Reviews

I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants): Finding Unfiltered, Real-Life Friendships in This Crazy, Chaotic World by Amy Weatherly, Jess Johnston

katheub's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

dorothy_gale's review

1.0

0.5★: DON’T LET THIS BOOK’S GR RATINGS FOOL YOU!!! Today, this book has a 4.3-star rating by 860 people, but please don’t make the same mistakes I did! The catchy title and convincing description do NOT make-up for (1) lack of sales, (2) lack of credentialed authors, or (3) the lack of substance. It was published in January of this year (2022) and as of today, does not have any solid reviews by reputable reviewers (i.e. Kirkus, NY Journal of Books, Library Journal, The Guardian, or Literary Hub). It DOES have a one-paragraph “review” by Publishers Weekly that is 82% summary and 30 words review and really only addresses the authors’ upbeat attitude and sunny disposition -- NOT the content. It does hint at it being for “young women” and I would clarify that further to Christian 20-somethings. I only say Christian because their publisher is Christian and they throw 'God' around a lot. I now know better than to read anything by first-time authors who are “bloggers-turned-friends.” They are not any more relationship or friendship experts than you or I. Maybe you are more of an expert if you’re older than 35. They narrate the audio version, and WARNING! if you are irritated by Valley Girl speak (a.k.a. “uptalk,”) don’t do this book. Yes, they’ve been successful in terms of social media followers, but that doesn’t parlay into credentials for serious non-fiction. If you are a midlife working mom trying to keep strong connections with your existing friends or make new ones -- this book is not for you. I don’t intend age discrimination, but life stage discrimination? YES, it matters. What shocked me after reading the book was discovering that one of the authors has three kids and the other has four -- they could’ve included stories about the integration of family with friends, and how to navigate those competing commitments! Nothing, nada. I’m guessing the book assumes you already follow their blog? The description also says this book “won’t give cliché or empty advice” but it lies. It also lies about anyone being hilarious. One of the authors hits hard on loneliness as a driving force for finding and making friends, and it came off as very needy or clingy. One of them also comes off as very materialistic. At one point, they talk about giving compliments and it just seems so inauthentic and forced. YUCK! I regret not writing this review sooner (I finished the book 12 days ago) because I’ve already forgotten the other things that were off-putting. Somewhere in the book, they quote a “study” and it was evident they’ve gone the sad way of the younger Internet generations (what my elder generations might call young whipper snappers lol) who don’t know that single studies are garbage. You won’t find interviews with people who’ve been friends for 10+ years in this book, nor will you find real research or science. Their Facebook page was launched on June 17, 2019. Their 'Sister, I am with You' LLC in Texas was started on November 20, 2020. On page 6, they say “We (Amy and Jess) met three years ago.” One lives in Texas, the other in California. This book is based on a 3-year online friendship!

WHAT DO AMY AND JESS KNOW?! Bloggers Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston know that (1) it’s important for women to empower other women, (2) adult friendships are important, (3) adult friendships require maintenance, and (4) marketing is important. For that and their great intentions, they get half a star.

READ THESE INSTEAD... For adult friendship books from experienced authors based on real research, I recommend [b:Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close|52766000|Big Friendship How We Keep Each Other Close|Aminatou Sow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585300706l/52766000._SY75_.jpg|64990387] which I gave 4★'s and [b:How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community|45032310|How We Show Up Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community|Mia Birdsong|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581417340l/45032310._SX50_.jpg|69719132] which I gave 5★'s. Both were published in 2020.

ceodell25's review

emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

5.0

book_dragon88's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

xolarissalyann's review against another edition

4.0

Very relatable. Something I wish I would've read when going through friendships that hurt me / I hurt them and grateful that I'm moving forward with these stories and tips. I'll review more later but definitely a great read

kdswoff05's review

4.0

Great points on being a real friend and loving through hard times.

wendy_blendy's review

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.0

emmanuellagladman's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

 This was super cute. Definitely not meant for people my age but I loved listening to this perspective of making friends. It definitely made me appreciate my friends so much more. I also think it helped me understand the feelings related with some previous friendship break ups. 

thecleversiamese's review

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

2.5

michreadsbooks's review

3.0

This was a cute book that two friends wrote together to try and teach other women how to create long lasting meaningful friendships. While I applaud the message, it bothered me a bit for a few reasons. One, the religious motivation (unexpected) was just a bit too much for me personally. Second reason was it did feel like it was mostly driven to middle class privileged women whose main hobby is going to Target. Lastly, it felt more like an over done blog post than a book. This was mostly written off of opinions and experiences instead of research. Overall, it still had good intentions with an overall good message.