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We Hope You Like This Song: An Overly Honest Story about Friendship, Death, and Mix Tapes
From fourth grade onward, shy, nervous Bree Housley and fearless, outgoing Shelly were an inseparable, albeit unlikely, pair. Their friendship survived everything from the awkward years of junior high to the transformative upheavals of early adulthood—until, at the young age of 25, Shelly lost her life to complications caused by Preeclampsia. We Hope You Like This Song is a tribute to the ineffable, incomparable bond that we call friendship, and a celebration of living life to the fullest. Housley recounts how she and her sister found a way to keep Shelly’s memory alive—by spending a year doing crazy things that Shelly would have done, like giving Valentines to strangers, singing at a karaoke bar, and letting her boyfriend pick out her outfits for a week. In the process, she paints a vivid, often hilarious, portrait of her fun-loving, social butterfly best friend and the many adventures they had growing up together in '80s and ’90s small-town America. Sweet, poignant, and yet somehow laugh-out-loud funny, We Hope You Like This Song is a touching story of love, loss, and the honoring of a friendship after it’s gone.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2012
5 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Bree Housley
2 books26 followersBree Housley grew up in the pocket-sized town of Walcott, Iowa, where she started as a Subway Sandwich Artist and worked her way up to a very prestigious waitressing job at the "World's Largest Truckstop." From there, she spent over a decade as an advertising copywriter. She waxed poetic about everything from Pepsi to incontinence. She is currently a freelance writer in Chicago. Bree's first book, "We Hope You Like This Song," was inspired by her childhood best friend, Shelly (Warner) Bridgewater. They were like Cagney & Lacey without all that fighting crime stuff.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 4, 2013
The author is a friend of friends and hails from Iowa, so I am thrilled to support her! It is a quick read that is packed with moving memories of the author's dear friend, as well as the results of the author's (and her supportive sister's) weekly experiments to try and embrace life in friend's spirit. I always love books about people who try things outside of their comfort zone, and this fits the bill.
Housley makes the reader feel her her anxiety as she plans her tasks, and is equally successful in documenting how it feels to take each leap: the courage she summons and the personal rewards received. All of this is interwoven with her memories of elementary school, Jr. High and high school...a time when your friends mean everything. I love that it made me stop and reflect on my friendships over the years - instead of focusing of how my friends and I are alike, I am committed to really appreciating how we are different, and how I can use the strength of those bonds to emulate what I admire in the women I am lucky enough to have in my life. Definitely worth the read, and a book that will stick with you.
Housley makes the reader feel her her anxiety as she plans her tasks, and is equally successful in documenting how it feels to take each leap: the courage she summons and the personal rewards received. All of this is interwoven with her memories of elementary school, Jr. High and high school...a time when your friends mean everything. I love that it made me stop and reflect on my friendships over the years - instead of focusing of how my friends and I are alike, I am committed to really appreciating how we are different, and how I can use the strength of those bonds to emulate what I admire in the women I am lucky enough to have in my life. Definitely worth the read, and a book that will stick with you.
November 6, 2012
I wasn't sure I would like this book. I'm the person who never got into the tv show "Friends" because the whole concept of being close, life-long friends with someone just didn't ring true to me. Plus I was jealous of them. I was pretty sure I'd feel the same way about "an overly honest story about friendship, death, and mix tapes."
Eight hours later, I've finished this book. I'm happy, sad, and maybe a little wiser about how life works. I'm also motivated to follow the author's lead and try to make it through with some grace and humor. I liked this song.
Eight hours later, I've finished this book. I'm happy, sad, and maybe a little wiser about how life works. I'm also motivated to follow the author's lead and try to make it through with some grace and humor. I liked this song.
January 9, 2014
Wow just wow. I feel like I have been friends with Bree and Shelly all my life. Very funny and inspiring, along with huge lessons in coping with loss. Amazing!
July 1, 2014
When this book seemed to literally call out to me on the shelves at the bookstore in Davenport, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the writer is from nearby Walcott (home of the World's Largest Truckstop)! I hadn't gone in expecting to buy anything, but the title and description were just calling my name, and this fact about the author's upbringing seemed the icing on the cake.
