Cover Image: For the Love of Friends

For the Love of Friends

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Member Reviews

For The Love of Friends is he book equivalent of every wedding rom-com I've ever watched. Full of hilarious stories that only the always a bridesmaid never a bride could tell, this book definitely had me laughing out loud. Sara Goodman Confino was able to create strong character development and real growth for Lily..

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Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. This cover is very deceptive in the sense of yes this has a person writing a blog (hence the cover I am sure), but there is a lot more wedding talk than what I expected. Because of this, there are a lot of instances of body-shaming, forcing plastic surgeon, family drama, and overall backstabbing more than once. I appreciated what the story brought in the sense of there is a variety of weddings, budget struggles, and family dynamics presented as well as a bonus romance in the backburner. I also appreciated that there was a blog aspect added to it however, it felt a little annoying especially when the main character boasts about how much money she was making (I understand for some people they are able to do that, however it felt unrealistic as someone who writes a blog). I also hated the ending with that sense of deception with the romance (if you know you know) because it is number one deceptive and number two because it is predictable. Of course this is someone who reads a lot of women's fiction/romance and for new readers this may not be predictable but that is just me. Overall, this was a very entertaining book in the sense that there's so much craziness you just can't look away, however, I think there is so much that I would have changed as far as this book goes. Because of these points, I have to give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

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This was a cute, fun, chicklit novel, wherein Lily, our main character, who has to be in five wedding parties over one summer (including the weddings of both of her younger siblings) has to learn to navigate her work life, her friends, and her family through this time, and causes her to evaluate some of her relationships.

Overall, this was a quick and fun read.

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Well, I never thought I would say that, but I'm glad that this book is over. I just couldn't accept this main character personality, her lack of confidence, the ways she sabotaged herself and the worst part, the terrible cast of side characters.

The concept was nice and it called my attention because of the resemblance to the movie 27 Dresses, which is one of my favorite rom coms. In here, we had a woman in her early thirties, bound for a mid life crisis, who was stagnant at her job, going through motions, but who would go to the end of the Earth to help her friends and relatives in their most special day, by being the best bridesmaid ever... FOR FIVE WEDDINGS!

Again, nice concept, with a promising chance of being a story of someone redeeming themselves, I thought... but no!
It could have worked better if Lily, the main character, wasn't a person whose life was controlled by what people thought of her. The constant need to pleasure people in here was insane. She lacked confidence, allowed herself to be body shamed constantly by friends and family, who btw, were totally disrespectful to her and she still insisted on pleasing them and saying yes to everything, even when she was clearly, completely uncomfortable.
Just no for me! I'm sorry.

I don't want to sound too harsh or roast this book, because I do respect the effort that the author has put into it and how hard it must be to have your work out there to be analysed and criticized by people. However, I just couldn't put up with this whole thing of being submissive to people who are selfish and simply don't give a damn about your feelings and necessities when you are trying your hardest to help them.

I kept reading though, and I'm glad I did, because the book did have its funny moments, two of them being Lily's friendship with Alex and her blog, where she would wittingly get her feelings off of her chest, even if anonymously.

I'm totally up to give Sara Confino another chance in the future.This one though, was not my cup of tea.

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“Of course, the story of how I got here starts well before the events of Megan’s engagement party. I could take the David Copperfield approach and begin with my birth, but then we would be here for way too long and you would completely lose interest before I got to the juicy stuff, like sleeping with an anonymous groomsman and going viral for being the world’s worst bridesmaid. So it’s probably best to start with the basics.”

Lily, a self-described “32 year old spinster” with no prospects in sight, suddenly has agreed to be the bridesmaid in 5 weddings. Lily’s relationships with the 5 brides varies from best friend to longtime work friend, but that doesn’t stop any of them from pushing her to the edge and spurring on her creation of a blog about all the brides and associated wedding details.

The story goes on to detail all the trials and tribulations of her bridesmaid experience through her blog (which was set up anonymously). Lily’s voice is hilarious, witty and had me laughing out loud more than once! The story is fast paced, filled with romance, friendship and family. It doesn’t take long to get through as you’ll struggle to put it down! The perfect book to unwind at the end of a long day with a glass of wine (or martini)!

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For The Love of Friends is a fun and engaging read about the trials and tribulations of Lily who has five weddings to attend over one summer. It has laugh out loud moments and moments where I nodded along to myself in agreement about Bridezillas and well meaning, but interfering family members. I knew what was going to happen early on, but as I was rooting for Lily, it didn't matter. The book is an easy going, escapist read, which kept me interested. There were moments where it did drag a little, but overall it was good.

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🌟🌟🌟🌟💫/5

This was my first NetGalley read and y’all, I absolutely loved it!

