A necessary celebration of female friendships

The title and book jacket of this one just really roped me in. I fall squarely in the generation that Schaefer is speaking to and about – female, born in the late 80s, Boomer parents, came of age with technology, got a cell phone early. She does this so well because it’s also the generation she belongs to so the book is kind of a lot of anecdotes, but the good kind. It’s nice to read about strong female friendships and the genuine love they inspire.

I loved the way she dug in to the simple phrase, “text me when you get home.” It’s one that I (and probably any girl who lives in something approaching a major city) am very familiar with. It’s the regular sound-off when the night ends and yes, it does mean a lot. It does mean that your friends care about you, that your relationship extends past face-to-face interactions. I love technology because it keeps me so connected to my very best friends even though I only see them at most a few times a year (damn my move!) My friendships mean the world to me. These are the girls I call my sisters. That have been such a part of my life my parents see them as additional daughters. My best friend sometimes comes over at Christmas and has been known to straight up call my parents Mom and Dad.

And Schaefer is right, so often female friendship is cast as a second best. It’s “Female Friends – For When You Don’t Have A Man!” And that is bullshit. In one chapter Schaefer points out that asking your romantic partner to also be your best friend can be asking too much of one person and … she might be right. I love my partner and I will forever and he’s my person but I also have a best friend and it really works nicely that way.

I’m rambling, but this is kind of a rambling book. If you’re like me, demographically speaking (and it is a bit of a niche demographic), you will likely like and relate to this book. If you’d like to understand my demographic a bit better, pick it up too! Female friendships are important and they need to be celebrated. The stereotype of “mean girls” is one that should rightly be broken down. This book isn’t perfect, but it’s one I’ll probably come back to.

Bingo Square: Listicles (Elle’s What To Read In 2018)