Written by
Rook
Editor, Honest Dating Advice
Rook is the pen name for the editor behind Honest Dating Advice. This site is independent — no parent company, no sponsors dictating coverage — which is the only reason it's possible to say 'don't use this app' or 'this piece of advice is bad' without losing a paycheck. That matters more than it sounds. Most dating content you'll find online exists to sell you something: an app, a course, a membership, a book. The incentives bend the writing before a single sentence gets drafted. The articles here are written for adults who can handle nuance — people who'd rather read 'it depends, and here's what it depends on' than a list of ten red flags that apply to everyone and no one. No promises of quick fixes, no hacks that secretly worked for someone else, no moralizing about what dating 'should' look like. Just the most honest version of the answer the editor can put together, updated when better information comes along. If an article here is wrong, outdated, or missing something important, the correction happens instead of the excuse. The goal is to be useful years after publication, not to chase whichever dating term is trending this month.