Mackenzie Eddie was reading Belle Burden’s runaway hit “Strangers” when she started glaring at her husband. The memoir recounts the sudden collapse of Burden’s marriage, and how financially blindsided she felt by it.
“Strangers” has become a word-of-mouth must-read in friend circles, with women opining on Burden’s plight in chat groups and urging others to pack a copy for a juicy vacation read. With no signs that the book’s popularity is letting up, lawyers and financial advisers say they are fielding questions from women who have read it and are worried they won’t be protected in a divorce.
Here are four questions attorneys and financial advisers say they are getting, and what they are telling clients:
1. I have a prenup. Am I protected?
It depends. The agreement you made when you were married may no longer make sense for your current situation.
In the book, for instance, Burden writes that she accepted, against her lawyer’s advice, a revision keeping each spouse’s earnings separate unless jointly titled. That ended up hurting Burden, who later left her job to be a stay-at-home mom, while her husband’s career advanced and his earnings grew significantly.
Lawyers say that what is known as a “motherhood clause” in prenups can protect either spouse who leaves the workforce to raise children.
Without a prenup, the rules on how assets are divided can vary depending on the state.
2. My prenup feels outdated. Am I stuck with it?
A prenup generally remains enforceable unless both spouses agree to change it or a court invalidates it. Fraud, duress or deliberately concealing or misrepresenting assets at the time the agreement was struck can support a challenge, depending on state law.
Marilyn Chinitz, a New York divorce attorney who represented Burden during her divorce, said she advises clients to review their prenups with her every year. She said clients who read “Strangers” are now calling with old prenups in hand, saying: “I’m not getting a divorce. I just want to know if this prenup still works today.”
But changing a prenup requires both spouses to sign a postnuptial agreement, said Chinitz, a partner at Blank Rome.
3. I don’t know where our money is. Where do I start?
Dig up your tax return.
Tax forms are a good starting point for locating accounts that generated interest, dividends or other taxable income, said Stephanie Bloom Lucker, a partner at Bloom Advisors in Michigan. You will also want to find deeds for property, any trust documents and the beneficiaries named on retirement accounts and insurance policies.
4. What signs should I watch for to avoid being financially blindsided?
Secrecy and significant financial decisions made without you.
Attorneys point to denied account statements, hidden purchases and an unwillingness to talk about money. Also watch for any proposals to make changes to financial arrangements while a marriage is strained, like shifting assets into a trust.
For Eddie, the marketing consultant in Iowa, her husband’s openness ended up putting her at ease. When she asked about their finances after reading Burden’s book, he reminded her where the passwords to their accounts were.
She is also reassured by her separate bank account, which she kept largely out of habit after getting married. Now she sees it as a backup if the marriage ever ends or an emergency leaves her handling the family’s finances.
For more information see Dalvin Brown “The Four Big Money Questions Women Are Asking After Reading ‘Strangers’” The Wall Street Journal, August 20, 2026.
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