. Discussions of going to a frat party and getting heels stuck on the sticky floor will definitely stir up memories for those who went away to college. However, the timeline of these chapters were a bit confusing to me. There was a mention of drinking White Claw one year after collegiate graduation (pg. 81), yet Bowen mentioned attending school before Uber’s existence (From pg. 29: “Since it was still the early 2010s, Uber was not yet a thing”). White Claw was not yet invented until 2016.

Timeline haziness aside, The City of Dating is an easy, short read. One of the pros of this book is that although the primary theme is the ups and downs of dating in New York City, the emphasis is on strong female friendship. Ultimately, Bowen’s friends remained more consistent in her life than any of her flings. In a sense, this book is more of an ode to great friendship than romance, or lack thereof.

Order The City of Dating here.