As I started reading, however, I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. I don't know if I was expecting something more in the style of a literary memoir, or what, but my reaction upon learning that the structure was going to follow (or be formed from) a blog, was, "Oh...another blog book?" (Even though I myself have had a blog for over 10 years and have often thought about how I could turn mine into one!).
However, as I continued reading, I began to fall so completely in love with Bree's voice and humor. If you are a gal who grew up in a small, rural town in the Midwest, and who did so in the 80s and 90s, I really don't know how you could NOT love this book.
Not only do I have all of those aforementioned characteristics in common with the author, (in addition to also having worked in marketing copywriting), but more importantly, I, too, recently lost a childhood friend as an adult -- a friend since fourth grade who I was still very close to in my mid-thirties. He was just as close as one of my female friends, so, as Housley described the guilt and pangs of regret for not calling, not being there...and the bittersweetness of feeling like she encounters little "signs" like a certain song playing at a certain time...I nodded in recognition. I was especially touched by Chapter 9, "Call Me!" Housley completely nails the whole thing of knowing you need to call your friends, or pick up when they call, but being lazy and screening....Painful recognition. And it's all set against the sweet nostalgia of a time when talking on the (land-line) phone was such a joy -- and with the great anecdote about loyal friendship involving crashing into a garage door.
It's risking cliche or platitude, of course, to say, "stop what you're doing right now and call the ones you love" after you have experienced the pain of an unexpected loss of a loved one. But Housley handles it with just the right touch after recalling her childhood memories with Shelly, and in making an effort in her current adult life to experience things more fully.
So, yes, my love for this book is at least in part because of how much of my own childhood mirrored Housley's. But upon finishing it, I can honestly say it's the first time I've thought this about a book: "I'm going to order and send a copy to each one of my childhood girlfriends."
As I started reading, however, I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. I don't know if I was expecting something more in the style of a literary memoir, or what, but my reaction upon learning that the structure was going to follow (or be formed from) a blog, was, "Oh...another blog book?" (Even though I myself have had a blog for over 10 years and have often thought about how I could turn mine into one!).
However, as I continued reading, I began to fall so completely in love with Bree's voice and humor. If you are a gal who grew up in a small, rural town in the Midwest, and who did so in the 80s and 90s, I really don't know how you could NOT love this book.
Not only do I have all of those aforementioned characteristics in common with the author, (in addition to also having worked in marketing copywriting), but more importantly, I, too, recently lost a childhood friend as an adult -- a friend since fourth grade who I was still very close to in my mid-thirties. He was just as close as one of my female friends, so, as Housley described the guilt and pangs of regret for not calling, not being there...and the bittersweetness of feeling like she encounters little "signs" like a certain song playing at a certain time...I nodded in recognition. I was especially touched by Chapter 9, "Call Me!" Housley completely nails the whole thing of knowing you need to call your friends, or pick up when they call, but being lazy and screening....Painful recognition. And it's all set against the sweet nostalgia of a time when talking on the (land-line) phone was such a joy -- and with the great anecdote about loyal friendship involving crashing into a garage door.
It's risking cliche or platitude, of course, to say, "stop what you're doing right now and call the ones you love" after you have experienced the pain of an unexpected loss of a loved one. But Housley handles it with just the right touch after recalling her childhood memories with Shelly, and in making an effort in her current adult life to experience things more fully.
So, yes, my love for this book is at least in part because of how much of my own childhood mirrored Housley's. But upon finishing it, I can honestly say it's the first time I've thought this about a book: "I'm going to order and send a copy to each one of my childhood girlfriends."
