I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

As a previous fan of Morin's books, I found this book to be a slight let down. While some of the chapters introduced good tactics for maintaining a positive relationship with your partner, I found most of the advice to be fairly mundane and repeated from other books. I don't think this book relly added anything to the repertoire of self-help books concerning relationships.

I thought that this book provided a good basis, especially since most people will be able to relate to at least on or more chapters (I know I did!). But I felt like it was too simplistic and never talked much about mental illnesses, their nuances, and how they play a role in being mentally strong. There also was not that many actual psychological data references Some of the examples were too simple too and almost superficial. Also, I think it is important to note that even mentally strong people will fall trap to all 13 of these at some point, none of us are perfect, but being mentally strong means being self-aware of that and having the patience, knowledge, and strength to improve and work on yourself. All that being said I would still recommend it as a beginners' guide.

This book encourages every couple to look at what should be avoided. It is common sense, but a great review of how communication can get off track. The real-life examples are a great addition to make this advice more relatable. I am recommending to those who enjoy women's fiction, but like to read non-fiction and/or self-help type of books.

I read Amy Morin’s 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do several years ago, and I remember gaining so much value from it. I still have it in my book collection, so I should give it a re-read.

I didn’t know she had continued this format with other book iterations for parents, kids, women, and now, couples. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The format works.

The way she breaks down the chapters is what I liked most. She begins with an anonymous therapy patient example, which immediately creates a connection, and then dives into exploring the topic, laying out a checklist of behaviors to identify with (or not), before ultimately going deeper into the problem and solutions.

Each chapter ends with a list of questions to ponder alone or discuss with your partner, followed by an interview with other prolific writers in the communication space, such as Dr. Nedra Glover Tawwab (I’m a fan), to explore each area further.

It’s a book that can be used as a tool over time, revisiting certain chapters as needed, which is why, like her other book, I’ll keep doing just that.

While there isn’t any new content supplied in this book, it helps to reinforce things we can do to improve relationships. I like that author brings in other voices to share perspectives.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

This book offered practical tips and advice for marriage. Let’s face it marriage is hard and having a book like this necessary. I enjoyed the wide range of topics and different situations couples may experience including the different patient stories. The book also provided conversation starters and quizzes which were a great plus.
Overall, the book was a great read and offered hands on approaches to enhance mental fortitude and strengthen marriages.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I have previously read Amy Morin's "13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do" and while "13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don't Do" is a similar concept I feel like it gives and builds on solid advice, some more common sense like communicating with respect and trying to always think of the reason you fell in love with your spouse or significant other, it is a broad range of advice that will work with a variety of relationships. I do recommend it, and will be looking into her other titles I haven;t yet read.

This came at the perfect time. I was already a fan of the author, and this was yet another great book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review!

Marriage is hard. This book was great and I took a lot from it. I appreciated the layout of the chapters with questions for you and your significant other as well as “guest interviews” with prominent names of the psychosocial field of study making contributions.

This book helped me tackle feelings of disrespect, not being heard, and how it’s easy to lose site of things. Small children do a number on marriages and almost every example in this book felt relevant to the types of conflict my family faces, or atleast the narrative I tell myself.

13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don't Do: Fix What's Broken, Develop Healthier Patterns, and Grow Stronger Together by Amy Morin

I have previously reviewed two other books in this series (People, Parents). I was excited to see this book as I'm in a second marriage and trying to avoid mistakes of the first. NetGalley provided an advance copy of this book to review, but I was not compensated nor required to write the review.

While Morin provides an introduction that recaps events of her life that drove her to write her original 13 Things book, I recommend reading that book. Mentally strong individuals are in a better position to become mentally strong couples. I'm revisiting that original book myself to see where I've made progress, and where I've fallen behind.

Morin introduces each topic according to results of a survey she conducted of a cross-section of 1,032 married people, highlighting the largest problems. Chapter 1 is "They Don't Ignore Their Problems," as per her survey as 47% of couples avoid bringing up problems with their partner out of fear they'll make things worse. The author has a formulaic approach to each chapter, retelling the story of a couple who approached her for therapy on the issue, providing quizzes about yourself and your partner, delving into steps to solve the problem and "mental strength exercises," and finally interviewing a well-credentialed therapist at the end of the chapter (different person each time) to see how they counsel couples about the issue.

I took a large number of highlights, but I'll provide just one detailed example: Chapter 6, "They Don't Try to Fix Each Other," was one of the most significant for me. What do you do when your partner is making harmful and unhealthy choices? Do you make them feel unwelcome? Lecture them? Try to trick them into making changes? It's difficult to "find that healthy balance where you provide support and share your opinion without trying to force them in to making changes they don't want to make." Understanding that people are adults, often irrational, and make changes for different reasons is critical. We are not responsible for our partners' behavior, but we are responsible for how we respond to it: "Part of developing a healthy partnership means accepting that your partner is their own person. It's not your job to fix the behaviors you don't like. It's your job to manage how you respond to those behaviors." (See Chapter Two of her original book -- mentally strong people don't give away their power.) It's important that we share how we feel with our partner, including how their behavior make us feel. We can influence our partner and invite them to work on problems together. But, ultimately, "accepting your partner (as they are) makes you stronger."

The author's anecdote from Chapter 6 seemed the most authentic to me: A middle-aged woman's long-time spouse, a diabetic, was coping with a stressful issue by stopping at a bar after work and coming home inebriated. While well-intentioned, the wife's nagging about his health and diabetes was producing the opposite result. Apropos of Chapter 3: They Don't Hesitate to Set Boundaries, Morin advised the woman to set boundaries at home. The woman expressed to her spouse her concerns, how much she enjoyed it when he came home, they ate dinner, and watched their favorite show together. She would have dinner ready on time for them every night, but if he came home late, he could find the leftovers in the fridge and he shouldn't expect to find her waiting-- she'd be doing her own thing. Things weren't perfect, but she was mentally stronger and he started to come around. Not all examples in life work out quite as well, but this chapter at least provided one partner with exercises to help her mental health, accept her partner, and work on finding a way to solve the problem together without expectations.

One of the biggest takeaways of the book for me was the importance of nurturing the relationship. Not communicating with disrespect, not forgetting why you fell in love, not taking each other for granted, and also not being afraid or feeling threatened when your partner is growing and changing. The book also demonstrates the importance of couples finding time (and money) for individual as well as couples therapy. I recommend this book to 100% of married couples that I know. It is a very useful tool in the toolbox.

4.5 stars out of five.

I'm a big Amy Morin fan! And this book is as helpful as her many others. No matter how long a couple has been together, this book offers sound advice and eye-opening information.

I really enjoyed this book and I read it with my husband and the points and the suggestions in the book were spot on and I’m glad I’m able to put them to the test! Thanks for the arc!

Great suggestions and book. My husband and I read together and had many eye opening and level set thoughts!

The first book I read of Amy Morton was what strong kids do. I love that book. I use that book so much my copy is worn out. I jumped on this chance because relationships are hard. I devoured it and have been reflecting on it for the past couple days. Such great advice that is easy to implement and just makes sense.

A strong title for a strong, compelling book, "13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don't Do" is an excellent guide for any couple, no matter the length of your relationship. If you are looking to strengthen your bond and relationship, look no further than this book. It gives excellent descriptions and explanations to educate you in the ways your relationship can increase in its fortitude and closeness. This book should be on every couple's shelf, and would make a great gift for newlyweds.