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This was pretty interesting if a tiny bit long. I realized about halfway through that I‘d heard about this when it was in the news several years ago. My main thought though was why any of these women put up with “Ethan” at all.

#HauntedShelf @PuddleJumper #HexesandCrows @Catsandbooks

I have always found the psychology behind catfishing fascinating. In this book, three women decide to join forces and go after the person online who was pretending to be "Ethan." I liked that we got each woman's story of how they started dating Ethan, and then also when they started becoming suspicious.

Well-researched, fast read, that gives a voice to catfishing victims.

I‘ve been in a healthy relationship for decades and never did online dating, so I was pretty dismissive because Ethan seemed a jackass from the start. Red flags were there. But if you‘re online dating, vulnerable and looking for love, I‘m sure there are folks that would take advantage of that. The “courtship” details went on too long. Point made. Most interesting was how the victims sleuthed it out to expose the creep and prevent further harm.

I raced through the second half of this book today, I just couldn't put it down!

Anna is an accomplished woman, a professor of sociology in NYC, she joins OKCupid hoping to find a connection with someone who will not be intimidated by a smart woman who knows her own mind. She thinks she has found it in Ethan. Instead she finds a man who masterfully manipulates her thoughts and emotions and makes excuse after excuse for why he can't meet. cont'd

Outrageous, compelling, literally unputdownable. I find most catfishing stories pretty engaging, because I both can‘t believe that people do it, and am amazed at how long people are taken in by catfish. This story blew me out of the park though. Even more compelling than the catfishing itself, is the unravelling of the work of the catfish by the three women at the centre of this story. This is like watching the best reality tv.

A propulsive work of nonfiction about an intense catfishing episode suffered by the author and at least two others, who join forces to uncover the truth of who “Ethan” really is. And let me tell you, I was shocked to find out who was behind this debacle. I hate that these intelligent individuals got scammed, but I love that they came together to fight back. A good (and super fast!) audio as well.

A true cautionary tale about how the internet allows people with selfish motives to victimize others. Although most of this story happens in 2011, the perpetrator is still free today and perhaps still doing the same things they did back then. The book is a real page turner and quick reading. The agenda of this emotional vampire will repel you, as will their attitude once they‘re caught. Five stars.

Completely compulsive true story. I was shocked and outraged and utterly hooked. I am glad these women can find healing with one another. (Pictured: my neighbours try and invite themselves for breakfast)

In 2011, Anna Akbari met Ethan online and started falling for him as the chatted online and texted. But gradually she started having suspicions and frustrations when they never met up. So she did some sleuthing, found other women involved with him, and discovered the truth. While I found myself wondering how these women had gotten so drawn in, I found this story fascinating and unputdownable. It was basically a one sitting read.

Almost set this aside because Part 1 was painful! Hearing so much detail about how an accomplished, intelligent woman (who shared my career field) fell hard for a manipulative creep in an online dating setting was rough. But I‘m glad I kept going because the story overall was riveting (and infuriating), and Akbari is a great writer. In the end, definitely a pick!

Wow. Just, wow 🤯! I had never heard of this story, but what a crazy, hard to digest one that it is! This book is very well-written, and if you go into not knowing the story, like I did, pretty true-life mind blowing!

I couldn‘t put down this catfishing memoir!! Audio is done well and so is the story of Anna‘s relationship to Ethan, an emotionally manipulative man she met on a dating site, but never met irl. Later she teams up with two other victims to unmask the person behind Ethan‘s profile. The ending is wild!

Started a new audiobook. This one is about a catfisher and the three women who find him and expose him. #audiobook