September 3, 2016
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting, given the super-high ratings. I was expecting a touching but hilarious tribute to Shelly's spirit, in which Bree steps out of her comfort zone to have adventures and brighten the lives of others the way Shelly did. However...most of the challenges were more along the lines of "Shelly liked board games, so I'm going to have a board game night." Some of the ones mentioned in the synopsis here (e.g., her boyfriend picking out her clothes for a week) don't even make an appearance in the book. I also found Bree to be somewhat unlikeable (I think this was deliberate) and unrelatable, particularly in the context of her wedding planning. Overall, the book was much less about Shelly and the challenges than I was hoping, and more just about Bree's life. I also expected going through this year of challenges to be wholly transformative for Bree, but we don't get to see that gradual shift - we just hear about it at the end when Bree tells us what she's learned. I did enjoy the tribute to strong female friendships, and the fact that Bree is able to turn a tragic subject into a tribute with both humor and honesty. Interestingly, I read over some of the blog entries after finishing the book and found more endearing...the book probably could have benefitted from some tighter editing, as it's pretty scattered. The takeaways about being a true friend and showing people you care while you still can make it worth a read.
May 6, 2014
This book could have benefited from having a better editor. I think there was some interesting observations (a friendship not getting to "grow up" when a friend dies too young/moving forward after you lose a loved one/the idea of outgrowing friends) and some funny bits but the story and writing were all over the place. I also believe she used too many devices (wedding planning, 52 resolutions, music, flashbacks...) to move the plot along but none of them were very well fleshed-out or just seemed really random. (The Happiness Project and How I Planned Your Wedding come to mind in terms of memoirs using wedding planning and resolutions as plot devices.)Aside: I found it strange that she didn't use more content from the blog she and her sister wrote especially since she referenced Julie & Julia as pseudo-inspiration. I also felt like this was more of a story of Bree moving forward and finding her friends and love post-Shelly, not a memoir of Shelly. (And this is totally okay just not what I expected from the title, summary, recommendations.) For instance, a whole narrative and sub-narrative/aside have NOTHING to do with Shelly, (going to the Unemployment Office with the inserted tangent about hitting a girl in the crosswalk) but have to do with the stress Bree was dealing with ahead of her wedding. But all that aside, Bree's love for Shelly is clear and her loss was strongly conveyed in the book.
December 2, 2012
This is the kind of book I would not have picked up much less read without the enthusiastic endorsement of my niece. They produce commercials. Housley does the writing.
And what an ability she has to capture the connections that females can make and then sustain. Housley tells the story of Shelly, her BFF from fourth grade on. Housley is the quiet one; Shelly is the extereme extrovert. They clearly are BFF’s. The “future” element of the BFF takes on special meeting very early in the book as Housley tells us that Shelly dies in young adulthood from preeclampsia. The book goes on to describe the nature of close friends in a conversational and frank style.
I’m not giving away the plot. Housley tells us early in the book what happens to Shelly. When we get to the late chapter that describes Shelly’s passing, Housley finds the words to make it as powerful as if we didn’t know what was coming.
This is an excellent insight into friendships, especially female friendships, that also gives insight to the pressures and joys of early adulthood maturation.
And what an ability she has to capture the connections that females can make and then sustain. Housley tells the story of Shelly, her BFF from fourth grade on. Housley is the quiet one; Shelly is the extereme extrovert. They clearly are BFF’s. The “future” element of the BFF takes on special meeting very early in the book as Housley tells us that Shelly dies in young adulthood from preeclampsia. The book goes on to describe the nature of close friends in a conversational and frank style.
I’m not giving away the plot. Housley tells us early in the book what happens to Shelly. When we get to the late chapter that describes Shelly’s passing, Housley finds the words to make it as powerful as if we didn’t know what was coming.
This is an excellent insight into friendships, especially female friendships, that also gives insight to the pressures and joys of early adulthood maturation.
December 14, 2012
Bree Housley’s "We Hope You Like This Song" is the true story of her friendship with Shelly and what she did to bring her friend’s spirit back after she died from complications during pregnancy, at the age of 25. This is a book that could easily have been a real downer. But don’t fret, Housley never lets that happen. She tells the story with humor, charm and brutal honesty, and at the end you feel as if you’ve made a new friend. Along the way, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be inspired to donate to The Preeclampsia Foundation. This is a touching story that will make you think about your own friends and loved ones, and why you shouldn’t wait to tell them what they mean to you. For me, Bree Housley’s "We Hope You Like This Song" hit all the right notes.
