This book of short stories was dripping with twenty something angst, so you really have to be in the mood for it. That said it was a quick and easy read. ( )

These stories are mostly about young women in their mid-20s to early 30s adrift in their current relationships or stuck in the past and unable to move forward. For that reason, my initial feeling about the stories was - not for me.

However, Moment's Later was such a striking story that I went back and read everything again, this time, really enjoying the language and the subtleties of the stories, especially the linked stories about the three siblings in a highly dysfunctional family.

The stories do capture a very particular time in a person's life - and there is a sameness to the collection but Doyle does write extraordinarily well about uncertainty and blindspots.

I'm, glad I gave these a second chance and am curious about what Doyle will do next.
I appreciate the publisher sending me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

This collection of stories, takes a look at the lives of young women. Most of them are adrift, trying to find a foothold in the adult world and trying to shake off their youthful past. I really could not connect with most of these stories, possibly because I am a male reader or maybe it just wasn’t the right time to read this particular set of stories. ( )

With a few bursts of beauty and insight, the stories in I Meant It Once quickly become repetitive. There's clearly a lot of heart and soul in this book - it begins to seem like a significant amount of it is at least somewhat autobiographical - but with every story in the collection about a young woman grappling with complicated feeling about family, friends, and romance, the details tend to blur together after a time. This isn't helped by the fact that many of the details are the same from story to story - names, places, and themes. That's not to say that there is nothing to like here, by no means. A few of the stories - "this is the way things are now", "moments earlier", and "hello it's you", notably - are captivating, both in form and narrative. As a writer, Kate Doyle seems to have a lot of promise, but for much of the length of this book that promise isn't quite there yet.
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I received a free copy of "I Meant It Once" as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great collection of short stories (some with repeat characters from earlier shots). It's an easy read, but emotionally rich. The primary voices are young women, still in the process of "becoming," or reflecting on those moments. Beautiful writing, slightly melancholy but always relatable and real. The author's style allows bits of character to unfold in an interesting way. One of my favorite aspects of the Early Reviewers program is the exposure it gives me to authors I might never have discovered on my own. I definitely hope to see more from this author. At least 4 stars for this one. ( )