Meredith Berlin explores a trio of personal struggles and the growth found therein

To look at the lives of Brooke, Elizabeth, and Susan, one may think they have it all. They’ve made their mark in the city of Manhattan and are living the good life. But a closer look uncovers a variety of challenges—Brooke questions her marriage as she embarks on a new venture; Elizabeth receives a shattering diagnosis and remakes herself to recover some semblance of identity; Susan admits that her sexual and romantic preferences do not lie exclusively with men. Each of these characters has their own journey, and it’s in confronting it that we get “Friends with Issues,” written by Meredith Berlin and available as of Jan. 24.

I’m a little ways into the book and I found myself drawn in by the realistic cast and intertwining plots. Meredith and I talk about the creation process for each character and how it was fueled by her own experiences. We look at her many years as the editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine and Soap Opera Digest and how it helped prepare her for the role of novelist, as well as the lessons to be learned.