So... This is Awkward (ePub)

Harry Newhouse, a scientist, Oxford graduate, and general nerd, moves to New York and sets his sights on finding the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately he is not very good at girls, or cities, or America for that matter, and this book follows his bizarre journey as he dives down the rabbit hole of online dating.

Things quickly spiral out of control when he makes the surprising discovery that quite a lot of girls want to be tied up and spanked, and that he also quite enjoys tying them up and spanking them. Harry re-tells the funniest and sexiest highlights of his kinky dating adventures, presenting his stories in an honest and non-idealised fashion (with plenty of English self deprecation thrown in too). Composed entirely of true stories this book also tackles some of the prejudices and myths that surround the subject of BDSM, and provides interesting snapshots of the diverse personalities that Harry encounters on his adventures.

Through a process of trial and error, (emphasis on the error), Harry becomes more adept at seducing ladies who want to fulfil their submissive fantasies. Distilled from over forty different dates these stories contain a few life lessons that are hard to sum up in any dating self-help guide. Despite some success with the ladies, the true romantic connection that Harry craves proves to be a lot harder to tie down, and require skills that aren't printed in any bondage manual.

His many dates drive Harry to explore the city's many different neighbourhoods, and eventually he begins to feel at home wandering down New York's steaming avenues. As we follow his twists and turns it often seems like the girl of his dreams is hovering just around the next corner, but will he ever catch up with her in time?

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This book is a comic memoir with frequent descriptions of sex. It tries to paint an honest picture of Harry's own particular brand of insecurity and the strange evolution of his masculinity, and also introduce some of the diverse and non-stereotypical range of people that are attracted to kink. This book should be a good reference for anyone dating in this age of tinder, okcupid, and fetlife, and also show everyone that, however weird they may consider themselves, they're really not as alone as they might feel.