Armastusest sõprade vastu

by Sara Goodman Confino, Ruth Vestel (Translator)

NII VÄHE AEGA. NII PALJU TÜLLI.

Teravmeelne ja naljakalt tõepärane romaan pulmadest, lõivust, mida nende ettevalmistamine võib nõuda, ja ühest meeleheitel pruutneitsist, kes armastusest sõprade vastu on kõigeks valmis.

Lily Weiss on ema kõige hullem õudusunenägu: kolmekümne kahe aastane ja ikka veel vallaline – oh õudust! Ta on ka andekas kirjanik, kes varjab end igava ameti taha teadusasutuses. Sõprade jaoks on ta usaldusväärne ja isetu, mis on ka põhjus, miks ta kuue nädala jooksul on pruutneitsi viies pulmas. Kõik kolme parima sõbranna ning noorema õe ja venna jaoks, eks? Isegi kui Lily enda armuelu on… Nojah, ta eelistab sellest mitte rääkida. Terve mõistuse säilitamiseks vajab ta turvalist kohta, kus auru välja lasta.

Nii sünnibki anonüümne blogi „Pruudimaania“. Lily valab postitustesse kõik tunded, mida temas äratavad kohutavad pruudiemad, kahanev pangaarve, mõrdadest pruutneitsid, üle piiri läinud pruudid, tema välimust halvustavad pruudisalongi müüjad, tüdrukuteõhtud ja päevade kaupa vormiva pesu kandmine, rääkimata hirmust, et ta peab venna pulmapaika toimetama kaheksakümne kaheksa aastase vanaema (kes tavatseb oma hommikukokteili alasti nautida).

Seni on Lily blogi jäänud anonüümseks. Aga on üldteada, et internetis jääb vähe igavesti saladuseks…

Kui kõik on öeldud ja tehtud, kas Lily suudab aidata kõigil viiel pruudil igavest õnne leida? Ja kas peagi järgneb tema enda muinasjutt?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Humor

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2021

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cringe-worthy part will make you beg for mercy, but fortunately it's short. There's no suspense on what will ultimately happen, only how.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Too many bridesmaids’ gigs can drive a woman mad! At least that's what happens in For the Love of Friends , the debut novel from Sara Goodman Confino.

Lily is 32 and single, much to her mother’s horror. She’s always dreamed of being a writer—so what if she has a boring job at a foundation?

The thing about being single in your early 30s is that everyone around you—family, friends, etc.—is getting married. And while that’s all well and good in theory, Lily suddenly finds herself as a bridesmaid for five weddings in six weeks.

It’s a lot to handle—her friends are turning into demanding monsters, she’s constantly being shamed and criticized and judged, the expense of being a bridesmaid FIVE TIMES is killing her, her friends' friends are ridiculous and unrealistic, and she can’t even figure out what she wants from her own love life. So she does what anyone else would do—she creates an anonymous blog and vents online.

Of course, what’s said anonymously online never stays that way. Can she mend fences, do what’s expected of her, squeeze into those bridesmaids' dresses, and chart a course for her own happiness?

I so enjoyed this!! For the Love of Friends has familiar elements (it may sound a little like the movie 27 Dresses ), but Confino weaved them into a story all her own. It’s funny, emotional, sarcastic, insightful, and just downright fun. It was the change of pace I needed after some heavy books and some books that weren’t as good as I’d hoped.

Thanks so much to Kate Rock Book Tours and Lake Union Publishing for inviting me on the tour for this book, and for providing a complimentary advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A breezy read, with some hilarious and emotional moments.

[Trisha (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blog review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2...

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved it!!

From the start itself, I was having 27 dresses vibes, I loved the movie, and so I was slightly surprised when this went on a slightly different tangent.

We have our protagonist, a woman who's in her thirties, isn't married, and is accidentally involved in five marriages at the same time. And she ends up starting to lose her own life whole helping others in theirs. She sees a broke woman in her future, and so she starts a blog to vent all about it, and also earn some money while doing it, and things predictably go up in flames.

I only recently started a blog, and so I found the blogging parts of this insightful as well as enjoyable! The author has a really wonderful voice, and she was very good at mixing the serious bits with the funny, so that it never seems too much. I really loved the writing style. It was also really realistic, compared to what I was expecting!

I loved the body positivity in this a lot. And I was hating the way so many others were approaching it. All the Botox, and eyelash extensions, and hair dye, and weight loss, etc moments, have just reaffirmed my decision to never ever do anything like that to my body. If I get white hair or wrinkles, or anything, I'm living with it.

I really liked the mother and daughter relationship, and how the relationship seemed so different between siblings. All the siblings have different ideas of what the relationship is like for all the other siblings, and I found it so realistic, the way one would think the other was being favoured, while the other would think the first was being favoured, all at the same time!

And not only the mother daughter relationship with our MC, but also the other characters which were getting married. Some relationships were built on fear, some on dominance, but in the ned, everyone only really wanted the best for the others.

I loved the romance in this! It was so different from what I'd expected! First I'd thought the guy she woke up with must have been the love interest. Then we find out he's a creep. And then we meet the guy who's the actual love interest, and he seems so perfect, but then she refuses to date him and I was like AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH?!?!?!?

And then what I was suspecting all along happened! I did think loads of times throughout this that maybe, just maybe, Alex was the one she slept with, and she did! Just not the way anyone had thought. And their relationship was so much more than romance. There was friendship and a much deeper connection than I'm used to with romances.

I will definitely be checking out other books by this author in the future!

I really loved it and I would recommend it to anyone who likes romance laugh out loud moments, enjoyed 27 dresses, loves wedding drama, accurate mother-daughter relationships, and romance that creeps up on you without warning. Even thought you knew it was happening all along.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In the middle of all five weddings, I began to feel like I didn't matter. As if the fact that I had feelings had gotten lost in the shuffle. And the blog was a way to feel like some small fraction of my life was, in fact, still about me." Sara Goodman Confino, For the Love of Friends, page 311

Heavy spoiler warning, because I have a lot of opinions about everything that happens in this book from the inevitable plot point that occurs in every story about an anonymous blog onwards.

Lily is a typical wedding-com heroine, which is to say that she's a single woman aged between her late twenties and mid thirties (she's 32, to be exact) and everyone keeps harping on about how she isn't married. Please pause here to digest the absolute horror of her lack of ring. I understand if you need a moment.

SO. Lily is going to be in five weddings - for a work friend (Caryn), her college roommate (Sharon), her childhood best friend (Megan), her brother (Jake, who is marrying Madison), and her sister (Amy) - and the sheer amount of money she needs for this is horrifying. She starts a blog pretty much on impulse about her life and being in five weddings. It always irks me when a blog is used for quick, easy money, but Lily doesn't actually make much for the majority of the story - finally, a novel that's realistic about blogging! Lily's not perfect - she's particularly jealous of and unfair on her younger sister. She also doesn't always ask for the things she wants and just assumes the response will be negative, although we certainly see a couple of times when she does and she's shouted down by someone else. The blog is a place to vent. A place where she is still allowed to have feelings.

The problem with this novel is that the moment the blog is discovered (and, apparently, we're supposed to ignore the fact that Lily is literally doxxed), the novel starts working super hard to justify the brides' bad behaviour. Yes, Lily's venting is incredibly sarcastic and this isn't a subject she should be writing a public blog about, and, yes, as I said above, I don't like how belittling she is about her little sister (who did nothing to deserve it - Amy, and Madison, are both perfectly reasonable brides). However, everyone in her life suddenly wants her to know what a horrible, self-centred person she is, as if she hasn't spent the ENTIRE novel giving up a year of her life and almost bankrupting herself to go above and beyond for these people whilst they've treated her like dirt. She tracked down a dress she saw on Caryn's Pinterest board when she knew she was feeling despondent over wedding dresses and took her to a special viewing during their lunch break, fought with Sharon's mother (at Sharon's request), and withstood every criticism of her appearance with minimal arguing.

