What I Missed and Learned Along the Way - Friendship for Grown-Ups

I have recently read the book Friendship for Grown-Ups, written by Lisa Whelchel, former childhood star, best known from The Facts of Life. I received this book to review for [...]. I have never reviewed a book before so I thought this would be fun to try out. I have read one other book by Lisa Whelchel that I enjoyed so I jumped on the chance to read this one.
Friendship for Grown-ups is not a "self-help" book. Lisa Whelchel walks you through much of her life and shares her struggles with making strong friendships... and her struggles with being willing to tear down walls around her heart to really trust others with who she really is. I related to this. It is very hard for most people to put themselves out there, with all the 'baggage' we have, and really trust someone with all of it.
This is not one of those 'light-hearted, feel good' books... and it is also not one of those books you walk away from feeling worse about your issues. There were times where I felt maybe she expressed too much of what she went through... and other times where I saw myself in how she reacted.
I do recommend this book to women out there. I think the desire for a 'soul-friendship' with another women is in all of us. This book helped me see there is nothing unusual about having that desire... and that there is nothing wrong with me. LOL

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I received this book from Book Sneeze to review.

This book is about how Lisa missed a lot growing up and had a hard time making close friends. She was very honest and open from the beginning of the book. Lisa shares what she learned from failed friendships and how she learned to maintain the close friendships she has today.

She also gives advice, by going through situations herself, on how she learned to be a better friend to others.

The book is a very easy read and I love how she includes scripture that helped her see the problems she was having. It will definitely help those who have struggled to make friends as well as those who have struggled to keep friends.

Does the author look familiar? Remember the TV show, Facts of Life? It's Blair, and she's written a book.

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel was a surprisingly quick read for me. This book is written with a strong emphasis on Christian teachings and how they can serve as a guide for opening up your heart to others. The author focuses on the serious topic of female friendship from the perspective of a woman who, as a child, never really learned how to nurture close relationships with other girls. I can relate to this story because I can see similarities with my own life in that it is only now, in my 30's, that I too feel able to connect with other women on an intimate level. Whelchel acknowledges upfront that female friendships are complicated and risky and highlights three important lessons: #1 It is okay to be needy; #2 It is important to be needy with safe people; #3 It is helpful to know who the safe people are.

In my opinion, this book would be a good choice for a Christian women's group. There are Questions for Reflection or Discussion for each chapter as well as Practical Steps for Developing and Growing Friendships. I read this book from beginning to end but it really is the type of book you could just pick up and open to any random page and find something useful.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

I barely remember the TV show, and have never read any of Lisa's other books. I was interested in her topic because I feel I struggle with close friendships. I know a lot of people but don't have a lot of friends. I found the book to be a quick read. This did not mean that there was not substance to the book, on the contrary, there are many references as well as her personal discoveries a long the way. She frequently references her conversations with God and how her faith grew as she learned more about not being perfect and being a friend. I will pick this book back up to re read and I will explore some of her references.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Saturday, August 14, 2010
Lisa Welchel's "Friendship For Grown-Ups: What I Missed & Learned Along the Way"

Friendship For Grown-Ups: What I Missed & Learned Along the Way, by Lisa Welchel

Lisa Whelchel is a Christian Actress, Author, speaker for Women of Faith, and fellow homeschooling mom. She was the child star "Blair" in Facts of Life. Her experiences, beginning in the filming of Facts of Life, pwere what began her journey that is described among the pages of Friendships for Grown Ups. As an independant individual most of her life, she had a hard time understanding what real friendship is.

