This was so interesting to read. I loved the bite sized chapters and exercises dotted throughout. It was easy to read and a book you can dip in and out of.

The Secrets of Successful Relationships is packed with solid advice that’s super easy to relate to. The author breaks down what makes relationships work in a way that feels real and down-to-earth, not like some boring lecture. There’s a mix of practical tips and insights that actually make you think about how you connect with people, whether it’s romantic or just friendships.

Some of the advice is stuff you might’ve heard before, but it’s presented in a way that feels fresh and relevant. If you’re looking to up your relationship game or just understand people better, this book is a great read that’s totally worth your time

I highlight so many insights to read again in the future. There are no easy secrets to successful relationships, we have to keep working on them, always on progress to be better.
There is no perfect relationship, as we are also an imperfect person. this book can be a good starter to work on conflict or get to know our bad pattern in relationship.
There are some reflective questions to make it more practical. It is not easy to implement all the advice. Just pick one or two topics first that we resonate with the most.
Hopefully, this book can help more couples to maintain healthy expectations and better conflict solutions.
Thank you The School of Life and Net Galley for providing digital ARC.

A read must in this new generation of troubled love life. Positive ways to understand a relationship is depicted beautifully in this book.

I loved it. Good advice and a very pleasant read. It helps put things in perspective by analysing one's past relationship .

Overall I found this book to be well written, informative and an educational read. Provided some new ideas and insights. Worth picking up if the subject matter affects you. Recommend.

A very insightful matter of fact guide to mastering your relationships. A guide to dealing with real life situations.Excellent guide for me lots to learn from and think about.#netgalley #schooloflife

It was a good and insightful read. A little short and compact. My copy was actually not that neat so I actually was kind of annoyed by it.

This is the first book I read from the School of Life and I found it an interesting lecture. I learned a few things about me, my views about relationships and about my past relationships, not only romantics but also with frienda and people I crossed pasts with.
Thank you, Netgalley, for this opportunity.

I've watched 2 informative School of Life videos, so I read "The Secrets of Successful Relationships" by The School of Life.

The book offers insights and advice on building and maintaining healthy relationships.

The best part is that it often reminds you that YOU are a pain in the ass. YOU are imperfect. YOU can be difficult.

Most of the time, we think we're perfectly normal and reasonable, and it's our partner who is the unreasonable jerk.
That's rarely the case.

That's hard for most people to accept, but this book can help you realize that.

It can also help you to realize that your partner isn't as crazy as s/he appears to be.

The book is part of The School of Life series, which is known for providing philosophical yet practical advice on various aspects of life, including relationships, work, and self-awareness. The School of Life, founded by philosopher Alain de Botton, aims to offer wisdom and guidance for navigating life's challenges.

This particular book focuses on the key ingredients for contented love and provides quintessential advice on relationships. It draws from philosophical teachings and psychological insights to offer practical strategies for improving and understanding romantic partnerships.

The approach of The School of Life typically involves:

1. Exploring emotional intelligence and self-awareness
2. Providing practical advice grounded in philosophical and psychological concepts
3. Addressing common relationship challenges and offering solutions
4. Encouraging readers to understand themselves and others better

The book covers topics such as:

- Communication skills
- Understanding and managing emotions in relationships
- Dealing with conflicts
- Building intimacy and trust
- Maintaining long-term compatibility

It helps those seeking to improve their romantic partnerships or gain a deeper understanding of relationship dynamics.

It also helps humble you.

A truthfully to the point blank period approach towards truly discovering what we as humans need from each other on a human to human level.

"The Secrets of Successful Relationships" by The School of Life offers a refreshingly grounded approach to mastering love. This insightful guide, penned with clarity and humor, reveals the essential elements that make relationships thrive. The book provides actionable strategies for effective communication, managing differences, and resolving conflicts. A well-written and practical resource, it empowers readers to cultivate the fulfilling relationships they deserve.

The Secrets of Successful Relationships : A quick and easy read on romantic relationships. There are some good ideas and lots of food for thought. But it sticks mainly to the mainstream and doesn't include the problems that can occur such as abuse or narcissism which require a totally different approach. Some of the exercises which include making yourself very open and vulnerable may put you at high risk in a problem relationship. Some exercises were a little bit cringe worthy to me, but that is probably just me. Overall a good insightful book that will provide lots of general help and guidance.

There are so many book out there that discussing about relationship but a few that success to bring the secrets of meaningful relationships. This book, from the School of Life, is a few that is so good to read for you. For me personally, especially the part of Good Listening. I recommend you to read this book.

For relationships between healthy adults, whether they are business, friendship, or romantic, there is a lot to offer here in the way of attachment and communication styles...Social Psych 101. However, if someone is in a relationship with an abuser or narcissist, someone who does not relate in healthy ways, there is a lot of advice here that will only hurt the person trying to save the relationship. This could be something good for teens to read before going into their first relationships, but they need to be aware of what red flags and unhealthy behaviors look like as well.

I have watched a lot of The School of Life Youtube videos. They are always clear and interesting and the information can be a lot to process, so I really like the book formats such as the book about Parents that combine all the wisdom in book format that can easily be picked up and perused at leisure. The book contains a lot to think about when embarking on a relationship and can help you see unhelpful patterns of behaviour and gives you ideas about how to communicate better in relationships. I think the advice could apply just as well to platonic, familial or business relationships as romantic ones. The basic takeaways seem to be to endeavour to totally be yourself ( with all your glorious idiosyncrasies from the outset) never mask who you really are as you are "enough" despite how others have made or continue to make you feel and to strive to communicate better so that people are clear that if you seem, for example, annoyed with them that perhaps you are more angry and stressed about your own reaction to a situation than them. There is a lot to ruminate on. I have to say that I didn't always agree with some of the advice. For example, they suggest that a couple sets aside a time every week where one of you can vent all your frustrations with the other and explain how certain behaviours make you feel and maybe why ( the origin being usually parents, school, etc) and the other person in the relationship listens without comment and learns how to adapt. I actually think this is bad advice if you are in any sort of coercive or emotionally abusive relationship, especially one with a narcissist. It would seem to give the abuser carte blanche to vent and demand standards of behaviour and care that no one could ever hope to achieve. Similar to how some couples counselling starts with the assumption that each person is 50% responsible for the relationship issues and the abused partner can come away with a list of things to do to enable their abuser in the guise of supoorting and repairing the relationship. That said, I still think the book is great. I wish I had read something like this when I first started having relationships, it may have given me more confidence to just be myself rather than trying to people please or always anticipate and service others desires and preferences rather than my own.

A great introductory and reflexive guide about relationships.
As described in the marketing summaries, the relationships that this book cover are romantic relationships, but as in many other School of Life (SoL) books, the book delves into other areas of life, our pasts and other relationships to offer a wholesome understanding of our psyches.
The writing style and the organisation of the book are clear and approachable, as usually expected from an SoL book. I always enjoy their prose.
My favourite parts were the exercises: the questions to ask yourself and the paragraphs (they occur in all chapters and subchapters) about acceptance and self-reflection.

For other types of relationships (with your family and friends) are covered in other SoL books already.
Personally, I requested The Secrets of Successful Relationships because I like their books.
I must say I do not see eye to eye with the theories in this book at all times, but this is a wonderful intro to self-awareness, therapy and relationships who wish to specifically learn more on those topics.