Ok wow I absolutely loved this book! I was cackling out loud many times. To me, even though some things were over the top, were very relatable for me. I wish Lily’s blog was real so I could keep reading. The parts about about Grandma had me laughing so much. Loved this authors writing. Highly, highly recommend picking this up!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

For The Love of Friends centres around Lily as she tries to juggle being a bridesmaid in five weddings all in the same summer. Schedule clashes, horrendous bridesmaid dresses, financial worries and awkward relations with groomsmen follow.

Overall this was a fun summer read and I did enjoy it. There were mild pacing issues around the half way mark that make you question if five weddings were too much to cover. Plus there were quite a few clichés and tropes thrown in that it wouldn't have hurt to skip. Then again for some readers the predictability is probably comforting and makes it an easier read.

My favourite aspect was the relationship with Alex though the romance was not the main focus of the book. I wish more time was given to the relationship as the sections involving their interactions were by far my favourite.

Grandma also deserves an honorable mention with her sections making me chuckle more than anything else. She is a lady many of us aspire to be when we get older.

This was such a fun read. This is the first time I have read a book related to a bridesmaid who actually spoke the truth regarding Bridezilla's! Her blog made me laugh, it made me happy my friends are low-key, and happy that I have never been in 5 weddings all around the same time. I found myself cringing with Caroline and missing my close friends with Megan. I loved that Lily had that single friend as well, to kind of ground her and ensure that she wasn't alone in the world. Alex is a loveable, book boyfriend character too. This is an amazing, light and quick romance. Check it out!!

The setup for this delightful book is something you probably think you've seen in a rom-com movie before. Our protagonist is Lily, a 32-year-old single-with-no-prospects, and she's horrified as person after person in her life gets engaged and asks her to be a bridesmaid. The wedding expenses and stressors keep rising, the five brides and other wedding party members become more and more ridiculous, and Lily decides to start a blog to anonymously rant about things and maybe make a few dollars to help cover her costs.

I'm a number of years past the "everyone's getting married" stage of my life and I definitely can't relate to a "32 and single = old maid" mentality, but I could relate to Lily's "make fun of things to help cope" strategies and loved her sardonic humor. In fact, the entire book is quite funny, and that's one of its strengths.

There aren't deep insights to be gleaned here. The book follows a well-traveled road, but it's still a very entertaining journey. I found myself speeding through the reading, not wanting to put the book down, because I wanted to see what happened next and how certain dilemmas would resolve. It's a perfect beach read and a very impressive debut effort from the author. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received For The Love of Friends from Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley. Lily is in 5 weddings in a few months and 2 of them are her younger brother and younger sister’s. Seems like enough? Well a few of them are bridezilllas or have bridesmaidzillas and Lily starts a snarky blog to vent/capture it all. This book is a fun romcom and almost all girls can relate to some part of this book.

This one is based on Lily who ends up agreeing to be a bridesmaid in five weddings that span over a two month period. Lily is 32 and single and her family does not let her forget it, especially with her two younger siblings getting married. Trying to cope with life and all the wedding shenanigans Lily decides to start a blog to vent some frustrations and write about the things that only seem to happen to her. She also vows to swear off men because romantic things never end well. Will she survive these weddings with all her relationships intact?

I loved reading this book. I flew threw it in a few sittings. It gave me a bit of the 27 Dresses vibe but changed direction in a good way. It had me laughing and shaking my head. I loved the blog posts in this book, they were also very entertaining. A lot of people rely on anonymity of the internet but it is not always permanent. I also appreciated the body positivity in this book and can not imagine some of the preparations some women and their wedding parties do before the big day.

I read an ebook copy of this and wondered if for the text messages if perhaps the font or format could be tweaked a bit just so it was obvious they were texts.

I would recommend this book to a friend no problem. It is a great summer read! My review will be posted in the next few days on my goodreads and Instagram and on Aug 1st on Amazon.

FOR THE LOVE OF FRIENDS - SARA GOODMAN CONFINO
PUBLISHED BY LAKE UNION PUBLISHING
PLOT - Lily Weiss, 32 and single is a talented writer who has been invited to be a bridesmaid for 5 weddings in a span of 2 months. But the stress of each is getting to her and in comes her anonymous blog Bridesmania where she can vent out honestly. But will it remain anonymous esp when her blog starts doing well? Will it ruin the HEA for her friends and siblings? Will it impact her own HEA??
MY THOUGHTS -
I loved this debut novel. The writing which is in 1st person is fantastic. It is honest, super funny and cute too!!
I was practically smiling and laughing the while time.
Being an Indian I knew about the role of a bridesmaid. But here it's acutely described and alos how difficult it can be to cope up not only financially but even emotionally.
There is quite a bit of bodyshaming and personality shaming which happens throughout the book but it's relatable esp when people around you are getting married and you aren't.
Wish we could hv a bit more of romance. Lily's and Alex's relationship was super cute!! Loved Grammy who was a rockstar at her age!!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange of my honest opinion.
4.5⭐

Have you ever read a book where the writing is good, it is generally entertaining and some of the situations were funny, but it just wasn't for you? That is this book for me. This was not for me, folks. I want to start off saying this because this is a title that I think will land with a lot of readers. But, with that said, if any of the sort of ranty feelings I have below connect with you then this book may not be for you either.

As previously stated, this is truly an entertaining book. So entertaining that, despite the fact that I did not end up loving this one, I could not give it less than 3 stars. Feelings-wise, this is a 2 star book for me, but it is also so compulsively readable that 2 stars does not really feel fair. My biggest complaint with this read is the fact that the characters are so unlikable. Likable characters are not necessary for a book, but for lighthearted books like these I find likable characters are often what drives me to connect with the story. In this one, I could not connect with anyone.

Our main protagonist is so internally judgmental that I felt like I wanted out of her head. It is also consistently her bad judgment that gets her into the tough situations she ends up in. Some decisions are so blatantly wrong that I could see maybe a middle or high schooler making the judgments that she makes, but a PR representative who works for a scientific research organization?? She talks about how hard it is to be an adult and she is in her 30s so... I had a hard time understanding this immaturity. Again, with a younger protagonist, I could see it. She makes bad calls even in the smallest of ways. She complains about having some financial woes but then cannot give up venti lattes from Starbucks three times a week. Um, ma'am!

Let us not get into the fact that, as someone who works in PR, she thought it was okay to rant online about her friends and family. I mean, what?!? Admittedly, her friends and family are mostly terrible and self-centered too so I can understand her frustration with them, but she is not really any better than them and I was just ready to dump the entire cast of characters (except for Alex - he's precious) and move on with my life in a positive way because this book was not positive. It messed with my headspace.

Ok...as you can see, I did not really like this one. BUT...again, is it kind of hard to put down despite how frustrated you are with the characters? Yes, it totally is. Are there predictable but very funny situations? Absolutely. So what I am trying to say is read other reviews and get other options because this may be someone's happy read even if it was not mine.

I enjoyed this book. The writing style is fun and I’m sure most people have had experience with a Bridezilla before! Lily was a great protagonist, if only she stopped complaining about being single and actually enjoyed her life. Although I picked the twist early on, it was a lovely ending and I like that not everyone actually forgave Lily for the blog. Looking forward to the next book from this author!

Has anyone loved the ending of a book so much they intentionally prolonged finishing it?

I wanted to slow down time during the last few pages because I wanted to soak up ALL the happy; I actually read every word of the Acknowledgements before putting it down.

Who does that? This weirdo.

{Book Review}: For the Love of Friends by debut author Sara Goodman Confino

4 stars
8/10

“A sharp and hilariously relatable novel about the business of weddings, the toll they can take, and the lengths one exasperated bridesmaid will go to for the love of friends.”

Lily Weiss finds herself as a bridesmaid in FIVE weddings within a month of each other.
As someone who was in 13 weddings, I can actually 100 relate to the simultaneous joy, envy, anxiety and fear of checking your bank account that occurs during wedding prep mode. Boys have it so easy compared to the planning and preparations, the politics and unspoken duties ladies go through before their bestie walks down the aisle.

SGC (coining it now) is probably going to be one of my new fave rom-com authors. She’s sharp, raw, witty and has unapologetically real main characters, with completely relatable family dynamics.

I laughed, cringed with, and cheered for Lily. It was a hilarious ride, with serious self-reflection and growth she experienced during this novel.

Lily finds herself in blog-worthy moments with some of her bridezillas / ‘bridesmaidzillas’ and does what any writer would do in her situation--write about it. But instead of taking to a journal for a creative outlet, she publishes a “Bridesmania” blog that ends up going viral.

Of course there’s also a ‘friends to lovers’ trope, which I will always catch the bouquet for.
A little birdie told me there WILL be a spin-off sequel so get your hands on this now!

PUB DAY IS Aug. 1st, so SAVE THE DATE! (See what I did there)? ;-)

Thank you @netgalley @lakeunionauthors @saraconfino for the gifted copy ARC!
#saragoodmanconfino #fortheloveoffriends #netgalley #arcreviews #newromcom #newromcombooks #romance #hilariousbooks #funnyreads #justfinishedreading #bookrecommendation #newfiction #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #alwaysreading #bookblog #instareads #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookreviews #readerforlife #read #readingforsanity #booked #ilovebooks #eatsleepread #bookphoto #alwaysreading #igreads #bookcommunity #bookloversunite #booksbooksbooks

What a wonderfully hilarious book!!! Lily is in five weddings within two months. While she is thrilled for her family and friends, five wedding is a lot.

This is the perfect escape book. You can envision Lily’s life as she deal with the demands of five weddings and five brides. Lily is such a true friend. She is willing to bend over backwards to support the weddings, no matter how difficult. To help make money to fund her involvement in these wedding she starts an anonymous blog to vent and tell the horror stories. While you know the blog is not going to end well it is so funny. If you have ever been in a wedding your will completely relate to this book.

For the Love of Friends is the quintessential summer chick read. Lilly was a relatable main character that showed great development throughout the book.
This is definitely the perfect book for a beach vacation!
I started this book today and could not stop until it was over - I loved it so much! This was cute, romantic and had just the right amount of conflict. I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Lilly and Alex! Maybe a sequel?

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union and Sara Goodman Confino for my ARC in exchange for a review- I will definitely be buying a copy for my shelves!

For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino
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Thanks Netgalley for this digital copy!
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Lily Weiss is 32 and single, which is her mother’s worst nightmare. Luckily for Lily, she will have many opportunities to find “the one”....at the five weddings she will be a bridemaid at this summer. 😅😅😅 But oooohhhh these weddings are killing her, and bankrupting her, how can she let off steam about it? A anonymous blog is a great idea! Right?
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I loved this book so much. It made me laugh, it made me cry, I was mad, I was sad. I felt ALL of the emotions and I was only disappointed when it ended.
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This book was pretty predictable and I knew pretty much what was going to happen, but I still settled in with my snacks for reading exactly how everything played out because I was still COMPLETELY entertained by Lily’s story.
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This book had quite the reminiscence of the movie 27 Dresses but with characters that I wound up loving more!
Also Lily’s dad and 88 year old grandma completely “stole the show” in this book, I loved them.
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ loved, loved, loved.

I ignored all my responsibilities just to finish this book--and it was 100% worth it!

Lily Weiss is 32 and single, finding herself in FIVE weddings one summer. Surrounded by brides between friends and her two younger siblings, she starts an anonymous blog to help cope, sharing her (hilarious) experiences. Cue the whole "nobody's gonna know..." song you've seen all over TikTok.

The bridal antics themselves are next level, but I really adored the writing throughout! Author Sara Goodman Confino is funny, smart and deeply portrays familial relationships and self-reflection as well. I could've easily read another 100 pages of just blog posts and conversations between Lily & Alex.

I could truly continue to gush about this one but I'll just suggest reading it when it comes out August 1st! This book is one of my favorites so far this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lily has had enough. A talented writer who has been hiding her light, she's also been a bridesmaid five times. She's seen it all and now she's got a blog where she spews out details of how she's been treated. Some of it is LOL funny but sometimes it makes you wonder how good a friend she is- and then she begins to wonder too. I liked Lily and her grandmother, not so much the bridezillas. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast amusing read.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t love about this book! 💞 The wit, the sarcasm, the bridesmainia drama. Give me all of it! 👏🏻. Lily was the perfect character for the lead in this book and I could relate to her so much. I mean, I didn’t care too much about planning all my wedding stuff, let alone be a part of so many others. Grandma was hilarious and made this book so fun! I have a HUGE soft spot for Alex and the way he took care of Lily. Even though it was funny with a lot of drama, it still had some depth-Mostly revolving around Lily and her family.
Thanks for such an amazing read Sarah Confino!

I was gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest review

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fantastic read and came close to being 5 stars! Our main character Lily ends up being a bridesmaid for 5 weddings and she ends up writing an anonymous blog called Bridesmania to cope with everything. This was a laugh out loud book and had a few emotional moments, the perfect summer read. There is romance for Lily but feel this book is more about friendship, even her love interest starts out being friends with her. My favourite character has to be her grandmother, she was sooo funny and likeable, says the most inappropriate things. Overall brilliant debut book of Sara Goodman Confino and I’m looking forward to more of her work.

Many thanks to Sara Goodman Confino, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meet Lily. She's 32. Single. An aspiring writer who pays the bills writing PR writing for a science foundation. She's also her mother's worst nightmare. Reference the above single. Oh. And she's in 5 weddings in about 6 weeks.

This book is seriously everything! Having never been in even one wedding in my life save for ones I attended for myself (let's not talk about that number), I'm not super in tune with how this all works. However, this is written exactly how I can see weddings happening. With everyone trying to one up each other, and with Instagram being the bar we set for ourselves, we're no longer humans but human caricatures that live to literally just look like Barbie dolls. In order to vent about how things are going without hurting her friends, Lily starts an anonymous blog. Only it doesn't stay anonymous for long.

With a love interest thrown in for good measure and laughs on almost every page, this book was truly amazing! I love wedding rom-coms and this checks every box for a great rom-com, while also showing that relationships are hard. All relationships. And no one is harder on us than ourselves.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Sara Goodman Confino, and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free ebook copy of this book.

I really liked Lily, Alex and the plot for the most part. I haven't been to a wedding since I was a child, and have never been a bridesmaid, so I found it informative and amusing. I didn't like the body-shaming and the perception that being single is a fate worse than death. Lily's mum really annoyed me. I didn't like Sharon either. I would have liked acknowledgement from the brides that asking bridesmaids to spend thousands on someone else's wedding is completely insane.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me with a free ebook copy of this book.

This was a cute book (though I suspect I'm 'too old' for the book, and not the target audience.) Still, it opened my eyes a lot to what it's like to be in a wedding! Wow! I never experienced any of the bridal shower/wedding traditions that are so talked about, and seeing what all was involved in the whole process just sounds like a nightmare!

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it felt really heavy on the shaming - body shaming, marriage/life shaming. It got to be a bit difficult to read at times. I understand it's common for mothers to want to see their daughters grow up and start 'the ideal life' but it is discouraging to see books where the parents pressure the children to get married, have kids, etc ... I would hope that new books, new authors would stop feeding this trope.

I would rate this 2.5 stars, and I'll round up to 3. IT was a fun read, even with some of the problems.