Lisa is a bit of an open book. Her no-holds-barred style welcomes you in, and makes you feel like you're talking to a friend.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has the "loner" mentality. I have tendancies to need personal space often, and there were many parts of this book I could easily relate to!
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers, a.k.a. "Book Sneeze" as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Amazing, Amazing, AMAZING! I have read several books with a similar theme as this, but Friendship for Grownups has surpassed them all. Lisa Whelchel creates such a warm atmosphere through her words; she has the ability to encourage and convict within the same sentence. She paints a clear picture of how God has pricked her heart in the area of adult friendships and has really opened herself to be used by God to do the same to others. Lisa Whelchel describes the ups and downs of a friendship, physically, emotionally and spiritually. She fully understands true friendship and does a magnificent job giving a full description of every avenue friendship takes. I have learned more about myself and what it is to be a true friend in order to find true friends than I ever have before!

Friendships For Grown-Ups

I was recently given the opportunity to read and review a book from BookSneeze. I can honestly say that I was less than thrilled to learn the book would be non fiction because I am more of a fan of fiction. I really like suspense. When I saw the list I could choose from I chose the book Friendships for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel. I remembered her as Blair on the television show The Facts of Life. After seeing someone on a show for that many years you feel like you truly know them. But that is certainly not the case. I was expecting her to be self absorbed Blair, not insecure Lisa.
Lisa writes in her book about how hard it was for her to open up and show her true self to her close friends. I'm sure that being in show business makes its hard to tell who is your friend and who is just trying to "friend" you because your a celebrity. Lisa writes about her struggles with relationships. She gives tips (from her relational experiences) on how to choose your friends. She gives her insight on how to decipher between "safe" and "unsafe" friends.
I never thought about an actress actually having trouble "making" friends. But she explained how hard it was for her to let people know the real Lisa. I was very surprised that I could relate to her and her experiences. I realized that she has many of the same struggles and insecurities in her Christian walk that I have. I throughly enjoyed reading the book (which is saying a lot for me). Since finishing the book I have recommended it to a few of my friends. And who knows, maybe since reading this I may be open to reading more non-fiction.

This is a book about (of course) friendship. Finding it, loosing it, learning from it, finding it again, trying to build it & maintain it. It is written from the personal experiences of Lisa Whelchel, a 1980's television actress who has had her number of friendship setbacks and is desperately trying to learn how to build friendship relationships while overcoming the obstacles from her past which hinder her. It shows her struggles, her difficulties, and her successes.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book. I just didn't connect with the topic and the manner in which Lisa wrote about it. I found the chapters to be disconnected and the flow to be jumpy and haphazard. Lisa included many personal letters and emails written by her to friends and by her friends to her. I found these to be too personal, too intimate to be shared. I found myself feeling as though I were looking at someone's personal computer and reading what I shouldn't.

I also thought that Lisa quoted other authors way too often. At times I felt like perhaps I should just put down her book and read the books she was quoting instead. I wondered if I'd enjoy those other books more in their entirety than the selected snippets strewn throughout Lisa's book.

There were some great suggestions about the importance of being "real" and authentic with our friends, about not hiding behind masks to be someone we're not with our friends and about honesty in friendship. All good reminders to keep ourselves genuine in our friendships and in our life. But overall I didn't enjoy the book.

I would not recommend this book to a friend. I think if someone is looking for a book on friendship, there are other's that are likely better. Perhaps one of the overly-quoted ones from this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

In her book, " Friendship for Grownups: What I missed and learned along the Way" Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel shares her experiences of growing up without knowing what a spirit friend or true friend can be, and how God taught her to develop the skills and compassion to build true friendships through his Grace.
Because she had spent the most crucial parts of her childhood on the set of a wildly popular TV
show, she had to learn early in her life to guard her heart to avoid the backstabbing in the culture that surrounded her. Sadly, not only did she build walls to keep hurt out, but also to keep out those who would love her. This handicapped her ability to form lasting friendships as an adult.
I found it to be a light, heartwarming read while giving real life advice and tools. Friendship for Grown-Ups details her experiences of learning to come out of her shell, to trust, risk, and become vulnerable by God's grace and find meaningful friendships. Readers encounter genuine honesty and willingness to share her story and refreshing perspective on life's most precious gift--friendship God's way, with grace and love around every corner.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A copy of the book Friendship for Grownups by Lisa Whelchel (also known as "Blair" from the 80's sitcom The Facts of Life) arrived for my review at the end of April...just as we were packing up and shipping out of Indiana. Not quite ready to dive in to a new book, this gem sat patiently on my shelf until I opened it up one evening in June when all was silent around my house and all of my loves were tucked cozily in their beds.>

