Once in a rare while, an author shares real life experiences-not those descriptions of perfectly built and beautiful people with predictable outcomes, but everyday situations the average person can identify with. Encounters is that book. Author Jean L. Croyle based this richly humorous journal on her own dating life experiences as well as on those told to her by friends, family and acquaintances. There were too many for one novel but she chose the most heartfelt ones to share with her readers. Encounters will bring the reader into the often maddening, sometimes laughable and occasionally bittersweet times the single person lives while trying to make a life connection. Then, after group discussions, book clubs and other public arenas where Encounters is spoken of, the reader will find a quiet place and read it all over again. For inside each of us is a Tessa of sorts, complete with unique memories and heartaches. It simply feels good to relive the ups and downs the dating life offers.