What do you think?
Rate this book
Walking Red Flag: Dating Advice from Your Favorite Guy Friend
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 9, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
2026
February 11, 2026Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Simon Element
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Simon Element
June 11, 2026
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!!!
(I hope!)
As a ‘U Up’ podcast listener since 2018, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am happy for Jared’s success as an author. Jared offers an authentic perspective on dating, not citing himself as an expert, and instead sharing pragmatic and sensible guidance and insight from his own experience and observations. The book had the same honest tone as what makes me tune into the podcast each week.
The book was easy to read and I seriously laughed out loud at so many parts. I really resonated with Jared’s suggestion around the “The Reveal” as that’s something in reflecting back on past dating experiences that I need to do. The only thing I didn’t love about the book was the footnotes. At first, they were fun but as the book went on, I found myself distracted by them and pulling the focus away from the actual form.
Overall, great read and I would recommend to any of my single friends.
I hope there’s a second book in the works!!
(I hope!)
As a ‘U Up’ podcast listener since 2018, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am happy for Jared’s success as an author. Jared offers an authentic perspective on dating, not citing himself as an expert, and instead sharing pragmatic and sensible guidance and insight from his own experience and observations. The book had the same honest tone as what makes me tune into the podcast each week.
The book was easy to read and I seriously laughed out loud at so many parts. I really resonated with Jared’s suggestion around the “The Reveal” as that’s something in reflecting back on past dating experiences that I need to do. The only thing I didn’t love about the book was the footnotes. At first, they were fun but as the book went on, I found myself distracted by them and pulling the focus away from the actual form.
Overall, great read and I would recommend to any of my single friends.
I hope there’s a second book in the works!!
July 3, 2026
Big fan of Jared - listen to his podcasts, have seen him live multiple times, watch his specials - and I will continue to be a fan and support him as a comedian. That said, I did not enjoy this book. There were some nice nuggets and funny bits buried in there, but it was way too long for the content covered, with too many qualifiers + tangents that were distracting rather than funny. Sort of like his podcast style to a certain extent - but in this specific format, some parts felt repetitive and laborious. I would be more supportive of seeing the overall broader narrative of Jared’s life and then the process of writing this book / some of the themes covered turned into a rom com à la ‘Nobody Wants This’-style, where you see a cynical comic and podcaster eventually find love.
June 12, 2026
Jared is one of my favorite comedians, so I had very high hopes for this book- and Walking Red Flag did not disappoint! It was literally laugh out loud funny! Am I the target audience? Nope, I've been married for 10+ years- but were there things that I could still take away from it? Totally! And I had a great time.
I got the audiobook, and it was such a fun experience! Jared did a great job with the narration, it flowed well and felt conversational. It felt like listening to an extended version of Coffee with J-Train.
He gives really sound advice, while delivering it in fun bite sized, digestible chunks and giving personal anecdotes at the same time. This book would have been an absolute godsend while I was dating!
I got the audiobook, and it was such a fun experience! Jared did a great job with the narration, it flowed well and felt conversational. It felt like listening to an extended version of Coffee with J-Train.
He gives really sound advice, while delivering it in fun bite sized, digestible chunks and giving personal anecdotes at the same time. This book would have been an absolute godsend while I was dating!
July 12, 2026
* feather feather* I’ll never stop appreciating Jared Fried and his refreshing, honest, relatable take on everything when it comes to dating, and taking us out of the complicated mind games we all are convinced we must play to get the guy or win the game.
July 1, 2026
This book is amazing. Jared is one of my favourite comedians, I listen to his podcasts and when he annoyed the book I preordered it.
This book is no different than his U Up? Podcast, gives very helpful advice, in an honest way with laughs as well. He did promise a laugh on every page and he did not lie.
Anyone in the dating world would benefit from reading his take on modern dating and enjoy his stories from his dating life as well.
This book is no different than his U Up? Podcast, gives very helpful advice, in an honest way with laughs as well. He did promise a laugh on every page and he did not lie.
