I loved this book so much! It felt like something meant for me to read, and I am so happy that Jess and Amy wrote it. I felt less alone in my adult struggles, and inspired by the strong bond shared by the authors. The tone the book is written in is very relatable and I recommend it to anyone I think would love it as much as I do!

This book is such a great reminder of what it means to be an adult, and how to navigate friendships. Amy and Jess's stories and words are a powerful way to help remind us on how friendships are important, even when we become an adult.

Wow! Life changing book for people of any age, but specifically for moms trying to navigate the strange world of maintaining solid friendships while putting everyone else first. Gone is the guilt of "I meant to text you back...but now it's 8 days later". Now enter, "I want to hang out, but I also haven't showered in three days and I need to put laundry away. Oh, you'll come put laundry away with me and bring wine? Yes!"

This is a must read!

This book was a nice reminder that friendships matter and that friendships take work. It felt a little “try hard” at times, but the authors seemed fun and genuine.

I heard people raving about this book so I decided to check it out. I had to force myself through the book. The book seems to have one foot in the world and one in Christendom. We can't do both. Christian friendships are built on more than worldly idioms. The book felt like they were trying too hard to be funny or cutesy. Not my kind of book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love this book. It said things that I thought only I felt. Friendships are hard, making friends as an adult is hard. And it's not just you

Sitting down with I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants), by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston, is like a bunch of conversations with a wiser older sister or aunt--you know, the one who hasn't led a perfect life by any means, but seems to be fully living life as her true self and approaching others wholeheartedly.
Though I am considerably older than the women who wrote this book, and though many women who read this book might be younger than they are, there is great food for thought here for any woman who has often wanted to be able to have the kind of true female friendships that allow us to be ourselves, in all our warty reality, and that allow our women friends to be themselves too.
The book is written in alternating chapters by Amy and Jess, and each tackles a potential issue with creating and maintaining true female friendships; chapters like "When You're Alone and It All Kinda Sucks," "When Insecurity Reigns Supreme," and "When You're a Bad Friend." Far from being accusatory or exclusionary, Weatherly and Johnston remind readers on every page that no person, or friendship, is perfect--and that it is still possible to have deep and rewarding friendships (and that it's also possible to survive the end of a friendship and go on to have close friends again).
The book does focus on Judeo-Christian tenets as a part of accepting oneself, loving others, and giving as an act of spiritual growth, but even those who follow other faiths can gain a lot from the practical advise the authors share.
I could see giving this book to a young woman in high school or college because young women have the most time to benefit from what Weatherly and Johnston have to say; but I also heartily recommend it as a witty and warm reminder to all women that no, "real" friendships aren't easy--but yes, they are worth working at!

I had great hopes for this book. Two women, sharing their journey to meaningful friendships in the midst of all obstacles… sounds great!

However, the pithy anecdotes that were kind of funny at first became tiresome and excessive. There was less substance than I had hoped: the main themes of “vulnerability is key to connection” and “sometimes you have to put yourself out there first” went on and on. Don’t get me wrong, these are great themes! But Brené Brown’s “Daring Greatly” and Shannan Martin’s “Start With Hello” cover these topics in a much richer way. I’d skip this one and read those instead if you’re looking for ways to deepen the connections in your life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy; all thoughts are entirely my own.

"Build the table you have always wanted to be invited to."

This was the book I needed right now. I am in my mid forties and recently moved across the country with my husband to a town where I do not know anyone. Previously I had lived and worked in the same town with lots of friends of twenty plus years and now I find myself in a very new place in life. I really appreciated the down to earth transparency of the two authors who have been in similar situations that I find myself now. The book is complete with hilarious stories and great advice. As women we often strive for perfection and are afraid to fail, but this book was a great reminder to be real and put yourself out there and although it might take a while...you will find your people.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall good book, didn't love the christian undertones and prayers, also the book took me a loooong time to finish i just couldn't really get into it but the message is kind and reassuring so i feel very mixed.

Sweet book written by some sweet girls. What a great book to reflect on friendships and get ready for future friendships.

Thanks to Netgalley for advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was just an okay read for me. I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe more helpful tips to try to meet new people and make new friends, but there were only a few ideas on that listed in the book. It felt like more of a series of blog posts. There was some helpful and good advice but not much new that I haven't already read online.

The way this was formatted made it very hard to read for me. I was reading it on my phone and was unsettled by all of the font changes and the large paragraphs of text. It made their delightful voices and off-beat storytelling truly hard to enjoy.

Every girl and every woman need to read this book on friendship. It’s open and honest and real. They let you know you aren’t alone in how you’re feeling. They tell you how to be a good friend. I underlined a bunch so I could refer back to it and share with my teenage daughter. Great read. I highly recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley & Nelson Books for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would. The information on how to be a good friend was helpful, but the writing style felt forced. It seemed like the authors (who are bloggers and close friends who alternated writing the chapters) were trying too hard to be witty and humorous. I didn’t know them before reading this book, and they sounded so similar I couldn’t tell which one was writing which chapter. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and maybe proved that at least they were “on the same page.” Oops, that was a bad pun!

So the premise of the book is how to find “unfiltered, real-life friendships in this crazy, chaotic world.” Although much of the advice was helpful, most of it was not new to me, and it was written as if it was a standup comedy routine, to be delivered in between laughs from the readers. Some readers might enjoy the light tone, but I found it tiresome. One thing I learned from the book was to appreciate the good friends I have. I realized I am fortunate to have close friends like the ones described, and I now have some helpful suggestions of how to continue to maintain these friendships.

Some of the topics covered included “How to Know When Your Friend is Ghosting You,” “When You Wonder Why No One Likes You,” “When You Really Need A Friend,” and “Ten Qualities in A Really Good Friend.” Reading the book reminded me of past friendships, and especially one friend that has ghosted me. I hadn’t realized that was a good way to describe where we are now, after 25 years.

I’m guessing these women are Christians since they refer to Jesus and church every so often, and Thomas Nelson is a Christian publisher. But I would have preferred more discussion about their authentic faith. I was amused that other reviewers didn’t like the faith references. You can’t please everyone. And I really think there are people who will read this book and get more out of it than I did.

I really enjoyed this book by Amy and Jess! If you enjoyed Lysa Terkeurst’s Uninvited and/or Jennie Allen’s Find Your People, you’ll love this encouraging and relatable book on friendship!

“Friendship shouldn’t feel like squeezing into your skinny jeans.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions in this review are my own.

Such a good book, I think people are gonna really love this one. Keep me wanting more the whole way through. Thank you!

This is a great book on friendships and connections.
It was very relatable and had some parts that made you and laugh and others you cringed, because you had the same experience in friendships in the messy world.
It was wonderful to read and was sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book for an honest review.
“We cannot belong if we don’t share our truths. We cannot belong if we don’t let the ones who have earned it see our closets full of crap,” this sums up the book perfectly along with chapters with titles like “When you can’t Amazon Prime your Friendships” and “When Fake Makes you Want to Hurl”. It’s honest and blunt and full of advice that is down to earth and not full of fluffiness, especially considering the line “let’s normalise the fact the we’re a bunch of imperfect people learning and just doing our best” because we are imperfect and that’s the great thing about this book, there’s no expectation that you’ll be perfect after reading it.

This was an enjoyable book about finding and forging friendships as an adult. The authors offer wisdom and useful advice for navigating female friendships as we age. There tone and approach was very inviting and this would make a great book club selection