Lily Weiss is 32, perpetually single, and has agreed to be in five weddings in one summer. As the weddings (and brides) quickly spiral out of control, Lily starts an anonymous blog to let our her frustrations and try to earn a little money to cover the cost of the weddings. While her relationships with the brides begin to suffer under the pressures of wedding planning, Lily begins to develop a new friendship, and possibly something more, with one of the groomsmen.

I was drawn to this book by the 27 Dresses like premise and was expecting a sweet story, but that is not what I got. The book had a really rough start and unfortunately never really got better. I was tempted to abandon it at several times and probably would have if it wasn't an ARC.

My biggest issue with the book is that the main character, Lily was incredibly unlikable. She had a few moments of humanity, but for the most part was incredibly selfish and rude (and sometimes just downright nasty). Lily spends a good portion of the book asserting that her younger sister can't be getting married because she is a "child" (at twenty-four), yet she constantly makes incredibly immature decisions and then is surprised when they backfire. Rather than actually having a conversation with any of the brides, she airs their dirty laundry on an "anonymous" blog that doesn't even pretend to have nice things to say about others involved in the wedding. Lily did have somewhat of a redemption arc, but I didn't feel like she deserved it.

I may have gotten past an unlikable main character if I had other characters to root for, but I felt that almost all of the characters (apart from Alex, the love interest) were equally unlikable and selfish. I found it hard to believe that in a cast of characters this large (there are five weddings after all) there weren't more characters that were at least tolerable or were concerned with the well-being and feelings of those around them.

I've seen a few other reviews that mentioned that they didn't think the five weddings in one summer were believable. I actually find that part plausible, but what I don't find believable is that all five of the brides quickly seemed to descend to some level of bridezilla, though it could just be that Lily was an unreliable narrator.. That is definitely not my experience with weddings, but I guess I've just been lucky.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this quick chick lit to read:). The characters are reliable as well. Especially the main character Lily. Loved the over view of blogging about weddings however talking about what went wrong as you can imagine at a wedding nothing is plain sailing. Looking forward to more novels from this author.

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

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, however one of my main complaints is that the 'plot twists' were quite cliché and predictable. Also, I would have loved to actually see more of the romance side (while I know that wasn't the main focus of the story), as that felt a little sidelined.

I was lucky to receive an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


So it's currently 1:30AM! I couldn't put the book down after the first chapter. I really enjoyed Lily's voice in the book she was very relatable and snarky and I loved it. As I read I kept thinking the name of the book was a little off but at the end you really understand why it's called For the Love of Friend.
Don't want to go into spoilers but Alex is amazing and definitely makes it to my Husbandooo List! The banter he and Lily had had me laughing throughout the book. Each of the bride's are pretty well developed so you get a feel of what's Lily is going through same can be said for her family.
Over all I really enjoyed this book, I can't wait to buy a copy and get the audiobook when it becomes available!

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<p>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.</p>
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<p>This was a fun, easy, quick read, I really enjoyed our main character, as she was very dedicated, lovel and king to her friends and family, despite all the stress and consequences of being a bridesmaid to 5 weddings (to be fair, I thought this part might be a little over the top, I mean 5 weddings in 2 months, and a bridesmaid in all of them, but then I remember maybe it's something plausible in the USA).</p>
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<p>One thing I didn't enjoy as much, was that I felt as if there was some body shaming in this books and for me this is something I don't enjoy reading, or even seeing in books. Despite the plot and what the book intended to do, I felt no need for the characters to be so mean.</p>
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<p>I did really enjoy the author's writing style, for what I believe to be a debut, I was super impressed, I would try some other book this author puts out.</p>
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#FortheLoveofFriends #NetGalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for providing me with ARC.

OH Woooow, this novel is so funny and i loved it, i never been a bridesmaid before and also i didn't have a wedding so i don't know what should i feel in situations like these but this novel describe it so good.

From now i will put Sara Confino in my list to read for her in the future.

I have to say I really liked this book. I went in to it hoping for a fun rom/com and was not disappointed. The main character is in 5 weddings at once and ends up blogging about the disasters that come because of that. It was hilarious. I loved the self discovery and the characters. For sure going to read more from this author.

