Neighbors

The Real Thing #6

by Elizabeth LaBan, Melissa DePino

Sometimes our soul mates live down the street. Melissa finds hers when she opens the doorfor her new neighbor, Elizabth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Memoir, Audiobook, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Essays

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2018

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Female Friendship

Elizabeth showed up on Melissa’s porch as they were moving into the new row house. Melissa wanted Elizabeth to just leave, she was busy. After handing off a plate of cookies and an invitation to dinner Elizabeth did turn and go home worried she had sounded too needy. Neither woman realized at that moment how intertwined their lives and their children’s lives would eventually become.

This the story of two women’s evolving friendship as their children grew and their separate lives changed.

I loved this story because it reminded me of the importance of the friendships that I have made, and how I couldn’t imagine life without them. We are all each other’s shoulder and hand up whenever needed, and I hope other women see themselves in this story as I have. Five stars.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

People being people

This opens the door to understanding just how much alike we all are, without being the same. Our lives are not easy, but it is our responsibility to manage them to achieve our desires.

[Aditi Bachhawat (islejazz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pop culture, psychology, and the Internet have given birth to an entire cottage industry for dealing with romantic breakups, but the heartache of potentially losing a friend—of losing our person—is discussed publicly far less frequently."

Reading this book was like reflecting on my own friendships with my girlfriends. So many to remember. So many didn't survive. Few, handful of them did. I want to preserve the ones that are living now. But how much is the other involved? How much of myself do I need to invest? Where do I draw the line? Or should I? Am I a good friend? Am I a fair one? How right and wrong am I?

"We were deep in the gray of our friendship that day. But the relationships that mean the most to us are often the most confusing and hard, and you get through the pain because you choose to or not. You choose that person. And I still chose her."

I am amazed at how universe has a way of sending certain things our way in the time it does. Me, reading this story too feels quite serendipitous as broadly the content I am consuming these days revolve around female friendships. If that wasn't enough, I spent last night wondering about how well do I really know a particular friend and her how right is she in her thoughts about me.

"And yes, we fell in love—not in a romantic way, but in the way that female friends do when they feel intangibly connected."

Melissa's and Elizabeth's story is as real as female friendships can be. In a society that thrives on pitting women against each other for its own advantage, here is a real-life account of why female friendships are as good and as significant as the ones we share with our life partners. This story reminded me of a close and dear friend with whom I am thick but who lives so far away because I moved away. I miss her. I love her so much. This story almost felt like ours. But I do hope that we don't drift away, and the distance only makes us grow fonder.

"One of the novels we reread while we were writing ours was Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety. In it, Stegner describes the characters Charity and Sally as “stitched together with a thousand threads of feeling and shared experience.”

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complexities of friendships

I almost don’t know what to say. I’m not in the situation of being married or having children or going through a divorce but I know how Elizabeth feels in many ways. I was raised to love my friends as I loved my family. If they were true friends there should not be any differences in the two. As a child I thought me and my cousins would be close as adults. Thick as thieves as the saying goes but that didn’t happen either. No strained relationships that I’m aware of, just everyone had there own lives and families. For me this story just shows how friendships can get out of whack but shows how Melissa and Elizabeth eventually came back together and their friendship is stronger than ever. A really nice quick read that makes you want to get in touch with friends you haven’t seen or talked to in awhile.

[Ned Arick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. From a 75 year old , male perspective

That's right!..I was born October 12, 1942 at (District of ) Columbia Hospital for Women--possibly the reason for my interest in such an (obviously) "chick flicking" book. Well, I wasn't disappointed...Melissa & Elisabeth provide an honest, interesting account of 20 (plus) years of real life relationship experiences. And it is rare when we guys can experience the life long, dedicated commitment that these two talented friends continue to enjoy through life's struggles.

[Maria Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, she showed up when I didn’t even know I needed her. And yes, we fell in love—not in a romantic way, but in the way that female friends do when they feel intangibly connected.

We follow Melissa and Elizabeth going from strangers to neighbors to thick as thieves until life gets in the way. Until eventually they came back together, and their friendship grew to something stronger in a way that really works for them.

This is the beautiful side when you have the real and true version of friendship. You treat them like family, life will through challenges and obstacles that will get in the way, and we don't know how to navigate. Things might change, things might stay the same but when it really mattered to be present and show that you are there, those are the true moments you need to keep close to your heart.

