I tried very hard with this book, but it didn't grab my attention. I felt that this could have been an essay. It was missing something.

This nonfiction book is mostly memoir with some citations/reference to research. It's an interesting approach to the topic of women's friendships and especially toxic friendships as reflected in history and literature. I wanted more substantive analyses of these trends in women's interactions though I could tell her personal reflections were heartfelt.

Bad Friend: How Women Revolutionized Modern Friendship by Tiffany Watt Smith (book cover is in image) takes the reader through the historical evolution of female friendship in western culture. Weaving in the history along with female relationships throughout her life, the Watt provides with a picture of bad friendships and what women can do to enhance their relationships with one another.

The narration by the author was very well done, and keeps the reader engaged throughout the book.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this ARC and listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 06 2025

Tags:
#MacmillanAudio
#CeladonBooks
#BadFriend
#TiffanyWatt
#WomensHistory
#Friendship
#Memoir
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

If you’re interested in female friendship, you will like this book that’s part history, part memoir, part pop-culture analysis. Tiffany will be on my show, Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship later this summer. I think my listeners will really enjoy the content.

This is an insightful and well researched account of the history of female friendship. I was surprised to discover I was most interested in the earlier parts about the deeper and earlier history, and the ways friendship has been dismissed through the years.

Rating: 3.8 stars
Bad Friend is a smart and thoughtful read. Tiffany Watt Smith pulls from a wide range of sources: film, research, and personal stories, and I appreciated how layered it all felt. It really explores the complexity of friendship, especially the kind that doesn’t always last.

That said, some parts went a little too deep for me. I found myself questioning even the most normal friendships in my life, which made the tone feel a bit heavier than expected.

Still, it’s an important read with a strong feminist lens. I think it will resonate with anyone who has had a complicated friendship or is curious about how these relationships shape who we are.

Bad Friend was thought provoking and reflective, but also disjointed at times, which made the reading of it less enjoyable. I do appreciate the context that the historical background laid out provided, as well as the psychological of female relationship explained to me in a way I could follow. However, I could not really see from the author's perspective, but I tried to keep an open mind.

'Bad Friend' by Tiffany Watt Smith is about her reckoning with friendships among women. There were some really interesting insights into friendship, as well as interesting history of and stories about female friendship. But I often felt that the elements of the book were presented in an odd way to the point that I sometimes felt like I could follow the purpose of the book and it felt disjointed. The premise of this book was so promising: narrative, history, and psychology of female friendship. But I often felt bogged down by the odd structure of how everything was presented.

Thought this would be an interesting read. I have had my fair share of friend breakups and the My Brilliant Friend series is a favorite of mine so I am well versed in the idea of “bad friends”. This book is well researched and hits some insightful points. Unfortunately it jumps around constantly (especially chapter 1). It is disjointed structurally in parts which makes less enjoyable to read though I did find some chapters better than others. I ultimately also just didn’t connect with the author’s point of view which may be somewhat a cultural difference (I’m American) though I appreciate knowing this perspective, that was sometimes so different than mine, is out there.

Bad Friend by Tiffany Watt Smith offers a sharp and thought-provoking exploration of the complexities and messiness of female friendship. Through personal reflections and cultural analysis, Watt Smith critiques the idealized narratives of girl power and perfect friendships, acknowledging the challenges, betrayals, and imperfect connections that often define real relationships. This memoir provides a refreshing perspective on the struggles of friendship, seeking a new understanding that embraces both the highs and lows of female bonds.

This book is a thoughtful and fascinating deep dive into the complexities of female friendship and it’s definitely not your usual uplifting narrative. Smith blends memoir with history in a really engaging way, dissecting the “best friend” trope and showing just how layered, emotional, and sometimes fleeting these relationships can be. Female friendships are often romanticized or demonized so it's wonderful to see a take that acknowledges the complexities of friendship and specifically female friendships. Although the tone was a bit more sad or pessimistic than I expected, the research and insight made it a worthwhile read. I’m not sure that I agree with all of the author's perspectives and insights into friendship but certainly think this is a really engaging and interesting read.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book about looking at female friendships through history has an interesting, and effective format. Set up as historical essays with a bit of personal essay weaved in. Gives an overview of how women's friendships have evolved and in some ways how women come together when the prevailing pressure is to stay apart. Not as hopeful and uplifting as I would have liked/expected, but overall good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I think this was more of a three star for me but I jumped it up to four because I thought it was really well researched and written.

Overall though I found the tone to be sad? Maybe I have an idealized vision of friendship but I certainly have a different vision than the author. It’s hard to explain but her tone, and end of chapter summaries, just felt very sad to me. I can agree that friendships, especially with other women, can be complex and emotional. But I also inherently approach from a place of “this is a person I want to bring into my life and I will assume the same in return”, while the author seems to approach her life, and by extension friendships, with hesitancy

A fascinating intimate raw look at female friendships friendship.?This pulls the c overs off the idolized version of female best friend the author shares the drama the tensions the ups and downs of some friendships.The author takes us back in history to follow these friendships.As I’ve learned from difficult friendships sometimes you just need to walk away.#netgalley #celadonbooks

Thank you to #NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

This is a fascinating and relatable take on female friendships. Part historical essay, part memoir, Tiffany Watt Smith provides an in-depth and well-researched consideration of women's friendships and how women's friendships have been viewed between women and by society over time.

Overall, this book is thought provoking and highly relatable. It was well worth the read and very appropriate for women's history month. This would make a great book club pick!

I'm glad to be reading more about female friendships that aren't all roses and rainbows. Friends can come and go and the exploration of this topic is important. I think Smith covered a great deal of information and research in this new book. I hope a lot of people read it and get a better understanding of why some friends are only with us during certain periods of our lives. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A compelling counterpart to recent works such as Lilly Dancyger's First Love: Essays on Friendship and classic memoirs of female friendship such as Ann Patchett's Truth and Beauty. I particularly enjoyed the "coven" chapter on groups of women living communally. That aspect of the book also called to mind the new wave of divorce lit (https://www.bookforum.com/print/3103/reader-i-divorced-him-61586) .