A great collection of essays on a vital discussion topic in our culture! I learned a lot and felt seen in this book.

DATEABLE is a carefully-crafted dating guide that examines dating through the disabled lens, by way of personal essays and observations. The two featured authors do well to include a variety of perspectives and experiences on the subject, that will appeal to disabled and able-bodied readers alike. It’s a worth a personal read for anyone involved in today’s dating culture, and an informational read for anyone outside of it.
Thank you to Hachette Books for providing a copy for advanced review.

An unflinching look at the reality of navigating today;-'s dating culture while living with a chronic disability. Definitely informative and useful.

I am going to provide a review of this for ArtsFuse magazine...should be out sometime in late June, early July.

(I got an ARC of this through NetGalley – it will be out July 9.) I saw a promo post for Dateable a month or so ago online, and immediately knew it was something that I wanted to read. It’s a book that is sorely needed – looking at dating through a disabled lens. Part dating advice for younger disabled people, part cathartic read for older disabled people, it covers all things intersectional between dating and disability in our current app-based dating age. It covers safety while dating, self-worth and abuse in disabled relationships, and many of the logistical challenges that come along with dating while living a disabled life. The book goes into this, but there’s very little out there for disabled people to read or look to when it comes to dating and relationships, and I’m SO glad this book exists!

Dateable is a must read for all people of dating age. For those who are disabled, this book helps to share relatable stories and provide hope and advice for those wanting to navigate the dating world. For able bodied readers, this book provides a perspective on what others are thinking about and experiencing in the world of dating.

Immediately the book grabs you with stories from the authors, both disabled individuals, as they were each rejected by a person they were dating purely as a result of their disability. This sets you up to understand their experience and really does a fantastic job of making you want to continue to read.

Throughout the book the authors share their experiences as well as stories from many other disabled individuals. They are very upfront about where their perspective comes from and they work to share stories from individuals from many other perspectives.

Touching on Asexuality, Ethical Non-Monogamy, Breakups, Caregiving, and personal safety among other topics, this book does an incredible job of truly exploring a wide range of information and experiences around dating as a disabled individual.

No nonsense in the best way, DATEABLE dives into all the hard but sadly true topics of ableism related to “dating while disabled.” But it also brings hope and possibility, shedding light on the ways to make it easier on oneself while in the process. Each chapter added a helpful new perspective. I’d love to see more books like this!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

DNF @ 55%

I will be very eager to try this as an audiobook once it exists. As a written book, I think there was a lack of clarity and editing about who the audience is (disabled people? nondisabled people? both?) which made it hard to follow. I think the content is very important though and I hope to finish it in a format that works for me. And I will definitely share the book.

At first, I thought the book, being written by authors with disabilities that were primarily physical and visible (and who were white, cis, and straight/passing) would not be relevant for me and my neurodivergent and mad communities, whose primary disabilities are invisible (and who are also BIPOC and queer/trans). I thought it was still insightful as a glimpse into other lives that I've not experienced first hand. The authors' voices are warm and humorous, making it easy and fun to read. However, when I came across this, I felt so seen I cried:
"You will need a partner who can care for you. But what you don't see yet is that you will also care for them. You are wise and thoughtful and loyal. In some ways, the life you offer to a partner is small, but in others, it's beautiful and expansive. If you find someone who cannot recognize that, it's not because you aren't enough; it's because they don't yet understand. It's not your job to stick around until they do."
What I wish this book further elaborated on, is how to navigate mutual caretaking in relationships where both partners are disabled. The caretaking chapter mostly talked about interabled relationships, where one partner is disabled and the other is not. But in neurodivergent communities (as a result of double empathy), both partners are often disabled, and must navigate needing to provide each other care while having limited spoons themselves.
Overall, this is a book I will be returning to and recommending in my peer support and disability justice work.