diff --git a/.changeset/healthy-pets-allow.md b/.changeset/healthy-pets-allow.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..93002c5efa8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/healthy-pets-allow.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@apollo/client": patch
+---
+
+Work around a potential feud when a `read` function is present on an entity with a non-normalizable child (#7028)
diff --git a/src/core/QueryInfo.ts b/src/core/QueryInfo.ts
index 02e1768af17..eff8a66139a 100644
--- a/src/core/QueryInfo.ts
+++ b/src/core/QueryInfo.ts
@@ -184,6 +184,17 @@ export class QueryInfo {
     diff: Cache.DiffResult<any> | null,
     options?: Cache.DiffOptions
   ) {
+    // some very long comment about feuds
+    if (
+      diff &&
+      !diff.complete &&
+      this.lastDiff &&
+      this.lastDiff.diff.complete &&
+      this.lastWrite &&
+      this.lastWrite.dmCount === destructiveMethodCounts.get(this.cache)
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
     this.lastDiff =
       diff ?
         {
diff --git a/src/core/__tests__/QueryManager/index.ts b/src/core/__tests__/QueryManager/index.ts
index 9a958b7ccd8..c8742d8f0eb 100644
--- a/src/core/__tests__/QueryManager/index.ts
+++ b/src/core/__tests__/QueryManager/index.ts
@@ -2397,23 +2397,7 @@ describe("QueryManager", () => {
               },
             },
           });
-        } else if (count === 3) {
-          expect(result).toEqual({
-            loading: true,
-            networkStatus: NetworkStatus.loading,
-            data: {
-              info: {},
-            },
-            partial: true,
-          });
-        } else if (count === 4) {
-          expect(result).toEqual({
-            loading: false,
-            networkStatus: NetworkStatus.ready,
-            data: {
-              info: {},
-            },
-          });
+
           setTimeout(resolve, 100);
         } else {
           reject(new Error(`Unexpected ${JSON.stringify({ count, result })}`));