Matthew Perry Book Guide: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

Matthew Perry wrote only one book, his memoir: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. It came out on 1 November 2022. It's an account of his addiction to alcohol and opioids, the Friends years, and the time he nearly died.

The book is raw, funny and often uncomfortable, and it’s often recommended that you listen to the audiobook (which Perry narrates himself).

Netflix also has a documentary – The One About Matthew Perry, but it isn’t really an adaptation. It does draw information from the memoir, though.

This guide covers the Matthew Perry book, what it tells, and how to read it best.

What the Matthew Perry book includes

• Childhood and fame: a lonely childhood split between countries, then landing the role of Chandler Bing.
• The Friends years: what it was like to be one of the most recognisable faces on television while struggling privately.
• Addiction: decades of drinking and opioid use, much of it while he was filming Friends. The “big terrible thing.”
• The near-death experience: his colon burst in 2018 after opioid use, which left him in hospital for months.
• Relationships: girlfriends, including Julia Roberts, and his long-standing fear of being left.
• Rehab and relapse: repeated stays in treatment and the cycle of getting sober and slipping back.
• Recovery: where he was when he wrote the book and what getting sober meant to him.

One passage in the original edition asked why River Phoenix and Heath Ledger had died young while Keanu Reeves was still alive, and it caused a backlash. In April 2023, Perry apologised and agreed to remove it from future editions.

Who is the Matthew Perry book for

Matthew Perry's memoir isn't a cosy Friends book. By most accounts, it's mostly about addiction, with the sitcom as the backdrop. Perry's humour and his pain often sit side by side, sometimes in the same paragraph.

It will resonate the best with those who have lived with addiction or know someone who has. It highlights how relapse and loneliness follows you even when you're rich and famous.

It may be harder going if you want neat structure. It has a blurry, looping, repetitive style. And knowing how his story ended also makes some chapters painful to read.

If you like celebrity memoirs, my review of I'm Glad My Mom Died offers a glimpse into the dark life of Jennette McCurdy.

Audiobook or print?

The audiobook is recommended, because Perry narrates it himself and brings Chandler's comic timing to his own story. Check the sample on your audiobook app to see if his delivery works for you. If you like to highlight and return to passages, the paperback or ebook is the better fit.

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is also available in the Kindle store.

It's a big-publisher title, so don't count on finding it in Kindle Unlimited (KU). My KU (Kindle+) guide explains what the subscription does and doesn't include.

Careful: there's no new Matthew Perry book

On Amazon, some 2026 Kindle titles list under Matthew Perry, such as The Golden Heart and Ascension. They are books by other authors with the same name; No posthumous or second memoir of Matthew Perry, the actor. So, check that the cover says Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing when you’re buying the book.

The Netflix documentary and the court case

Mary Robertson directed The One About Matthew Perry. It features his sister, Mia Perry Bowick, speaking on camera for the first time. None of his Friends co-stars were interviewed; they appear only in archive footage. The series draws on the book but isn't an adaptation of it.

Perry died on 28 October 2023, aged 54. The medical examiner found the cause was the acute effects of ketamine and ruled the death accidental. All five people charged by the US Attorney's Office have now been sentenced, with the longest one – 15 years – to Jasveen Sangha.

In case the book stirs things up for you, you may want to check the Matthew Perry Foundation. It works to help people with addiction. I've also put together a list of good books on mental health.

Have you read it or listened to Matthew Perry’s book? Tell me which format worked for you. For more book guides, have a look around Book Blabber. Happy reading, and look after yourselves.

FAQs about Matthew Perry's book

Q. What is the name of Matthew Perry's book?

Matthew Perry's book is called Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir. It was published on 1 November 2022 by Flatiron Books in the US and Headline in the UK and India. It covers his childhood, the Friends years and his addiction to alcohol and opioids.

Q. Is there a new Matthew Perry book?

No. Matthew Perry has no new or posthumous book. Some 2026 Kindle titles listed under the name Matthew Perry on Amazon, but they’re by other authors who share his name. If you want his memoir, look for Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

Q. Who narrates the Matthew Perry audiobook?

Matthew Perry narrates the audiobook of Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing himself. It’s perhaps the best format, since his own timing and delivery shape both the jokes and the painful passages.

Q. Is the Netflix documentary The One About Matthew Perry based on his book?

Not directly. The three-part Netflix series, released on 27 October 2026 and directed by Mary Robertson, draws heavily on the memoir. It isn't an adaptation, though. It adds new interviews, including his sister Mia Perry Bowick speaking on camera for the first time.

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