B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found

In her heartfelt memoir, Tate (Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life) reflects on the implosion of her past female friendships. When Tate overheard her married friends discussing motherhood at her wedding rehearsal dinner, she realized that her fiancé’s proposal hadn’t fixed her inability to stay close to other women. Tate recalls her turbulent history of making and losing friends: elementary school alliances were marked by the desire to fit in with the popular girls, while as a high schooler, Tate’s friendship with homecoming queen Lia dissolved after she prioritized an alcoholic boyfriend. Tate’s friendship woes followed her into adulthood: the “uneasy triangle” she formed with her friends Marnie and Emily reminded Tate of the fraught relationship between herself, her mom, and her sister, and she ghosted her running partner, Callie, after getting engaged. But the bond Tate forms with Meredith, an older woman whom she meets in a 12-step meeting, changes her perspective. Tate takes accountability for her actions (“I’m a work in progress”), and she captures the transformative power of friendship: “It feels like being known and cherished and held tightly.” Readers will be moved by this outstanding portrait of self-excavation. Agent: Amy Williams, Williams Company. (Feb.)