This is an interesting title for a historical take on women’s friendships. However, I am not sure it does its subject justice because this book is all about how women support one another, in all the various stages of life. Think of it as a history lesson on how women survive. The title, referenced often, is explained as indicating the way in which some friendships work for a time and then do not. It is about how particular friendships form for one reason or another – motherhood, illness, or even jail – but do not last the distance.

English historian Dr Tiffany Watt Smith has done an excellent job of leading us through the 21st century to illustrate how these friendship cycles have always existed. She moves us through the decades with examples from literature (Enid Blyton even gets a look in), pop culture, films, interviews, workplaces, and historical documents. The references at the end are mind-blowing in their conscientious length and detail.

I liked reading the interviews; the snatches of conversations from various women who have chosen a particular moment in their lives to recount. (After all, the personal is political.) I liked considering my own friendships against the examples she presented. I was drawn to the stories of women in their older years that rallied together to live close to one another in a self-made community: a coven of sensible women. I like that we learn about the author, in a comparable way to that experienced by readers of Lisa Taddeo’s writing.

Bad Friend is full of examples of what women do well – acceptance, encouragement – and what women do fantastically well: disobedience. This thought-provoking exposé on women’s lives is a (needed) reminder of women’s strength and independence. I am buying a copy for my bestie; it is that type of book.