This book was awesome!! The main character was definitely a busybody!!!! She’s just the busybody you love to hate! It was fast-paced! I really wanted her to snap on Sharon and the rest of the brides who wanted her to do their dirty work. A little too much on the constant weight conversations!

This is a delightful easy summer read. Lily Weiss is thirty-two, single and much to her mothers disappointment has no marital prospects. On the flip side it seems everyone around her has found love and are getting engaged. Lily is thrilled for them all and as any good friend/sister would she happily agrees to be a bridesmaid in all five weddings. Yup, you read that correctly, Lily is in 5 weddings all in just over a months time span.

We start out being introduced to Lily after she wakes up with an instant feeling of regret in a hotel bed next to a mystery man who happens to be a groomsman in one of the weddings. This is the first of many hurdles she must overcome in order to see all 5 brides to the alter. Knowing it would only complicate matters she decides not to find out the mystery mans identity.

Being in 5 weddings is understandably a lot of work and a large time commitment. As such the weddings take up a lot of the storyline of the book. There are several key supporting characters ranging from over controlling and out of touch bridesmaids to Lily's grandmother who is living her best life. This gives way to some truly laugh-out-loud moments.

I thought the author did a remarkable job creating five different wedding scenarios, each with its own complications. We see Lily struggling to cope not only with the time commitment of being in five weddings but also the financial strain that comes with it. Some brides are easy going and others give into the pressure of creating the perfect wedding no matter the cost.

For The Love of Friends is addictive (I read the majority in just one sitting), entertaining, heartwarming and hilarious. This is the debut novel from author Sara Goodman Confino and throughout the book she brilliantly writes about bridal drama, friendship, family relationships and expectations. As one would expect Lily tries her best to make sure every bride is happy with how their wedding is coming together while trying to balance her work, chequebook and of course her own love life. Lily doesn't always make the best decisions and at times have to own up to her mistakes. The question is, will Lily herself find her Mr Right or will the mystery man from chapter 1 get in the way?

I loved this book! It was such a great summer read and was so relatable. Lily is a great character the book made me laugh out loud multiple times This is a perfect romcom esque book and I absolutely devoured it. Lily is in FIVE weddings in 6 weeks and is struggling to balance all the ridiculous asks, costs, personalities and more of each of the weddings. Plus it doesn't help that 2 of the weddings are for her younger siblings - which doesn't make Lily feel great as a 30 something single in DC. I loved all the different relationships throughout the book - the childhood best friend, college roommate, work best friend, sister and future sister-in-law. All those relationships have their own dynamics and it was fun watching Lily naviagate them all.

Would definitely reccomend this book if you're looking for a beach-read.

I really enjoyed this cute RomCom about a single 30-something that finds her self in 5 weddings! From being the Maid of Honor in her bff's wedding to the reluctant bridesmaid in her brother's wedding, she has the spectrum covered. There were so many characters, but it was easy to keep up with all of them and laugh/snicker/roll eyes at all of the ridiculous situations she finds herself in for each of these brides. The writing style was smooth and easy to follow. For a quick and humorous read, this is a perfect book. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital arc of this title.

I absolutely loved this book! It made me never want to be in a wedding lol, but I loved it! I enjoyed the small romance in it but honestly this book was just so enjoyable! Definitely a must read rom-com!

For the Love of Friends is a typical summer read- everybody knows that summer the best season for weddings and everybody knows it's impossible to survive being a bridesmaid in five weddings over two months without some major damage to one's sanity. Here is a story that will make you think even more fondly of your friends who never (occasionally/ sometimes/ quite a lot ) lost their good old common sense and good nature and started asking impossible things from you.

Lily Weiss, our protagonist, is a friend/sibling and bridesmaid to 5 manic brides. She adores her dad and has quite a complicated relationship with her mother (nothing Lily does is going to be good enough, starting from being thirty two years old and single) and her younger sister. Lily is bored with what she has to do at work. Still, she is lacking courage to leave her secure job and become a writer. Compromise? a wedding blog where she can put down on paper her observations and tell her jokes without hurting anyone's feelings. Yes, some of the stories are incredibly entertaining (¡Hola abuela!) and even shocking esp. her involvement with not one, but two of the best men from her best friend's wedding party.

To be perfectly honest, my feelings towards Lily were all over the place. First, I liked the way she refused to beat herself up about her one night stand and feel obliged to start another dead-end/ short-term relationship... unfortunately, things weren't that straightforward and she came very close to sabotaging herself. Perhaps, I was a bit too harsh on Lily- I expected a thirty two year old to be more mature and more self-aware, but some things you see only when you are ready to see them.

