I am a recovering friendaholic too, and I found this book, which to some might seem niche or contrived, essential reading. There are sprinklings of unconnected “Friendship Tapes” from individuals about what friendship means to them that break up each chapter beautifully. ELIZABETH DAY is the author of five novels and three works of non-fiction, including her Sunday Times bestselling novel Magpie , and memoir How to Fail. From ghosting to frenemies, to social media and communication styles, to the impact of seismic life events, Elizabeth leaves no stone untouched.

Contudo, não vou negar que esperava que o livro abordasse ainda mais vertentes da amizade, algo que só não é possível porque lá está, é baseado na experiência pessoal da autora. As I immersed myself in this book, I felt the urge to complement it with her "Best Friend Therapy" podcast, and I must confess that it created a full circle experience. This book embodies a chapter of life we shared, some that proceeded it and the unwritten ones yet to come. I sometimes could relate so well to her expectations and behaviors as a friend, and also on the other side of things friends expected from her as a friend. This book absolutely hit the spot for me, and it’s been a long time since a book has got me this good.Misschien omdat ik precies het tegenovergestelde ben maar girly je kan gewoon nee zeggen tegen mensen en grenzen stellen? Then, when a global pandemic hit in 2020, she was one of thousands of people forced to reassess what friendship really meant to them - with the crisis came a dawning realisation: her truest friends were not the ones she had been spending most time with. Based on the number of times I had to pause because of the tears streaming from my eyes, I think it must be. Unfortunately, the friends don't stay to their chapters and some are far more interesting and more important for Day and hence pop up more regularly and say things of more interest. Elizabeth approaches everything she does with such thoughtfulness - I love her podcast and other books - and this is no exception.

The title of the book is not, as it turns out, some clever publisher’s gimmick; rather, it’s a bald confession of Day’s own recovery from codependency, in which her own self-worth was defined by the opinions of others. Those are the midweek get-togethers (neither of you would dream of giving up a Saturday night to each other) which are somehow never as nice as they should be and leave you feeling down, depleted and as if it is somehow all your fault.Elizabeth Day has always been candid when comes to talking about her own fertility and desire to have children. Friendships can mean as much, sometimes even more than family, and finally we have a book that treats the subject with the seriousness it deserves. There are some neat observations- I particularly liked the references to the solar system - but these are buried beneath a marshmallow of slightly self-indulgent waffle.

Friendaholic has given me clarity as to why those friendships had to end, and why the ones I have now are so meaningful. I saw Elizabeth Day at a book event recently talking about this book, which I'd previously heard of but wasn't sure if I would pick up.

It seems like a sad indictment of society that we even need to try and analyse friendships but the author sums it up herself…. Reading this book and the experiences Day shares, made me feel seen and reinforced the idea of it being perfectly, fine (and healthy) to set boundaries. From the journalist and author of How to Fail comes a disarmingly honest and perceptive investigation into the nature of friendship, prompted by Day's lockdown reassessment of her need for a large group of companions. It states very clearly on the cover that it is the Confessions Of A Friendship Addict and this is very much a confessional.

The data is interesting if interpreted the right way but it's not useful if you just throw it out there without examining it properly.

She dismisses "activity buddies" and the concept of hobbies in general, while I love hobbies and am always looking for activity buddies (WILL ANYONE GO ICE SKATING WITH ME, I'M NOT KIDDING). They share activities, such as sports, where their attention is focused on the same goals but not on one another. My preference is for once-a-month meet-ups with an option to consider a mini-break in Prague if things go well. Her memoir, How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong is a Sunday Times top 5 bestseller and has been described as ‘life-changing’ by critics.