I wish I had friends like that.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this beautiful, funny, and heartwarming little book.
It is a true story of endearing and enduring friendship between two different people who happened to meet and share a good part of their lives together, raising kids, dreaming of the future and ultimately working together on books and social issues, just by living on the same block in Philadelphia.
The Kindle version of this book is available free on Amazon Prime this month.
I plan to read more by these authors.

[STEPH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw, this is such a sweet book that depicts real friendship and women’s empowerment. I loved it.

Elizabeth and Melissa’s friendship is one of a kind. It is rare to find something like what they have. I like to believe that I’ve found a couple of friends I can truly say I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life, much like Melissa and Elizabeth.

It’s such a nice feeling to have someone who already knows what you need even before you say it.

Funny, quirky, a bit emotional and a meaningful read.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars 🌟

*read for free with Kindle Unlimited *

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it as a short story. And how very timely to things happening in my own life. Reminds me of the things RuPaul says all the time about how ...”people get to choose their own families.”

How great that they have such a relationship and continue to support each other.

From a cultural point of view, something else to keep in mind as a reader, these are likely two white women. But everyday, in POC communities, this happens too. I say this not as a way to dilute from the story’s impact, but to emphasize how despite differences, communities need each other to grow as a people.

Great read. Highly recommended.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neighbors (The Real Thing collection)

Women's friendships are not to be confused with nor compared with men's friendships or "bromances." There is a lot of time and effort, not to mention energy that is invested... through sickness and health, richer or poorer, until death or cross-country moves do us part, and even that is just logistics. This story is a breath of fresh air, relating what we go through for and with each other, and the pain, honesty and even anger that may entail. Sometimes I really feel sorry for men. We really can/do have it all.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caught me by surprise that this is just a 52 page book but it took my 50 minutes to read it. And why is that because I went to all those friends I lost these years.

I was four when I would go around saying that Khushboo is my best friend and then she left the school before we even reached 1st standard. But it still feels like yesterday, that pain of not having your best friend in the class. And then I kept losing a best friend until I no longer had the strength to term a friend as a best friend. But this is my story, let’s leave that for another day :)

This is about two friends who were neighbors and became much more than just best friends. How their lives were intertwined together and then fell apart only to fall back together.

This is a book meant for all those female friendships we lost to school, colleges, new cities, jobs, relationships, marriages, children, breakups, miscarriages, divorces, deaths and every misunderstanding this universe contains. It is going to remind you of all those friends which are part of your past but haven’t been able to stay in your present. It also reminded me of those few female friends I have and how they have shaped me. How grateful I am for each of them.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my more favorite short stories that I’ve read. Melissa and Elizabeth are neighbors turned best friends. This book describes their history and what keeps them together as friends. I enjoyed the quotes from famous peoples throughout the book and I found it to be very relatable.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Shruti Badole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming account of female friendship.

[Nyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! This story has evoked so many feelings!!

[Frida · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Ari Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short story .... ok start but then the ending was just blah.

[Julia Sommerfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

When your best friend is ‘your person’...

A great story to send to your bestie. A reminder that the most significant relationship of your life doesn’t have to be the romantic kind. I really enjoyed these ladies and their back-and-forth recounting of their friendship.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this non-fiction book which is also a part of a collection.
It is about two long time friends and their bond.
I plan to read the other five books eventually.

This was an audible selection, my first completed audio book.
It was a good start.

[K.S. Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3/5 stars

A great short story for neighbors and friends that most anyone can relate to. A great Kindle Single.

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Acknowledging the value of friendship needs to be done more. This was more like therapy journaling over the friendship though.

The chapters alternate between the two friend’s points of view on the situation, which was nice. At core it reads like something they were working through for themselves and each other rather than for a reader.
There was very little experience or sense of their friendship and what made it special. She described their first meeting and then advised they were great friends then it jumped straight to Melissa moving and the upset feelings. I didn’t get the sense of the loss as I didn’t know what was being lost.
Recounted is when one of them plans to move due to their children’s schooling. The other one acts like a child not looking beyond her own wants, stroppy and sulky. While a close friend moving could be upsetting, a mature adult accepts that people have a commitment to their children first.. There was seemingly no insight into the unreasonableness of this behaviour.
Another stress in the friendship aired that evidently had to do with one of the women’s own psychological problems and romantic relationship/s.
At one point an extended extract from someone else’s piece describing a friendship break up is inserted.