March 19, 2013
I LOVED this book, although I may be a little biased because I also loved Shelly. I hail from the same small town as the author, so many of the stories struck a chord with me. Bree came up with a beautiful way to honor her friendship with Shelly, and did so in a way that speaks to anyone who has ever had a close friend, or wished they did. She put herself out there in such a brave way, and through her it sounds like many others also found a way to heal. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed every word. Bravo, Bree, I can't wait to read your next book!
December 12, 2012
To all of my girlfriends, my sister, and all the people close to me, PLEASE PLEASE read this book. It is wonderful. It is heartbreaking and it is hysterical all in one. I laughed (hard) and cried (a lot)but it made me realize how truly lucky we are to have such amazing people in our lives to share the ups and downs, the ins and outs and everything in between and how too often we forget to tell those people just how wonderful they are. And it makes you think about what is important and the importance of taking the time to share more wonderful moments together and alone. SUCH AN AWESOME BOOK.
March 25, 2014
We read this book for book club and it was an excellent read. It was like sitting down with a dear friend and reliving memories. It was endearing and hopeful while also sharing a strong message about being brave enough to step aside your comfort zone and not leaving things unsaid. I laughed and cried and immediately wanted to spend as much time as possible with my very best friends. Read it, love it, and follow Bree on Facebook.
January 4, 2013
This book will find you laughing, crying, and connecting yourself to your experiences with your BFF. Housley entertains you with antics friends experience and laugh about later. She makes you realize friendship is precious and make sure you tell your friends what they mean to you, often and treasure each moment ! Great book and worth the read! Thank you, Bree!
March 15, 2013
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. What I did like is the friendship - everyone should have a friendship like the one shared by Bree and Shelly. I also liked the idea of doing something for a week at a time to honor her friend. But the story itself didn't grab me for some reason. I guess I got a little tired of her stories. Not sure why, but that is my opinion.
April 22, 2013
I have never written a review on Goodreads before. This book is for anyone who has had a best friend, period. At points, I was snorting with laughter, and others, "twisted face, sputtering tears". A must read. Like now- go buy the book.
July 22, 2016
I loved this book; it kept my attention and I will be paying it forward to my BFF to read. I'm sorry your BFF is no longer around for you to spend time with however she will always be there to listen. Shelly is with you everyday.
December 11, 2012
I read this all in one night, couldn't put it down. What a warm, hilarious, sad book.
June 12, 2013
Laugh out loud and cry moments all combined in this can't put down book!
October 24, 2013
Thank you, Bree. It's a beautiful tribute to a best friend.
May 26, 2014
I expected this book to be sad- and it was at times. But it was mostly a wonderful funny tribute to best friends and the crazy way we are when we are with them. I loved everything about it!
July 25, 2014
Absolutely loved this book. Laughed, cried, and everything in between.
September 28, 2014
Yay Bree! Loved it!
July 21, 2024
In “We Hope You Like This Song” we accompany Bree Housley during a year when she and her sister step outside their introverted comfort zones to honor her best friend, Shelly with silly antics in weekly resolutions. BFFs since 4th grade, Shelly lit up the room and pulled Bree along with her. At 25, Shelly died of preeclampsia. This book is a touching tribute to friendship and growing up in the 80s/90s in a small Midwestern town.
I loved Bree’s vulnerability and uncensored humor as she shares hilarious childhood Shelly memories and her current life - the ups and downs of completing the resolutions while getting married and working full time. Bree’s voice is so authentic she’ll feel like your new best friend too.
This book gets five stars from me and I love it exponentially more (and believe you will too) if you can relate to any of the following:
1. Have silly high school friends
2. Graduated high school in the late 90s
3. Has an awesome big sister that love and supports you
4. Lived in a Midwestern small town
Only a couple pages in, I could think of at least 6 people that I wanted to share this book with and that made me incredibly grateful.
I loved Bree’s vulnerability and uncensored humor as she shares hilarious childhood Shelly memories and her current life - the ups and downs of completing the resolutions while getting married and working full time. Bree’s voice is so authentic she’ll feel like your new best friend too.