Anyone in the dating world would benefit from reading his take on modern dating and enjoy his stories from his dating life as well.
June 24, 2026
Bought to support my favorite comedian, read to get some laughs, would recommend to anyone in the dating world.
Read
July 3, 2026whether you’re trying to make it in this scary world called dating or you just think jared freid is the funniest person alive like i do, this is a must listen!
July 8, 2026
Great advice and enjoyed the humor. Audiobook is a must!!
June 22, 2026
Mostly self deprecating humor which was expected. Some decent advice but like also feels obvious but I guess some people are really that stupid about dating 🤷🏻♀️
June 26, 2026
1. This book was clearly not written for me.
2. I expected this book to be a lot more stories/essay based and it was not.
3. See 1 again
2. I expected this book to be a lot more stories/essay based and it was not.
3. See 1 again
June 15, 2026
Hope at last for navigating the dating scene in the 2020s?!
I should disclose that I am not the target audience for this book, as I’ve been married for years and have never used dating apps. But I’ve always enjoyed Freid’s humor and gently frank advice. And because we’re about the same age, I’m always curious what the go-to dating advice is for single women at the moment.
Freid has always leaned heavily on humor, which is part of the reason his frank and sometimes painfully honest advice always lands so well. No one is more the butt of Freid’s jokes than Freid, and it gives him an accessible and approachable feel. If nothing else, it’s pretty clear that Freid absolutely does have your best interests at heart.
I always struggle with the Goldilocks problem of dating advice philosophically, in that while I agree with Freid that nobody currently dating wants advice from someone like me who met their husband organically and has been out of the dating pool for a long time, it also feels questionable whether someone who is 40 and never married is the proper person to give you dating advice.
It seems like there’s a sweet spot for this as well as an expiration date, effectively that the ideal person to be giving dating advice would be someone who was in the game for a few years, found a spouse, spent a few more years discussing how they found their success, and then retires themself because years of marriage has rendered them redundant.
It puts creators like Freid in a tough spot (if you’re so good at this, why aren’t YOU married?) as well as the folks in this business who married already (you don’t know what it’s like out there now).
Again, as someone who isn’t in a position to be testing out Freid’s advice, I’m not the best judge. But I do think it presents an interesting conundrum.
To Freid’s credit, he’s very up front about his own experiences, and like many things, sometimes people give excellent advice despite not necessarily achieving the goal they’re helping you towards. And if nothing else, he’ll keep you laughing.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I should disclose that I am not the target audience for this book, as I’ve been married for years and have never used dating apps. But I’ve always enjoyed Freid’s humor and gently frank advice. And because we’re about the same age, I’m always curious what the go-to dating advice is for single women at the moment.
Freid has always leaned heavily on humor, which is part of the reason his frank and sometimes painfully honest advice always lands so well. No one is more the butt of Freid’s jokes than Freid, and it gives him an accessible and approachable feel. If nothing else, it’s pretty clear that Freid absolutely does have your best interests at heart.
I always struggle with the Goldilocks problem of dating advice philosophically, in that while I agree with Freid that nobody currently dating wants advice from someone like me who met their husband organically and has been out of the dating pool for a long time, it also feels questionable whether someone who is 40 and never married is the proper person to give you dating advice.
It seems like there’s a sweet spot for this as well as an expiration date, effectively that the ideal person to be giving dating advice would be someone who was in the game for a few years, found a spouse, spent a few more years discussing how they found their success, and then retires themself because years of marriage has rendered them redundant.
It puts creators like Freid in a tough spot (if you’re so good at this, why aren’t YOU married?) as well as the folks in this business who married already (you don’t know what it’s like out there now).
Again, as someone who isn’t in a position to be testing out Freid’s advice, I’m not the best judge. But I do think it presents an interesting conundrum.
To Freid’s credit, he’s very up front about his own experiences, and like many things, sometimes people give excellent advice despite not necessarily achieving the goal they’re helping you towards. And if nothing else, he’ll keep you laughing.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
WALKING RED FLAG is a hilarious and helpful dating advice book by one of my favorite comedians and podcasters, Jared Freid. Am I (a happily married woman) the target audience for this book? No. Did I jump for joy when Netgalley approved my request for an early copy? YES! Is there something here for everyone, regardless of relationship status? ALSO YES! I have been a fan of Jared and the “U Up” podcast since I re-entered the dating world post-divorce, and appreciated his unique brand of actual helpful advice, hilarious commentary on modern dating, and intriguing self disclosures about his own personal dating journeys (all of which you’ll find in the book!). And even once I was in a relationship, I kept listening, because at this point that podcast feels like an old friend. If you ARE single and looking for advice on how to navigate dating in a way that makes it feel more like a fun adventure and less like the trenches, you’ll find that here. Or if you’re like I was, re-entering a dating landscape that changed drastically while you were coupled up, this book will do for you what the U Up podcast did for me - hold your hand and gently walk you through those moments with honesty and humor. I’m excited for this to hit shelves in June and I’m ALSO excited for this to be released on audio, since Jared is narrating it himself and that’s going to be fantastic.
Early copy provided by NetGalley
Early copy provided by NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Jared Freid is a fantastic comedian (Netflix special 37 and Single) who loves to share his dating advice. This book is his wrap up of what you need to know when dating, from a guy that does not hold back.
I have followed and loved Jared for years, so I immediately wanted to read this book, even though I have zero desire to download a dating app right now. If you don’t already know Jared and his humor, you might be a bit taken back a couple times, but you should listen to his comedy and it will all come together! Jared’s advice is usually pretty spot on when people ask him dating questions, and this book is no different. he doesn’t hold back, which is what we all need to hear. Overall, this was a fantastic listen (obviously I had to listen to this one with Jared himself reading it, I recommend the audio for this one) that had me laughing out loud at points!
Thank you to @simon.audio and @_simonelement for my gifted copy of this book!
I have followed and loved Jared for years, so I immediately wanted to read this book, even though I have zero desire to download a dating app right now. If you don’t already know Jared and his humor, you might be a bit taken back a couple times, but you should listen to his comedy and it will all come together! Jared’s advice is usually pretty spot on when people ask him dating questions, and this book is no different. he doesn’t hold back, which is what we all need to hear. Overall, this was a fantastic listen (obviously I had to listen to this one with Jared himself reading it, I recommend the audio for this one) that had me laughing out loud at points!
Thank you to @simon.audio and @_simonelement for my gifted copy of this book!
June 24, 2026
one of my most awaited books of 2026 did not disappoint! WALKING RED FLAG is signature Jared Freid humor in book-length form. truly one of the funniest, most accessible & welcoming voices in media. thoroughly enjoyed the book even though I have little to no interest in dating and am literally not looking for anything! the analysis here is so insightful that it validated my preferences for living alone, planning unilaterally, etc. while also enjoying meeting people organically sometimes. so, if you’re actually interested in dating, you might appreciate the book even more. like many fans, I totally hit on the author when he did a show in my town last year, & he was so nice! highly recommend Jared Freid’s debut and hope to read many more
July 10, 2026
Jared is a 40 year old man who’s never been married and may never be. I appreciated his perspective because he shares what goes through the head of someone who wants love and connection but not necessarily commitment. I also needed to hear that a lot of people on dating apps aren’t actually on them to meet people, or maybe they are but one dinner is enough for them. I think I will take the way men interact with me less personally going forward and I am grateful for that.
This book made me laugh out loud quite a bit- so much self-deprecating humor and food analogy. I didn’t appreciate the crude sexual humor though, and there’s a lot of it.
Overall this was a fun book that gave me a fair amount to think about. Thank you for the gifted copy, Simon Element.
This book made me laugh out loud quite a bit- so much self-deprecating humor and food analogy. I didn’t appreciate the crude sexual humor though, and there’s a lot of it.
Overall this was a fun book that gave me a fair amount to think about. Thank you for the gifted copy, Simon Element.
July 17, 2026
this book was 75% self deprecation and 25% dating advice… a lot of dude humor.. talking about sitting on m&ms and it looks like poop stains kind of thing. it was like he had imposter syndrome in being asked to write a dating advice book and he tried to get ahead of the criticism but it came across as like i’m a slob and eat a lot but listen to me anyway and it was a bit too much of that joke. it was funny in some parts but mostly weird. the use of the perspective of the female reader where he’s talking to himself was one of the most bizarre literary tools i’ve seen. i got it from the library and im glad i didn’t spend money on it but it was kinda fun so id recommend it to friends still
June 24, 2026
This was very funny, and for the most part well written. There were a few spots that didn't make sense, but either they were for people younger than me or will get fixed before it gets printed. It's listed as self help and seems to be aimed at women, but it doesn't really read that way. I'd say most of the advice is going to be more helpful to men. If you just want a really funny book about dating, this is going to make you happy. I hated all the footnotes though. I mean they were funny, but going up and down was driving me crazy.
June 11, 2026
I’ve listened to Jared’s podcasts damn near everyday for the past few years to the point that i feel like he’s my friend. His comedy is also hilarious and the style of it reminds me so much of a modern day Jerry Seinfeld (my favorite show). I finally got to tell him this when i met him last October after his DC show, and he’s so nice in person too! So happy for him for writing this book because he tends to give great advice and does the perfect blend of funny and helpful. Feather feather!! 🪶
July 17, 2026
I was not the target audience for this book, but I knew that going in! Read this because I am a huuuuge fan of Jared Freid. I listened to this on audiobook and it felt like I was just listening to the U Up podcast every morning. I laughed out loud at many parts, especially the first 25% of the book. As he got deeper into advice, I felt the book wasn’t really for me, but always want to support my favorite comedian!
July 19, 2026
Bought the book to support Jared as I’m a U Up? listener and have seen him perform live. First off, the font of this book was so tiny that it felt extremely obvious that they needed to shove all of this information into a specific page count. Didn’t love that. I like some of his funny footnotes but after a while it became too much and annoyingly too self-deprecating. The advice was sound and honest, but not sure I’d recommend this to someone who’s in the dating scene.
June 9, 2026
Laugh out loud funny, sincere, self-deprecating, and wise. I am a huge Jared fan and this book feels like a great companion piece to his podcasts and his stand up but anyone who is interested in dating and relationships will appreciate it (even the engaged or married friends who want to set their friends up). Most importantly, always ordered the pork fried rice.
July 2, 2026
Great book! Jared’s takes are always fun, realistic, compassionate, and funny! I really enjoyed this. I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook. I loved the audiobook. Jared did a great job with it and I really liked getting to hear his takes from his own voice. It made it really personable.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I first learned of Jared Freid via tik tok clips and found the content funny. This book reads in a similar style, as if you are sitting with a friend, very casual and conversational. Funny advice and quick read!
I first learned of Jared Freid via tik tok clips and found the content funny. This book reads in a similar style, as if you are sitting with a friend, very casual and conversational. Funny advice and quick read!
June 22, 2026
Millennial dating advice has never seemed so obvious and hysterical. Jared Freid provides funny, smart, and logical takes on the modern dating scene. Even if you’re not single or looking to date, this is just an enjoyable, comedic read about contemporary relationships.
June 26, 2026
I love all things Jared freid! That being said the VERA component and footnotes felt unnecessary and slightly distracting. I hate giving any negative feedback bc Jared feels like a good friend to me but I think he would want the feedback. Still loved it.
July 1, 2026
I happened to pick this up at the right time as I was just starting to get back into dating. Jared is funny and relatable and it was interesting to get a guy’s POV on some of these topics. He brought the right amount of humor to every topic while also giving genuine advice.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Obnoxious and annoying
Gave up after chapter two. Will be donating.
Gave up after chapter two. Will be donating.
June 12, 2026
Jared is funny and honest. The book is filled with great advice for anyone navigating the world of dating or has friends or family members that are.
June 17, 2026
Huge fan of Jared and this book. His advice is helpful and realistic while making you laugh.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews