🎵IT'S ME, HI, I'M THE PROBLEM, IT'S ME🎵!!!!!!!! Friends With Boats written by Alexandra Slater was just <b>NOT</b> for me. There was just a bit too much wrong with this book for me to actually enjoy it. When I saw the cover it gave me summery vibes which I was so excited for, it definitely had the beach theme, warm summer days, sand between your toes, and all day swimming. In my opinion, this book was too middle school vibes for me, with the <b>"I'm not like most girls" line</b>. When I picked up this book, I thought I was going to get a group of best friends just having the best summer of their lives, but it was <b>NOTHING</b> like that, at all. What I didn't love about this book was the love triangle trope, the cheating trope, and the miscommunication trope. ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS LITERALLY HAD SEX WITH ALL THREE LADIES IN THIS FRIEND GROUP, and they never once talked about it until the end of the book, LIKE WHAT? If you're best friends, shouldn't you tell each other these kind of things? I'm an outlier for this book, but don't let this review stop you from picking up this book, you might have better luck than I did, but it just wasn't for me at all.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND GREENLEAF BOOK GROUP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

Three best friends, Sadie, Charlotte, and Ada are locals who live year round on Cape Cod. All three women are struggling with their marriages and don't know why, they think it's because they aren't pretty enough anymore, but that's not the real reason. Sadie is a mother of two, in her forties, and has a stalled marriage, Sadie reunites with Mack Taylor, Sadie's old flame from high school, but we will get into that in a little bit. Charlotte is Sadie's best friend since childhood, she's an ex model for Manhattan, also has a stalled marriage, no kids, she also longs for attention. Ada is also Sadie's best friend, Ada doesn't really get along with Charlotte too well, she's a mother of two, Ada's also working to save her job, she also has a stalled marriage. Ada is the type of mom who drives her kids everywhere, has a hard time saying no. Sadie, Charlotte, and Ada have more in common than they thought: they are all in love with Mack Taylor. Mack is recently divorced and has moved back home to Cape Cod to open a resort. Friends With Boats starts off with news of an accident: Mack Taylor has been in a rollover.

It started off with a simple friend request on Facebook, Sadie has received a friend request from Mack Taylor. Sadie and Mack dated in high school. but lost their spark. When Mack returns to Cape Cod, Sadie feels like she has dibs on a renewed friendship with Mack, but she soon realizes she has competition from Charlotte and Ada. All three women are looking for attention, but Mack's personality is alluring and magnetic. These three women are best friends and they are all falling in love with Mack Taylor, don't you think they should talk this out? But no, the miscommunication was so bad. Mack Taylor is a cheater and it drove me nuts. How can he have sex with all three women, yet all three of them are so blind? I tried so hard to enjoy this book but the love triangle, cheating trope, and miscommunication trope annoyed me. The cover is so pretty though, it gave me summer vibes and I was so excited, but it just fell flat for me. Don't you think you should talk to your best friends if something seems off before letting it destroy your friendship? I don't know, maybe I'm just putting too much thought into this book, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

This book was the perfect summer read and everyone should pick it up to read by the water! It was a complex contemporary read about how to pull yourself together after hardship. It was a quick read so I was able to soak it up in one sitting by the beach. It definitely added to the vibes of the book!

First of all, I want to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Friends with boats by Alexandra Slater is coming out on May 30, 2023.

mmm… this book was interesting. 3 women cheating on their husbands with 1 man. This may not be a book for everyone but I enjoyed it. It’s a quick summer read that’s a lot of fun. It may need a trigger warning though. #FriendswithBoats #NetGalley

This book was a fun, quick, beach read. It was very intriguing and the plot of the book was unlike any I had read before. I felt as if the start was a bit slow, just describing how they had become friends and how they were unhappy in their relationships. At the beginning I was weary of whole infidelity thing, but nonetheless, the story was very intriguing and kept me on my toes. The way the friends so quickly turned against each other was a very relatable thing since people go through that kind of ordeal very commonly. Overall I enjoyed this story even though there were parts I was more disinterested in than others.

This book was a DNF for me. The description sounded intriguing, but I just couldn’t get into it. Cheating books aren’t my thing. Someone else might like it though.

This book follows 3 women who all fall for the same man, and all have an affair with him, unaware that their best friends did the same. You follow them getting their life back together afterward.

I liked this book, and I loved the depth of the characters' personalities. I had only hoped there would have been more to the plot (eg. The girls had done something to him when they found out he cheated on all of them). However, it was still an enjoyable read!

Thank you to netgalley, as well as the author, for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

a post will also be made on my instagram on the 2nd of july! https://www.instagram.com/lunarbookshelves/

The cover and description of this book was so intriguing, and I was so excited to read it. Sadly I found all three women so difficult to like, they were terrible to one another, and constantly ridiculing the other people they saw, whether that was body shaming, or gossiping about them.

I understand that the characters in this story were all very human, but they were just so incredibly unlikeable to the point where as a reader I was almost wishing for all of their downfalls. Even the romance was uneventful and unappealing.

I finished the book mainly due to it being a very short story and fast paced enough that I didn’t feel like it would be a complete waste of a read.

I hate to leave low starred and negative reviews, the writing itself was fine, but everything lacked depth within the novel and it all felt very incomplete and not thought out. I’m sure in the authors mind each character mentioned is extremely complex and there would be more to all of their stories but I wish that was actually on the page. Any social commentary that seemed to be made wasn’t solidified in the writing, even the discussions of eating disorders and social exile weren’t properly discussed and rectified instead they felt glorified and very ‘pick me’.

I was very much not a fan of this book, it had potential to be great but missed the mark massively.

I love romcoms and this book sounded good. However as I started reading, it quickly turned sour. I didn't care for the cheating aspect of the women along with the cattiness that came from the women. IMO if they are such close friends, they would not act this way towards each other.

It was such a beautiful setting and if the storyline was not so alarming, it would be a great book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Although initially hard to get in to this ended up being a satisfying story with wonderful characters

Ooo, this was delicious.

A little contemporary romance for CoHo & Hildebrand fans.
A little Alice Hoffman-style Practical Magic (sans the magic perhaps).
A little mystery/thriller a la Lost Summers of Newport.
And a writing style reminiscent of Backman's Anxious People and Ng's Little Fires Everywhere.

On the surface, it's a story about friendship, sisterhood, and what happens when those relationships break down and fall apart. And it's about how to put yourself back together.

But, oh, it's so much more complex than that.

Each of the major characters has a distinctive voice, and a depth of feeling that the reader will grow to love. Lots of secrets, lies, and misunderstandings.

Play a little of Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind", maybe pour a glass of wine, and enjoy this summer's epic and moving beach read. Trust me, it's not a long book, but it's a story that will stick with you.

"But obviously, nothing is what it seems now, is it." - Ada

This book was a DNF for me. I couldn't get past how catty the three main characters were. I'm sure it will be a delightful and breezy summer read for someone else, but it was not for me.

I have not posted this review anywhere else out of respect for the author.

2.5 stars - Set in Cape Cod, 3 friends find themselves cheating on their husbands with the same man. The book was okay but it was not for me. It was a quick read and has a summer feel. The writing and pacing of the story were decent but I guess I am not a fan of the people who cheat.

Thank you to Green Leaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This felt like watching a reality tv show play out in real time! I was captivated by the story line and this was the perfect transition to summer read. The characters were relatable, I found myself nodding along to their thought processes and laughing out loud with them throughout the story. You’ll be transported to Cape Cod with all of the local references and descriptive story telling.

I loved the depth of women’s experiences from all of the ladies and the integration of the older generation toward the end.

Overall - LOVED this read. Eager to read more from the author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was well written, but just wasn't my cup of tea. The general premise of the story was about 3 women willing to cheat on their husbands with a new man in town that they all like. I didn't realize it was going to be about infidelity, and that's not a subject I'm generally interested in.

That said the writing was good, the story line moved along at a nice pace and I think had all the women been single or divorced, I would have really enjoyed the story! I loved the beachy, cape cod vibes and the friend group's times together. The banter was fun to read!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy to review!

Friends with Boats is the ultimate summer beach read! Alexandra Slater does a fantastic job of transporting you to Cape Cod, so you really feel like you’re living the drama right along with her fun and relatable characters.

Thank you to Green Leaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Friends with Boats by Alexandra Slater was a very fun and entertaining read.

Three friends—challenged with marriage, work, children, and self-doubt—all fall for the same man.
Ummmm, what’s not to love. This book has it all…. Sex, fun,
It was the most entertaining, funnest and intriguing story.
The writing drew me with it’s fantastic characters and awesome writing.
I will definitely read more of Slaters books in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and River Grove Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the writing trite and predictable. Thank you for the opportunity.

A decent read. I realized the further I got into the book that I am definitely not the target demographic for this. This book is perfect for fans of adult beach reads such as Nicholas Sparks and Elin Hilderbrand. However, there is a very catty, almost anti woman theme throughout the entire book from both the women and men. The characters looking down on others, trying to steal each other’s love interests, and overall having a very “I’m not like other girls” vibe. Without this inner monologue from the characters, I may have enjoyed it more. I also felt like the ending fell flat for me personally. The storyline kept me hooked though and I was definitely entertained the whole time.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars

Thank you to Green Leaf books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s been a while since I completely devoured a book like this. I simply couldn’t put it down. It was like an episode of Desperate Housewives!!

Three friends Ada, Charlotte, and Sadie get wrapped up with the wrong man during summer on the Cape. After Mack returns for the summer after he gets divorced, he turns their world upside down.

A tale of friendship, the secrets of affairs, sex, violence, and crumbling marriages, this book had it all! Reading it was like spending a day out on the beach and sun on the Cape! And I feel like this will be the hottest read this summer!