To Venus and Back

One Man's Quest to Rediscover Love

By: Turner Grant

Narrated by: Nick Gallagher

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Two years after the unexpected death of his wife, Turner Grant was ready to consider love once more. Yet everything had changed, and he soon found himself adrift in the digital-dating world.

At age 51, Turner Grant became a widower and single parent to his twin boys. Deep in grief, he often found daily routines difficult, and his work arduous. But after two years, Turner embarked on a journey to find his future, both in life and love. What Turner discovered shocked him.

After tentative steps into the shallow dating waters, he was quickly immersed in a deep ocean filled with unexpected riptides and crosscurrents within a digital-dating universe that didn’t exist when he last dated decades earlier. In three years, he met 54 single, middle-aged women who took him to a totally different world—Venus. It was a journey—a journey that’s, well...complicated.

©2023 Stones River LLC (P)2023 Stones River LLC

WTF? Right there with you.

Full disclosure: This is not the kind of book I would ever have picked up on my own, but I know the author, got a free copy, and had followed his journey in writing this, so I really wanted to hear the final product.

First off, the narrator does a tremendous job bringing Turner and his inner voices to life. Aside from accents, the women all blend together, but in some ways that is appropriate for this memoir. There were plenty of times the narrator gave a WTF, and I was right there with him.

I applaud the openness of this book. Not many people could put themselves out there like Turner does, emotionally, and physically. I feel for the author, and some of the women, especially knowing how it all ends. I appreciate that he is honest about his desires, and doesn't try to sugar-coat his impressions of women. He is brutally honest, as are some of the women.
There are some points where I wish I could have been there to interpret the woman-speak side of things for him, but in the end, it doesn't matter. It is a unique male perspective on the dating world that is hard to find.

An Amazing Story - Dating from an Intelligent Man’s Perspective

An honest appraisal of middle age dating from a man’s perspective with Turner Grant’s story and it's eye opening. So many emotions. Grant's vulnerability shines through as he shares the challenges he faced in his pursuit of love after the sudden and unexpected death of his wife of 20 years. His honesty and sincerity made me feel like a trusted confidant, allowing me to connect with his experiences on a profound level. Through his introspection, Grant demonstrates that love is not only about finding a partner but also about rediscovering oneself and embracing vulnerability. I can highly recommend To Venus and Back.

Interesting and entertaining

This book is an funny, entertaining, and heartfelt account of a middle aged man’s journey through online dating. Complete with over the top women, snippets of actual conversations, and the male perspective of events, this book is a unique take on dating culture

Honest and Funny

Nick Gallagher does a great job narrating, “To Venus and Back.” It was easy to listen to his smooth, conversational voice with just the right amount of expression.

Turner Grant is still reeling, two years after the unexpected passing of his wife. At his mother-in-law’s urging, he decides to pursue online dating.

“To Venus and Back” is a thoughtful memoir of a man trying to, “get back out there” and hopefully find love again. He chronicles the ensuing two years with humor, candor and self reflection ( and some sex.) He dates dozens of women with varying degrees of success but is always kind, even in recounting time spent with a few obnoxious and desperate women.

This is a raw, entertaining and unique memoir, written from the male perspective. Highly recommend.