This is the second book I have read by the author, This book tells the book of friendships and the type types of friendships , sadly I did not like this book as it wasn't as good in my option to the other book I had read by the author but again this is my option

Thanks to publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book and i wish the author all the best with this book

This is not my usual type of book and I haven't read anything previously by Elizabeth Day.
I enjoyed the book and found a lot of it relatable.
The book explores the subject of friendship, told throughout the years and the different types of friendship this brings.
A good break from my usual reading.

I’ve been following Elizabeth Days work for a number of years and was eager to read. It certainly didn’t disappoint, proving a very interesting and at times humorous look at what makes a good friendship. It’s one that will leave you thinking, and I guarantee you’re take a lot away from it. Highly recommended!

This was not my usual read but having said that I did enjoy it.
A book which is very personal to Elizabeth Day exploring relationships and friendships over the years. It is a topic which we can all relate to in one way or another.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"There was no certainty in any of it, I realised. I could try to be the best possible Ally to someone else and they might have a totally different experience of the friendship. Once I took that idea to its logical conclusion, there was an unexpected revelation: I had no control over anyone else's perception of me. So all of this trying to be a 'perfect' friend was a fools errand."

So little seems to be written about platonic relationships compared with romantic relationships, yet for many they play an equally vital role in life, I know they do in my life. Already a fan of journalist and author Elizabeth Day (you may know her from #HowToFail) and her work, I snapped up an eARC of this and was not disappointed.

I highlighted so many of the author's wise and warm words about her and other's experiences of friendship, interviews with her friends and other works on the subject, after the pandemic made her think about how she approached friendship as a 'friendaholic'. It has made me think too, as an acknowledged people-pleaser who aims to get along with most people (but not befriend them all!). With chapters on the pandemic, making friends, age difference friendships, ghosting, male friendships, 'contracts', frenemies, fertility, big life shifts, online friendships, best friends and endings, there is something for everyone, whatever type of friend you are or have.

Reading it made me think about my own friends, my two best friends, other close friends I met through study and work, friends from childhood, 'mum friends' who live near me and book club friends I met online. I count myself very lucky to have some wonderful women as friends, for whom I hope I'm as good a friend in return. My main negative friendship experience has been being ghosted by two family members I classed as close friends; sadly I come from a dysfunctional family, so there are good reasons why we are no longer in one another's lives. When your family is not what you need it to be, you can make your own with friends and / or by having your own family.

I absolutely loved this exploration of and homage to friendship, found it fascinating, engrossing, joyous and sorrowful in equal measure. Highly recommended when it publishes at the end of next month.

I've not read any of Day's other books but this exploration of friendships & relationships was engaging and relatable and a great look at the pandemic, lockdowns, and fertility.

The book was moving and humorous as needed and it did make me think about my friendships over the years. I felt that perhaps I was a little older than the main demographic aimed at but this didn't detract overly

A really thoughtful read on friendship. Elizabeth Day shares her own experiences of what friendship means and explores why sometimes friendships don’t work out. I found her own experience of being ghosted by a friend really fascinating as I could relate to this. Probably the chapter that was the most powerful and kept me thinking long after I finished reading was the experience of a close friend of Elizabeth’s who had a serious health scare. I thought this chapter was beautifully written and left me with lots to think about after reading. I was less interested in the friendship statistics and more interested in the case studies. An enjoyable read.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I have really enjoyed other books on the topic (Sorry I'm late, I didn't Want to Come and MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend). However, I felt this one was lacking something.

We have a discussion of friendship through the lens of Elizabeth Say's friends old and new, which was interspersed with the Friendship Tapes which were interviews held regarding friendship.

I found the flipping between narrative and interviews a little confusing, and as the analysis was so personal in regard to her particular friends I found it difficult to relate to much of the discussions.

Despite being interested in the topic, I found this book a little underwhelming, and I struggled to finish it.

Elizabeth Day is a former journalist, now author and podcaster. She is also a self-confessed Friendaholic. In this book, she examines her friendship and her addiction. It is a reflection of her connection to her friends, a compilation of studies of relationships throughout history. (The studies mentioned include Nietzche and Aristotle). Intertwined within the book are the "Friendship Tapes," various interviews with other people about their feelings in friendships.

