Buddies Like Spoiled Milk: Five Books That Feature Toxic Friendships

The complexities of female friendships will always fascinate me. There’s something about the fragility of these relationships that I find incredibly intriguing, as if the women involved are one misunderstanding or backhanded compliment away from being permanently blocked from the group chat.

It’s why I’m so obsessed with reality shows like The Real Housewives, Love Island, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Watching these seemingly impenetrable bonds form so quickly, only to be dismantled the second someone feels even the tiniest bit slighted, are why stories about female friendships are so captivating, especially when those friendships sour.

We all know rancid things aren’t good for us. I mean, no one drinks spoiled milk because it’s been around a while, and they can’t bring themselves to toss it. And yet, somehow, we hold onto friendships—nurturing and prioritizing them—even though they’ve long since turned toxic.

Unfortunately, the signs you’re in a toxic friendship are sometimes not realized until it’s too late. By then, you feel so indebted to the relationship that it’s difficult to walk away.

Such is the case in my debut thriller, Love You To Death, in which two ride-or-die best friends, Kayla and Zorie, find themselves on the run from the police after their hobby of crashing weddings to steal the gifts turns deadly. It’s during this roadtrip to hell that Kayla discovers the line between love and manipulation is thinner than she realized, and that her best friend may be the most dangerous person she knows.

If Love You To Death sounds like a good time, here are five books guaranteed to give you the toxic friendship vibes we love to see.

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Andrea Bartz, We Were Never Here

Some secrets between best friends are impossible to keep buried, especially when those secrets involve dead bodies. Best friends, Emily and Kristen, have reunited for their annual backpacking trip, this time in Chile.

But their trip is cut short when Kristen kills a man and claims it was self-defense. Weirdly, the same thing happened on last year’s trip, when another man wound up dead. Is this just a coincidence, or something more sinister?

At this point, maybe it’s time for Emily to skip the yearly trip and consider a staycation. Alone.

Liann Zhang, Julie Chan Is Dead

When grocery store cashier, Julie Chan, discovers the dead body of her popular influencer twin sister, she decides to take over her life. But slipping into someone else’s life isn’t as easy as slipping into their clothes, even if you drink multiple cups of laxative tea (that’s an actual reference from the book).

Julie soon discovers that this new world of fame and wealth is not as perfect as it seems. Something else that isn’t perfect is Julie’s new group of friends, courtesy of her dead sister, and each comes armed with very unique motives.

Julie’s voice is dark and funny, and if you love an unhinged story with unpredictable twists as much as I do, then this book is definitely for you.

Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl

As the only black woman at a major publisher, Nella Rogers is elated to see another black woman, Hazel, join the company. When messages telling Nella to leave the company begin appearing on her desk, she suspects Hazel may be after her job, after all, she’s the new office darling.

But is it Nella’s career she’s after, or does Hazel have darker intentions for her new office bestie? As the late, great Zora Neale Hurston once said: All my skinfolk ain’t my kinfolk.

Jessee Q. Sutanto, I’m Not Done with You Yet

Competition, jealousy, obsession, and betrayal fuel this story of two toxic friends, Jane and Thalia, who meet in college and whose lives take very different paths after the duo lose touch. For Jane, life is a series of mundane events, including her marriage and career.

When she discovers Thalia on The New York Times bestseller list, Jane is determined to reunite with her former bestie and pick up where they left off, but this may not be the reunion either of them expects. Sometimes, reliving the past can have deadly consequences.

Sharon Bolton, The Pact

Oh, how I love a revenge plot! In Sharon Bolton’s The Pact, a risky game involving six teenagers results in a fatal accident, but only one takes the fall. Megan admirably—or stupidly—agrees to take the blame for her friends on the one condition that when she is released from prison, each of them will owe her a favor.

What kind of favor, you ask? Anything she wants! I think we can all agree it’s never a good idea to make a deal with such vague terms, and this will be a deal they live to regret…if they live at all.

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