Proximity is a key ingredient for friendships.

[Megan Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Melissa begins a friendship with her new neighbor Elizabeth which would go on to change her life. They bond over motherhood, food, and shared experiences as the season change. They fall apart for a while when Melissa gets a divorce, moves, and falls into a controlling romantic relationship. Still the reunite through bereavement and hope to become coauthors and forever friends.
* * * * *------------* * * * * ------------* * * * *
I stand behind the core of this essay. Friendships are an important part of human lives which often get lost behind the focus on romantic relationships. Changing circumstances like moving locations, jobs, or schools is often an easy time for friendships to fall apart and while some of these losses are accepted, others are devastating. The intention to share those stories seems positive. Still, I am not sure that this one needed the nonlinear timeline in addition to the dual POVs. Or perhaps the theming narrative just needed to be a bit clearer as it went. Or perhaps I just wasn’t quite in the right mood for this kind of vignette.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I friend recommended the book, and I immediately downloaded it because I was curious to read an "animated" book. Turned out to be a regular book, but with a layout I fell in love with and a couple of animated illustrations.
I'm not yet sure what to make of the story. It was absolutely relatable- the story of two women who serendipitously find each other, nearly lose a friendship that fills a gap they never knew existed, and find it again. With alternate chapters told by the two narrators (interestingly, the book was also written by two women), it moved along well, and took you with it.
Yet, something was missing. Maybe it was too obvious. Which is what something true to life should be, but don't we expect more from our books?
Will I recommend it? Definitely.

* Book by a woman author

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what this book is about:”From next-door neighbors to BFFs, Pretty Little World coauthors Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino share how they became each other’s “person,” proving that friends can be the greatest loves of our lives. Sometimes our soul mates live down the street. Melissa finds hers when she opens the door for her new neighbor, Elizabeth. Over many years, their lives become intertwined as they support each other through pregnancy and motherhood, divorce, bereavement, and starting over. This is the story of finding a life partner under a different roof.”

I borrowed this book from Prime Reading. This is the last story in a short story collection. I listened to the audiobook of this book and it was narrated by the authors. I liked listening to them tell the story of how they became friends. I enjoyed this book. This was a nice, heartwarming story.

[K B Janaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neighbors : The Real Thing - Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino

It's a novella. Short and sweet. I can relate myself to this novella. There is a saying, "once a girl gets married or when a girl becoomes mother, she might lose her friends one by one and starts to pick new mom's as her friends", I have heard a lot about these. This books is similar to that. But the relationship with these women is amazing.

What I like
1. There is always a conflict part in a fiction. Conflict part is where the novel emphasis its its title or the meaning of text. That one is handled in a great manner.

What I don't like
1. The way novella ended is fantastic. But the beginning was dragging.
2. I felt those animation things were not necessary.

[ana maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly felt for this story because I feel like everyone can relate to how friendships change through the years. It's easy to just let go of these friendships but the way that Elizabeth and Melissa fight to keep their friendship intact is really admirable since there were times that it seemed like their friendship was over. There were many times that I thought that this scene would be the end but time after time, they were there for each other. Something that was so easy but also hard since I'm sure the care and love was still there for each other but it would've been easy to just let it go. I think this would be my second favorite from this collection and would definitely recommend that you read or listen to it.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our friendship had been built on a sense of knowing what the other needed before she had to ask for it.


Set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Melissa and Elizabeth have been BFFs for eighteen years.

The friendship begins when Melissa (31) moves to Elizabeth’s neighborhood. Elizabeth (also 31) brings her a plate of chocolate chip cookies. 🍪

How they became such close, lifelong friends.

How they are each other’s Person.

Ups and downs. Ins and outs. Different houses, pregnancy struggles, motherhood and children, divorce, career decisions and changes…

Deaths and graduations are one thing…but moves can be a real killer.

Strong story of female friendship, through the good times and the challenging ones.


When I think back on that day now, I think of it as light and dark. An ending and a moving forward.

[Susan Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet story. I interviewed Melissa/Elizabeth for an article I wrote for Philly Happening about their first novel together, and I've met Melissa for coffee, so I felt more personally connected to their story. In reading their account as neighbors, I noticed a lot of connections/influences between their real lives and their novel Pretty Little World, which was cool. I really like Melissa/Elizabeth, so I enjoyed this. A quick, feel-good read! I'm looking forward to whatever they come up with next!