So you’ve got a new boyfriend. You think he’s the bee’s knees and hang on his every word. Great! But, even more important than your own opinion of your beau is those of your friends. Do they like him? Will they even tell you the truth if they don’t?  Keep in mind that you should always take people’s opinions with a proverbial grain of salt. Don’t go rushing for the door if they don’t like him. After all, he may not be they’re type—and that’s okay. Here are some things your friends have probably said about your guy, and what they actually mean.
- “Has Stacy/your mom/your boss met him yet?” If she’s asking this, then she wants to know if anyone else has said something critical about him first before giving her own opinion. This is especially the case if she mentions someone who has a reputation for being brutally honest.
- “He was nice.” This is the vaguest answer around. To help decipher this one, pay attention to the way she says it. If it was with over-enthusiasm or a flat expression, she may mean the opposite of what she’s saying. Then again, maybe he was just nice—and that’s definitely not a bad thing.
- “He reminds me of your last boyfriend.” When you hear this, think back to your friends’ reactions when you and your last guy broke up. People are their most honest when commenting on a recent ex. If they still talked about him in a positive or neutral way when you broke up, then they like your new boyfriend. If they ever uttered, “we always knew he wasn’t good enough for you” about your ex, that’s a bad sign about your new guy.
- “Does he always act like that?” Perhaps your guy got a little drunk because he was nervous about meeting your friends for the first time. Or maybe he let his goofy sense of humor shine through once he got comfortable around the girls. When your friends ask about your boyfriend’s actions, ask what they’re referring to. They may have a good point about something potentially harmful. Then again, they may just not appreciate his eccentricities like you do.
- “Does he have a brother?” This is a good sign! This means that your single friend thinks he’s handsome. Score! The next step is to ask him to set her up, brother or not.
- “You could do so much better.” There are two things this could mean. First, your friends just think he isn’t in your league. Maybe he doesn’t have a job or great personal hygiene. It could also mean that they spotted something even worse (like he hit on them when you weren’t looking), but are being vague to protect you. When you get this response, ask them to clarify.
- “We think he’s great!” We, huh? If your friends start referring to themselves in a group like this, you can be sure about one thing: They’ve been talking about him behind your back. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though! Since they’re banding together with their opinion, this is about the most truthful they’ll get. If they say he’s great, you can take that one to the bank.
