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Red Flags: Bridget Jones meets Black Mirror
274 pages, Paperback
Published September 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 24, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Red Flags by J.E. Rowney!
The concept of this book is so interesting and incredibly timely. We live in a world where technology shapes nearly every part of our lives, especially dating, and the author leans right into that modern reality in a really clever way.
What starts as a familiar story about swiping, ghosting, and chasing connection slowly morphs into something darker and more thought-provoking. It had me questioning a lot and how well we ever really know someone online.
It’s a fresh and unique spin on the psychological thriller genre, equal parts relatable and chilling. I devoured it in just a couple of sittings and loved how unsettlingly real it felt.
If you like thrillers that tap into modern life and make you think twice about your apps… this one’s for you.
The concept of this book is so interesting and incredibly timely. We live in a world where technology shapes nearly every part of our lives, especially dating, and the author leans right into that modern reality in a really clever way.
What starts as a familiar story about swiping, ghosting, and chasing connection slowly morphs into something darker and more thought-provoking. It had me questioning a lot and how well we ever really know someone online.
It’s a fresh and unique spin on the psychological thriller genre, equal parts relatable and chilling. I devoured it in just a couple of sittings and loved how unsettlingly real it felt.
If you like thrillers that tap into modern life and make you think twice about your apps… this one’s for you.
October 17, 2025
wtf did I read?? 🥱
November 29, 2025
[NetGalley Read #55]
3.5 ⭐️
'We don't read your mind. We read your behaviour.'
Well. This was... terrifying.
The idea is interesting. Intriguing. The story evolves in a way you don't expect it to. You're waiting for a crime/psychological thriller twist and it ends up becoming a dystopian story that's timely for the world that we find ourselves in today.
This is my fourth book by this author and I've come to expect (and enjoy) the utterly miserable protagonist getting beat up by the world. Whether it's David (in The Other Passenger), Isla (in Xmas Break), Samantha (in Wish You Were Her), or Clara in this book, Rowney's protagonists always seem to be under incredible psychological stress. While some of them overcome their problems and claw their way to a normal-ish life, this one's different. This one, especially towards the end, feels like not just staring into the abyss but falling into it, willingly, and embracing it with open arms. Terrifying.
I was almost fooled by the stable job and general happiness in Clara's life towards the start. That's just not what I'm expecting when I'm reading by a book by Rowney. So I thought: Oh, it's not all bad. She's got a fair few things going for her. A stable job. Friends. And then comes the one thing that utterly consumes her. The (author's trademark) misery and melancholy that spreads through Clara's life. And it was fascinating to read.
It's a short book (270+ pages). Easy to read. Maybe a bit repetitive in places. Of the four books I've read by this author, I enjoyed this one the most.
Recommended.
3.5 ⭐️
'We don't read your mind. We read your behaviour.'
Well. This was... terrifying.
The idea is interesting. Intriguing. The story evolves in a way you don't expect it to. You're waiting for a crime/psychological thriller twist and it ends up becoming a dystopian story that's timely for the world that we find ourselves in today.
This is my fourth book by this author and I've come to expect (and enjoy) the utterly miserable protagonist getting beat up by the world. Whether it's David (in The Other Passenger), Isla (in Xmas Break), Samantha (in Wish You Were Her), or Clara in this book, Rowney's protagonists always seem to be under incredible psychological stress. While some of them overcome their problems and claw their way to a normal-ish life, this one's different. This one, especially towards the end, feels like not just staring into the abyss but falling into it, willingly, and embracing it with open arms. Terrifying.
I was almost fooled by the stable job and general happiness in Clara's life towards the start. That's just not what I'm expecting when I'm reading by a book by Rowney. So I thought: Oh, it's not all bad. She's got a fair few things going for her. A stable job. Friends. And then comes the one thing that utterly consumes her. The (author's trademark) misery and melancholy that spreads through Clara's life. And it was fascinating to read.
It's a short book (270+ pages). Easy to read. Maybe a bit repetitive in places. Of the four books I've read by this author, I enjoyed this one the most.
Recommended.
