"The Other Side of Friendship" Review

Friendships are essential to our growth and development as human beings. Friendships can exist in many different forms and all serve unique purposes. Some friendships are born out of mutual understanding or circumstance, while others are more intentional. Certain friendships are long lasting while others do not withstand the test of time. Though each friendship is different and unique, all serve a purpose in our lives. Friendships, both past and present, teach us a lot about ourselves and how we treat others. The book I am reviewing today centers around the concept of friendship and how beautifully complicated it can be.

"The Other Side of Friendship" is a fiction novel written by David Grant. It was released this year, a follow up novel is scheduled to be released next fall! You can follow the author, David Grant, on Instagram and Goodreads!

David reached out to me on Instagram and sent me his new novel in exchange for an honest review. Before I get into my review, I would like to thank David very much for his kindness! With that being said, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"The Other Side of Friendship" follows main character, Tyrone Washington. Tyrone is aa successful Army colonel, he is happily married, and is pursuing his dreams. Tyrone's life is going perfectly until his cousin Howard challenges him to a bet. Howard bets that he will make a new friend before Tyrone will. Tyrone has thousands of online friends, he certainly should have no issue making a friend in real life!

Tyrone is heading to attend the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., where he will have the opportunity to meet notable executives and tons of his peers. While attending the Eisenhower School, Tyrone meets Melissa Lee Park. The two are classmates and form a friendship during their time together. As their friendship unfolds, Tyrone realizes that winning this bet is much more difficult than he originally anticipated. He quickly learns that making and maintaining friendships as an adult is not a one-sided endeavor. As his friendship with Melissa progresses, Tyrone finds himself in situations that jeopardize his family, career, and his mental health. Will Tyrone be able to navigate life on the other side of friendship?

I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. I felt a real connection to this book. I think that at one point or another everyone has had struggles that parallel Tyrone's. You surround yourself with all of these people who you feel are your friends but in actuality, many of them are simply acquaintances. True friendships are hard to come by and, sometimes, being a true friend is even harder. Learning how to be a good friend is not a skill that we are innately given, it is a skill that we must work to improve. Graduating, growing up, and moving onto the next chapter of my life has been rewarding but also emotionally taxing. Some friendships have faded, while others became one-sided. Human relationships are a tricky thing, but through all of the heartbreak we often loose sight of how much love already surrounds us. This book has encouraged me to be more conscious and grateful for those who love and support me unconditionally.

I know that I am not the first person to ever experience such a thing and I will most definitely not be the last, but it was comforting to read about characters who have had similar struggles. I think that this book came into my life at a really opportune time. This is the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt this way, and especially for twenty-somethings who are struggling with their own identity and navigating and maintaining long-term friendships.

I loved the sentiment of this novel and I feel that so many people could relate to and benefit from this story! I think the story was well presented and I liked the writing style. This was a very good and quick read!

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I think you will too! If you are interested in reading "The Other Side of Friendship", you can purchase it on Amazon or from Barnes & Noble!

With all books that I read, I make a playlist to go along with the book. These playlists are full of songs which encapsulate the feeling of the story as a whole, capture the essence of a particular scene, or just remind me of one of the characters. You can find my playlist for "The Other Side of Friendship" on Apple Music or Spotify.

Will you be adding "The Other Side of Friendship" to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thank you for reading!

XO,

Madison