This book gets five stars from me and I love it exponentially more (and believe you will too) if you can relate to any of the following:
1. Have silly high school friends
2. Graduated high school in the late 90s
3. Has an awesome big sister that love and supports you
4. Lived in a Midwestern small town
Only a couple pages in, I could think of at least 6 people that I wanted to share this book with and that made me incredibly grateful.
May 13, 2020
Have you ever had a book that fell into your hands exactly when you needed it most? Thanks to a dear friend We Hope You Like This Song by Bree Housley is that book. I lost by best friend of 20+ years to metastatic colon cancer this past November and to say it has been rough has been an understatement. This book is the journey of long friendships and what happen when you are trying your hardest tonever forget and to be more like that outstanding friend. Shelly (the best friend who passed away) was so similar to my friend Karen. They were both the best friend a girl could ever ask for and also the one who brought our best selves out. I cried many times reading this but also laughed so hard because I could relate so much to so many of the stories!
August 20, 2020
This is a well written powerful book with many life lessons and also very entertaining. A friend lent me this book and I’m very glad she did. I do not personally know the author or her friends but her writing made me feel like I did know them. They are from the area where I live and just a bit younger than me but I think anyone can relate to them. So if you’re looking for an easy read mostly feel good book I’d recommend this one
November 9, 2017
We just read this for our book club and we’re delighted to get to FaceTime with the author at our meeting. Really enjoyed the book.
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October 21, 2021So true a great story of love, friendship and devotion.
June 7, 2015
A friend came across this book and picked it up for me because of the title, which is frankly misleading -- I think there's only one mix tape (CD) in the whole book, and though the author and her late best friend Shelly loved music and its referenced throughout the book, I didn't think music was that big of a thematic element, really. But I was hoping for sort of a female take on "Love is a Mix Tape." This book is cute, and at times I laughed out loud. Housley does a good job of keeping the momentum going and not getting bogged down in too much sadness in what is essentially a sad, but hopeful, story of her best friend's death and Housley's subsequent recovery. Each chapter focuses on a Shelly-inspired activity that the author and her sister took on during a year leading up to Housley's wedding. Over the course of the book, I got tired of the peppy tone of these anecdotes and craved some deeper reflection, which I just don't think Housley is really comfortable providing. In one section she does, and that did deepen the book, but overall this book stays pretty fluffy with a moral to most chapters, which is "learn from my experience and appreciate your friends while you have them" - not a bad thing, just not quite what I was hoping for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2013
Still grieving the death four years ago of her best friend since childhood, Bree decides to make a New Year resolution a week in honor of Shelly. What would Shelly do? Shelly was very outgoing and a little crazy, so Bree braves up and does things like wear weird outdated clothes she hasn't thrown out yet, eat adventurously, and sing karaoke. The book is sweet and hilarious as Bree takes us through a year of her life remembering Shelly, trying to act a little like her, and in doing so finds healing and a new outlook on life. All while living in Chicago and planning a small-town wedding (Ho Ho cake!) in Iowa. Well-done flashbacks to childhood memories, lots of funny photos, and a bit of swearing (f*#& yes).
June 18, 2013
I absolutely loved this book. The topic is so sad but important and I learned a lot about positive ways to cope.
Parts of the book made me laugh so hard! Then I would ball my eyes out a few pages later. I love and appreciate the Housley's honesty.
The book came to me at a time when I'd just moved to a new city. Reading it each day made me feel like I had a fun group of girls to hang out with! I looked forward to my commute in the train so I could hang with them and get the latest scoop!
Highly recommend!!!
Parts of the book made me laugh so hard! Then I would ball my eyes out a few pages later. I love and appreciate the Housley's honesty.
The book came to me at a time when I'd just moved to a new city. Reading it each day made me feel like I had a fun group of girls to hang out with! I looked forward to my commute in the train so I could hang with them and get the latest scoop!
Highly recommend!!!
January 17, 2013
I am/was fortunate enough to know both of these people and to call them friends. This book was everything I thought it would be and more. It also brought home the fact that nothing in life is certain, and you should slow down and take the time to put meaning into every day. The book is honest, open and a true testament to friendship. If you have not read already, please do...and pick up a copy for a friend or two!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews