I agreed with much of what the author said in the book, and I think that for women who have never seriously contemplated the importance, purpose, and challenges of friendship, this will be a very helpful read. Even for those who have considered it before, this will likely serve as a good reminder.

Hoover addresses some issues that are difficult to swallow, such as: friends don't always come "packaged" the way we want them to; one friend cannot be our everything; our friends will hurt us and we will hurt them and we need to address these conflicts rather than ignore them; as Christians, we need to call out sin in the lives of close friends and be willing to hear constructive criticism from others.

Having said that, I had a hard time connecting with Hoover's writing style. She writes with a vague, intuitive quality; often, her "examples" are not very specific and detailed, which is something my brain needs in order to make connections. I don't just want to hear that her friend was hurt and that they made up... I want to know what happened, why the friend was hurt, which words were spoken to wound and to heal... I want the whole story!

I found the book lacking on the topic of making friends. Hoover believes that if a person initiates enough and does "all the right things," they will naturally attract friends. She doesn't really address the fact that others may never respond or reciprocate. Even God, the perfect friend, is rejected all of the time, so how much more true will it be for us, who are imperfect despite our best efforts to improve?

I do think many women will learn from and be encouraged by this book, but it wasn't my personal favorite.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. ( )