The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the audiobook fans have been waiting for.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Listening Length

8 hours and 49 minutes
Author

Matthew Perry
Narrator

Matthew Perry
Audible release date

Nov. 1 2022
Language

English
Publisher

Macmillan Audio
ASIN

B09RQ5JJP4
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Your complimentary audiobook is waiting

Free trial includes 1 credit in your first month good for any title of your choice, yours to keep.
Plus, you can enjoy unlimited listening to The Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
You'll unlock exclusive member-only sales, as well as 30% off your purchases of any additional titles.
After 30 days Audible is $14.95/month + applicable taxes. Renews automatically.

Learn more about membership

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

List Price: $31.97

You Save: $4.00 (13%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Paris: The Memoir
Paris Hilton
1,287
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories
Kelly Ripa
4,303
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember
Lauren Graham
618
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
Tom Felton
4,703
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
A Promised Land
Barack Obama
124,294
in U.S. Politics

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Related to this topic

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Product details

Listening Length	8 hours and 49 minutes
Author	Matthew Perry
Narrator	Matthew Perry
Audible.ca Release Date	November 01 2022
Publisher	Macmillan Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09RQ5JJP4
Best Sellers Rank	#30 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Film & TV #4 in Actor Biographies #4 in Entertainer

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

19,229 global ratings

5 star		63%
4 star		21%
3 star		11%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

win3181

A remarkable story

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 15, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is captivating. I started reading it and couldn’t put it down. A very honest book with no details spared. I was emotionally invested from page 1 and was taken on a journey that had me in tears several times. I decided to purchase this book in hopes that I could better understand addiction and it did provide many answers and questions I didn’t even know I had. This book was intimate and I feel like I was a part of the story. Well written and I’m grateful for the openness. A must read!

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Something about people's lives there are no explanation for what they are facing.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

You think you know someone who has it all, but there are demons in their lives - no matter what they want to do, the demon's calls are like an old pair of shoes or an unfaithful lover to spend the time to cope with.

I hesitate to call the book a memoir because I believe that Matthew Perry has much wisdom to teach us. For example, Perry experienced whether or not he was worthy of love, or able to commit to a woman without being left first. So Perry thought he was not enough to have a meaningful relationship with a person who understood the man. All of us had been there or another at some point in our lives.

Perry's alcohol and drug abuse was not a cry for help; however, looking for happiness and calmness within himself like warm honey. I am not making any excuses for Matthew Perry, but addiction is an unknown place to people who are not educated about this disease. Still, it is a sadistic love affair that you should not be having and you know you will be in trouble. But, unfortunately, the beast wins.

I am thankful that Perry has beaten the odds and striving as an excellent writer and storyteller.

I hope that Matthew Perry finds love because everyone deserves love.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Wendy.

A very intense book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

I truly appreciated the honesty shared in this book, a very challenging journey that shows the determination it takes to become healthy and free from addiction

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Esther Kniznik

Mathew Perry

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book was recommended in my book club. I wasn’t sure as this was not my choice but once I started reading it, it actually was very interesting and informative.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

TheFrog

An interesting read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

It was a good read.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Loved it!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

Reading about his trials and triumphs (from his own perspective) was so interesting. Perry is obviously funny, but I was surprised to learn how sensitive he is too. The book was a bit repetitive at points and I would have preferred if the timeline was just linear, but no big deal. While reading, I often found myself rooting for him to overcome his challenges... it seems he's on track to do so!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

So interesting and a good read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

Very interesting..as a fan of Matthew and “Friends” ..he refers to time line when doing friends ..it was eye opening on addiction but very good read

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Crystal Brown

Love

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

Love this book

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

P. Huffman

I hope you read this book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

I just finished Mathew's book. I did not realize until I was almost done with his story that it could have been my father's story accept, my father died after getting septic from colon cancer surgery. He too had a fistula and they gave him liquids which spilled out and killed him. Dad drank, smoked, and took all the same drugs Mathew did. My Dad rejected AA because of step two. My Dad had an irrational fear of "insanity". My father saw shrinks and they gave him drugs to treat the fear and anxiety. My Dad had seven children with four different woman and many woman on the side. Mathew, my Dad and myself were abandoned at a critical time when we were vulnerable children. I think my Dad, Mathew and I were and are driven by the desire to have that feeling of safety and comfort we lost early in life if it ever really existed. Maybe we are trying to find that feeling of safety and comfort we imagine only exists for others. I also believe that that 'feeling' in the gut of anxiety and fear can be about a screwed up digestive track made worse by relationships, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Relationships, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes cause and treat the discomfort of fear and anxiety. These substances and behaviors seem to bring relief but only for a moment and then they make it worse. I think the absence of depression and anxiety can be from the absence of an irritable bowel and peace of mind. Mathew was born with colic his stomach was a problem from the start.

This is a list of some of the substances he used.

Constant crying from colic Mathew was drugged with
phenobarbital so his parents could sleep.
Dilaudid
Suboxone
Valium
Xanax.
At one point he was addicted to six milligrams of Ativan a day.
booze

Oxy is what blew up Mathew's colon. The warm honey feeling he describes from the oxy paralyzes the gut bringing on depression and anxiety. At one point Mathew did sixty pills a day. My Dad suffered from Oxy. I experienced it too.

All this stuff impacts mood. Depression, fear, anxiety. Fear of depression, anxiety and fear. The same feelings of abandonment, fear and anxiety a small child feels [I felt] when I became aware I was abandoned. These feelings are alive and well in Mathew's and my body and they can be triggered by 'something happening good or bad' I don't like to leave my house because just pulling out of my driveway is stressful.

After reading the book I can better understand myself and my Dad. I was not present for my life and I mistreated the people I love while seeking relief from my addiction/discomfort. I even became co-dependent in recovery by trying to replace the substances with gurus. I too had the spiritual experience that made me feel completely loved and free from my insanity. It lasted until I tried to talk about it with other people who did not "get it". I was distracted by their lack of appreciation for what I was saying.

After reading this book I feel like I have been in rehab for a week. I see my disease better. Mathew Perry lived the unbelievable nightmare of mental illness and lived to tell about it. We focus on the substance when that substance is really just an attempt to treat the real problem. Is self-awareness of the core issue enough to free oneself from the intolerable agony of having paralyzing feelings of being discarded and fearing it will happen again and again. Even if only just by the president of the PTA. Isolation is the only way I knew to protect myself from fulfilling the prophecy my sister made to me. She said I would never have any friends. I was eight years old. She was nine. I believed her. I was all alone on Rancho Drive. I had no friends not even my sister. Just the word "friends" can trigger my discomfort. No matter how many people I call friend I can not dispel that belief. The big secret I carry is I believe I have no value. When people treat me as though I have no value I want to die. Mathew said it annihilated him to be left. Annihilated describes the feeling I want to avoid the most. Until now I could not think of a word strong enough to convey my discomfort. Annihilation feels right. Sadly, whenever I risked talking about this belief, I was told to "get over it". That would be fine accept it is who I think I am. Can I just get over it?
What or how would I know if I were over it?

"I want God to always be there for me now, whenever I clear my channel to feel his awesomeness."

I hope you read the book.

81 people found this helpful

Kathy Vullis

A Brave and Honest Memoir Which Will Help People

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

I have never been a regular viewer of Friends but on those occasions when I did watch the show the character that always stood out for me was Chandler. I found Chandler handsome, charming, funny and I felt the same for Matthew Perry who portrayed him. I've been aware of the decades long addiction problems Matthew Perry has had and when his memoir Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing (2022) came out to critical praise I wanted to read what he had to say. I was curious why Perry's addiction to drugs and alcohol started and what he has learned along the way.

And so when Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing begins we are at a crisis moment in Matthew Perry's life. It was 2018 and as he tells us his colon ruptured due to years of opioid use. It was a life threatening situation and after this dramatic opening some readers may decide they've had enough. But that would be a mistake.

I know for myself that I learned alot not only about Perry's struggles with substance abuse which is the major part of the book but also about his childhood growing up in Ottawa and Los Angeles. He had plan as a teenager to become a tennis pro but realized he was good but would never be great. And so following in his father's footsteps he decided to give acting a try. He loved it and was great at it. We learn about Perry's audition for Friends and he continues to be extremely grateful for his time on the show and remains close with the cast and crew to this day.

