Deal Breakers

By DR. BETHANY MARSHALL

Deciding when to work on a relationship and when to walk away is a skill that can prevent us wasting months and even years of our lives on partners that will never make us truly happy. Once we have learned to identify the deal breaker in a relationship we can empower ourselves to action, and then change and improve our lives. Whereas books like 'He's Just Not That Into You' explored relationship troubles in black and white, 'Deal Breakers' covers all the shades of grey that lie in between - all those areas where relationships can hit an impasse. Some deal breakers are easy to identify - one partner wants marriage, the other doesn't - yet many are more subtle and difficult to pinpoint. Dr Bethany Marshall is a relationships expert. She has identified specific male archetypes and the traits that frustrate and infuriate their partners. Here, for the first time in book form, is advice that can help any woman who is trying too hard to make her relationship work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781471103001

Reviews for Deal Breakers

[bette_hansen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awesome story! A friends to lovers story that definitely had me smiling throughout.

Riley and Devyn meet freshman year. Devyn quickly friend zones Riley and they stay close all through college. Right before graduation, Devyn confesses to Riley that she is still an virgin and she wants him to help her out with that!! Scared by the intense feelings from that night, Riley takes off right after graduation. Now he's back and determined to win Devyn's heart. Problem is Devyn might have been keeping a little secret of her own!

Very well done with a great group of characters. I really enjoyed this one and I think you will too. I highly recommend it.

[justacatandabook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Devyn and Riley are best friends-- they survived four years of college together. Devyn is focused on graduation and the paid internship that awaits her. Riley is headed to grad school, but he had fun in college as well, including a string of non-serious girlfriends. Riley's not exactly known for monogamy. However, before they head their separate ways, Devyn has one request of Riley - she wants him to help her lose her virginity (yes, seriously). She doesn't want to head into the next phase of her life a virgin and she thinks Riley is the perfect person to assist. Riley is thrilled to help, of course, and plans a special evening. But will that special night change everything for Devyn and Riley?

First of all, I don't know why I keep reading these "New Adult" books. This genre apparently exists on stereotypes and tropes and the ending is basically transparent. In my defense, I picked it up after reading two tough books, with a lot of murder and darkness. Sometimes you just need a fluff book to lighten things up.

For instance, sample dialogue: "I may have just jizzed in my pants a little. How can a woman this hot possibly know football? I think I'm in love." We're not even going to talk about all the things wrong with this.

Still, this book was more compelling than some of the recent New Adult books I've read. If you like New Adult, you'll enjoy this book - it's a fast read and somewhat cute. If you're like me and still adjusting to the genre, you'll roll your eyes at a good deal of the plot and dialogue, but potentially still enjoy the quickness and silliness of it all. 2.5 - 3 stars depending where you fall on the spectrum

(I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)

[vhartpowers · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book describes five different types of men; the Scriptwriter, the Man in Charge, the Man Without Faults, the Invisible Man, and the Little Boy who Poses as a Man. Each man is described with and includes stories of couples that have come in for therapy/counseling.
Each category/chapter gives scenarios and what is workable and what are deal breakers/walk away.
The last chapter on healthy men is basic common sense; are his words backed up by action? does he make you feel good or bad? he will like you for who you are, etc., etc.
Basically, women need to know their value and demand more of themselves and from men. Let's bring the bar back up to better standards.

[bookwormliz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick, easy, and to the point, Deal Breakers outlines the ins and outs of bad boys' bad behavior, how to deal, and when to let go. While Marshall is full of insight and good advice, the book is plagued with Stuff You Already Know. Innovative it isn't, but enjoyable and useful all the same.Rating: B+

[deesirings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This addressed a broader scope of relationships than I expected (which is good). I thought it might be exclusively concerned with the very beginning of relationship, and determining from the get-go whether a guy's traits or behaviour is workable or not. It isn't. I also thought it might fail to address some more serious issues such as addiction and abuse. It doesn't. In that sense, it's a quite comprehensive approach. It's not that long but there's a lot of food for thought. And It's delivered in a straight-forward manner. I think the author had a lot of insight to offer.

[Lucy Blay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Easy to read and really interesting. Thanks for the good book!