Lily's blogging journey sounded interesting- a lot of people relish in the anonymity of the Internet and give vent to their feelings (perhaps, even slightly exaggerating things to make the content more striking). We know it will all blow in her face and there will be consequences...Perhaps, Lily needed a push, a disaster of a kind to force her into changing. I liked the fact that she grows as a person, a friend and a family member and clears al ot of issues in the end.

The writing was almost addictive. Some time in the middle, I wondered if five weddings were really too many (I know, that's the whole point!) and the book could have been as good or even better with fewer plotlines. Then again, not all our relationships in life are equally deep or equally important at all points of our lives, but all benefit from attention, kindness, and communication, and this book really drives it home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC provide in exchange for an honest opinion.

Lily Weiss is about to be a bridesmaid in five weddings, all taking place over the course of two months. On top of that, her mother continually points out Lily's own single status in the wake of her two younger siblings getting married. To deal with all this stress, Lily creates a blog to talk about her experiences.

This book was a fun, fast read for me. I found myself getting really engrossed in all the drama, getting reminded of both 27 Dresses and events that felt like they were right out of a reality TV drama.

I loved the way that the book portrayed realistic sibling-parent relationships, sibling-sibling relationships, and the way that those two might intersect and affect each other. The growth arcs in the Weiss family throughout the book were well done.

I absolutely loved the development of the romance in this book - a best-friends-to-lovers situation? With a sunshine character that develops with actions that feel almost out of a rom-com?

However, I'm not sure how I felt about the fallout of Lily's blog going public and how the resolution between all the various characters was handled. It felt like all the very valid experiences (backstabbing bridesmaids, continuous body shaming, digs about how she's still single at her age among other stresses) were almost dismissed by the brides themselves except for one or two cases (out of the FIVE she's a part of). Yes, a wedding is a day for the bride. Yes, there was a breach of trust when Lily was blogging about these personal things in her life. No, that does not mean that hurting someone that you are supposedly close enough to ask to be in the bridal party by making them feel like they don't matter in any capacity is alright, and I wish there was more acknowledgment among the brides of this fact. I also felt like Lily was too harsh on herself regarding the fallout, and with the brides as a whole reacting the way that they do when it came to acknowledging the harm that they did to Lily, it felt like we were getting more of the same attitude of "it's my day so you don't matter" from the brides overall that caused Lily to feel like she had to create a blog to vent in the first place.

That being said, Lily's growth arc was well done, and her acknowledgment and following through actions on her own end were great.

Overall, a fun read that I'd recommend if you enjoy reading about bridezillas, snark, best friends to lovers, accurate mother-daughter relationships, and wedding drama.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book! Such a cute romcom about a girl who is in FIVE weddings in just ONE summer. The drama that comes with that many brides is incredible and I loved her blogging throughout. Such a perfect summer read that I've already passed my copy along! I especially loved Lily's crazy grandma and can't wait for more stories about her.

#fortheloveoffriends#netgalley
Book short: Lily has five weddings to attend, as a bridesmaid. While it sounds like fun, it makes her miserable on so many levels. As she can't cope with so many...let's say enthusiasms. So, as a coping mechanism, she starts a blog and rants about her life as a bridesmaid. Wait, there is a love story involved too.

My thoughts: While I loved the storyline, I didn't like the narration. To be honest, I just wanted to know what happens to Lily, that was the reason I kept going. But the plot was good, the things the author wrote were relatable.
You have no idea how much I can relate to Lily, as I was Lily 3 years ago. A lot has changed after that, long story short that I found myself, but I get her feelings, I get her responses. You fake so many things to fit in, at some points, you forget, to be honest, altogether. It's easier, it may be crushing your soul but keeps so-called close people happy. You can't say no or the naked truth to their faces. And at that point, some just adjust. And our Lily started to rant on a blog.

The whole process of dress selecting reminded me of some of the Bengali weddings I saw, the bride matters in the end before it will be the chaos of ladies of both families.

Some facts that the book upholds:
• We let in some people in people, even though we know they are no good for us. And after sometimes we can't cut ties. We get used to being treated the way they do and after a while, it feels odd to say something. So, we just take it.
• Family can be a source of your almost every problem. You can't do shit about that. You can fight with the whole world, but it's almost impossible to fight with family(i said almost)
• it's hard to say no when you know people for years.
• weddings are exhausting. A lot of times they are not about the love of two people, it's sort of show-off. (there is always someone who acts like a fanatic while they organize a wedding. Either the bride and her team or one of the families).

But maybe others have something to say too, an explanation for their action, Lily should ask more instead of assuming things. I hated the fact that she just took things in, never complained or said anything in their faces, but started a blog. Instead of that, she should be saying those things to her friends and family, then maybe write about it. I know she took the easy way. But it wasn't right to say things behind people's backs, even if they were all truths.
I wish the author would have given more attention to writing, cause at some points the story felt unnecessarily detailed.

Lily Weiss is in trouble. She's agreed to be a bridesmaid in 5 summer weddings, all taking place within weeks of each other. Between the highlights she's forced to get to "fit in" with the other all blonde bridesmaids, and the room she's tricked into sharing with her grandma at her brother's destination wedding, Lily needs somewhere to vent all this wedding stress. So she creates the anonymous blog Bridesmania. What starts as a whim to get some extra income to pay for wedding gifts and bridesmaid dresses becomes a therapeutic outlet and more importantly. helps Lily, a journalism graduate working in an unfulfilling career, remember how much she loves writing. But as we all know, anonymity usually only lasts so long...

I was so enamored of Lily as our main character, and it was a lot of fun to be in her head - well, besides all the body-shaming, put-downs, and stress she went through! The plot moved along at a good pace, and by the 50% mark, I could not put this book down. In a book like this, you know there's a dramatic climax coming, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment when it came. There were also plenty of side characters that added to the plot. It was nice to have all these fully fleshed friends and family members - they felt real (not that I HOPE someone like Caryn or Caroline actually exists...) and I loved that they called Lily on her shit. She didn't get away with just a sorry at the end of this book and I think that made it all the more realistic.

Don't even get me started on Alex - he's a cinnamon roll I'd love to dig into. The way their friendship developed was really delightful. And the small twist at the end was something I didn't see coming.

I definitely recommend this book! It's the perfect summer read, especially if you have a wedding or two yourself this summer and you need to commiserate over the price of dresses these days. But you can always wear them again, right?

Thank you so much @AmazonPublishing, @SaraConfino & @NetGalley for giving me this physical ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 01 August 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Lily has somehow ended up being included in five weddings in six weeks & quite frankly she needs a place to vent to keep her sanity. She starts an anonymous blog called Bridesmania where she snakily writes about her experiences with Mom-Zillas, body shaming, high-strung Brides and generally the insanity of trying to afford five weddings in one year. Hopefully no one she knows actually reads this blog...

WHAT I LIKED:
- this was my first book by Sara & I absolutely loved her writing style
- it was a really nice balance of serious & humour
- even though there were a lot of characters I didn't find myself getting confused
- it has a 27 Dresses kinda vibe

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- there is a continual theme of body shaming throughout this story which I think has the potential to be triggering
- the blog itself is pretty mean spirited from the beginning which didn't really tie up with Lily as a character as she was often bending over backwards to accommodate her friends wedding wishes

I couldn't put down For the Love of Friends. From the opening pages, I was hooked on Lily and her drama and romantic exploits. Lily Weiss is an endless disappointment to her mother – 32 and still single. Then, both of Lily's younger siblings get engaged and plan their weddings within a few weeks of each other. What's worse is that Lily has already committed to being in three of her best friends' weddings. Lily suddenly finds herself in five weddings within two months. When the cost, expectations, shopping, and Pinterest boards all start to feel look much, she creates a bridezilla blog about dealing with overbearing mothers, antagonism from bridesmaids, and Stepford's wives-like friends and family.

What's the harm in a little bit of anonymous venting and snark? Will Lily make it through the passive-aggressive body shaming, age digs, spinster comments, and get all the brides to their happily ever afters?

For the Love of Friends is laugh-out-loud funny. I loved Lily's snark and sense of humor, her relationship with Meg, her grandma, and Amy. She and Alex had great chemistry right from the beginning. I enjoyed everything about this book, and can't wait to see what Goodman Confino does next.

Highly recommend for fans of Meg Cabot, Jennifer Weiner, and Sara Hogle. Thank yo so much to NetGalley for the e-arc.

This was such a fun read! I loved the humor, the blogging, the mother daughter relationship, and the romance.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I can't believe this is a debut! I loved it so much!! It has great pacing and is super entertaining. I loved that the main characters actually became friends. The conflict felt very real, and loved how it all so went down. Overall, I'm hugely impressed by this book. It was such a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in receipt of an honest review.

CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS

This is such a hilarious and relatable rom-com that I found it really difficult to put aside and actually do proper adult stuff rather than sit and read all day, which is how I really want to spend my days.

In the 28 years I’ve been on this Earth, I’ve been a bridesmaid three times.
The first time was when I was about 5 and my only job was to look absolutely adorable in a pink fluff ball of a dress.
The second time was for my cousin when I was about 10, and I spent the whole day crushing on the very much older best man.
The most recent was eight years ago for my brother. Whilst assisting with important bridesmaid duties, I also spent the day getting ridiculously drunk, and finally eating proper food after six weeks of trying to fit into my somewhat snug dress (I blame the dress and not my obvious university weight).

I cannot imagine being a bridesmaid or maid of honour for five weddings, all in the space of two months. As much as I adore my friends, there’s not enough gin in the world for that.

But at least Lily has the very dashing Alex to hold her hand throughout it, even if they’re (and I’ll shout it for those in the back) JUST FRIENDS. A lot of my male friends are gay, so trying to pretend they’re my date for weddings could be a bit of a stretch.

Some of the characters Sara has written are real pieces of work, but none felt like a caricature. Everyone is believable, no matter how sickly sweet or over-the-top nasty backstabbing they may be. We’ve all met each character in this book, and dare I say it, we may even identify ourselves - especially those amongst us who have been referred to as a “bridezilla”.

I’ll be honest, the general plot was a little predictable. Hold up, let me explain.

Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl disses all her friends, friends find out, everyone hates her, girl apologises, everyone forgives her, and she gets the guy.

Know what I mean?

But I don’t mean this as a negative. In my opinion, romantic comedies tend to follow a very strict plot pattern, but that’s what makes it relatable and enjoyable to read. No surprises, no difficulties, just pure joy. How I wish my life was like that.

This read is a delightful mix between Say Yes to the Dress and 27 Dresses in book form!

Lily is asked to be in 5 weddings that will all go take place within two months of each other. Her drunken antics at the first of five wedding parties leads to some pretty hilarious moments. But, things start to take a toll on Lily and she decides to start an anonymous blog detailing the momzila, the body shaming while trying on dresses, and the heinous treatment by some other bridesmaids. It goes well until her blog goes viral and she’s outed to her friends, who are less than enthused by what she says.

While I was reading this, I was enraged on Lily’s behalf. I don’t think her friends had any right to bad after what she suffered for them. But, as the title states, we do go through a lot for the love of friends. This did have a happy ending and I was pleased with how everything worked out, including the comical misunderstanding that’s revealed at the end!

This is perfect summer reading! Sweet and snarky, I found myself laughing out loud. Lily takes on way too much when she agrees to be in 5 weddings and to deal with it all starts an anonymous blog detailing everything from wedding dress shopping, bridal showers, bachelorette parties and even being asked to get botox for her friend's big day. She also develops a really sweet friendship with a groomsmen from one of the weddings and it nice to watch that evolve as she grows up over the coarse of the book. While the story was a bit predictable it was entertaining and a lot of fun.

I will tell you right now that this book is going on my 'comfort read' shelf -this is the shelf of books that I constantly re-read because they just have something wonderful in them.

I loved this book! Every bitchy moment of it!

Yes, there is a lot of body shaming in it, and Lily doesn't make the best choice of how she voices her opinion, but in the end, she learns some very valuable lessons, and that counts for a lot with this novel.

This book is perfect for anyone who has ever questioned if they are 'good enough,' has been in a wedding where the bride turned into someone unrecognizable or spoke before thinking especially when they've had a couple too many!

The perfect beach read.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and NetGalley.

This beautiful book was delightful from the very first paragraph when it made me laugh out loud, which isn't an easy feat. The voice is like listening to your best friend. I want to hang out with this heroine every single day or possibly have her narrate my life. The pacing was well done and the ending left me with a satisfied, calm feeling cozy in my chest.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It reminded me of a modern day 27 dresses. Because if involves social media as well as a blog. Lily is a bridesmaid in 5 upcoming weddings in six weeks. She goes through so much in this book, which ends with her having some growth. I loved how it was romance based and lily was totally okay with being single. Everyone around her were the ones worried about it.
I recommend this for anyone that loved 27 dresses.