And that is what is so admirable about this memoir because as hard as Matthew Perry can be on himself, he is very generous when talking about his parents, siblings, friends, girlfriends, co-stars. This is a serious memoir about addiction and I finished the book wanting the best for Matthew Perry and if a reader is a fan of Chandler I think knowing about the actor who portrayed him will not disappoint. I recommend Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing and I believe its a book that will help people.

4 people found this helpful

Lisa Busby

Honest and compelling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

Although, at times, the writing is a little confusing and the 'Keanu' comment really should have been taken out by Matthew's editor, I found this book compelling and difficult to put down.
This is an honest account of addiction and I applaud Mr Perry for bravely sharing his life in this way. Having known people with addiction, who sadly did not make it, I am grateful that this book shines a light, not only for other addicts (therefore showing you are not alone and even the rich and famous can have their lives ruined by drugs and alcohol) but also to the judgemental who have no idea what addiction is.
I feel sad that he has gone through so much and, what should have been an amazing experience i.e Friends, was overshadowed by an intense loneliness and foreboding. And yet, he still battles on (how incredible addicts are each day they say no) and aims to help others because that's what life is about.
This is not a literary masterpiece but it is, I believe, more important than that because it is an honest account of a man's battle through life.

One person found this helpful

Heather Hegefeld

Hard to Follow Sometimes, But…

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

I will start with dislikes first. It is hard to follow sometimes. The structure is a little weird, the timeline bounces around, and there are so many detoxes and rehabs that it’s difficult to keep them straight. I also found myself starting to roll my eyes at an insanely rich, and famous guy who has money, upon money to burn, and throw at pills, and fancy rehabs. I think it’s easy to assume that if he didn’t have all his money he wouldn’t have been able to maintain his addiction, and would no longer be with us.

However (comma) this brings me to the likes bit of this review, or more accurately the intermission. I always notice that when a famous person struggles with addiction and/or commits suicide because they are depressed, there’s always someone who says, money doesn’t bring happiness. Like it’s an opportunity to teach that lesson, and/or puts the message out there that happiness making money was what this person was after, completely missing the fact that depression and addiction are diseases. Unfortunately, people commit suicide everyday because of depression, or go to their first AA meeting, it just the famous we hear about. Now back to the review.

Matthew Perry admits in his book that in his youth he wanted fame, hoping it would fill holes in his life, or holes he perceived in his life. His upbringing was nice yes, he was loved yes, however, it was the feeling of abandonment that he struggled so much with. His father leaving, his mother working so much, his parents remarrying and having families that he didn’t feel completely apart of all laid the foundation for how he viewed himself. Which is why he struggled with commitment, that led to him leaving relationships before he got left which is what he assumed would happen every time. I like that he tells his story with the perspective that he had at the time. Does it always sound good? No. Does it always make Matthew Perry seem like a great person? No. But most of time it was the fear talking, the immaturity talking, and he grows, eventually, as you read the story. He ends the book in a better place looking forward to the future. I highlighted a line toward the end that is a lesson we all can, and need to learn, addiction or not, “I am me. And that should be enough, it always has been enough. I was the one who didn’t get that. And now I do.”

This book is a raw, no holding back, this is how it was warts and all, account of the Matthew Perry story told by Matthew Perry. It’s full of facts but also opinions, and perspectives that should not be taken as fact. Not everyone will like this book, and that’s true with anything. Not everyone will “see” the story Matthew Perry was trying to tell, and that also happens with other things as well.

In short, I enjoyed this book. I appreciated Matthew Perry’s honesty, and his love for Chandler Bing, who will always be my favorite.

11 people found this helpful

California Dreaming

Not Really a "Kiss and Tell" but Maybe a "Drug and Tell"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

I'll admit, I rarely watched "Friends" when episodes first aired. My wife started binge watching it a couple years ago or so, probably during the pandemic, and so I started watching it with her. I do think that I was a little too hard on the show though as I always thought that it was a bit of a "Seinfeld" "rip-off." In reality there are enough differences in the shows that now, after watching the entire series of each, I've relaxed my criticism. A bit.

And I rarely read autobiographies, or what people usually call "memoirs" nowadays. I usually am reading true-crime books, in particular those about serial killers. I did read "C'mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus" (CGH) from David Cassidy in 2021 and I actually liked Mr. Cassidy LESS after reading his memoir. I kind of wish I wouldn't have read CGH and just remembered him instead from his time on the show. It's just that I found Mr. Cassidy to be a bit of a braggart while reading and while I finished CGH I was struggling to even care towards the end. I'm guessing that Susan Dey felt the same. Ahem.

