Why Joining a Book Club is the Best Way to Make New Friends

A couple years ago, I came to the realization that now that I work from home, if I ever want to meet anyone new, I need to initiate that myself. I’ve always met new friends and partners through school or work. Now that I’m out of school and my coworkers live in different cities, that’s no longer an option.

As a book-obsessed individual, I immediately decided that if I was going to put myself in a new social situation, it was going to be bookish. I searched MeetUp for book clubs, attended a few, and the rest is history. Currently, I’m in a couple of book clubs, and the friends I made there have introduced me to other groups and events.

Now that I have experience joining several book clubs as well as other MeetUp-style groups, I feel confident that book clubs are uniquely structured to be the best way to make new friends, especially for introverts. Here’s why.

1) The Ubiquity of Book Clubs

Book clubs are incredibly common. I live in a small city, and there were plenty of different book club options to choose from just on MeetUp. If you’re interested in joining a book club, there’s a very good chance there’s one available to you—especially if you’re willing to meet over Zoom.

Reading is pretty accessible, unlike a sport that requires you to buy equipment or a hobby that requires supplies or even a studio. Book clubs can meet anywhere somewhat quiet, and they don’t need a lot of supplies: just a book, which hopefully you can get from the library!

2) The Structure of Book Clubs

In all the book clubs I’ve gone to, there’s a round of introductions before getting into discussing the book. Usually, that means names, pronouns, and a quick sentence of what you thought about the book.

For anyone shy about social interactions, this is a great structure to get the chance to both learn people’s names and introduce yourself without having to wait for the right moment to jump in. For people who have trouble inserting themselves into the conversation, this built-in structure ensures you’ll at least have a chance to say something before the louder group members start dominating the conversation. (It’s me. I am louder group members. I’m sorry and I’m working on it.)

All the book clubs I’ve joined are also very welcoming of new members: there seems to be an understanding that the structure of book clubs is accommodating to new people, not clique-like. (Though your miles may vary!)

3) The Ice Breaker Nature of Book Clubs

Another way book clubs are useful for shy people is that they come with a built-in ice breaker: the book. Having one thing you’ve gathered to talk about makes it easier to start conversations and keep them going. You can even come prepared with notes and not be judged for it! It’s perfect for people who rehearse conversations.

A good book club pick is fodder for a ton of conversation, picking apart themes, characters, plot, setting, etc. Depending on the book, you can get into heavy topics that you might not have brought up in a group of strangers otherwise, like racism, sexism, unhealthy relationships, and mental health issues. By focusing the conversation on the book, it allows people to dive into these topics in a structured, less personal way. (But still tread lightly, at least until you know your fellow book club members better.)

4) The Themes of Book Clubs

If you live a big enough community where there are several book club options, they likely will have themes, like “sci-fi” or “books by Asian American authors”. This means not only can you join a book club that matches your reading taste, but it also is a way to meet up with like-minded people. Your sci-fi book club is a good place to meet fellow Doctor Who fans, if you want to arrange a marathon viewing session. Your book club that reads political nonfiction will probably have people willing to join you in a postcard party to get out the vote.

Personally, I have joined four in-person queer book clubs in the last few years. Some have fizzled out, but they were a great way to make queer friends, and those led me to other queer events I didn’t know about.

If you want to expand your social circle, I can’t recommend book clubs enough. Of course, they come with a downside: you might have to read books you don’t like. But I think with the right book club, that’s rarely an issue, and the positives outweigh the reading responsibility.

Even if you’re not as book-obsessed as I am, I think book clubs are the best option for introverts to meet new people. But I’d like to hear from you! What are your experiences with book clubs? Have you met lifelong friends through them? Or have you endured a clique-y book club that proved my theory wrong? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Book Club Books Out This Week: July 15, 2025

All Access members, read on for the best new book club books out this week!