I received a free digital ARC of this book from Netgalley. Dear Friends is great read for Middle Schoolers figure out friendships as they grow up.

Leni and Sylvie have been best friends forever. Until they’re not, when Sylvie doesn’t invite Leni to her birthday sleepover. Does that bring back memories of your own middle school drama years? Heartbroken, Leni looks back at other lost friendships and examines each one to figure out where they went wrong. Along the way, we all learn some great advice about friendships. I did wish for a bit more depth and interest to the action around Leni’s quest. The book just felt a bit too one-note. Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Oh my goodness! This book brought me right back to my middle school drama days, definitely not fun times ;) Leni is such a relatable character, and I was invested in her world from the beginning. It reminded me how much friend drama sucks, and I think any tween girl can sympathize with Leni.
Eleni, also called Leni or Len in the book, has always had a best friend, Sylvie. They have been together forever, but when Sylvie’s back to school party becomes the end of their friendship, what will Eleni do? She can’t imagine starting middle school without her best friend by her side. So she decides to try and investigate where all her friendships went wrong in hopes of winning Sylvie back. As Len goes on this journey though, she realizes some hard truths about friendships and about herself.
This was such a good book for any tween girl! Leni’s problems are incredibly relatable as she tries to find her place. This is told from the first person perspective, so we get to see all of her thoughts and feelings. I thought Eleni was an interesting character because she was in some ways quite outgoing. I think many books about friendships make it seem like this kind of friend drama only happens to quiet people. I loved the fact that Eleni was a different kind of character.
And I loved all the different characters in this book. They’re flawed and immature, but they all feel very real. It’s sweet to watch some of them come alongside Leni as she tries to find her place. I love that Ms. Greenwald shows that each friendship ends for different reasons. It was sometimes Leni’s fault, it was sometimes the other person’s fault, and sometimes it was just a result of change.
One thing I would have loved to see though is a conversation between Leni and her mother. Eleni has a rocky relationship with her mom. And while that is definitely common, I think tween girls need to see more characters talking with their mothers. Ms. Greenwald ends the book with some hope for change, but I would have loved to see an actual conversation. Overall though I really enjoyed this book! The story and the characters are wonderful, and I would definitely recommend it to any tween girl!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Wonderful book about Leni and her best friend, Sylvie, and the change in their relationship. Sylvie finds new friends and leaves Leni out, and Leni is shocked and hurt. It makes her wonder why did her past friendships end. She decides to contact her old friends and fix or restart their relationships. As she does this, she realizes friendship fights and reunions can be lifelong. She wonders was I there for my friends when I needed to be? She wants to be a better version of herself. Can she do it?