Bad Friend: Why Friendship Breakups Hurt and How to Heal

Society’s message is loud and clear: romantic relationships matter more than friendship. But when we have an average of twenty-nine platonic relationships in our lifetime, compared to just seven-to-ten romantic relationships, why is the conversation on love far greater than friendship? Life coach and broadcaster Michelle Elman is determined to fix this.

If the conversation on friendship is quiet, the one on friendship break-ups is non-existent. This is despite research showing that only six friendships stand the test of time, which means that the average person experiences the ending of twenty-three friendships. As someone who has gone through a dozen of them, Michelle began to think she was a Bad Friend.

Have one too many friendship break-ups and people start questioning what’s wrong with you. But what if you aren’t the problem? What if the problem is how we think about friendship break-ups?

Introducing Bad Friend, a ground-breaking masterclass in friendship that makes space for every conversation you have never been allowed to have. Bad Friend will make you question everything you’ve been taught about friendships, and removes the stigma from friendship break-ups. This is for you if you’ve ever been hurt by a friend and, most importantly, reassures you that you’re categorically not a bad friend.

‘Michelle is the queen of boundaries’ KATIE PIPER

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Imprint: Renegade Books
Publication date: 13/05/2025