I did not finish this one. It just wasn’t quite for me. I think I’d rather read about this topic from a more research-based perspective than a memoir. If I do decide to go back to it one day, I’ll make sure to come back to post a full review.

I read about 10% and couldn't continue reading it. I wasn't invested in the story as much as I thought I would be and decided to DNF it.

So much of the book is is timely, relevant and well researched.

The synopsis and cover could be misleading.

This didn't live up to the blurb hype and was quite dry in execution. I found it repetitive and would have DNFd it were it not for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free advanced copy! At first I requested this only because I wanted to see if everyone else had similar dating app experiences to me... and they do! But then I realized that I do know Nancy Jo's work and I've always been intrigued with the work she's done with girls and social media. I really enjoyed the mix of her personal story and her research and work.

In this dating app-focused memoir, Sales touches on dating apps’ secret sale of user data to advertisers, data breaches, and app-based dating in the COVID 19 era. This is a real page turner and raises many questions about the role of tech in the most private parts of our lives. She also calls out the misogyny threaded throughout these apps and many of their users. Sales gets honest and ugly, and that’s my favorite kind of memoir.

Educational and kept me intrigued. Many tips and pointers. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Full Disclosure: I received a copy Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno by Nancy Jo Sales from Hachette Books via NetGalley.

As a single woman in her late 40s, I do sometimes think about getting on the dating apps again. It has been almost 10 years since the last time I tried. Nothing Personal seemed like the answer to all my questions. I found it really interesting that Nancy Jo decided to set her age range for rather young men in their 20s. I also appreciate that while she was learning the horrors of online dating from young people she was interviewing for her documentary, she was secretly going through them herself. She was a lot more generous with some of the guys than I would have been.

If you are wondering if I will be getting on the apps after reading this book, the answer is a resounding HELL NO. My forever gratitude to Nancy Jo Sales for going through this and sharing her story, so I don't have to. In the midst of a global pandemic, the idea of serial hook-ups is rather terrifying. Pandemic or not, this book confirms that if you are looking for more than a hook-up, the apps aren't going to get you there. You are more likely to find a unicorn in the wild. If you are thinking of putting yourself out there again to find a relationship, save yourself some trouble and just read this book.

Funny that this is called "Nothing Personal" cause it had way too much personal anecdote for my liking. I was interested because of her research area but I am not actually that curious about her life story, sorry.

I started and restarted Nothing Personal a few times and got about 40% of the way but ultimately it did not keep my interest. I did like the research interspersed with her personal story, but I just did not feel a connection.

Thank you to Nancy Jo Sales, Hachette Books, and Legacy Lit for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so intrigued to read Nothing Personal. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. I met my husband online almost 12 years ago. It blows my mind how different things are now. When I did it it was almost odd or scandalous. Nowadays it’s the norm and foreign to meet someone another way. I enjoyed this memoir as I wanted a current perspective on what the online dating world is like. I know many people who have a hard time meeting people online. Everyone always feels like someone better is just one swipe away. Or they thinks it’s just a way to hook up or be so inappropriate to a stranger. My friends & I tease that there should be a way to rate suitors or warn others about someone. It was so interesting to read how the dating apps don’t seem to take any responsibility. Such an eye opening point that Sales wonders what this all does to the future of dating. This was funny and shocking. It also made me glad to not be involved in online dating today and made me hope things are way different when my daughter is dating.

An interesting look at the current dating world and how it has changed. This book was funny and entertaining. Not sure it makes me want to get back out to dating though! Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

DNF @ 7%

Maybe I'm just the wrong demographic to read this, but I find the views of the narrator/ author to be exhaustingly alarmist ("I'm still single and ohmygod I'm gonna die alone!"), somewhat hypocritical and hyper-critical, and there's possibly some unexamined internalized sexism there too. The jokes seem more problematic and/or disturbing than funny.

I would rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5.

The author looks at the effects of online dating apps and how it has affected society across various age groups and she gains personal experience as she has used them herself. There are many that think these apps are great because unlike going to a bar and seeing two or three possible dates or pickups you can peruse through a couple of hundred. These apps have the same results as a drug addicted getting their fix. Society are using these apps just for sexual hookups. It is crazy to read that these sites are causing people to disconnect meeting in person were they are having a hard time talking to each other or fear keeps them from talking to each other. The author does go deep into feminism and really shows that you would think society would be getting better at the treatment of women but according to the author it actually maybe getting worse. In my opinion this book seemed like it could have been sized down a little bit it was longer then need to be. But for a 55 year old man it keep my attention to the point of finishing this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

I expected this to be funnier and more about her experiences on dating apps. It was a bore and I DNF. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was cute and fun to read. Even as a married woman, I can appreciate the author's dirty work concering dating sites.

Part memoir, part investigative study, “Nothing Personal: My Secret Life In the Dating App Inferno” (2021) is an exciting yet sobering and candid tell-all written by Nancy Jo Sales. As a single mother of a teenage daughter, Sales was concerned about the odds of attractive middle-aged women finding true love and romance using dating apps. On March 28, 2020, Tinder (est.2012-) made history with the announcement that 3 billion users had swiped their screens that day! Before the release of her HBO Documentary “Swiped” (2018) Sales had an advanced knowledge of dating in the digital culture, and decided to use the apps in her own life.

The original “Boy’s Clubs” that began in the Silicon Valley was revolutionized by deeply male sexist platforms related to media technology and internet porn. Subjected to the “male gaze” women were frequently objectified online: men could openly comment on women’s personalities and body image’s and often harass them online without any consequences or accountability. The “Hook-Up Culture” (2000) was identified by author Tom Wolfe and changed from meeting someone to having a sexual experience. Playboy Magazine founder, Hugh Heffner publically appeared with his seven young “Bunnies”—all of the women lived with him, “I’m an orgy guy.” Hefner said (2001). After Sales Vanity Fair article “Friends Without Benefits” was published (2013), she declined Donald Trump’s invitation to visit Mar-a-lago, unable to relate to the Palm Beach crowd.

It is necessary to read Sales book with an open mind, and without judgment. “Abel” from Tennessee, sounded like a “down home country boy” straight out of a Charlie Daniels Band song. As Abel disappeared and reappeared in Sales life without notice. With a few exceptions, much of the sex they had sounded intoxicating! Sales quickly discovered, the impossibility of a real relationship. Instead, modern couples using dating apps often experienced “situationships ”. It was apparent that Sales lost her dignity and self-respect, which “secretly” happens to (some) women every day. This is a very lively and interesting read and many readers will appreciate this truthful confessional account. ** With thanks to Hachette via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

I have read tons of non-fiction in the last few years and this was one of my favorites. It was such an interesting book and I would highly recommend it.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it. I decided to look up the author and stumbled upon her twitter which pegs her as not the "fiercely feminist" person like mentioned the in the synopsis.

Nancy Jo Sales approached this book with a vulnerability we can all learn from. Her honest writing gave a backseat ride for the viewer into middle age dating and the parallels that really anyone in the dating pool encounters.