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Andi Dorfman’s Friend Sharleen Joynt Criticizes Josh Murray’s Dismissal Of Andi’s Book As Fiction

By Karen de Wilde
Published on: 12:02 PST, Aug 16, 2016

At least one of Andi Dorfman’s friends has spoken out about Josh Murray characterization of her book It’s Not Okay, specifically in regard to her claims about him as pure fiction. In her blog post recapping Monday night’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise, Sharleen, who became good friends with Andi when they were both on Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor, criticized Josh’s dismissal of Andi’s book.

Ever since Josh, whose engagement to Andi ended about nine months after viewers saw him propose to her on The Bachelorette Season 10 season finale, joined Bachelor in Paradise, there has been much talk about the memoir that Andi wrote about her time on the franchise and her relationship with Josh. In that book, Andi claimed that Josh was controlling, jealous, and emotionally and verbally abusive, going so far as calling her vicious names during arguments. When Amanda Stanton questioned Josh about the book while out on a date, Josh dismissed it as a work of fiction.

On Monday night’s episode, Andi’s book became a hot topic of discussion again. Evan Bass, hoping to pry Amanda away from Josh, warned her that Andi’s claims about Josh were disturbing. Nick Viall, who was the runner-up on Andi’s season and who took Amanda out on a date before Josh swooped in, also warned Amanda about Josh, telling her that she should at least consider whether what Andi wrote about Josh was true. Josh again defended himself by saying that Andi’s book was completely false and that he’s taking the high road by not giving it much attention.

In her blog, Sharleen Joynt first made clear that she’s not accusing Josh Murray of lying. What Sharleen has a problem with is Josh’s dismissal of Andi Dorfman’s book as pure fiction instead of giving specific examples of how it’s a lie. Sharleen pointed out that since Josh agreed to be on Bachelor in Paradise and knew that he would be asked about Andi’s book, he should be willing to talk about the subject in detail, especially if he joined the show in an attempt to repair his reputation after Andi’s book came out.

“I cannot stress enough that I’m in no way accusing Josh of lying…However, to dismiss an entire book of specific examples as ‘fiction’ isn’t, well, specific enough. And though I appreciate Josh’s take-the-high-road approach, taking the high road in this case would have been to ignore it completely and not appear on another series in the show’s franchise, the very franchise tying him to Andi and that book in the first place. As Evan so aptly put it, ‘Did you think you were going to come on here and it [the book] not pop out?’ He has a point. Josh himself signed up for this show, a move many saw as a form of damage control and which frankly he has full right to do. So whether or not it was to salvage his image, why not seize the opportunity and categorically dispel what he claims to be defamation?”

Sharleen wrote that as an audience member, it was frustrating to hear Josh completely dismiss Andi’s claim. She pointed out that Josh didn’t actually have a conversation with Evan when Evan questioned him about Andi’s book but instead gave canned answers.

“It’s unsatisfying and borderline insulting to have the book and its contents not even skimmed over, but completely dismissed. I enjoyed when Evan asked, more to make a point than anything, that if everything Andi claimed in her book was indeed untrue, ‘Then why don’t you sue for libel?’…Josh’s response was first crickets, then that he wouldn’t even acknowledge something so untrue (again, he put himself in the position where it would need to be acknowledged), that he’s a very spiritual person, and that God has a plan ‘always, no matter what.’ In my humble opinion, the conversation wasn’t a conversation. It was Evan articulately addressing the elephant in the room and Josh responding in stock, prepared-sounding quotes that didn’t really answer what Evan had asked or stated.”

After their time together on The Bachelor and Andi’s starring run on The Bachelorette, Sharleen and Andi remained friends and they continue to visit one another to this day. Did Sharleen witness any kind of behavior from Josh that lines up with what Andi wrote in her book? In her blog post recapping last week’s episode, Sharleen revealed that she only met Josh twice briefly so she won’t be commenting on whether Andi’s claims about him are true or not. Whether Andi made any tearful phone calls to Sharleen about Josh, Sharleen did not say.

Interestingly enough, Sharleen also revealed that she is friends with Nick Viall. She wrote that Nick gets along well with her fiance.

“I am very close with Andi Dorfman…I’m also friends with Nick, who gets along great with boy Andy (yes, I regularly have to differentiate between girl Andi and boy Andy) and who, for the record, is an awesome third wheel for East Village ramen and dancing the night away. Seeing as how I don’t know Josh past having met him twice briefly, I can’t and won’t comment on him beyond that.”

Yet Sharleen did say that she’s on Andi’s side and pointed out that Nick himself admitted that what Andi wrote about him in her book wast mostly true. Sharleen did add, however, that being with the wrong person can bring out the worst in a person, indicating that she doesn’t automatically think that Josh is bad for Amanda Stanton even if Andi’s claims are true.

“Regarding Andi’s book…I too am a girl’s girl who will respectfully state that I am #TeamAndi. Plus, the fact that Nick himself said the things written about him, both flattering and not, ‘aren’t fictional; there is at least some accuracy to them, so it’s hard to imagine that’s not the case for Josh.’ Regardless, I’m a firm believer that being with the wrong person will bring out the worst in you..As juicy as it would be to say one person in particular is the devil incarnate, the only thing worthy of condemning is compatibility and the lack thereof.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Andi Dorfman seemingly responded to Josh Murray’s assertion that her claims about him are lies by tweeting last week that she speaks only two languages, English and the truth.

[Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images]

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