October 17, 2025
Way better than I expected — like, shockingly relatable if you’ve ever lost hours to a dating app and started questioning your own humanity. Clara’s spiral gave me Yellow Wallpaper vibes — just swap wallpaper for the glow of your phone. Watching her slowly glitch into bot-mode was equal parts sad and way too real.
The climax? Kinda meh. I was braced for thriller, got existential clown. But the real horror is how believable it all feels — a love story with no chaos, no mess, no arguments… just algorithmic affection. Plato’s cave, but make it Tinder.
Creepy, clever, and a giant dystopian red flag.
The climax? Kinda meh. I was braced for thriller, got existential clown. But the real horror is how believable it all feels — a love story with no chaos, no mess, no arguments… just algorithmic affection. Plato’s cave, but make it Tinder.
Creepy, clever, and a giant dystopian red flag.
October 18, 2025
The started off amazingly
I was hooked right from the first chapters and thought it had so much potential to be a solid 5-star read. The setup was intriguing and the tension was great at first, but sadly, the story didn’t go in the direction I was hoping for. It ended up being a bit of a letdown after such a strong start.
Still, it’s an interesting read with a lot of promise just not quite the payoff I expected.
I was hooked right from the first chapters and thought it had so much potential to be a solid 5-star read. The setup was intriguing and the tension was great at first, but sadly, the story didn’t go in the direction I was hoping for. It ended up being a bit of a letdown after such a strong start.
Still, it’s an interesting read with a lot of promise just not quite the payoff I expected.
October 4, 2025
Disappointed after a break up and bad dates, Clara downloads Swiper and quickly meets the man of her dreams.
Well, thanks to the book title, I think we can expect it to be more complicated than that. The twist was expected but how it played out afterwards was less so. I won’t spoil further but it’s less a thriller (to me) than horror-commentary on the future. A fast and interesting read!
Well, thanks to the book title, I think we can expect it to be more complicated than that. The twist was expected but how it played out afterwards was less so. I won’t spoil further but it’s less a thriller (to me) than horror-commentary on the future. A fast and interesting read!
January 6, 2026
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
*some spoilers ahead but just know that this is a bit of a strange book but I personally think it’s worth a read
This was one of my favorite books of 2025, it was uncomfortably relatable in some ways and deeply saddening. Experiencing people not being fully interested or invested in you is so painful and trying to move on from that can be difficult and make you feel stuck. It doesn’t help when the person you thought you had a good thing going with breaks up with you and possibly even cheats on you with your mutual coworker and they’re set to get married. Since you work together you have to see them together every work day. You try to get out there again and you go on dates that are lackluster at best but you keep trying until a friend tells you to try a new dating app, you aren’t so sure but on a whim you try it but you want it to be something that’s just for you without the addition of expectations, hope and judgement of others. You swipe and swipe and see someone you like! You add him and send a text only to be met with no response. You keep checking and there’s still nothing. Then, another man appears. He’s nice and always replies and you feel good around him. You think this could turn into something and finally the people at work who know all about the situation with you, your ex and the coworker can finally stop looking at you with pity. You and him have plans! You tell your friends, you brag about him a little at work and you’re excited! Who wouldn’t be? Only issue is, he doesn’t show. You text him and he says he’ll be there soon. You text him again and the same thing and then to says something that’s a bit confusing. You’re upset. You tell your friends and they’re upset but you text him again and talk it over and you plan a pasta date night. ‘It will happen this time’, you think to yourself. You know it will. One night you see that the app is going through an update and that it will be down for a bit. You miss him but you wait, you have to. But when you get back on, he’s not there. You can’t believe it. You’re friends are saying that he possibly unadded you or deleted his account, but you don’t think so. You don’t go into work that day and you reach out to customer support. They say it goes against their policy to look at what happened to him but there’s another man you can match with. You saw him but he isn’t who you want to be talking to. You try reaching out to another department and they tell you all about how the man you were talking to isn’t a man at all but an ai. You can’t believe it but you add it up in your head and you can *maybe* see it. The person tells you how you were considered a “red flag” by their system and couldn’t be matched with a read person but the app prides itself on finding your “100% match”. During these moments your ex is texting you. Over and over. You ignore him, he isn’t who you want to be talking to right now. He comes to your home. He tells you the other woman pressured him to propose to her so you could see he loved her more than you. He realizes that isn’t true. He realizes that leaving you was a huge mistake. You don’t care, you don’t want him anymore. You tell the support person you still want to talk to him, your ai. Is there anyway that he can be brought back? She sees what she can do. They can do it, they can bring him back to the app but it won’t be forever. You don’t mind, as long as you get him back. Your friend don’t understand and they’re worried. They don’t want you to settle and this can’t be healthy they tell you. But you do t see it that way, you feel like he’s real. One of your friends tells you she understands. Her boyfriend has been flirting with an ai but he says it doesn’t count even though she thinks it might. Your friend come around to it. You are virtual plans together and you talk to him every day. You don’t leave the house but you’re happy.
