Cover Image: Asking for a Friend

Asking for a Friend

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Member Reviews

So this is for sure a debut book. There is a lot that is great and some that is not so much. I love the characters each one is special but the story dragged alot. I would for sure read books from this author again just not a great one for me.

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DNF at 19%. I just don’t care about these characters, and while the premise has a lot of potential, it’s reading very immature and when I start reading reviews to decide if I should continue, I know it’s time to give up.

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I tried to get into this but I was not able to get into the plot from the start after all. It just might not have been the right book to read yet. Thank you for giving the chance to read and review.

One star only because of lack of interest.

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A story of three best friends (Jemima, Simi, and Meagan) who decide to engage in a dating game after Simi’s most recent break up which leads to each woman being forced to face unhealthy behaviors and attitudes in their personal and love lives. When their coping mechanisms and secrets hurt their friendships, will the women finally face the truth and seek to change or will a decade of friendship be tossed aside?

I was pleasantly surprised at how much emotion and heart this book had. It felt like a therapy session on paper and I really enjoyed it.

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DNF at 28%. I really don't care to DNF books and very rarely do so, but this book wasn't for me and I just couldn't get engaged with the story at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper 36o for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

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Asking for a Friend follows three women, Jemima, Meagan and Simi. While vastly different, after meeting at an Improv class years ago, they have become the best of friends. Jemima is a 40 something writer, single after her boyfriend of years broke up with her two years ago, but just keeps reaching out to check on her. Meagan is a 20s something comedian agent and has a 'buddy' she has slept with for the last few years, but doesn't want any complications. Thirtysomething Simi wants to be an actress and be in love. She goes through a relationship cycle. Meets someone, falls in love, moves fast and gets broken up with and is devastated. The women decide to make a pact to mix things up... for the next few months, they will ask men out for each other, based on what they think each other needs. Meagan and Jemima think Simi goes for the wrong men so think that helping her find what she should look for will help her.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked the friendships between the women. The focus was more on the women and their growth as opposed to the romances. Honestly, the title and the general summary of the book sell it short. The focus isn't so much their dating game. Simi needs to work on being vocal about her needs, in romantic relationships, friendships and business relationships. Jemima needs to be honest with herself, who she is attracted to and work through what happened with Miles, while learning to be honest about her feelings to her friends as well. Meagan needs to let her walls down. I think that if you go into the book expecting it to be a romance, you could be disappointed. Since I enjoy book built off of strong female friendships, I found it to be enjoyable.

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I had to DNF this book. The premise of the story sounded so good so that’s why I requested this ARC on Netgalley but the book started out so slow. I didn’t realize that this is a Brit Lit.
British literature is know for being slow and this story definitely was. I liked the character Chance. He had a fun personality and seem to have a positive look on life. I just couldn’t get into the heroines. Their personalities were nothing special and a little boring.
This book wasn’t for me but I’m sure there are others who will enjoy it.

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Jemima, Meagan, and Simi are best friends who have all been unlucky in love. The three decide to start asking out men…but only for each other. And that is basically all that happens…

This was just not for me…nothing really happened. The book is told from all three perspectives. I hated that they just wouldn’t talk to each other.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Harper360 for my ARC!

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I had wanted to read this book since I saw Andi Osho on The Graham Norton Show months before it was released in the US. The premise seemed so interesting and Andi Osho just seemed like the type of author I would really enjoy. That's why I was so disappointed in this book - it's good, but I think I just wanted it to be better. At some point each of the women let me down, and I know that's probably a realistic depiction of people but it still was so disappointing.

Jemima - I initially loved her, she was my favorite character. But the moment she decided to steal things from her friends' romantic pasts and not talk to them about it I started to dislike her. My dislike hit its peak when she listened to her sleazy ex when he told her what she was doing was no big deal. This guy is a jerk and she knows he's a jerk and that listening to him on anything is a bad idea but she does it anyway (don't even get me started on when she sleeps with him - talk about hitting rock bottom). She's also a lazy writer when she goes about stealing her friends' stories! Changing Todd to Rodd - it's like she wanted to get caught. I also didn't get why she had to steal so much for her book - this was quite the backstory she was creating. I do forgive her for some of the Chance stuff since he was giving her such mixed signals.

Meaghan - She was my least favorite right from the start. Partly from how she treated Simi and partly from how she treated Todd. She's a huge hypocrite - she treats others poorly and then gets really mad when they treat her in a similar fashion. When she gets mad at Todd for being on a date after she texted him to tell him she was on a date and spent the entire book prior to that saying that she wanted him to leave her alone and stop trying to make more of their relationship. And her initial reaction to Jemima's betrayal was to sue her and destroy her life and career - she had every right to be furious, but that fact that this was her first thought made me wonder how much she truly loved any of her friends.

Simi - I came to like Simi as the book progressed, but she was so melodramatic that I found her annoying at the beginning. I was a little frustrated with her personal development - it seemed like she would have this big breakthrough and then in the next chapter she was right back where she started. I loved that by the end she was seeing a therapist rather than searching for a potential husband.

This is a good book that could have been better. I'm not giving up on this author though, I'll definitely be looking forward to her next book.

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An amusing tread about three friends who navigate the choppy waters of the dating world. Each friend has her own special angst and it was fun to read about their foibles. Dating is difficult, no matter what age, and keeping a good sense of humor while trying to find your special partner is good. Of course, reading about dating is more fun than dating, especially for this book.

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This book reminded me of Sex and the City. This book centers around 3 friends with their own issues and baggage as they navigate through their lives. I did like the comic aspects of this book, but it wasn’t bad for a debut book.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

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This relatable tale of one friend group’s journey to finding love is hilarious and fun. Each of the three character’s stories were intriguing and lighthearted. Definitely more of a beach read than anything, but did enjoy. A great debut from Andi Osho.

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Hilarious relatable read where the reader can identify with the friend group and their dating woes. The growth and emotions of the characters were well written and so was the pacing of the plot.

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*I received this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley and Andi Osho for approving my request for this ARC.

Asking for a Friend was fine, but not something I’d have likely picked up with a more fitting teaser paragraph. The book follows three women with different romantic woes trying to overcome them by asking out guys for their friends based on what they think that friend needs rather than what they want. Cute concept, ehh execution. Perhaps it’s the fact that this follows three different women and their separate but intertwined stories, or perhaps it’s their extremely childish actions and try-hard way of speaking, but I just can’t get myself to like any of them. Two of the MFCs are just straight up bad people and the remaining one is annoying as hell.

The woooords are often drawn out, or just sort of shoe horned into places they don’t feel like they should be, babes. The women are each extreme archetypes of emotions: emotional, repressed, and nervous. They’re so extremely one of these things, it feels like they have no depth - no complexity. I didn’t cheer for them when they made progress or grew as characters because all I could think was “Finally, they’re acting a bit closer to their age.

I get that Rom-Coms like to have main female characters who are quirky and witty, and that’s great! But there’s a difference between quirky/witty and having a single defining character trait.

So, as I said, I didn’t hate it or like it. It was simply fine. It was a bit of a slog to get through, and I definitely read some other romance books while avoiding this one, but I wasn’t so put off I’d slap it out of the hands of fellow romance readers and shout run. It skewed sort of young for me in the tone of the dialogue and emotional processing. Without the sex talk and set in high school or college, I’d have probably thought it was a pretty cute YA book.

3 stars

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I'm sorry but I honestly could not enjoy this one. No connection between the characters was felt. I was bored beyond belief trying to read it. The characters were all dull. I hate giving such low ratings.

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I loved the idea of this book but it went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. I thought the friends Jemima, Meagan and Simi would try to find the ideal mate for one another. The matching is only a small part as the story focuses more on their friendship. This wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker for me but the biggest problem was that I didn’t believe any of these women would hang out together let alone be friends. The dynamic felt more like siblings that are forced to put up with each other. It sucks because I really liked the parts with Meagan, and the dynamic between Jemima and Chance. Simi was the weak link and only seemed capable of crying. The story was funny at times and had some sweet moments but the friendship never came across as authentic and made the story fall flat.

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Did Andi Osho see into my soul?! In this book she perfectly captures what feels like every aspect and nuance of being in a relationship and trying to find a relationship, including all the secret things that it feels too hard to share. She also perfect portrays the push and pull of adult female friendships, something that is certainly hard to do in a realistic way. In her book we meet three adult women who are struggling, whether professionally, personally, or romantically (or all around). I think we all understand the feeling of looking up and realizing things aren't how you'd thought they'd be, but you don't know how to fix them. The women begin a game where they get to ask out someone on behalf of their friend (and we definitely all understand how it feels to KNOW we could fix our friends' dating lives haha). However, friends fight and relationships fail and real change has to come from within, something Osho perfectly captured. I really felt like I went on a journey with this one.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I have to say, I didn’t love this one. The cover is a bit misleading as I think this book is more about the three women than it is Jemima and Chance. At times, the plot seemed lost and the characters were annoying.

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3 best friends in different stages of life -- 20s, 30s and 40s are bound and determined to solve their relationship problems once and for all by ditching the dating apps and playing the game by their own rules.

TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, rom-com, women's fiction, chick-lit, coming-of-age

*Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins 360 & Andi Osho for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #AskingForAFriend #NetGalley @NetGalley #Harper360 @Harper360 #HarperCollins360 @HarperCollins360 #AndiOsho #TheAndiOshow @theandioshow

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This was classified as a romance, but it isn’t so much as it’s the story of three friends trying to figure out their lives. There are men and there’s dating but they’re not the focus. The strongest parts of the book were the friendships and the relationship between the three. Romance definitely felt like an afterthought and I just didn’t care as much for the main M love interest as the book wanted me to.

Not what I was expecting but not bad.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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