Can We Be Friends?

by Rebecca Frech

These days more than ever, finding good friends is just plain hard. Even for those who are lucky enough to have found their people, making time to keep friendships strong and healthy can be a daunting task. Can We Be Friends? tackles the issue head on, taking a fun and honest look at why we need friends, where we find friends, and even when to let friends go. Author Rebecca Frech details the different types of friends, ways to grow intentionally in friendship, and how to decide which friends really deserve a place in our inner circle. Ultimately, Can We Be Friends? reminds us that authentic, life-giving friendship not only gives us a stable tribe in which to belong, it helps us to become our true self. With relatable and personal anecdotes, this book will take you beyond the shallow façade of friendship and help you find your people on the other side.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2018

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have friends, but what does that mean in the era of the changing approach of human interaction? We use the word “friend” interchangeably, and not always about people we actually like. Frech explores what it means to be friends and have friends. “Throughout our lives, there will only be a small handful of people we will trust with the whole truth of who we are, and who will trust us in return. These people are valuable and necessary to our own good mental health.”

In the chapters that follow, Frech outlines ways to be a better friend and find that tribe of people who will be your true friends. She encourages women to be authentic, to walk away when friendships turn toxic, to seek those who will help you grow. “The measure of friendship,” she writes, “should not be proximity, but the fruit that the relationship bears.”

This is a quick read, but it’s packed with good nuggets. As a bonus, there’s an easy dessert recipe at the end that may make your favorite friend smile as you pull up a chair and a cup of coffee to share it.

[Analisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’ll try to convince you to read this book using one quote and one quote only…

“We were in the habit of companionship rather than truly being companions. In choosing friends for convenience, I ended up with people who just happened to be there.”

this book was super short and took me less than 2 hours to read. it didn’t change my life by any means.

it had some cool ideas about friendship, such as the fact that at any given point, a human person is incapable of really having a relationship with more than 150 people.

for the most part, the book said the things you have heard before as a young girl figuring out what friendship is and how to be a good friend.

i didn’t not like it, and it was short and sweet, so i don’t regret reading it. it’s just not one that i’d jump to give to someone else as a recommendation!

the cover is so dang cute though, i probably would have bought it even if the book itself was completely blank if it meant having this cover on my shelf lol!

[Veronica Marquardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand how to get good friends, or more importantly BE a good friend, this book is one to read!!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is a total gem! I loved it. It’s short and succinct but packs a big punch. It’s like a friendship refresher course, and I thought it was very, very well written. I highly recommend this for anyone (specifically Christian women) who are dissatisfied with their friendships and want to know what’s going wrong and/or how to fix it, or just want to read about the topic of friendship. Really, really liked it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reflection on the necessity of friendship!