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0.5 ⭐️. If I could give this book zero stars, I would. Going into this book, I really thought it was right up my alley -- a young thirty-something navigating online dating and running into a true crime adventure. Everything about this book was WRONG.

From the jump, something felt off about these characters. We open up at a bachelorette/ hen party where the main character is "celebrating" her best friend's upcoming nuptials. She is supposedly the maid of honor for a friend whom she has been close with for years and years...yet she is questioning everything about the upcoming marriage and dips out of the bachelorette early. Throughout the book, she asks her best friend "are you really sure, no really, are you sure you want to marry this man?" It's just not how supportive friends talk. A GOOD FRIEND would care about their best friend more than this main character is.

As I continue reading, everything about this main character's actions and thoughts around dating seemed "off" -- she goes on a million and a half dates, references herself as being a "manic pixie girl" in her former relationship, and sleeps with the first person who gives her a little bit of attention. Then I looked into the author more and everything clicked into place...the author is a man using a vague author name (presumably to hide the fact that this book about female dating is written by the very type of person the main character is DATING).. The author allegedly went on a number of dates and used various dating apps as "research" for this book....but it's obvious he didn't learn anything.

The only characters that actually had any dimension were the MEN whom the main character went on dates with. Please see some excerpts from the book that (I think were meant to be ~satire~ but actually read as the author's inner monologue -- his true thoughts):

-- "I love women," he says. "And by love, I actually mean respect. I'm actually really pissed that my latest screenplay doesn't pass the Bechdel test. Granted it's an arbitrary bar to judge by, and my work has some feminist theme in it that are hopefully a little more deep-rooted than that, but I do worry about it.

-- " I mean, the characters are all women, of course, which was really refreshing to write. They're all fighting over the same man, a rather dashing chap names Jeb. It really helped me write the female struggle. --- I MEAN WHAT!!!!!!

-- "You think it's not my place, as a man, to tell these women's stories. You're quite right, we've heard enough male voices now. Time to let women have a go. Now, normally, I'd totally agree, but I really think this might be my best work, so maybe we could make an exception for little old me?" -- BRO, WHAT! Are we supposed to APPLAUD you to RECOGNIZING this? and YET you STILL wrote a book centering women & the female perspective of dating with this SH!!T peppered into it?

I'm so over this book. It was such a waste and this author should NEVER write about women again.


(t/y to NetGalley & Galley/Scout Press for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review)