I was most interested in the chapters dealing with Friendship and Fertility. Personally, I have also dealt with fertility issues and am childless. I felt I lost friends when they became parents. Other friends avoid all discussions of pregnancy or children around me. Assumable as they do not know what to say around me. So, in the book, I loved reading about another woman's experiences in a similar situation. Suddenly, I felt seen! I realised that I wasn't paranoid and that my fertility issues affected my friendships.

I haven't read any of Day's other works, but I was drawn to this book by the description - unpacking the significance and evolution of friendship, and finding a language to talk about it. This is a topic that probably needs more attention, and I was excited to gain some insight into how as a society and on a personal level, these hugely important relationships impact our modern lives. Though I recognize many readers seemed to enjoy the book greatly, I unfortunately wasn't able to finish it. I found it overly personal, with huge amounts of detail on the author's own friendships, both successful and less so, but lacking in any sort of analysis to make these examples relatable in a broader sense.

Why has this book not been written before? Friendships are critical to so many of us and yet they’re so often the poor relation compared to romance. Thank goodness Elizabeth Day is rectifying this with a fantastic book about the wonders - and enormous diversity - of true friendship.

This was a good read, enjoyed it and found some of it quite funny, not something I would usually read but thought I would try something different.
Overall not to bad.

This is a great concept for a non fiction work, as friendships play such a huge role in our lives. How is that we talk about romantic relationships ending but not friendships and do we need different friends for different stages of our lives?
Unfortunately I found this book a bit smug (Day recounts how she constantly accumulates friends at media events) and cruel (she describes the breakdown of various friendships without giving the other person the opportunity to comment). There are some stronger sections as she speaks to a friend who was seriously ill and as Day describes the impact of a decade of infertility on her life and friendships. Overall I felt this book would have been better as a magazine column or an essay and was disappointed as I really loved How To Fail.

Not listened to the author’s podcast, but thought I’d read this. Not my usual kind of story, but enjoyed it nonetheless, several things struck a chord with me, so would definitely recommend

This is very different from my usual diet of crime thrillers and rom coms- I was interested to see what Elizabeth Day's take was on friendships across the passage of time.
I enjoyed her writing style and personal stories; she's realised that she has over-relied on friendships in the past and used them to prop herself up, rather than acting as an equal partner. There was a lot in the book to think about and reflect on in my own life, and some of the insights were certainly more challenging than others.
This would be a great book to read in a trusted group of friends (if it wasnt too much over-sharing) or to return to again and again to see where things are at.
4/5 stars

I love Elizabeth’s fiction work and her previous pice of non fiction ‘ how to fail ‘ was something I loved too so I had high hopes this wouldn’t let me down , and it didn’t .

It’s semi autobiographical which always gets me reading ( maybe I’m just nosey !) but is mixed in with real life case studies and covers all elements of friendship . From the impact of social media and huge world events ( Covid) to things like ghosting and toxic friendships. It definitely gets you to think about your own friends and how they benefit ( or drain) your life , also makes you think about how you can be a better friend .

It did become a bit repetitive towards the end but that could be because I felt it was a little too long . I wouldn’t say it offers anything different to what you may have read before but I love her writing and honesty and will devour anything she writes ….

Adored this book.

I read it in the lovely voice of the author as I’m a fan of her podcast.

It is relatable and endlessly enjoyable.

Elizabeth Day is an absolute Queen in my book! I love her podcast, her presenting, her writing etc. I could go on...
However, I felt so let down by this book! This book is not at all what I was expecting. My fault completely, but I thought that this book was fiction - it is not. This is a non fiction book. It looks at different topics along the theme of friendship. It has anecdotes from Day's own life, as well as case studies. I really didn't enjoy this. I liked the points when Day looks at the science and the cultural representation of friendships - this was interesting and eye opening. The other stuff was not - just felt like fluff, and I didn't really care.

Overall a real disappointment. Not for me!

This is middle of the road - it’s really not as good as Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn, and it’s better than the Dolly Alderton book (which I thought was awful but apparently lots of people loved).

This book is readable, though it feels really long and there are better books about friendship and love out there!

I found this really interesting. It was well written and quite a few bits struck a chord with me. I enjoyed the frequent pauses to add evidence or thoughts from experts elsewhere too. This isn’t my usual genre but I think it’s written in a really accessible way so it doesn’t feel like you’re picking up a hefty tome at bedtime.