Let me just tell you, I could not put this book down that night. I sat in the recliner and tears streamed down my face. To say that I could relate would be an understatement. I even picked up my laptop and wrote a very heartfelt email to a friend. If you have ever felt just a little bit uneasy about the dynamics of genuine friendship, then this book is so worth your time. I will probably read through it again just to pick out some of the scripture and other literary references for my own quest into intimacy within friendship.

Lisa shares, quite poignantly, "Isn't that what we all want? To be seen, in all our glory, for better or for worse, the good, the bad, and the ugly and still be embraced?"

I do. I want to be loved for me...with all of my flaws...and with all of my strengths.

I've failed my friends in the past. And I've been failed by friends-- but that doesn't make me want to lie down and quit. I want to love more. Love bigger. Love stronger. And Love harder.

In any case, Lisa shares her own stories-- with raw vulnerability-- and I could relate. It was a breath of fresh air. In fact, knowing that she lives just an hour-and-a-half away, it makes me want to give her a call and invite her out for lunch. ;) Doesn't that sound lovely?

Most people my age are familiar with Lisa Whelchel from the '80's sitcom, The Facts of Life, where she portrayed the confident Blair. In Friendship for Grown-Ups, Lisa shares her personal story of trying to develop friendships with other women. Because Lisa is an independent person, it took some dramatic events in her life for her to admit that she needed friends. In fact, her search for real friendship stemmed somewhat from the need for support after she suffered a breakdown. Once she saw the need, she went through some ups and downs in her search for true friendship, eventually making lasting friendships with people she could trust.

Lisa's book was a relatively easy read. While she shares some lessons that she learned about finding good friends and being a good friend, most of the book read as a journal of her search. I appreciated her candid testimony of her struggle with frienships because I see many similarities between Lisa and myself. I was reminded that I'm not alone in my feelings. That was the biggest benefit I received from reading the book.

Friendship for Grown-Ups What I Missed and Learned Along the Way
By Lisa Whelchel
I was not drawn to read the book Friendships for Grown-Ups - What I Missed Along The way by Lisa Welchel because I knew her as the person who played the character of Blair on The Facts of Life. It was actually the title that drew me to the book.
In this book Lisa shares about her personal need and longing for deeply connected friendships. She describes friendships from her youth through current relationships today and she calls them a journey with many bumps in the road and no final destination. Each corner you turn promises more adventure.
Lisa shares about the wall of busyness she built to protect her from intimate relationships and the freedom that came from true, intimate friendships when she began to tear down that wall and other obstacles that protected her from becoming transparent.
Lisa explains that there are levels of friendship. Some may be just an acquaintance for life while others are true "safe" friends for life. She offers suggestions to take you from one level of friendship to the next and how to identify "safe" friends.
Lisa shares how her faith in God is the foundation to her having authentic friendships and her friends are the visible manifestation to her of God's grace. Like Gods grace, true "safe" friendship says that there is nothing a person can do to change the way a friend feels about you or you about your friend.
I relate to Lisa and the struggles she has had with friendships. I feel like I am a lot like her in many ways. To me it seems easier to just not have close relationships. When you open your heart to trust a friend only to have it trampled and torn because your trust was misplaced, then a person tends to withdraw from going back to that place because of the pain and humiliation. Lisa has shown me that just because one friend betrays does not mean that all will do the same. She has shown me that I am missing out on the "visible manifestation of God's grace" by not stepping out and trusting once again to find true "safe" friendship. I am now beginning the same journey Lisa. Thank you for sharing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Author and actor, Lisa Whelchel, has written a book born out of experience and a simple desire to share her heart. Friendships for Grown-ups, guides the reader in delving into this topic of neediness and in recognizing safe people. She shares about her notion of striving for perfection as a way to connect with people, only to realize that this very 'shininess' acted like Teflon and prevented any kind of lasting bond. Lisa shares openly her successes, and her failures, and along the way, the people in her stories start taking on the faces of ones you know. Perhaps the Lord has something he wants to show you in 'these faces' as well? She doesn't proclaim this to be a self-help book, a book with all the answers to all your questions, a direct set of rules to follow, she only ask you to open your heart to taking a glance at how you view yourselves and the friendships you've developed or not developed along this journey of life.

