This book is fantastic, it captures the modern day issue of all the dangers behind dating apps and meeting people online. It is a fast paced, heart racing, gripping novel which will keep you engrossed from the first page. Its a very intense psychological thriller and I highly recommend. I love this its a masterpiece!

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Bonnie Traymore, R. G. Belsky and BooksGoSocial📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Thank you BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the Arc

The good thing about this book is that it’s a fast pace easy read. Perfect for a plane ride or for traveling. Easy to pick up put down and put down if needed while giving you numerous jump in point.

The way texts are formatted in the book is nice and pretty immersive tbh. Very enjoyable in a tech based plot

The biggest struggle of this book is trying to figure out just who this book is for.

There is a lot of time spent explaining just what a dating app is. It feels dated like it was written ten or fifteen years ago. The bios get referred to as things like add and it’s drilled into us just how desperate everyone on the apps are. Also ??? People are using handles ??? I can not imagine going on a date with a man who name I don’t know in this our year of the lord 2025

It truly feels like a book written by two people who have never used a dating app or at least haven’t since plenty of fish.

The plot is fast paced and that’s fun but the characters are underwhelming. Our female lead regularly goes into diatribes about how men are dangerous in a way that most women will already be aware of. Our male lead is just sooooooo smart and charming only non of that self described charm is reflected in the dialogue.The two have a weird romance that I just don’t buy and couldn’t bring myself to to care about. Probably the least believable part of the story.

I'm really sorry to say this but I had to DNF this book. I was so excited to read it based off the description. It's not too often you run into women serial killer books, a Femme Fatale. So, whenever I find one with that description I have to give it a try.

Unfortunately this book just did not cut ut. And I really, really tried to give it an honest go. I got to 30% and I just couldn't do it anymore. The writing was very awkward. It was almost like first and third person were smashed together at points. And in other parts the sentence contained past and present verbage. The writing also felt very juvenile. It was like I was reading a book written by someone in high school. It just felt clunky and didn't flow. The MMC character Jake was also awful to read!! It came across very big headed and immature. And the FMC Sonya also thought very highly of herself in a pretentious way.

I'm interested to go read the other reviews after I post this to see if anyone actually made it through the book.

A good twisty thriller about the scary world of online dating. I enjoyed the concept of married men dying after being discovered on a dating date. I did predict who the killer was, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel.

Thank you to Netgallery and BooksGoSocial for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved loved loved this book! Thanks for allowing me to read this copy to review. I could tell from the first chapter that I liked the writing style. You know it's a good book when you find yourself drawn in and wanting to know what happens next before you even start reading the 2nd chapter. I ended up finishing the book from start to finish in 3 days because I was enjoying reading it so much. I liked reading what the characters were thinking or feeling and getting to see the relationships developing or getting a feel for existing relationships and how they cope when things go wrong. Secrets are revealed throughout the book and they're the kind of twists where you had an idea of where the plot was going but then in light of the new information you end up 2nd guessing yourself. Twists like that make a good psychological thriller and the end twist didn't disappoint either. I would recommend this book others who love psych thrillers as much as me

So for me this book started out positively but somewhere along the way lost momentum and whilst it remained easy to read I found myself struggling at times...

I liked the premised of the book and the idea of a psychological thriller about dating apps. It was a quick and easy read.
However, I was looking for more character development. The story fell flat for me and I wanted more of a psychological thriller. It had a slow start. I almost DNF but the story picked up in the middle.

˙₊➴ ꒰ 2.5-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖

📜┆ ARC ⤿ BooksGoSocial, Bonnie Traymore, R. G. Belsky & NetGalley
💌┆ Pub Date ⤿ 05/01/25


❝ This little mission of mine has gone way too far. On the plus side, He will never cheat on his wife again. ❞

⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Plot

What started as an innocent date has spiraled into something darker. An encounter awakened a dangerous sense of purpose. Now, there's no turning back.

Most dates end quietly with no sparks and no second thoughts but some men need to be taught a lesson. Sonya became something more than a woman seeking justice. She wanted to protect women from men like them. It feels like a public service. But somewhere along the way, she lost control. As she never meant for anyone to die.

