Story for the Week
The world of dating apps as described in the book below feels accurate based on what Corinne seems to be experiencing. “A lawless wasteland of incels and perverts, of older men looking for younger models, of men with kids who wanted women ‘without baggage.’”
Corinne recently started a private Snapchat story calling the dating apps the dark web. 🤣 She regularly posts pictures of guys who swipe right on her profile that she wouldn’t dream of swiping right on herself. Sometimes she includes commentary, and all of them get blocked. The longer she’s on the apps, the more she wonders what goes through a guy’s mind when he creates a profile. Even more, what goes through his mind when he thinks Corinne will swipe back? I see it said a lot and think it more and more often: Men are not lonely enough.
Now I’m not saying there aren’t any decent guys on the apps. That would be pretty hypocritical of me considering I met Dennis in a chat room and Rodolfo met his girlfriend (who is amazing, by the way) on Facebook Dating. But the majority of guys seem to be bad matches.
Let’s start with the fish pics (or hunting in general). What on earth do guys think appeals to women about a guy holding a dead animal? Honestly, I would think a guy with a dog or a cat would be way more attractive. I used to enjoy fishing with my dad when I was a kid. You come home stinking of fish, and there isn’t anything appealing about that!
Extra kudos, I guess, to the guy whose entire profile is fish pics. I mean, at least you know you’re going to be a fishing widow when he says that you’ll find him fishing every day after work. At least you know what to expect.
Then there are the guys who post some of the most bizarre pictures and comments. I am constantly blown away by what men think will make a woman say yes to a match with them. Corinne’s commentary on two of them is highlighted in yellow. The last one doesn’t even really need commentary. Just…yuk. And I’m not saying there isn’t a match for them on the apps somewhere. But one look at Corinne’s profile will tell them she is not it.
When she does match with someone, the next step should be some sort of conversation. The goal is to get to know one another…or so it should be. But some of them show their true intentions pretty quickly and also become immediate blocks. Because again…yuk.
Finally, there are the profiles where you have to just shake your head and wonder what they were thinking. Because really? I cannot think of a single reason that a woman would be attracted to a man who posts a picture of himself literally with his pants down and sitting on the toilet. I know long-term couples who won’t use the bathroom in front of their spouses. But somehow some guy on a dating app thinks a woman wants to see him from this angle in this position in this room. 🤦♀️
I am eternally grateful that I found my husband when I did and that he was normal…at least by these standards. And I am even more grateful that I am comfortable enough being alone that I don’t feel the need to get back out into the dating world. Because…no. Just no.
I have heard it and said it myself and will say it again and repeat it as many times as necessary: Men are not lonely enough. I agree with Corinne. The dating apps are very dark…“a lawless wasteland of incels and perverts.”
Here’s hoping Corinne eventually finds a light in the darkness.
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh
413 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
I received an advance copy of this title from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley.
Publisher’s Description
He has a secret. She knows he’s lying….
Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She’s been here before.
When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman, and she’s determined to catch him in the act.
But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can’t explain himself. The house has become a crime scene…Jamie is dead.
YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE
YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUST
YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK.
************
Main Characters:
- Nadeeka Prasanna – divorced from Scott, mom to nine-year-old Maya and six-year-old Nish, Jamie moved in with her and the girls six months ago, works in recruiting for Echelon Warehousing, worried that Jamie is cheating on her
- Lauren Caldwell – Detective Chief Inspector from major crime, took over the department six months prior after five years in counterterrorism, assigned to investigate Jamie’s death, engaged to Fraser who also works in major crime, their wedding is in a couple of months
- Scott Hadley – Nadeeka’s ex-husband, they divorced three years prior after he cheated, currently living with a new girlfriend, hates Jamie and the fact that he moved in with Nadeeka and the girls
- Jamie Golding – met Nadeeka through a dating app 10 months prior while he was in town for a conference, moved in with her and her daughters after he was made redundant at his job, got a job near Nadeeka as a health and safety inspector for a construction company
- Fraser Hogan – Detective Sergeant in Lauren’s unit, they are super careful about keeping their work and home lives separate, very involved and helpful with the wedding planning
- Kenric Fennell, Matt Draper, Sonya Marston, Bahnaz McDonnell – Detective Constables who work with Lauren and Fraser in major crime
- Jules Stratman – Detective Inspector who took over Lauren’s role on the counterterrorism unit
- Carrie Finder – works with Jamie as the head of People and Culture
- Adam Bennington – Jamie’s boss’s boss
One of the things I love about Clare Mackintosh is her ability to write strong female lead characters. I started with her DC Ffion Morgan series (I Love Your Accent…No, I Love YOUR Accent!, When You Realize You Have an Adult Child, When You Confuse Wales and Ireland🤦♀️😕). I hope It’s Not What You Think launches several books featuring DCI Lauren Caldwell.
Mackintosh does a great job of switching points of view to keep the action going. She reveals just enough to keep your interest piqued before switching to something else, and that is exactly the type of thriller writing that keeps people reading well into the night when they should be sleeping. And the closer I came to the end of the book, the more I wanted to finish even faster because I wanted to know how everything was going to be resolved.
I’m not going to give anything away here because the title is accurate…it’s not what you think. And frankly, I think it’s better than you imagine as the story develops.
Mackintosh divides the story into six parts. We start Part One with Nadeeka rushing home to catch Jamie in the act of cheating. What greets her, however, is a police car in the driveway and Jamie has been killed. The first part of the book details the start of the investigation and Nadeeka trying to figure out how to break the news of Jamie’s death to her girls, who have really just started to warm up to him.
Part Two introduces Lauren. Smart, dedicated, respected, empathetic, Lauren gets the best out of her team. She and Fraser keep a strict separation between their home and personal lives. It’s clear the team doesn’t feel that Lauren gives Fraser any preferential treatment. They work hard for her, and the loyalty goes both ways. Lauren is the quintessential investigator and main character.
Part Three reverts to Nadeeka. When the evidence starts to imply that Jamie is not the person Nadeeka thought he was, Nadeeka is determined to prove that the man she fell in love with was the real Jamie. And by the time we get to Part Four, Mackintosh gives us the real view into Jamie by telling the story from his point of view up to the point when he dies. Part Five goes back to Lauren when she starts to really figure things out.
For the final Part Six, the points of view alternate between several characters as everything comes to light. This is where we, as readers, start to be able to put everything together. Mackintosh’s experience as a police officer clearly helps her write her thrillers. When I realized what she was revealing…. Wow! And she solidifies Lauren as a potential series lead character.
Another fantastic thriller by Clare Mackintosh. You won’t be disappointed.
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