I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants)

By Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston

Thomas Nelson (January 25, 2022)

Christian Self Help/Personal Growth/Friendship

 

 

Is it just me? Am I the only one who’s lonely? Am I the only one without friends?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston, founders of the widely popular “Sister, I Am with You,” are raising their hands to say, “Yeah, us too.” And they want to encourage, equip, and reassure you that you have what it takes to build the kind of friendships you want.

I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants) provides you with the how of cultivating deep relationships in this messy, chaotic, beautiful life. Through Amy and Jess’s wisdom, humor, and confessional stories about the ups and downs of sisterhood, you’ll learn how to

• admit you need friends—then go out and find them,
• dismantle the lies you’ve believed about friendship,
• love yourself so you can find people who will love you for you,
• be a good friend even though you can’t be a perfect one, and
• heal from a friend breakup—and find the courage to try again.

It’s time you felt completely accepted as you are—from the top of your messy bun to the tips of your unpedicured toes. Let’s start making friendships a priority—together.

BUY LINK:

https://amzn.to/3aXjf8j

 

REVIEW:

Amy and Jess break down what friendship means, how hard it can be, and give practical advice on how to connect with the people around us. They share their personal friendship stories, the good and the bad. A fresh take on friendship. I love this quote from the book “Good, deep friendship is possible, and it’s entirely accessible. It may take some hard work and determination, but this book is a road map that we pray will help take you there.”

Friendships are hard. While so women are mean, catty, waiting to compare and compete, most want a genuine connection. Amy and Jess encourage you to get out there and have fun. Take chance. Ask questions. Invite them to your home, to lunch, into your life. Listen well, engage, be brave. The key to friendships is focusing less on ourselves and more on others.

It was refreshing to read this and feel that I’m not alone. While most the advice on how to get out there and start a friendship is via your children or church, my kids are grown and I’m currently not attending church (hello COVID); there are some tips I did take away that I can use and I need to make more of an effort. I really desire to have that neighbor friend who visits regularly and hang out, but not seeing that happening anytime soon in my current neighborhood. I did try a book club two years ago but they were a pretty close group who did everything together and I felt like an outsider most times, and then COVID hit and I wasn’t comfortable going to the meetings when I knew they were out and about a lot (I’m high risk so in the beginning I avoided public places). Maybe I’ll try a book club again. As the book suggests, I gotta keep trying.

“Good, deep friendship is possible, and it’s entirely accessible. It may take some hard work and determination, but this book is a road map that we pray will help take you there.”

Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (2/2/22)

Paperback copy provided by FrontGateMedia for review

 About the Authors

Amy Weatherly is a Texas girl through and through, which is where she lives with her husband, three kids, and two rescue dogs–Lou and Brewster. She is passionate about helping women embrace courage, confidence, and purpose for their life, and she does it with a quick wit and down-to-earth sense of humor. She has written for the Today Show, MSN.com, Good Morning America, Yahoo.com, and Love What Matters.

Jess Johnston lives in Southern California with her husband and four kids who are the loves of her life. Her favorite thing to do is to sit around a table with her best friends, eating nachos and laughing until her stomach hurts. She has been a top contributor to publications such as HuffPo, Scary Mommy, and Motherly, and has been honored with Motherly‘s Writer of the Year Award.