This is a story of Lily and love. Lily is the eternally single, snarky and jaded girl who ends up as a bridesmaid in 5 weddings at the same time, two of which are for her younger siblings. The opening scene is her sneaking out of bed at a hotel with a guy she doesn’t want to wake up before her walk of shame after one of the engagement parties. Problem is... she can’t tell which groomsman it is.

This book might have hit a bit close to home for me. 😂

“My name is Lily Weiss, and I am my mother’s worst nightmare. In other words, I am a single, thirty-two-year-old spinster who lacks even a hint of marital prospect and is therefore increasingly unlikely to provide her with the grandchildren she wants yesterday. Or, as I like to spin it, I am a fabulous career woman who refuses to settle for anything less than true love.”
-I’ve definitely said this many times.

Did I have the whole book predicted quickly? Yes. Did that bother me at all? Nope!

Things I adored about this book:
1) Alex
2) the Starbucks message cups were absolutely the cutest thing ever! (Future husband, takes notes)
3) Alex asking his Tinder date about books!! (She doesn’t read? K bye.)
4) Reference to Goldschlager in college 😂 (and who doesn’t know what jager is??)
5) and lots of memories about being a bridesmaid in my friends weddings!

Things I didn’t like.... 🤷🏻‍♀️
There was a moment (purposeful of course) where you wanted to hate Lily and ho she act. I loved it, but being that Lily is basically me, it made me feel a bit self conscious. 😳😔. But I think that giving a reader “feels” is the sign of a good author, so take that for what it’s worth.

Regardless, this book is wonderful and releases June 8, so add it to your list of books to buy this summer!

Thanks NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the book!!

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Thank you to #lakeunionpublishing and #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was well written, witty, page-turning, and poignant. It was not just a chick lit ditzy book but accurate and heart warming. I honestly don’t think I’d have been as patient with the bridezillas as Lily was. I did NOT think she was the worst bridesmaid ever but the best!

I’ve been a bridesmaid several times and was never asked to get Botox or change my hair color or wear shape altering undergarments or go into major credit card debt just to be a bridesmaid. I got SO angry at some of the scenes in the book and actually thought Lily apologized to her friends too much without a lot of reciprocity.

I’d love to be a friend of Lily’s!

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I loved this book! It reminded me of the movie 27 dresses which I really love and have rewatched a ton over the years. The whole concept for the novel I think it was very fresh and different from any romance that i've read in the past year. The characters were very well developed and I found the family and friend dynamics very interesting and fun. If you want to read a friends to lovers story but also have a laugh i think this book is the perfect choice.

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The story follows Lily Weiss, 32 and Single (to her mother’s horror) and reliably selfless to her friends,three of whom will be getting married within six weeks of each other. Add in the weddings of both her younger siblings and she’s in a financial and logicstical nightmare.

But with mum-Zillas, Regina George-esque bridesmaids and in need of extra cash she creates Bridesmania, a blog, the perfect place to vent - Anonymously. But nothing ever truly stays secret on the internet.

This hilarious contemporary romance from Sara Goodman Confino is the novel equivalent of 27 Dresses (but Better).

Honestly, Lily as a character is very relatable and some of the demands the brides,bridesmaids and Mother of brides make are beyond ridiculous (sometimes even rude and selfish) and I laughed soo much at Lily’s opinions throughout.

The romance wasn’t contrived and seemed more realistic,developing organically between the characters,rather than the whirlwind relationships found in other Contemporary Romances. The only negative in the entire book,I’d say was that there weren’t more scenes with Lily’s grandmother.

I enjoyed the writing style and recommend to lovers of Contemporary Romances and wedding Rom-Coms. Trust me if you loved Bridesmaids or 27 dresses there’s a good chance you’ll love this.

Also a huge thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC

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No one should ever have to experience this crush of bridezillas, but Lily somehow manages to stay afloat. Asked to stand up in six of her friends’ and baby sister’s weddings, Lily is honored, and all too happy to support her family and friends. That is until the curtain is pulled back and the list of demands, mean girls, controlling mothers and soaring expenses come to light. While she tries to stay afloat, emotionally and financially, it soon becomes too much for Lily to bear. And when she is driven off the ledge by one especially mean-spirited bridesmaid, Lily starts an anonymous blog detailing her escapades.

I’m not going to unveil to you the romantic line of this story which truly keeps you grounded. It’s fantastic, trust me. Read more....https://booksuplift.com/for-the-love-of-friends/

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4.5 stars!

