Short and sweet: In her book, MWF Seeking BFF, writer Rachel Bertsche tells of her yearlong search for a new best friend.
Impressions: If there’s one thing my friends and I have noticed is that at some point after graduation, it becomes increasingly more difficult to make friends. Or (at least) the kind of friends that you can text for a last-minute playdate or girls’ night out. So I was very intrigued to read MWF Seeking BFF, in which writer Rachel Bertsche moves across the country and makes a real effort (for an entire year) to find new friends. It’s not easy to put yourself out there, especially when there’s not a built-in network. Once you’re out of school, you lose some of the opportunities for making those connections. Her point? Make your own opportunities. Even if it’s awkward at first, chances are that the people you’re reaching out to are looking for (or at least open to) new friendships as well.
I love how the book is set up. She takes 52 “friend-dates”, one per week for a year in the hopes of meeting her new BFF. They don’t all work out, but she has lots of laughs along the way.
As someone who has moved across the country a few times herself and has some of her closest friends scattered across the country, I found Bertsche’s story incredibly easy to relate to. I admired Bertsche’s ability to reach out to others and to take risks in making friends.
Bottom line: This is my year of friendship. I may not take 52 friend-dates, but I’ll be taking a page from MWF Seeking BFF and focusing on cultivating a handful of good, genuine friendships this year. Follow Rachel on her journey through friendship. I have a feeling you’ll laugh along the way, and you may even find yourself motivated to make a new friend yourself.
To learn more about Rachel and the MWF Seeking BFF project, check out her blog by the same name.
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To facilitate this review, I received an advance reader’s copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
