A canvas was damaged as I helped a friend move. She’s asked me for $1,200. Should I end the friendship?
I wouldn’t have thought you had to pay for this, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but it might be worth seeing if you can help her feel compensated in another way
Beautiful, bruising and complex: what I’ve learned about female friendship
Ahead of her new Virago book on women’s friendships, our writer reflects on two pivotal friendships of her own, as well as some notable literary ones
Narcissistic, invasive, annoying? No way – the voice note is a lifeline
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Secret confessions of bridesmaids: ‘The dress alone cost me two months’ rent’
How we met
How we met: ‘I couldn’t imagine the day without her in it’
July 2024
I don’t do much reading in book clubs – there are too many interesting strangers to meet
Alison Edwards
Self and wellbeing
Ever thought of ranking your friends in silly, random categories?
‘He chose the dog over me’: the pets that ruined relationships – from pups interrupting sex to aggressive pigs
What one piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Gossip, my friends, is both a moral mission and a pleasure. It’s also something those in power can’t control
Van Badham
Leading questions
How people vote affects my life and relationships – how do I explain that to my apolitical friend?
How we met
How we met: ‘I told her all about my wild exploits in college – I wanted to shock her’
Tell us: what advice do you wish you had known when you were younger?
The memo: could one missed message have saved me a lifetime of regret?
How we met
How we met: ‘I sensed she wasn’t keen on me. I can come on a bit strong’
We’re all familiar with BFFs and frenemies. Here are six other friendship types you need to know
Emma Beddington
June 2024
12 little acts of kindness: what friends and strangers did for each other in their hour of need
‘She is my soulmate. I’d do anything for her’: readers on their best friends
Always bring something and know when to leave: a freeloader’s guide to being the perfect dinner guest
How we met
How we met: ‘She agreed to long, arduous bike rides just to support me through cancer’
