Now I am a little embarrassed that I was interested enough in reading this book. My intuition told me that this would be a book that would piss me off, but I did not want to dismiss it without giving it a shot. I am pleased to say my gut feelings were proven only partially right; I surprisingly was still able to get something out of this book. I finished this book with a surprising feeling of validation, empowerment, and eagerness to use the new skills I read in here.

I am indisputably a Nice Gir More...

Okay, so first things first, I am not a nice girl. I know a few and I may have been one at some point...but along the way I have had the privilege of having very strong women role models and they have paved the way. I have also had the benefit of having male mentors who have a very good grasp on women and how to leverage their individual and unique strengths. With that said, this book did have some great tips and suggestions and could certainly serve as a refresher on how to be an effective comm More...

This book has a set of effective suggestions for the so very many of us who hold ourselves to a higher standard than all of those around us, and who are, therefore, often used by others.

Beverly Engel uses examples of women who were abused and offers suggestions for how to escape from or avoid an abusive situation (all the while without blaming those who are abused for the actions of the abusers), and how to become more empowered. The book offers suggested affirmations and ways to feel and intern More...

This is an OK book, but the author comes off as defensively reacting to some major hurt from a male. I understand about being assertive and standing up for yourself, but fully half of the book seems to be aimed at males and how they "take advantage" of females in one way or another. This is the impression given in the book and a viewpoint I don't agree with. I think this book could have been more effective if it dealt with a more open range of situations, rather than just domestic relationships. More...

I liked this book. Although I'm not an extreme as depicted in this book, given the fact that I was raised in an abusive environment with selfish family members and a mysoginist community, I had a lot of trouble growing up. I felt extrememely repressed and literally inside a cage tied with eavy chains to the ground.
Making me feel bad for who I was or what I liked or for standing up for myself, was the central technique applied usually in rainsing girls, not only at home but also in school. I fau More...

While this book uses extreme examples of what the dangers of being a Nice Girl are (physical, emotional, and sexual abuse), there are many things in it that are useful for women with milder versions of Nice Girl Syndrome. Nice, unfortunately, gets you nowhere. People will prey on you, manipulate you, and take advantage of you if they can, and this book gives some strategies for avoiding that.

A lot of the things in it seem to be common sense and common knowledge, but sometimes it's nice (no pun More...

Not bad, although I think that I liked Bully in the Relationship better. Still, particularly if you have no feminist background analyses, etc. this is a good book for you to read, if your being too nice of a gal, and it's getting you in trouble.

I really liked how she points out how guilt and pity many times are confused with love, and used against us as women, even by women, hell, even by our internal selves, in order to keep us in relationships that really are not healthy for us.

Review to come. I read this a while back this past year and I know I'm probably going to be in the minority for saying this, but I found this book incredibly condescending for a self-help book. It's supposed to champion feminist ideals and help women who aren't in control of their lives and find it hard to say "no", but I don't approve of the shaming tone of it at all.

I get the point, but I like to be nice, not phony but truly nice, if I can. Things go more smoothly if people are nice. Maybe that`s the clue, if more people were nice we wouldn't have to be aggressive and obnoxious.

Ok so looking at the title of this book makes it sound like my husband beats me or something! But it's more than that, it's a book the teaches women how to stand up for themselves. So far it's great!

This is a good self-help book for any lady who has been abused or trampled upon in relationships. I even found the advice helpful for women who are too nice and giving in relationships period. It goes from figuring out where this niceness comes from to remedying it to friends and family. I really appreciated the book being a social worker as it helped me become more assertive.

So many times I am prepared to say yes without thinking about the cost it has on me. I am working on changing my thought process to include what is best for me. This book, so far, is right on target!

I could have done without the gratuitous 12-step bashing, but otherwise this book has a lot of good, practical advice about how a woman can learn to stand up for herself.

This is a great book, especially for those of us who can be too nice at times.

Why do I keep reading self help books? All they ever do is make me mad.

A very important book for me. Recommend it highly.

A must-read for all of the 'nice' girls out there!

This book was spot on! I am way too nice!

Pretty important read

good book

Beverly Engel is my number one favorite authority on abuse and how to heal from it. This book has helped me to heal from some past experiences. I would recommend it to anyone who keeps finding themselves in abusive relationships.

I think this book should be required reading for all women. It is direct and concise and easy to read so even people who don't like to read much will not have a difficult time getting through it. If I had a daughter, I would ABSOLUTELY insist that she read this book.

Excellent read, but I wish it was addressed to men also - entitled, The Nice Person Syndrome. Easy reading with practical exercises to move out of being compliant and manipulated into being essentially who you are: strong, confident, competent and courageous.

Encourages thought provoking self examination.
Easy to read, light-hearted in many parts, like having a girl-to-girl
chat over coffee, offers interesting insight into our behaviours and
opportunities to create action plans for change.

Great book about how we are socialized as women to be caretakers. By putting others first, we can (and will) get hurt and be taken advantage of. It was exactly what I needed to read.

Engel does not present any new or surprising information in this book; still, it was generally worth my time.

This book gave me insight on issues that I had and it helped me become a stronger woman.

Love it! It's like therapy!