I highly recommend!

Empowering.

Enlightening.

Encouraging.

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel is a wonderful read. I thoroughly enjoyed her honesty, transparency and ability to make this reader feel like I was getting good advice from a close friend.

Lisa describes the seasons in her life as related to friendships formed and failed. She opens her life and heart to share lessons learned and offers strategies to maintain healthy, safe, whole friendships with other women.

This book is definitely worth reading, especially if you have ever had a friendship that fell apart, one you want to salvage, or one that you desire to build up. It brought clarity and focus to many questions I had regarding boundaries, betrayal and "building walls". You will find it filled with inspiration and integrity.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

When looking at the title many people may assume that this is a "how-to" book, but be aware that as Lisa Whelchel says "it is not a `how-to' book on making friends and creating lasting relationships." Instead it is a book in which she writes about her experience and thoughts of forming female friendships.

There were many instances where I could relate to what Whelchel wrote. The book definitely made me reflect on my own friendships, both past and present. Also, she spent a large amount of time summarizing or quoting books, letters, and e-mails that were important to her. While the information was excellent I found that at times it interrupted the flow . Another thing to keep in mind is that the book does not include a lot of scriptural references or support. So while it did not give me a lot of scriptural reference it did help me to process my own friendships in a Christian context.

All in all it is a good quick read. It won't necessarily make you think deeply, but if you can relate to something that Whelchel writes then you might enjoy it.

Friendship for Grown-ups by Lisa Whelchel

When looking at the title many people may assume that this is a "how-to" book, but be aware that as Lisa Whelchel says "it is not a `how-to' book on making friends and creating lasting relationships." Instead it is a book in which she writes about her experience and thoughts of forming female friendships.

There were many instances where I could relate to what Whelchel wrote. The book definitely made me reflect on my own friendships, both past and present. Also, she spent a large amount of time summarizing or quoting books, letters, and e-mails that were important to her. While the information was excellent I found that at times it interrupted the flow . Another thing to keep in mind is that the book does not include a lot of scriptural references or support. So while it did not give me a lot of scriptural reference it did help me to process my own friendships in a Christian context.

All in all it is a good quick read. It won't necessarily make you think deeply, but if you can relate to something that Whelchel writes then I believe you might enjoy it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their […] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 […]
"Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Welchel

This book was about women's friendships. Lisa honestly tells about her friendships, both of her childhood and adulthood. She then goes on to give practical advice of how to discern between a healthy relationship and one that is not edifying to either party.

As I began to read this book, I thought, "Friendship is not an issue for me". But as I read on I realized that I have faced the same questions, concerns and insecurities as Lisa had. The book was an easy read that left me with interesting points at the end of each chapter. I admired how Lisa gave practical, Biblical advice to help me find godly friends and be a godly friend. I would definitely recommend this book to all women-who have friends!

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

This unique book was an amazing venture into the inner-workings of "friendship." The scope went from childhood to the latter years. The focus from childhood friends to our Savior was certainly a unique revelation.

The story touched me personally and I could easily relate my life from childhood until today, as a 66 year old.

Lisa graciously and gingerly identified and detailed "friendship." Included in this was the definition, as well as levels , characteristics, and common behaviors. of various types of friendship.

I have a better understanding of myself, my life, and I feel as though I know Lisa. I am eager now to read more of her writings and would count it a blessing to be able to someday meet her.

