“There Is No Ethan" is both an eye-opener and a page-turner, diving deep into the world of online dating and catfishing. Anna Akbari’s part memoir, pa“There Is No Ethan" is both an eye-opener and a page-turner, diving deep into the world of online dating and catfishing. Anna Akbari’s part memoir, part detective story reveals the shocking truth about how easily one can be deceived online.
In 2011, three smart, successful women fell for Ethan Schuman, a man who seemed perfect but was hiding behind a facade of emotional lies. Each woman, caught up in his web, didn’t know about the others. His convincing excuses to avoid video calls and last-minute meetups were accepted because, after all, he wasn’t asking for money, so what could his motive to lie possibly be? Instead, Ethan sought to entangle these women in intensely intimate emotional bonds.
The book follows these women as they independently start noticing cracks in Ethan’s stories and eventually connect with each other to unravel a much bigger deceit. Together, they realize the web of deceit goes much further than they could have imagined and uncover dozens of other victims, showing just how deep and dark the world of catfishing can get. Akbari not only shares her personal ordeal but also paints a broader picture of modern relationships where digital interactions can easily distort reality.
Akbari’s narrative is engaging, pulling you right into the psychological and emotional rollercoaster of her experiences. The book starts with a deep dive into her relationship with Ethan, showing step-by-step how a catfish operates. The latter half feels like a detective story, as the women piece together who Ethan really is.
The book does a great job of showing that anyone can fall prey to such deceit, challenging the stereotype that only the naive get tricked. It’s a stark reminder of the importance of keeping your guard up when forming connections online.
While the book is a gripping read, it could have probed deeper into Ethan’s motivations, which remain somewhat mysterious. Also, the early parts with emails and messages might seem a bit scattered until you get the full picture of the situation.
"There Is No Ethan" is a must-read if you’re into true crime or interested in the psychological aspects of online relationships. It’s a stark warning about the realities of digital dating and the lengths some will go to exploit others. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC—this was a captivating read!...more
I don't read a lot of self help books so I'm not the authority on this genre at all, but this made my sensitive anxious lil heart feel seen and made mI don't read a lot of self help books so I'm not the authority on this genre at all, but this made my sensitive anxious lil heart feel seen and made me want to heal my inner child. Recommend! ...more
I mean, I didn't hate this, but I'm confused about who the audience is. It feels like everybody who would have an interest in this content already knoI mean, I didn't hate this, but I'm confused about who the audience is. It feels like everybody who would have an interest in this content already knows all of this because we lived through it - the story isn't exactly "untold". And this isn't really digging deep enough to pull in folks who aren't as familiar with internet lore? It's written for millennials who care about internet culture, but like... we all remember the Logan Paul suicide tree debacle. Tell me something juicy! It's a decent overview but just nothing at all groundbreaking or new to be found here....more
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