Now, rarely does Matthew Perry "brag" during "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir" (FLB) about himself. He does discuss how much money he made during filming of "Friends," and I don't have a problem with that, mostly because he discusses how David Schwimmer actually was instrumental in negotiating a great deal for the entire cast and not just for Mr. Schwimmer. In reality Mr. Perry is far more self-deprecating in FLB than Mr. Cassidy is in CGH. Mr. Perry doesn't seem to hide much when it comes to his struggles with addiction and if he does underplay it, well, he must be REALLY bad. Mr. Perry discusses how he was taking up to 55 pain killers a day and that is extreme. For those who don't know, pain killers tend to dry you out and slow down digestion so I have no idea how someone could take that many for any length of time and survive.

Well, Mr. Perry almost didn't survive.

Mr. Perry was rushed by a friend from one of his many stints in rehab to the hospital and the people running the rehab facility tried to stop him. If they had been successful Mr. Perry surely would've died. Heck, he still should've died in the hospital even though he had probably the best care that money could buy. From memory he said that only "two percent of people survive on the machine required to keep him alive," and I think he also called it a "Hail Mary."

Overall I really liked FLB and I actually read it in one day. As a matter of fact I couldn't sleep last night and kept picking up my Kindle device and would continue reading. Usually readers might say, "I couldn't put it down!" but I might say, "I couldn't leave it down." Over and over I picked up my device, opened the Kindle app, and continued from my last bookmark. Luckily for me Kindle apps save the bookmark for me and that's only one of the reasons I tend to almost only read digital. I will buy a paperback or a hardcover version but only if I MUST read a book and there is no digital version.

But still FLB is not a "perfect book," far from it. Towards the end I think that Mr. Perry starts to repeat himself and I got the feeling that he was on a tight deadline and just hammered out the last few chapters. I don't know if he first created an outline -- I think that all authors should do so at an early phase in writing -- but I think a good outline would've really helped create a more polished effort. It's also the case that Mr. Perry has a tendency to use too many parentheticals and that becomes a bit of a distraction for the reader.

Not that it bothers me but it might bother some readers: Mr. Perry does discuss religion, or at least God, quite a bit towards the end. If religion is a turnoff, I think that FLB may not be for you. Mr. Perry does seem to think that God helped keep him alive, maybe even helped him break some addictions, and that is fine by me. I can't prove it either way, and it is Mr. Perry's memoir, so he has a right to think and write whatever he chooses. Personally, I appreciate his honesty.

Mr. Perry does admit going into open houses and swiping pain meds from home sellers and that reminded me a lot of Ryan Leaf. I think that Mr. Leaf used to do the same thing and it got that ex-NFL player quite a few years in prison for it. From a legal standpoint if I were Mr. Perry, and I were writing a memoir, I think I might not have disclosed this. I am not a lawyer and I don't know what legal troubles it could cause him now.

There has been quite a bit of noise about how Mr. Perry tends to "kiss and tell" and I think that's overblown a bit. He does discuss how he and Valerie Bertinelli made out within just a few feet of Eddie Van Halen, after Mr. Van Halen had passed out from drinking too much wine. Hey, I guess I've been there myself so I won't judge. Um, from Mr. Van Halen's perspective and not necessarily from Mr. Perry's. But Mr. Perry doesn't really dwell on it too much. I can understand how Ms. Bertinelli feels about the disclosure although of course Mr. Van Halen is no longer with us. If Mr. Van Halen were still alive I believe that Mr. Perry probably wouldn't even bring it up. Just a guess.

Well, if you're a fan of "Friends" and Matthew Perry, and you like to read memoirs, I'll give a fairly strong recommendation for "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." If you don't fit that criteria perhaps you might want to read something else. But if you're a fan of David Cassidy from "The Partridge Family" I'll recommend you pass on his memoir. Sometimes it's better to only remember the good things about your heroes, after all.

310 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract and engage customers	Amazon Business Everything for your business	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust	Blink Smart Security for Every Home

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Included with free trial $0.00$0.00

Buy with 1-Click $27.97$27.97

Most popular

People who bought this also bought

Related to this topic

Product details

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Included with free trial

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$27.97