I really love reading about human relationships. Lately, I've been specifically interested in reading about non-romantic relationships. I'm so glad The Experiment publishing thought I would enjoy this book and sent me an ARC. I particularly enjoyed this read because it referenced many other pieces and studies that I am familiar with and did a good job of not only synthesizing those bodies of work but also weaving them into the narrative being discussed.

Reading this book made me reflect on the kind of friend I am. It made me feel better about what many people think of as my special quirks like celebrating friendiversaries and telling my friends I love them or miss them the way most would say to their romantic partners. It also made me realize why I like shows and stories like Council of Dads, A Million Little Things, and even Full House.

Thank you Ceci, Netgalley, and bookstagram for this e-ARC.

I really needed this book. I have been struggling with my personal friendships recently, so reading this helped me to further comprehend deeper meaning behind platonic relationships. Yankovich provided me with new information and formulas to care for and tend to these delicate relationships to grow a full garden of platonic relationships :)

Friendship First might sound like one of those pop psych type reads that draws flimsy conclusions from a variety of sources (which I'm not saying it's not), but I absolutely love this topic and the burgeoning media around the importance of friendship.

I relative heavily to Gyan Yankovich (who I've previously read in MR and enjoy) in her studious approach to care and tending of friendships, which she traces from tenuous beginnings to a garden in full bloom in her thirties. I found myself constantly sending screenshots to both individual close friends and my group chat - 'Both vulnerability and action are key ingredients of the friendship recipe.' 'There's a certain kind of satisfaction I can only find after a delicious meal .. a joyous kind of fullness .. one of the only feelings I can compare to the sensation in the hours after spending time with my closest friends'. This is EXACTLY how I feel and I love seeing these words printed on the page!

Yankovich addresses grief, friendship endings, LGBTQ+ and non-traditional unions, and more throughout the rest of the book. It's a comprehensive look at connection in the 2020s era and leads the reader to really appreciate their chosen people in their life.

Thank you to The Experiment for providing this book for advance review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

FRIENDSHIP FIRST has personal stories and scientific evidence about the importance of friendship, but not a design to make this info easily read. What I would have liked was a different presentation, with a bullet-listed synopsis for each chapter and an accompanying action list to more cleanly illustrate concepts. That would have made the ideas more readily digested.