Shelfie: Nobody's Cuter than You by Melanie Shankle

Book Description: There is nothing as precious in life as a friend who knows you and loves you in spite of yourself. Yet over the last couple of decades, we’ve substituted the joy of real friendship with cheap imitations. We settle for “community” on Facebook and Twitter and a series of text messages that allow us to communicate with someone without the commitment. We like each other’s beautifully filtered photos on Instagram and delude ourselves into believing we have a community. But real friendship requires effort. It’s showing up, laughing loud, and crying hard. It’s forgiving and loving and giving the benefit of the doubt. It’s making a casserole, doing a carpool pickup, and making sure she knows those cute shoes are 50 percent off. Written in the same comedic style as the New York Times bestsellers Sparkly Green Earrings and The Antelope in the Living Room, Nobody’s Cuter than You is a laugh-out-loud look at the special bond that exists between friends and a poignant celebration of all the extraordinary people God had the good sense to bring into our lives at exactly the right moments. From the friendships we develop over a lifetime to the ones that wounded us and the ones that taught us to love better, Melanie Shankle reveals the influence our friends have on who we were, who we are, and who we will become. And on a day when our jeans feel too tight, our chins have decided to embrace hormone-related acne reminiscent of our teen years, and our kids have tested the limits of our sanity, they are the ones who will look at us and say, “Nobody’s cuter than you!”

Book review: It's true that we live in culture where we can get by exchanging "likes" and "emojis" on social media and text messages and be "friends". It's weak and shallow. We have no commitment and no accountability that way. This synthetic type of friendship can't hold a candle to real friendship. Melanie's book is a memoir about the beauty of friendship. You get to read about how Melanie's friendships have shaped her life. We all need those people who love us in spite of ourselves, and to some we are those people. I loved this book about the beauty of friendship and faith. People who add to your life and can speak into it because you've done life together. People who have a front row seat to your life and you to theirs. People who you've been vulnerable with and can point you back to God when you need it. 

I have a new favorite book! If you're a female and have friends you need this book! I laughed and cried my way through this book. You get to follow along Melanie's life reminiscing her friendships all the while remembering your own. There were multiple times that my husband or daughter came into the room where I was reading to ask me what was so funny! I would not recommend reading this book in public. It may result in people seeing the ugly face you make when you cry. Maybe you're into that sort of thing- I'm not. Don't forget your tissues! My one regret about this book is that after such a descriptive narration of their hair for Tiff's wedding there was no picture. I'm just saying...

Reader’s Note: I received this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for this honest review.