A Great Book!

Overall, this was in an interesting read. Not only do you get a glimpse inside one woman's struggle with intimacy among friends, but you just might have a few epiphanies that will enable you to grow relationships. I love the appendices with ideas of how to nurture a friendship as well as conversation starters you can use to get to know those friends even better.

This book is a great in-depth look at friendships. Read this if you want to go to the next level with your friends. It has great discussion section at the end.. and would be good for either a women's group or a women's club. This is Christian focused and Lisa Whelchel is fairly honest with her own attitudes and ideas about friendships and getting close or not to a friend...

I have learned a lot and this book allowed me to take a self analysis on friendships. I liked this book and would consider giving this to a relative or a safe friend of mine.

I received this copy from Booksneeze for an honest review and I am so glad I received this copy.

I always thought I was pretty good at friendships until I read this!!! I realized some of the walls and avoidances I use to protect myself in friendships instead of just being fully committed! Definitely a good read for those not good at friendships and those who think they're just fine in the friend department!

Lisa Whelchel has written a very honest book about her own struggle with opening herself up to true, authentic friendship. While our stories are vastly different, I found that we share many of the same issues and struggles. I suspect these basic themes are common to many if not all women. The enemy uses these insecurities to rob us of the joy and growth that can be found in the context of relationship. God used this book to reveal my distorted thinking and set me on the path to healing and restoration. I highly recommend this book!!!!

Loved this book! I could relate to so many elements. Lisa shares her stumbles and successes on the quest for godly friendships openly and without holding anything back. This book will help thousands of women!

Having grown up watching Lisa Whelchel as Blair on "The Facts of Life", i was drawn to this book! This book isn't a "how-to" on friendship, rather a look into her personal discovery of her need to open up her heart to friendship. The journey you take with her is both insightful and honest. The appendices are extremely valuable-as good as reading the book! I recommend this for ANYone who struggles with intamacy in friendships.

I expected a lot from this book because Lisa Whelchel seems like a smart and strong woman and she shares some very relatable experiences she went through but at the end of the day I felt like she played the victim card a tad too much.I'm still conflicted about the way I feel about this book honestly.On one hand I feel like she delivered (because the book is about her personal journey) but on the other hand I can't believe she's been a victim every single time.

This book is about Lisa's journey through figuring out what it means to have deep personal friendships. She shares what it is like to break down your walls and to truly know and be known by another human being, through and by Grace. She gives a glimpse into what it was like for her to give up the easy mask of happiness, and to ask another person to accept her bumps, bruises, warts and all.

Lisa is a fabulous writer and has a wit about her that I found fun and interesting. However, she is incredibly vague most of the time and while I am not so much interested in the tiny details, I would very much have liked to know more so that my understanding was complete. I do understand that she was vague on purpose in order to protect the hearts of those she wrote about, but she was also the same with herself. She shared little vignettes of her life, but nothing that helped me to really see her journey.

However, that does not make this book a loss in any way. There is some very practical advice and she shares some very interesting things about why we need deep intimate friendships with other women, and how to make sure that these are safe friends and what a safe person looks like. All in all it wasn't a bad book, but I was left feeling disconnected from her in the end.

The positive: Appendix Two and Appendix Three have some wonderful and creative ideas on how to enrich your friendships.
From her writing, Lisa seems to be a very special woman whom I would probably like a lot if I knew her personally. She seems energetic, sweet, honest, loving, and a hard worker. Those are all things I gathered from this one and only book I've ever read of hers. I don't find enjoyment in writing the negative side below.

The negative: I do feel, however, that she still has a lot of growing to do in her relationship with the Lord (as do myself) and does not seem to be qualified to be writing a book on friendships at this stage in her life. There are too many stories from her personal life that are just outright gossip. For me, this would probably be the biggest hindrance to the book. I think the healthiest way to look at female friendships is to concentrate on what we can GIVE to others, no what other can GIVE to us. I feel that is how we should look at our relationships with children, spouses, coworkers, etc. as well. From my interpretation of Lisa's writing, she believes that female friendships are important to help fulfill our needs. I disagree with this concept of friendship and found that she did not scripturally back up her belief, which is most important to do when writing a how-to type book.

