Thank you so much to NetGalley and Meridian Editions for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5*

I am thankful that a book like Estranged exists to normalise the complications and ending of female friendships.

The numerous vignettes offered a wide range of perspectives and examples (I appreciated that the author always explored both sides of the story i.e. how ghosting can hurt but also protect) but personally, I found that were just slightly too many which was jarring at times and took away from the rest of the book.

The writing style was strange for me at times - it sometimes read as stilted and abrupt. The vignettes were all written in the same style of writing and tone as well which made it confusing to distinguish.

Overall, it was a wonderfully validating book that is much needed.

This is a truly delightful read about the difficult topic of female friendship estrangement, including with sisters. It really dives deep into the topic and breaks down types of estrangements and relationships, as well as supporting each chapter with case studies. The topic of estrangement is trending and so salient for those who have gone through it. This book takes care of the reader, whether they initiated the estrangement or were the unwitting subject of a relationship ending, and offers actionable thoughts on how to heal oneself regardless of what happens with the relationship. This is going to help a lot of people.

This book felt thoroughly researched and carefully thought out. It was insightful and prompted a lot of reflection about how I relate to the women in my life past and present. This topic isn't written about enough but I am slowly beginning to see more subjects on the topic and think they are so important so I'm grateful for the author's contribution and efforts to this topic. There are so many books out there about overcoming divorce but this particular kind of rupture is rarely explored but can be just as devestating. I really enjoyed reading it and will look for more of the author's work.

I didn't care for this book. It feels like a report on a survey with questions and vignettes but not much else. I did like the "Can this relationship be saved?" question, but generally, it felt light on advice. There aren't many books on the challenges of female friendships, so it's worth a read if you're going through something, but I am unlikely to recommend it.

I appreciated that this book pulled from the lived experiences of so many women and their complicated and very real relationships. However, because there were so many people’s stories that featured so heavily through the book, it felt hard to keep track of each person & each story requires the reader to once again get contextualized to this specific person’s experience.

If there were just a handful of examples (or perhaps just the final longer case study that’s featured at the end of each chapter), that would have been a lovely way to add color and context to all of the other research and insights. There were too many stories and each vignette felt a little too long and needed a little too much context to fully parse.

If you are looking for a book that dives deep into a very specific lived experience—of women’s estranged relationships with female friends—and are looking to see yourself reflected in the pages of a text, this might be a good fit.

If you are looking for an overview of the theory, literature, and research on female friendships and the psychology of estrangement, with some qualitative narrative peppered in, this is not that.

Overall, I’m glad to see that a thoughtful and detailed exploration of this slice of female friendship exists and has been so thoroughly explored and analyzed.

I don’t think this book was for me, but I do think others may enjoy the many rich vignettes!

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book.)

Interesting book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

In many cases we find it easier ending a romantic relationship that’s no longer beneficial or working for us than a truly toxic friendship. This book explores that outlook, looking at submitted stories of real friendships (from both sides/viewpoints) that surpassed expiration dates, withstood struggles and crashed and burned. Shapiro-Barash bares all from friendship threesomes, idolspizing, frenemies to relationship remorse and how we deserve better in both our romantic relationships and friendships.

Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships are Mended or Ended came out this week on April 1st. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Meridian Editions for this early copy.

Oh boy. Or should that be, Oh, girl?
Female friendships can be high maintenance. Mostly, they're worth it.

But what if a relationships sours or is poisoned by ghosting and spite? What do you do when a former friend responds to you with quarrels, jealousy or other conflict? Sometimes it's better not to try to resuscitate what's dead.

This practical and storied book examines how friendships develop, are shaped, paused, or terminated. Barash gives practical and personal counsel for recognizing when a female friendship is over or nearing its end.

Well worth reading, whether you've just been frozen or kicked out of a relationships - or whether you're mentoring and counseling women whose hearts are breaking, along with their trust in someone they counted on.

I found Susan's book to be a fascinating read. She has included a lot of research to explain the changes in female friendships over the years. I was reminded of past friends and how those relationships ended. This book made me examine them further. I loved it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.