I've had this on my TBR pile for ages because I really loved the idea of it and now I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It's BRILLIANT! A total must read for every woman - and man to be honest - out there. It's a serious subject told with such humour and lightness, yet at no point does it ever become disrespectful. Quite the opposite in fact.

This really should be required reading for anyone and everyone who is online. Although I suppose it means that the time I was friend requested by Tom Hardy wasn't the man himself after all and I shall go off and sob quietly in a corner. Still, at least he didn't ask me to transfer over thousands to fund his latest movie while he nurses his beloved pet dog back from its death bed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC without obligation.

I knew of Becky Holmes prior to reading this nonfiction novel due to her presence on Twitter.

I enjoyed the mix of humour and serious tones of this book in exploring online romance fraud and scams.

It was interesting to learn about the origins of these type of scams and how they often be a cover up for more serious crime.

The victims stories were really upsetting as you could sense their vulnerability and embarrassment at being conned into giving over their life savings.

I like to think I’m quite switched on so the advice for recognising a scammer wasn’t really helpful to me but would be invaluable to the right audience.

Really enjoyable (and hilarious) read! It broaches a very serious topic with the respect the victims deserve - all hilarity is solely aimed at the perpetrators of these scams. Hilarious.

This is an interesting, approachable overview on online romance scams that I think would most benefit middle-age to older readers lacking the online literacy to recognize the types of profiles and tactics used by scammers. For those people, this book does educate on the red flags to look out for to avoid these scams. The author discovered romance scammers when she joined Twitter during the pandemic, and she quickly built a following on the platform sharing her interactions baiting the scammers. She uses a lot of those conversations in the book along with other personal anecdotes and interviews with victims and various experts to explore this type of fraud.

Even though I do not believe I was the target audience for this book, I did still learn some things. In particular, the origins of these scams overseas, the efforts to stop these crimes, and the stories from the victims gave me an expanded knowledge on this topic.

This is not a heavily-researched, well-sourced, detailed book by an expert, as much as I wanted it to be at times. The author admits to not believing in the statistics on this topic, not having the background needed to discuss certain key aspects of it, and not sourcing a lot of the material in the book. It is victim-biased almost to a fault, which is especially frustrating as the author does get into the human trafficking behind these scams. Some of the author’s sexual humor is off-putting. However, I do have to give the author props for writing this at all as there are few books on this topic, and I do think this could help someone avoid being scammed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

A funny and short read about a surprising yet serious topic - online romance fraud. Inspired by some of her own encounters and experiences, the author takes a deep dive into the world of romance scams, from those scamming people out of money to others impersonating celebrities (Keanu Reeves being a popular choice despite it being well-known that he’s not on social media). It’s a subject that can be easy to victim blame and judge but the author looks at how quickly these scammers get to work and how many regular folks can fall victim and are usually targeted because of their genuine kindness and willingness to help others.
Eye-opening, this book is a good read exploring some of the worst of the shady corners of the internet, while bringing advice on how to protect yourself from scams.
Thank you to Unbound for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fantastic read! While the title caught my attention, the manuscript kept me reading. I never realized online romance scams were such a big issue, but from this read, I realize they are, at least in Europe. The way Becky Holmes writes through her experiences and others kept me reaching for more and made me aware of an issue that I could potentially face in the future. It's a systemic problem, and now she's helping get it out there, but in a fun and digestible way.

A quirky twist on a very real problem-online romantic fraud or as the kids say-catfishing. In a world of lonely people, who are searching for meaningful connections online, it's a both cautionary tale and helpful guide detailing some tips for spotting fraudsters. Informative and hysterical!

This quick look at romance fraud was entertaining and somewhat informative. The author is compassionate toward the victims and does a good job showing why some people fall into these scams despite their otherwise good sense.

The author is snarky and funny. A lot of her references are British and unfamiliar to me. I did enjoy the excerpts from her conversations with her attempted scammers, especially the photos.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased a copy for my library and will share in various groups.

I delved into this book with intrigue, having been contacted several times by 'US military personnel' who coincidentally all happened to be widowers.

Recounting her own personal experiences, I was roaring with the highly imaginative and hilarious conversations that played the scammers at their own game, but bigger and brighter. To get blocked by a scammer is something to aim for. (I particularly loved the plumber pic 😂)

But there is a serious side to this book, and the victims accounts are nothing to laugh about. The financial, emotional and even physical effects of romance fraud should not be minimised.

And the increasingly sophisticated and sinister nature of scammers is terrifying.