As Sonya flees from the consequences of her actions, death follows her. Meanwhile, Jake’s boss pitches him a story about dating apps, asking him to explore who uses them and whether they’re effective. But Jake digs deeper, uncovering a chilling pattern of how such deaths are linked to MetMee(a dating app) and are all connected in ways he never expected. The further he investigates, the closer he gets to a truth that might be more dangerous than he ever imagined.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Characters

⟡ Sonya Romano, is just a regular dating app user, looking for a real connection. Sonya is introspective and self-aware, juggling her past trauma, pain, and mistakes. Despite feeling cynical about love, she still holds onto an ounce of hope, questioning if it's even possible to find a true connection.

❝ I carry my weighty baggage into my relationships. Tons of it, like I’m going aboard the Queen Mary for a steam across the pond. ❞

⟡ Jake Parker, was a former nominee for a Pulitzer Prize and reporter for the New York Banner but as newspapers have declined with the rise of digital media, he lost his job. Jake ended up working for The American Scene, an online platform focused more on viral stories than “real news” he wished to make. He is charming, passionate, and observant.

❝ No, I think news is about something else altogether than a story about dating apps. News is writing about politics, exposing corruption, and covering major events like plane crashes and mass murders and wars and natural disasters. Those are the kinds of stories I’ve been covering as news for my entire career. ❞

Throughout the story, we get a glimpse of both character’s pasts, thoughts, and perspectives. Where we get to gather how they became the way they are. Despite that, I couldn't help but wish for a bit more character depth and development. Sonya's past offers some explanation for how she became the way she is but it still feels like there's more to uncover as it seems incomplete. For Jake, while he showed his charming and passionate side, I couldn't shake the feeling that he needed more depth to truly understand his character as we only get to see the “charming journalist” that he is. (I like the date scene where they describe each other tho. Wdym Sonya looks like a mix of Sophia Loren and Sophia Vergara and Jake looks like a mix of Jimmy Steward and Ryan Gosling. Searched them up and was stunned! Absolutely gorgeous!)

⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts

❝ Who knows? Maybe I will find love on a dating app. Or maybe I don’t even know what love is. Maybe none of us really do. ❞

Overall, Swipe is a thrilling page-turner dating app mystery. The dating app element adds an exciting twist to the story which brings a modern layer to the suspense.

As the story goes, we get bomb after bomb which made it addicting to read and kept me on the tip of my toes! However, the thrilling aspects of it all lessened when it neared the reveal/ending. The build-up I did enjoy but the reveal for the mystery didn’t give the impact I was expecting (it felt quite predictable or maybe it was just that I was sus of everybody from the very beginning and was hyperanalyzing everything). Despite my concern about character depth and reveal impact, I quite enjoyed the mystery this story had. It felt short with how fast-paced the story went which left me wanting for more(this is a positive). Giving this book a solid 2.5! That epilogue hihi! It was a nice read but I just wanted more and needed more.

Now, will I be using dating apps to find love? No. However, the story and acknowledgment left me with a sense of hope that love has a way of finding us, whether as a lesson or a lasting connection.

➳ Huge thanks to the publisher & authors—BooksGoSocial, Bonnie Traymore, R. G. Belsky & NetGalley—for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Easy and fast paced read
Sonya is on a dating app to meet someone. She meets a series of bad dates. She gets revenge.
Jake is a journalist who figures out things aren’t as they seem. This book has some good twists. Some twists you see coming. Some twists you don’t see coming at all.
Good read.

Swipe is a fast-paced thriller that blends the world of online dating with a gripping murder mystery. Sonya is a sharp, determined protagonist, and following her investigation makes for an engaging read as she pieces the case together. The book balances suspense with realistic journalism, keeping the tension high throughout. While some elements of the mystery may feel familiar, the mix of digital-age dangers and classic investigative work adds a fresh twist. If you enjoy crime thrillers with strong female leads and well-executed suspense, this one is worth picking up.

