BFF Books in Order

The BFF collection brings together two linked novels, Just as Long as We’re Together and Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson. Both center on three smart, funny middle-school girls—Stephanie, Rachel, and Alison—whose friendship has to stretch around divorce, new houses, secrets, and the way people change at thirteen.

In Just as Long as We’re Together, Stephanie Hirsch is the narrator. Her family has moved to a different part of town, her parents are acting strange, and she’s suddenly gained weight and started her period. At the same time, she meets quiet new girl Alison and pulls her into the tight two-person world she has always shared with high-achieving Rachel.

What starts as an exciting trio quickly turns messy. Rachel worries about being replaced, Stephanie hides how scared she is about her parents’ marriage, and Alison carries her own private history. Sleepovers, school projects, crushes, and small betrayals pile up until someone finally says what she’s really feeling. The book is full of small, familiar moments—locker talk, whispered phone calls—that feel very close to real life.

Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson shifts the spotlight. This time we hear from Rachel, who is used to being the responsible one: strong grades, serious music practice, and plenty of committees. At home, though, her family is barely holding it together. Her older brother Charles has been kicked out of boarding school and returned in a blaze of bad behavior, pulling attention away from everyone else.

Rachel is angry that teachers and friends seem fascinated by Charles, and that Stephanie and Alison are as drawn to his charm as they are frustrated by him. Meanwhile her sister struggles with severe acne, her parents consider family therapy, and Rachel thinks she must hold everything together by being perfect. Slowly she starts to see that perfection is its own kind of trap.

Read together, the two books show the same circle of friends from different angles. Conversations and scenes overlap, but what matters most is how each girl interprets them: who feels included, who feels left out, and who is just trying to keep the peace. Blume keeps the tone warm and often funny while taking worries about friends, school, and family seriously.

For readers who like realistic school stories, the BFF books offer a deep, sometimes prickly look at what 'best friends forever' really means once life stops being simple.