Friendships for Grown-Ups: What I Missed and Learned Along the Way by Lisa Whelchel was an excellent read. This was the first time I had ever read anything by Lisa. I had heard that she was a writer. But I did not know much about her ability as a writer or her writing style. The most I knew of Lisa was of her role as Blair on The Facts of Life and that she is a Christian. That's not saying a lot!

I felt that Friendships for Grown-Ups was refreshing and eye opening. When we look at Celebrities we assume that they have it all together. Lisa reminds us that celebrities are people just like the rest of us. They struggle with fears and insecurities the way that we all do. From these things, like death, no one is exempt.

For Lisa one of the things that she struggled with the most in life is establishing true friendships. Because of who she is Lisa has found it hard to trust others. Celebrity has it perks. It also has it's downfalls. One of which is never being sure who is really for you for who you are as a person, and not for what you do or who you know. In order to protect herself from being used, and her heart from being broken, Lisa learned how to function behind her own self-built wall of protection and self-sufficiency.

Yet one day Lisa became tired of the loneliness and lack of connection she felt with others and began the journey of making true friendships and allowing herself to be vulnerable in order to accomplish that. It was time for the walls to come down.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is or has struggled with having true connections with others. In order to better help you ( or someone you know) to do that, Lisa has also included a discussion guide, a "Practical Steps for Developing and Growing Friendships" guide, and conversation prompts.

If you or someone you know is ready to learn about what it takes to be a friend, and create and maintain the type of friendships God wants us all to have, then this book is for you!

I am a member of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program "BookSneeze". I received a copy of this book free of charge in order to review it. I was not paid for this review. I also was not required to give a positive review, but to give my honest opinion of what I felt about the product. Whether positive or negative, this is my honest opinion of the product.

This book is about Lisa's journey through figuring out what it means to have deep personal friendships. She shares what it is like to break down your walls and to truly know and be known by another human being, through and by Grace. She gives a glimpse into what it was like for her to give up the easy mask of happiness, and to ask another person to accept her bumps, bruises, warts and all.

Lisa is a fabulous writer and has a wit about her that I found fun and interesting. However, she is incredibly vague most of the time and while I am not so much interested in the tiny details, I would very much have liked to know more so that my understanding was complete. I do understand that she was vague on purpose in order to protect the hearts of those she wrote about, but she was also the same with herself. She shared little vignettes of her life, but nothing that helped me to really see her journey.

However, that does not make this book a loss in any way. There is some very practical advice and she shares some very interesting things about why we need deep intimate friendships with other women, and how to make sure that these are safe friends and what a safe person looks like. All in all it wasn't a bad book, but I was left feeling disconnected from her in the end.

The positive: Appendix Two and Appendix Three have some wonderful and creative ideas on how to enrich your friendships.
From her writing, Lisa seems to be a very special woman whom I would probably like a lot if I knew her personally. She seems energetic, sweet, honest, loving, and a hard worker. Those are all things I gathered from this one and only book I've ever read of hers. I don't find enjoyment in writing the negative side below.

The negative: I do feel, however, that she still has a lot of growing to do in her relationship with the Lord (as do myself) and does not seem to be qualified to be writing a book on friendships at this stage in her life. There are too many stories from her personal life that are just outright gossip. For me, this would probably be the biggest hindrance to the book. I think the healthiest way to look at female friendships is to concentrate on what we can GIVE to others, no what other can GIVE to us. I feel that is how we should look at our relationships with children, spouses, coworkers, etc. as well. From my interpretation of Lisa's writing, she believes that female friendships are important to help fulfill our needs. I disagree with this concept of friendship and found that she did not scripturally back up her belief, which is most important to do when writing a how-to type book.