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. That's Lily's life. Five, count em' five, of her friends have asked her to be in their weddings - all in the span of two months! She's not only juggling the demands of five different Bridezillas (and Mother-of-the Bridezillas and Friends-zillas) but also the scheduling demands of five bachelorette parties and bridal showers. Most of all, there's the financial demands. Being a bridesmaid doesn't come cheap. So, she starts a blog in hopes of raising a little revenue to offset the costs of all these weddings. It doesn't make much money, but it's catharsis - a way to clear her head and blow off steam.

In the meantime, she's become friends with Alex, one of the groomsmen from her best friend's wedding. He's recently divorced and Lily is terrible at relationships, so they are staying in the friend zone. But are they?

Eventually, everything blows up - as it does in any good rom-com. Then, the pieces come back together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny, sweet, and introspective parts.. Anyone who has dealt with a Bridezilla or a domineering mom will relate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

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I really loved this book, it’s such a satisfying read. Like any romcom, it’s safely predictable, you know you’ll get your happy ending (though there is one brilliantly funny twist to this one that swiped me) but that’s a good thing. It’s like a hug in book form – it’s funny, self-aware and excellently characterised. I’ll be reading her next books for sure – they’ll be getting pride of place on my holiday reading lists. Best enjoyed with a ‘dirty monkey’ cocktail on a sun lounger..(in-joke, Grandma was my favourite character!)

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A smooth romantic comedy about weddings, friends and family. The lack of diversity was a little grating, but otherwise a fairly decent read for a Sunday afternoon.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

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*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my gosh this was so cute! I adored Lily and her mess of a life. It was so fun to watch her go through this journey. I loved the romance, it was so cute and I lovex Alex. I enjoyed Lily's family dynamics and learning about her past as well as Alex's. They were broken characters but so endearing. Such a fun story about personal growth and romance, would highly recommend!

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Loved this one hope the author has more in them for a series or in general. Lily is asked to be a bridesmaid five times in one summer. She starts a blog recording her experience getting to the big days. The.comedy of errors and fallout that ensues was quite enjoyable. The supporting characters aren’t I’m short supply. They’re developed, crafted to make sure lily shines but the still hold their own.

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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy for a honest review.

Ok, so I really loved this book and I couldn't put it down. Like, neglect all responsibilities and get lost in Lily's world. Lily Weiss is 32, single and finds herself in a predicament. She is invited to be a bridesmaid in 5 weddings in a single year. She faces bridezillas, body shaming bridesmaids and over bearing mothers...not to mention her mother's never ending jabs that her eldest child will end up a spinster. She deals with the drama in the only way she knows how, by writing. She chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog to save her sanity and satisfy her creative talents. I don't want to give away too much, but just know that if you are looking for an escape, this.is.your.book! There are numerous laugh out loud moments, great writing, fun story lines (some are a predictable, but I could get past it because the book was so entertaining), some deep diving into what it takes to be a true friend and last but not least, a sweet little romantic/great guy tie-in. I'm so happy to have found this book; my next read has a lot to live up to!

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For the love of friends is about thirty two year old Lily, who is a bridesmaid in 5 weddings; her friends’ and her siblings’, Lily isn’t married and feels out of place sort of because everyone around her is getting married.
This was a light hearted read, almost like a coming of age story with a tiny bit of romance. I loved that Lily was a very likeable character who had a good sense of humour and never let anybody dictate her life, I loved how we were able to see the individual dynamics of her relationships with her friends and her relationship with one of the best men.
I love how the blog posts were incorporated in the story as a way for Lily to be able to have a creative outlet and voice all of her feelings.
Overall, I loved all of the character development in this book, and how relatable it is because being a bridesmaid can be stressful sometimes and Lily has to figure out a way to balance her personal life but also please her friends. The title really describes the story perfectly, she does everything “For the love of friends”
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This book was everything I wanted and more. It was comical, but heartbreaking at the same time. I couldn't put this book down and devoured it in two sittings. Sara Goodman Confino has done a fantastic job with this book, it's packed brilliantly with love, pain and pressure. All the characters in this book got under my skin apart from Alex and I love when books get me so angry at characters because I feel immersed in the world. I loved the way Lily stood up for herself at the end and didn't let all the bad fall on her, because her friends weren't exactly acting like friends and I think it's so good to see girls standing up to their friends when they're not being good friends and this was portrayed so well. The romance was another level, me as a reader wanted them together so badly, I was literally waiting and waiting for it to happen. I gave this book four stars, it missed out on the five star mark because I saw the twist with the groomsman coming quite early on but it was still a good twist. Overall, this book was brilliant and I will be recommending to everyone!

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First I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. For the Love of Friends introduces us to Lily Weiss. She is 32 and single and her life apparently is now revolving around weddings! She has to be a bridesmaid in 5 weddings in 6 weeks! This is a 'social media' romcom that totally brought me joy! Lily kinda loses her way in the book but I was cheering for her to make some good choices and find herself!

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