Most of my adult life, I have spent trying to avoid the same abusive relationships from my past but "bullying" is a theme that I can't seem to shake.

I really want good, positive people in my life but I seem to attract the opposite. When I meet a stranger (male or female), I usually start out great but eventually will miss some social cue or fail to recognize important body language, etc.

I'm either really intimidated because I find the person attractive and want to know them or if I feel they are not a threat and am too open, revealing too much information about myself.

99% of the time, I can't tell if that person is really connecting with me and this usually leads to bullying. It starts out very subtle with sly remarks or impoliteness escalates to verbal abuse and manipulation.

I'm so frustrated that now I avoid making new friends and only socialize with family members and people they know because I'm such a poor judge of character.

Any advice? Is there a book or something that can help?