The number of unreliable narrators on this book makes for a real roller coaster of a reading experience. Red herrings are very much the order of the day as the plot progresses and more and more options emerge as to who could be the killer. The concept is terrific and feels very relevant to modern society - all too possible! The authors do a good job of creating characters who you like just enough to want to believe, while knowing that maybe you shouldn’t.

No one is ever who they portray themselves to be on a dating app are they. They only show you what they want you to see. All their shiney parts.

Such a great fast read. Deep diving this author now to see what else they have to offer!

Well written sorry with an interesting plot twist. Just wasn’t the kind of story for me. Some pacing was slow and I felt like some parts dragged and some could be cut out.

This BOOK! Oh how it hooked me almost immediately. Online dating is a scary world I hear horror stories all the time but, this takes the cake. The twists and revelations in this book really came at the perfect times. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next.. something else shocked me. This is my first book that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing and when I tell you I could not go to sleep without finishing this book, I’m talking it’s 1030PM and I really am still thinking about it. The writing was really great and although some things come up that you thing might drag the story out.. it’s all relevant. Definitely recommend!

‘And for now. We leave all the other stuff behind’

I really liked the premise of this book, cheating men on dating apps getting murdered is super interesting. Unfortunately for me this fell really flat.

This book was described as ‘twisty’ but I guessed the big plot twist almost immediately (the epilogue twist was also predictable).

The main characters were boring shells of people with little to no development, and who didn’t speak or think like actual humans. The narration style didn’t read well and often felt stilted, there was mostly telling with a sprinkle of showing every now and then. I had hoped in the first 25% the overdone exposition and info dumping was just to get it out of the way but it never ended.

Chapters I believe 25 and 26 are tell the exact same scene from both characters perspective. Something that could be super interesting and I love in theory, ended up being frustrating as between chapters there were differences in dialogue and action that made it confusing to follow. I am unsure if it was meant to show them both as unreliable narrators, but seeing as the rest of the book did not do that I was just lost.

Special shout outs to instead of describing the characters or making them memorable, having them ask which celebrities they look like. Also the Jake Parker smile, and the fact that Jake even in the most inappropriate situations will be thinking about how hot a woman is.

The ending just sort of… happened. A brief moment of suspense and then the major conflict was over in a chapter or less. The aftermath fell flat, but perhaps may have had more impact if any part of this story had me caring about the characters.

I was personally not a fan of this book which is unfortunate because I truly did think it sounded interesting.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial for a digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley of Swipe

This book was so good. I started it late one night and had trouble putting it down. The characters were well described and each one was relatable. I would definitely recommend this book!

What a tangled web we weave! Swipe tells the tale of a woman having bad luck on a dating app. After one guy lies to her about being married, she decides to have it out with him. Did this decision lead to his death?

Jake, the secondary MC, is forced to join a dating app and date several women so he can write an article about it. He gets involved with a few women who just might be sketchy, but his investigative journalism skills may turn his assignment into a true crime piece.

On the whole, this was an entertaining, fast read. I’ve got to say, though, that the idea that someone could be affected by liquid THC as depicted is just farcical.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Sonya's fed up with bad internet dates. But she never meant to kill anyone. After a stressful day at work and a creepy first meetup, Sonya Romano goes on a mission: teach a lesson to the smarmy guys she's meeting on her dating app. But when one of them falls to his death as a result of her confrontation a married man posing as a single guy she realizes she's gone too far! Great read! This book had some crazy twists and turns that I didn’t see coming! It also had great suspense, murder, mystery, intrigue, dark secrets, and a fantastic who done it! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I really enjoyed this book. I finished in 2 days. I loved the dating app theme and the dual POV. It definitely kept me guessing. Fast paced and very well written. I will be looking for more from the author.

5/5

I absolutely loved this book,
From the first page I was hooked and couldn't put the book down

I enjoyed the book more because I couldn't guess the ending half way through
I had no idea which way it was going to go

There's definitely enough for there to be a second book.... and I'd love a second book!