Whether you’re a recent college grad moving to a new city or a 65-year-old retiring to the town of your dreams, everyone has been put in the position of having to make new friends. Shortly after journalist Rachel Bertsche moved from New York to Chicago to be with her boyfriend, she realized that her new life was missing one thing—friends. There was no one local to call for girl talk over brunch or a reality-TV marathon over a bottle of wine. Bertsche launched a year-long project: 52 girl-dates, one a week for twelve months, in search of her new best friend.

In MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, Bertsche blends the story of her 52 girl-dates with the latest social research on the importance of friendship, to examine how difficult—and hilariously awkward (do you hug someone at the end of a friend date?)—it is to make new friends as an adult. Book signing to follow.