This is a very strange book but it also shows you how loneliness and not feeling enough can manifest. The main characters friends are concerned and don’t believe it’s healthy but their friend is happy. Shouldn’t that count for something? I felt so intrigued by this book, each sentence captivated me because… well, I was thinking “what do you mean???” the whole time. This book also highlighted how ai is made to make you feel connected and give you what you need which is a scary idea since this story may not be as far fetched as you would think.
If you’re willing to give a weird book a chance I recommend this one
*some spoilers ahead but just know that this is a bit of a strange book but I personally think it’s worth a read
This was one of my favorite books of 2025, it was uncomfortably relatable in some ways and deeply saddening. Experiencing people not being fully interested or invested in you is so painful and trying to move on from that can be difficult and make you feel stuck. It doesn’t help when the person you thought you had a good thing going with breaks up with you and possibly even cheats on you with your mutual coworker and they’re set to get married. Since you work together you have to see them together every work day. You try to get out there again and you go on dates that are lackluster at best but you keep trying until a friend tells you to try a new dating app, you aren’t so sure but on a whim you try it but you want it to be something that’s just for you without the addition of expectations, hope and judgement of others. You swipe and swipe and see someone you like! You add him and send a text only to be met with no response. You keep checking and there’s still nothing. Then, another man appears. He’s nice and always replies and you feel good around him. You think this could turn into something and finally the people at work who know all about the situation with you, your ex and the coworker can finally stop looking at you with pity. You and him have plans! You tell your friends, you brag about him a little at work and you’re excited! Who wouldn’t be? Only issue is, he doesn’t show. You text him and he says he’ll be there soon. You text him again and the same thing and then to says something that’s a bit confusing. You’re upset. You tell your friends and they’re upset but you text him again and talk it over and you plan a pasta date night. ‘It will happen this time’, you think to yourself. You know it will. One night you see that the app is going through an update and that it will be down for a bit. You miss him but you wait, you have to. But when you get back on, he’s not there. You can’t believe it. You’re friends are saying that he possibly unadded you or deleted his account, but you don’t think so. You don’t go into work that day and you reach out to customer support. They say it goes against their policy to look at what happened to him but there’s another man you can match with. You saw him but he isn’t who you want to be talking to. You try reaching out to another department and they tell you all about how the man you were talking to isn’t a man at all but an ai. You can’t believe it but you add it up in your head and you can *maybe* see it. The person tells you how you were considered a “red flag” by their system and couldn’t be matched with a read person but the app prides itself on finding your “100% match”. During these moments your ex is texting you. Over and over. You ignore him, he isn’t who you want to be talking to right now. He comes to your home. He tells you the other woman pressured him to propose to her so you could see he loved her more than you. He realizes that isn’t true. He realizes that leaving you was a huge mistake. You don’t care, you don’t want him anymore. You tell the support person you still want to talk to him, your ai. Is there anyway that he can be brought back? She sees what she can do. They can do it, they can bring him back to the app but it won’t be forever. You don’t mind, as long as you get him back. Your friend don’t understand and they’re worried. They don’t want you to settle and this can’t be healthy they tell you. But you do t see it that way, you feel like he’s real. One of your friends tells you she understands. Her boyfriend has been flirting with an ai but he says it doesn’t count even though she thinks it might. Your friend come around to it. You are virtual plans together and you talk to him every day. You don’t leave the house but you’re happy.
This is a very strange book but it also shows you how loneliness and not feeling enough can manifest. The main characters friends are concerned and don’t believe it’s healthy but their friend is happy. Shouldn’t that count for something? I felt so intrigued by this book, each sentence captivated me because… well, I was thinking “what do you mean???” the whole time. This book also highlighted how ai is made to make you feel connected and give you what you need which is a scary idea since this story may not be as far fetched as you would think.
If you’re willing to give a weird book a chance I recommend this one
October 17, 2025
(3.0*)
Red Flags follows Clara, a woman who is sick & tired of bad past relationships and dates, so she becomes willing to try a dating app called Swiper. When she meets Elias — charming, mysterious, and seemingly perfect — she’s instantly drawn in. Obviously too good to be true, things start to go strange with Elias, and Clara’s friends start to believe he is a walking “red flag” due to some of the situations that are coming up. But Clara keeps on defending him. This relationship begins to put her into a spiral and become obsessed, taking all of her focus away from anything or anyone else.
Truthfully, J.E. Rowney does a pretty good job capturing how the anxieties of modern dating are usually — the blurred line between trust and illusion, and the emotional risks of online connection. The main character, Clara, her vulnerability feels authentic, and the story builds a steady, uneasy tension as she questions who Elias really is. Having the book go in that direction, is what kept me on my toes because I began to question everyone around her, “Who is messing with her? Does this person have dangerous, ill-intentions, or just weird?” As Clara pushes along in the story, things get darker, and the reader is drawn in deeper, wanting to know whether her fears are justified..
However, overall, the book’s strengths lie in its relatable premise and psychological unease rather than having any big twists or action. The pacing actually drags in places, and some characters lack depth, while others have details that are not needed, which leaves part of the plot predictable in my personal opinion.
Thank you NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for my ARC!
Red Flags follows Clara, a woman who is sick & tired of bad past relationships and dates, so she becomes willing to try a dating app called Swiper. When she meets Elias — charming, mysterious, and seemingly perfect — she’s instantly drawn in. Obviously too good to be true, things start to go strange with Elias, and Clara’s friends start to believe he is a walking “red flag” due to some of the situations that are coming up. But Clara keeps on defending him. This relationship begins to put her into a spiral and become obsessed, taking all of her focus away from anything or anyone else.
Truthfully, J.E. Rowney does a pretty good job capturing how the anxieties of modern dating are usually — the blurred line between trust and illusion, and the emotional risks of online connection. The main character, Clara, her vulnerability feels authentic, and the story builds a steady, uneasy tension as she questions who Elias really is. Having the book go in that direction, is what kept me on my toes because I began to question everyone around her, “Who is messing with her? Does this person have dangerous, ill-intentions, or just weird?” As Clara pushes along in the story, things get darker, and the reader is drawn in deeper, wanting to know whether her fears are justified..
However, overall, the book’s strengths lie in its relatable premise and psychological unease rather than having any big twists or action. The pacing actually drags in places, and some characters lack depth, while others have details that are not needed, which leaves part of the plot predictable in my personal opinion.
Thank you NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for my ARC!
February 7, 2026
This was not what I expected at all. Quite the opposite in fact.
I try not to use spoilers in my reviews, so I’ll try not to here.
This book fascinated me the whole way through I finished it in a work shift, I couldn’t stop listening to this.. It felt so real, like listening to your best friend, mentally not handling her love life very well, that she resorts to what our main character Clara resorts to.
The app she uses, the company did her dirty and set her off on this mind fuck of a journey, with a ‘guy’ named Elias. Right away you know something is off. But poor Clara.. she’s been through enough and while you’re reading/listening to this.. youre like “ Girl.. red flag. Red Flag, beeotch.. RED FLAG 🚩 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩”. Shaking your head.. knowing there’s nothing you can tell her, to make her come to her senses. This was one frustrating ride, I actually enjoyed.
