When Rachel Bertsche moves to Chicago, she's thrilled finally to live in the same city as her boyfriend. But since she left most of her friends behind in New York, she needs to find some local pals, stat.
Longing for a BFF to call for brunch or a pedicure or a gossip partner to dissect the latest pop-culture news, Bertsche goes on 52 friend-dates--one per week for a year. She scours her existing network for potential friends-of-friends, then branches out to joining an improv class, forming a cooking club, even going on a mortifying "date" with a "Rent-a-Friend." As she sizes up potential BFFs, Bertsche also delves into research on friendship--from how a person's number of friends affects her health to how our ultra-connected culture can propagate loneliness and isolation.
Throughout her quest, Bertsche's self-deprecating humor shines through as she recounts her adventures and admits that meeting girls, juggling schedules and maintaining new relationships can be exhausting. (Comparisons with dating memoirs are inevitable here, and Bertsche wonders: Why isn't there a better vocabulary for making friends?)
By the end of her Year of Friending, Bertsche has a slew of new phone numbers, several promising relationships and a renewed sense of confidence and warmth--because acting friendlier has made her a better friend. As they cheer Bertsche on in her quest, readers will appreciate the friends they have and even pick up useful--and entertaining--tips for finding new friends of their own. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams