Friends can be said to "fall in like" with as profound a thud as romantic partners fall in love.

Pogrebin’s line elevates friendship to the emotional intensity usually reserved for romance. By coining or emphasizing “fall in like,” she suggests that close friendships can begin with a sudden, almost physical recognition—an immediate sense of affinity that lands with a “thud,” i.e., with force and inevitability. The phrasing also challenges cultural hierarchies that treat romantic love as the primary meaningful bond, implying that friendship can be equally transformative and foundational. The quote invites readers to take seriously the origins of friendship—its chemistry, choice, and commitment—rather than seeing it as merely incidental or secondary to family and romantic partnership.