It’s one of the big themes in my latest novel, Etta and Gina, and one that I loved exploring as a writer, because it’s something I’ve thought about a lot with my life on this planet.
Growing up, I had a small but mighty group of girls that were almost always together – either at school or at someone’s house for sleepovers. Dealing with older siblings, annoying teachers, and even death – I knew I had people that were going to be there for me.
As I moved into college, I lost touch a little bit with those grade school friends, and had to navigate new relationships that included significant others, different priorities, mental health issues, and drama. For some odd reason, there’s always drama when it comes to friendships – and that’s not just with girl friendships, I’ve seen this with guys too.
The concept of what it means to be a friend changes over the course of one’s life and over the course of the friendship itself. We can fight, break up, make up, try again, lose touch, reconnect, and end things all together. We can be there to hold their hands, celebrate, hold their hair back when they’re sick, and laugh so much it feels like you can’t breathe.
Every relationship looks different and that’s one of the reasons I love writing about friendship, especially in the young adult stage – when you’re dealing with not only trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in, but also how to be a friend to others. AND what you need out of others when it comes to friendship. It’s complicated, complex, and just cool to think about.
How have you dealt with changing friendships in your life?
Can two best friends thrown onto two very different paths learn to grow together or will they fall apart?
My latest young adult novel, Etta and Gina, is now exclusively available via Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited!!
Read Etta and Gina today and jump right into this entertaining look at suburban high school life.