Deal Breakers: When to Work on a Relationship and When to Walk Away

This is a book about men. Not all men, just emotionally unhealthy men. The ones who make you question, "Is it him or is it me? Am I making too big a deal out of this? I try to tell him how I feel, but he says I'm overreacting or needy or it's all my fault."

Relationships are hard work, but how hard should they be? When do you know you are struggling too hard to make a relationship succeed?

Deal Breakers is about getting out of this "relationship purgatory" — where the present is unfulfilling and the future is the only thing you can hope for. But there is no magic future. If he won't work on problems today, it's unlikely they'll ever be resolved. And passively hoping for change will only cost you years of depression or expensive therapy.

Dr. Bethany Marshall is here to remind women that relationships — like business relationships — are deals. In the business world, a deal breaker is the one nonnegotiable term that, if not agreed to, means the deal is off. But in the world of relationships, identifying your deal breaker can be much more promising, as it holds out the possibility of helping you to understand where the relationship has gone wrong, what needs to be done in order to make it better, and when to walk away because you're doing more work than him to fix it.

A deal breaker is a boundary that smart people set for themselves because they know that falling in love can make them do stupid things. Through case studies, deal breaker scenarios, and suggested courses of action, Deal Breakers expertly guides frustrated women. By defining your deal breaker, you hold all the power to create the happiness you deserve.

Dr. Bethany Marshall is here to remind women that relationships—-like business relationsips—-are deals. In the business world a deal breaker is the one non-negotiable term that, if not agreed to, means the deal is off. But in the world of relationships, identifying your deal breaker can be much more promising. By defining your deal breaker, you hold all the power to create the happiness you deserve.

Crystal Renfro - Library Journal

Marshall, a frequent guest psychologist on CNN Headline News, Good Morning America, and the Tyra Banks Show, offers women insights on evaluating and managing their romantic relationships based on the business model of making deals and handling any subsequent deal-breaking situations. Marshall identifies five general types of deal-breaking male personalities (e.g., Scriptwriter, Man in Charge, Invisible Man) and provides descriptions and case examples to help readers identify into which category the significant males in their lives may fit. Her subsequent discussion of deal breakers and negotiations between couples is an updated spin on the classic concept of establishing effective boundaries with others. Marshall could have broadened her readership base by including additional chapters that identify deal-breaking female personalities and consider the negotiation phase from the male perspective. Still, this easy-to-read book maintains the reader's interest with case stories sprinkled throughout. Suitable for public libraries.

Bethany Marshall, PhD, PsyD, MFT has been in private practice as a marriage, family, and child therapist in both Beverly Hills and Pasadena for the past eighteen years. She regularly appears as a contributing psychological commentator on Good Morning America, The Early Show, and Leeza Gibbons's nationally syndicated radio show, "Hollywood Confidential," and is a weekly commentator for Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News.