Leaving the reader with advice and suggestions for better support across all services, this is a cautionary tale. And also, let's be compassionate to victims instead of being cruel. These kind souls are guilty only of being vulnerable and seeing the good in people. Let's unite against those who would harm us, and support those in need of kindness more than ever.

A book about online scams and romance fraud. Despite being very funny I parts, it's also a sad book detailing how people have fallen victim to these scams. Pretty sure we've all read headlines of a romance scam and thought 'how could you have believed that was real?' this book highlights how vulnerable people are taken advantage of. People don't get scammed because they're stupid, they get scammed as they believe in something .

It's a hard-hitting, perhaps heart-wrenching truth... are you ready for me to give it to you? Keanu Reeves really, honestly, truly doesn't love you.

The dark side of the web and social media, many of us have encountered it and seen the "follows" of people posing as famous actors and singers. There are some that also pose as medics or construction workers or in the army forces across the world. Sadly the dark hearts and minds of the fraudsters continue to get more and more creative in their ways and as you may have seen on tv, or perhaps know someone who is a victim of their terrible crimes, they also attempt to tug at heartstrings. Anyone can fall for it, not just those considered vulnerable. There have been highly intelligent people who have and those with a high profile themselves.

This book is pertinent, especially as fraudsters continue to be out in force and as it comes closer to Christmas, their preying behaviours increase.

Readers get up close and personal at what is really going on and what to look out for in their interactions with people online. This isn't to say every time you see someone famous following you on social media is not that person, but it'll make you think and realise who is real and who isn't. To make it more real and not something you'd read out of a sci-fi or fantasy book, there are true accounts, which also demonstrate that anyone and everyone can be a victim.
I am going to say here, it is not your fault, if this happens to you.

It's a well considered and well-written book with plenty of information to remind you that Keanu Reeves does not love you and so much more, with an injection of fantastic humour and takedowns to fraudsters that just lifts it, amongst the seriousness.

This was a fun and informative book about romance dating fraud and scams. I really enjoyed hearing the stories of people and some of the crazy stakes these people go to scam these innocent people looking for love it was frightening. I thought the author did a great job of peppering these sad hard tells with interactions she has had with these scammers which were quite humorous bringing you back to the story of it got a little to heavy. I enjoyed this book as much as you can about any book about scammers but really enjoyed this authors tone of sarcastic humor and hope she writes more in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

It was....ok....I guess. It sounds like she would have been happier writing an anti-Elon Musk book. Would not recommend.

an interesting look into the world of online scamming, told in a humorous voice with a good bit of heart. i wish it gave some more insight on the logistical side of fraud and the aftermath of these scams, but all in all pretty solid.

This took me way too long to get to and i regret it - it's fantastic and a hilarious ride. I hate how I feel like i missed the boat on this!

The title and cover of this book immediatly caught my eye, made me laugh and made me want to read it.
Dives into an important topic - romance fraud - which many people refuse to take seriously despite its prevalence and the devastation it can cause. hilarious and informative.

The title of this immediately caught my eye and made me chuckle. I'm sure we have all had those emails or direct messages from 'celebrities' who need money or who want to confess their dying love for us. Features true stories and if you're thinking 'it would never be me', read on to find out why it most definitely could be!
A great read full of humour, I really enjoyed reading this. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC.

The title of this book says it all. Even I have had email messages from "Keanu Reeves" asking to be my friend because I’m awesome. Very funny and I just smile and delete. But what if the email came via a platform I was a member of from someone I genuinely wanted to know? What then?

These stories are heartbreaking and all the people who’ve been so honest deserve every future happiness. Because what this book proves is that anyone can be scammed by potential partners. One story is about a police detective ~ trained to spot the truth, surely?

Ms Holmes is brilliant in how she entraps and engages with the liars and cheats and I hope she continues to do so. Read this if you think "it couldn’t happen to me" because it could.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

3.5/5 ⭐️
A look into the world of online romance scams from the woman behind a well known Twitter account documenting them. This story features a lot of true stories.

I thought this was interesting but it wasn’t organized in the best way I don’t think. I wish it had been more thematic like different type of romance frauds/scams. It also gets very advice heavy about halfway through the book, which I didn’t find super helpful for myself (but maybe others will?).

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You is an interesting read- I went from laughing out loud at Ms Holmes’ responses to the scammers to being totally horrified at what some people have lost after believing they were in a true relationship. This book has a lot of humor but it really brings the issue of romance fraud to light and how easy it can be to fall for these kinds of scams. Definitely a cautionary tale.