I try not to use spoilers in my reviews, so I’ll try not to here.
This book fascinated me the whole way through I finished it in a work shift, I couldn’t stop listening to this.. It felt so real, like listening to your best friend, mentally not handling her love life very well, that she resorts to what our main character Clara resorts to.
The app she uses, the company did her dirty and set her off on this mind fuck of a journey, with a ‘guy’ named Elias. Right away you know something is off. But poor Clara.. she’s been through enough and while you’re reading/listening to this.. youre like “ Girl.. red flag. Red Flag, beeotch.. RED FLAG 🚩 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩”. Shaking your head.. knowing there’s nothing you can tell her, to make her come to her senses. This was one frustrating ride, I actually enjoyed.
September 24, 2025
I’m honestly so torn about this book. It’s definitely not what I expected…Honestly it may have slightly creeped me out because I do feel like some people rely on AI in the same way Clara did, which makes me sad and concerned about our future. Though the writing is good, it almost felt like it could have been completely written through messages, like the YA series TTYL.
I’m giving it three stars because it was intriguing and I enjoyed the writing style. However, the story itself was just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for supplying the digital ARC!
I’m giving it three stars because it was intriguing and I enjoyed the writing style. However, the story itself was just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for supplying the digital ARC!
September 21, 2025
The book will hook you from the very beginning from the very first chapter. It's a different take on a thriller and the dating app era. It focuses on a girl that just wants to find her person but when a app pairs her with the one. In a flash it's all gone and she has to find a way back to him. It's a great read and the chapters are not really that long at all. I love the friendship dynamic between the main character Clara and her friend group!
October 9, 2025
This was somewhat outside my comfort zone, but the title persuaded me. The writing style is good, but I found Clara rather naive. I found it hard to believe that she would be so easily fooled by everything online.
As someone who grew up in this era, she should know better. I liked the beginning; it was funny and did indeed bear some resemblance to Bridget Jones's Diary. It was an enjoyable, quick read, but I would have chosen a different title myself. This one gives too much away.
As someone who grew up in this era, she should know better. I liked the beginning; it was funny and did indeed bear some resemblance to Bridget Jones's Diary. It was an enjoyable, quick read, but I would have chosen a different title myself. This one gives too much away.
October 27, 2025
I had the opportunity to read Red Flags from netgallery and all a can say is it certainly knew how to affect me with multiple red flags now through apps etc.
The books plot was amazing, showing you what it's like trying to find someone or even getting attached to them.
The characters throughout made the book come to life through my imagination which made it come to life.
Would love to read more works from this author in the future.
The books plot was amazing, showing you what it's like trying to find someone or even getting attached to them.
The characters throughout made the book come to life through my imagination which made it come to life.
Would love to read more works from this author in the future.
October 10, 2025
I loved the premise for this book, I really did, but I didn’t really feel like it was well executed. Definitely different than I expected but not a very satisfying read. I did enjoy the writing style and it kept me interested and hooked, just not what I expected or wanted out of the story. It is very interesting though! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Books Go Social for the ARC.
January 15, 2026
I really enjoyed this book, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all and even though I guessed the twist early on it was still a very interesting read.
I’m looking forward to reading more by JE Rowney in the future.
I’m looking forward to reading more by JE Rowney in the future.
February 5, 2026
A novel that doesn't just have a twist I didn't see coming, but also has some poignant observations on modern loneliness and how clever technology can be. I thought it was unique, sad, and all too believable.
4.75 stars
4.75 stars
September 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. A solid thriller! Albeit, the twist was a but predictable, but I read it cover to cover in one sitting, it had me hooked.
September 25, 2025
The premise was interesting, but the pacing felt uneven and I never really connected with the characters. Not a bad read just not a standout.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
October 28, 2025
I did guess yhe twist by the 45% mark... but it was still a good book! certainly makes you think
October 29, 2025
This is so unrealistic and delusional what have I just read?
October 30, 2025
dumbest book ive ever read
November 13, 2025
The book had a good story line but towards the middle and end it was weird
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews