I Was Blind (Dating), But Now I See, by Stephanie Rische

June’s book review is on I Was Blind (Dating), But Now I See: My Misadventures in Dating, Waiting, and Stumbling into Love, by Stephanie Rische (2016.)

At the NCWA Renewal Conference in May, I took a workshop called Memoir Writing from Stephanie Rische. As soon as I heard about her book, I downloaded a sample on my Kindle. Later, I read a couple of pages and ordered a paperback to share with a friend.

I Was Blind (Dating), but Now I See,
by Stephanie Rische

Although I finished dating when I got married years ago, I was curious about today’s dating and particularly blind dating among Christians.

As far as I remember, I had only one blind date. Seems he noticed me on campus and asked a friend for my name, so maybe it wasn’t a true blind date. Anyway, when he asked me out for pizza, I accepted.

On our date, he smiled a lot, made small talk, and asked interesting questions, which was nice. Not bad-looking, he was a tad bit nervous, but so was I. Who wouldn’t be?

The thing that sticks in my mind is that during dinner he listed the qualifications of a Lutheran’s pastor’s wife! Yes, he was planning to attend seminary. (Nothing like being up front, I always say.) But there were zero sparks. I got bored, and I think he did, too.

I hadn’t remembered that date until I was reading Stephanie’s book. Turns out that her descriptions of eight blind dates take maybe ten percent of the 293 pages. The rest contains the best part: her commentary on what she was learning along the way about herself, God, men, and life, including how to attend friends’ weddings and baby showers with grace and joy.

Who Would Like This Book
The book was a quick and satisfying read. I’d recommend it to women who are starting to date, in the midst of dating, who’ve given up dating, who are married, or have been married. It’s also for women who enjoy devotionals. You won’t be disappointed. Stephanie writes with candor, insight, respect, and lots of humor.

Posted on June 7, 2016