Almost two decades after “Sex and the City” premiered, stories about the romance of female friendships are still compelling. Shows such as “Girls” and “Pretty Little Liars” use the twists, turns and triumphs of lasting friendships as the backdrop to their drama. In her debut novel, FORKS, KNIVES, AND SPOONS, Leah DeCesare adds her insight to this trend of coming-of-age stories.

DeCesare’s previous accomplishments are in a very different genre: parenting. Her two Naked Parenting books and other online writings on the subject range from advice for new parents to advice for parents of young adults. All of this knowledge comes into play in her novel. She answers the questions of how to weather the storms of growing up with an experienced, encouraging and enlightened tone.

"FORKS, KNIVES, AND SPOONS is a straightforward and easy read. What could have been a gimmicky setting at the end of the 1980s becomes a nostalgic way to tell a timeless story without the burden of fitting it into modern times."

FORKS, KNIVES, AND SPOONS opens with the two protagonists beginning their freshman year of college in 1988. Amy and Veronica are set to be roommates and quickly become inseparable friends. Amy explains her father’s classification system for men, which becomes the defining metaphor of the book. “There are three types of guys: forks, knives, and spoons…. The forks…are the guys that won’t care about you. They will make you think they care, but they won’t have any problem playing the field…. The ideal guy is a knife…they have an edge and can be sharp when they need to be…. Then you have the spoons. Simply put, these are the nerds, the geeks. They don’t poke, they don’t have edge, they’re maybe even bland.” The Utensil Classification System is used on each boyfriend and male friend the girls encounter in the novel with the aim of fulfilling Amy’s father’s wish of “bringing home a good knife.”

As readers follow Amy and Veronica through their freshman year, senior year and post-college years, the forks, knives and spoons come and go. There are bad boyfriends and good boyfriends, as well as good guys who were bad boyfriends and bad guys who seemed good. But like the other iterations, the enduring relationship is the friendship between Amy and Veronica. Their talks together constitute a majority of the book, and their endless reassurance and acceptance of one another reads like a case study of how to have a supportive friendship.

FORKS, KNIVES, AND SPOONS is a straightforward and easy read. What could have been a gimmicky setting at the end of the 1980s becomes a nostalgic way to tell a timeless story without the burden of fitting it into modern times. DeCesare doesn’t wrestle with the issues of technology, job security and popular culture that may have complicated the forks, knives and spoons classification system. These concerns take a backseat to what is working in the book, namely the very thing that a parenting writer knows well: paternal encouragement. DeCesare injects small doses of advice and empowerment that read as very modern. When Amy begins to question her own judgment in her relationship, she has the insight to think, “Maybe we never fight because I don’t speak up about what I’m feeling. Do I do that? Do I stand up for myself?” For young readers, these bits seem like a kind of fertilizer for their fledgling self-confidence and maturity. For parents, it’s a good reminder of the kind of thing their young daughter may need to hear.

The result of mixing DeCesare’s expertise with this story of enduring friendship is an enjoyable read that should be on beach read lists for parents of young girls and young girls themselves.