As I myself have been a bridesmaid 18 times, I can certainly commiserate with Lily and her dealings with both the bride and bridesmaids. However, there is a certain line between sarcasm and snarkiness that can be perceived as mean and in writing her blog, I feel.she often crossed that line. Did I laugh out loud at times? Absolutely. Yet I can understand why she lost friends in the interim. I would read more from this author as it was certainly well written.

A fun novel about the trials and tribulations of a girl who is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Will she ever find her own one and only?

I loved this book! It was hilarious, fast paced and interesting. Although it feels like a plot that I've seen numerous times, it still came across as fresh and intriguing. The main character, Lily, is a riot who is trying to balance 5 weddings and maintain her sanity. Her friends are driving her crazy so she decides to write about her experience somehow thinking no one will know its her. It's a story about choices, consequences and how those actions effect others. The writing had me laughing at certain points and stunned by some things people will ask of others all in the name of a wedding. I was happy to read about a character that would do anything for her friends, but was not without her faults. It was a realistic and satisfying read that left me wanting more. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a good laugh! I will keep an eye out for more from this author.

In a book, when the main character wants something to stay anonymous, when does it ever actually stay that way? Sara Goodman Confino's slow burn romance is great if you're looking for a light, unique embodiment of "always a bridesmaid, never a bride". As Lily tries desperately to appease five different brides, the book exposes the mostly exaggerated, but I'm sure very real, emotional (and financial!) distress felt by bridesmaids. I like how this author managed to get the reader to simultaneously sympathize with and be infuriated by Lily while also remaining invested in the romance. Would recommend for anyone looking for a quick, interesting, romance!

I absolutely adored this book - it was the novel that I had really hoped that Dolly Alterton’s Ghosts would be. It was beautifully written and was witty in its humour. I loved Lily’s character for the most part (although a few scenes with her bridesmaids did make me cringe a bit).

Sara is a very talented writer and I’m excited to read her future releases.

Highly recommend this novel if you want to go along for a ride with Lily and her bridesmaid experiences. The novel was funny, fast paced and heartwarming.

Many thanks to Sara, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This book was too good! Lily was a hot mess, and I related to all of it. She made some major mistakes, owned up to them, and learned her way through it. She also realized who were her real friends and who definitely were not. She didn’t make it out of the whole mess unscathed, but everybody needs a happy ending sometimes. I think this is an awesome book for anyone in their late 20s/early 30s, because we all know what a pain in the ass it can be to be in a wedding, let alone five of them. 🤣 I laughed my way through this entire book, but there were still enough heartwarming moments that hit me right in the feels. I loved it!

3.5 stars

This was a light rom com with no real surprises but the writing was excellent. Lily was a smart, strong protagonist and it was nice to see her standing up for her friends and herself, while also going through the required self-development. With interesting side characters and a swoon-worthy love interest you are definitely rooting for, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lily Weiss is a 32-year-old spinster who finds herself a member of five different bridal parties for weddings taking place only weeks apart. While she studied journalism in college, she works in PR for a scientific foundation - spending her days explaining the details of complex experiments in layman's terms rather than writing about her interests and making it big in the publishing world. Between feeling unfulfilled in her work and encountering increasingly difficult wedding scenarios, including instances of shaming regarding her physical appearance and marital status, she begins an anonymous blog called Bridesmania.

This book was such a quick read! I was consistently interested in where the story was heading next and really enjoyed that we followed Lily’s thoughts in dialogue and in blog format. There was endless drama, but that meant (for us readers) cozying up with a bowl of popcorn and watching it all unfold. Lily as the main character was comically entertaining and very likeable. I found myself always rooting for her and laughing out loud at her snarky comments on the blog.

As for the writing, it was at times difficult to follow the text conversations and dialogue, as the text conversations did not use quotes (it was sometimes hard to figure out who said what, or when the conversation began) and the dialogue was not always separated in a way that (to me) seemed clear! There was only one very minor typo that I noticed throughout the entire novel. Additionally, there were instances where I felt the insults coming from adults were very immature and a little ridiculous (think Gossip Girl-level pettiness)! However, I found the story’s overall message to be warm and fun, and the ending left me wanting more!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and sweet story about friendship and love. It’s definitely a fun book that could get you out of a reading slump or into the romance genre overall!

*An electronic ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher (via NetGalley) for an honest review.*

I loved Lily as a character and could truly relate to her struggles: single, family being annoying about it, and kind of wasting her talents and career. She's sweet, fun, and she knows how to take care of herself. But on the other hand, I felt jealous for her. I mean, she got asked to be a bridesmaid in five weddings within just six weeks - meanwhile, I can't even get invited to a wedding as a mere guest! That kind of put me off because you want to relate to a character and not envy her. But when I held that though at the back burner, I actually really enjoyed the drama.

And boy, is it packed with drama! In the five weddings, Lily needs to do it all: parties, organization, bridal showers, dress fittings, all of it. And even though it's a lighthearted read, I could definitely relate to many of Lily's problems - and I certainly didn't expect the twists in this book.

Apart from making me feel sad for not having such a flourishing social life, I enjoyed Lily's drama and humor-filled journey in this novel. Fun, lighthearted read!

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, thank you so much to @netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for making this ARC available!

32-year-old (and extremely single) Lily Weiss is just your average “fabulous career woman who refuses to settle for anything less than true love.” The caveats: her role as Director of Communications for the Foundation for Scientific Technology doesn’t really scream fabulosity, she has zero prospects in the love department (quickly becoming her mother’s worst nightmare) and she’s just been asked to be a bridesmaid in five weddings all taking place within the same two months! With the annoyances of dealing with bridezillas, even crueler bridesmaids, and the toll bridesmaid expenses are taking on her bank account she decides to start a blog, Bridesmania, as an anonymous writer spilling all the tea 🍵 on the drama unfolding within each bridal party. The blog not only is a way for Lily to release her frustrations, but it’s also a gratifying opportunity for her to be much closer to where she really wants to be in her career aspirations: a writer. Knowing how the internet “is a dark and creepy place”, true feelings and people can only stay anonymous for so long. How will Lily’s secret outlet affect her friends, family and most importantly a potential love interest she just recently met? Can all of her relationships be salvaged?

This was such a great read! From the drama unfolding in each bridal party, especially Caryn’s crazy soon-to-be-sister-in-law, to Lily’s (or should I say Joan’s) hilariously kooky Grandma, I could honestly not get enough. It makes sense though with the movie Bridesmaids being probably one of my favorite movies of all-time (Kristen Wiig stan 🙋🏻‍♀️), this book gave me major Bridesmaids vibes. Loved this one, the only way I can describe it really as a whole was being an absolute treat to read!

Lily is a single 30 something who is invited to be a bridesmaid in 5 weddings in the space of 2 months. Chaos ensues as she battles with 5 brides to be and their bridezilla demands and terrible friends, choosing to vent her frustrations via an online blog. You can probably guess how wrong this goes!

This is, for the most part, a lighthearted read, although it does touch on some deeper subjects from time to time. Lily is a likable character, and its easy to be on her side against these dreadful brides she calls her friends. There's also the undercurrent of a budding romance that you know will result in a nicely tied together happy ending.

Overall I enjoyed this book, its entertaining, well written and laugh out loud at times. As an aside I do have to say that I find the American concept of asking someone to be a bridesmaid and then expecting them to pay hundreds , if not thousands, of dollars for the pleasure is utterly baffling!

I don’t know how to say how much I loved this book other than to say I freakin’ loved this book.

Maybe it was because I used to be a wedding photographer and could totally relate to how over-the-top some brides can be.

I found this book laugh-out-loud funny at times, heartbreakingly honest at times and a real page turner. Even though I kind of knew what was going to happen, I wanted to make sure it happened. Plus there were a few surprises along the way.

The main character Lily was especially relatable. I mean, we’ve all been self-unaware at times haven’t we? (If not, maybe it’s time to talk to some of your friends). Plus we’ve all done things just to make our friends happy. Well I know I have.

This book doesn’t officially come out until June 2021, but I think it’s going to be a hit!



For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino. #FortheLoveofFriends

Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy