Some audiences considered it useful and motivational, while others felt that it was outdated,[3] anti-men and antifeminist,[4] or a how-to guide that teaches women to play games that toy with men.

[5] Psychology lecturer and therapist Meg-John Barker claims that the emergence of seduction communities happened "almost as a direct response to this hard-to-get femininity".

[6] Others noted that Fein was an accountant and Schneider a freelance journalist without professional qualification in the subject matter.

[citation needed] They have countered the criticism regarding their credentials by citing the results of actually following The Rules,[7] though there is no body of evidence to support this.

Her argument was that after having written a best seller and raising two children, she and her husband discovered they were two different people from the young couple that fell in love.