Let's start with Caryn, who only asked her to be a bridesmaid in the first place so that she could act as a buffer between her and the friends she doesn't like. Caryn forces Lily to dye her dark hair for her wedding (as someone with very dark hair, no way in hell - it would take so much bleach, I probably wouldn't have any hair left afterwards!) amongst several other changes to her physical appearance, including suggesting that she get botox, and whilst the novel notes that she went overboard with what she asked for, it also attempts to handwave it because wealth and status are important to Caryn. That's not a justification! Lily doesn't have the budget and Caryn knows it. She's also the first bride to get on the let's-make-Lily-feel-bad-about-her-size train when a minimising bra is suggested. Throughout the story, Lily (who sounds like she's a pretty average size) begins to show signs of being seriously unhappy with her body. She mentions early on she'd worked through some body image issues when she was younger and it feels like the brides brought them screaming back. The brides (or their friends or relatives) seem determined to make her hate herself.

Then there's Sharon. Sharon, Sharon, Sharon. Where to begin? Sharon explicitly asks Lily to join the wedding to be a buffer between her and her controlling mother because she doesn't even want a big wedding and her mum is making her have one. Yet, when the blog comes out, she insists that her mother only pushes for the things she knows Sharon really wants, but won't say because of her social anxiety. When it comes down to it though, even in private she was completely unable to tell her mother that she didn't want black bridesmaid dresses and needed Lily to fight that battle for her, which Lily did. The view Lily has of Sharon's mother was created by Sharon as much as it was by her mother's actions. The social anxiety reveal also feels like it's just there to make Lily look worse.

And then there's Megan. If Lily is self-centred, you really have to wonder what Megan would be considered to be. Supposedly, Megan has been Lily's best friend since elementary school, but her responses to Lily's issues with the ways that Caryn is changing her appearance are either ooh keep that for my wedding or well, that's just selfish, she knows you're going to be in multiple weddings and you'll need to change that back for mine. To be fair, being insensitive and tactless are pretty much her only crimes and she's a lovely bride otherwise. I don't particularly judge her for the groomsman thing. Of course she doesn't want drama at her wedding. Surely Lily can wait until after the wedding to properly discuss her feelings for Alex with her and get her blessing then?

The issue Jake and Madison have with Lily is justified - she didn't really put in a lot of effort to get to know her new sister-in-law, in part because she'd overextended herself with all the weddings. HOWEVER, their other sister, Amy, bonded with Madison on a trip she and her partner went on with Jake and Madison to check out the place where they were planning to have their destination wedding. A trip that Lily was specifically not invited on for the crime of being single - apparently, it was a "couples thing". There's certainly an argument to be made that Lily wouldn't have had the time or money anyway, but then she's made time for a lot of things throughout the novel and by not inviting her they're not really putting in the effort either.

It's just infuriating, because the fact that Lily was not treated like a human being doesn't get much acknowledgement from the people around her. It's like the novel turns round and says, suck it up, your feelings don't matter because you're a bridesmaid. No. she shouldn't have aired all their personal laundry on the internet, but I still feel like it comes down way too hard on the brides' side.

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. The story is about five weddings, in which Lily is a bridesmaid, and the preparations for the weddings. Not my area of interest, but I thought it was entertaining to read about all the situations Lily found herself in, the family and friends relationships, and her blog posts.

I expected some drama when everyone finds out about her blog in the last third of the story, but I didn't like how it went. I do feel that Lily was unfair towards her sister Amy and her future sister-in-law. But her friends (especially Caryn), including some bridesmaids, were awful to her – body shaming her and making her spend money she doesn't have on their ridiculous demands. And she just let them, trying to make everyone happy, and never standing up for herself. She only had her blog to vent about it. I guess what she wrote in her blog wasn't nice, but for me it balanced out how the other people treated her. So no, I didn't see any reason why Lily should apologize to any of her friends. It should have been the other way around.

Another thing that really bothered me was Alex. He is so wonderful throughout most of the story and I really liked their friendship. Then we have a third act breakup, even though they are not in a relationship. I was so disappointed with how he acted after finding out about the blog. He was ready to erase months of friendship, and attraction to Lily, for what?

I knew all along that it wasn't Justin she was with. That's pretty obvious. But we also find out that on that night nothing happened between Alex and her. I honestly don't get why he never mentioned anything to her, yet gets angry because she never told him about Justin – which, by the way, there was nothing to tell since it didn't happen. And her friend Megan also knew who the shirt belonged to and had to know it wasn't Justin that Lily was with, but she kept it from her and even told her to stay away from Alex. What kind of friend does that?

This could have been a 4-star read, but the last third ruined it for me. Giving it generous 3 stars for the part of the book that kept me entertained and an enjoyable audio version.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Weiss is thirty two, single, and a professional bridesmaid - at least that is what you become when you are a bridesmaid five times in six weeks right?! She is selfless and kindhearted, but needs a place to vent - there born the Bridesmania anonymous blog where Lily can openly talk about bridezillas, the high cost of being part of a wedding party, body shaming and lots of Spanx, and all the nuances of helping friends through their happily ever after.

The writing was refreshingly fun, snarky, funny, but with just the same amount of heart in an addictive and hilarious read. Perfect summer reading and the perfect weekend read for me.

[BernLuvsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, snarky and relatable read!⁣
⁣
Have you ever been a bridesmaid? My core group of friends and I all got married around the same time. We essentially took turns being in each other’s weddings. This book brought me back to that time in my life and let’s just say that I haven’t laughed this hard in awhile with a book. There were moments where I was transported back in time, remembering crazy things that happened bc let’s be real, weddings are stressful as hell. ⁣
⁣
Lily is a bridesmaid in 5 weddings over a six week period. Bring on the dress shopping, spanx, bachelorette parties and of course the hilarious bridezilla moments. She takes to blogging as an outlet for all the wedding shenanigans. Her blog was supposed to be anonymous and no one was supposed to know or get hurt. Unfortunately, as with most secrets, the blog does not remain hidden. I, on the other hand, am glad we were privy to her blog posts because they were hilarious! ⁣
⁣
This book has so much wedding drama, snark, heart and romance. I adored Alex - he was just such a kind hearted, good guy. Their romance was sweet and I wish we had even more of it. For the Love of Friends proved to be a fun, summer read! I’m already looking forward to book 2 which will center around Lily’s very amusing grandma. ⁣
⁣

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bridesmaid drama is always such a fun theme for me, and I found the main character Lily so darn relatable. Single at thirty-two and in about a million weddings, she takes to blogging about the horrors of being a bridesmaid, if only to preserve any remaining sanity. The chaos that ensues as a result of her blog, dealing with her family, and the hilarity of the crazy weddings she’s forced to participate in, makes this a fun lighthearted read, that will have you simultaneously cackling and wanting to avoid bridesmaid duties.

Thank you Amazon Publishing for my gifted copy.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

3.5 stars

For the Love of Friends is a light, easy read with surprising maturity.

98% of this plot is entirely predictable. We all know what to expect going into a story about demanding brides and an anonymous blog... Not to mention the whole 'I'm attracted to you, but we should just be friends who talk and hang out constantly' thing. So by around the halfway point, I started to consider skipping the rest of the book - not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because I knew where it was going. I'm glad I kept reading, though. Because when everything blows up - exactly the way you know it will - Lily's reactions are so refreshing and honest. It's so nice to have a realistic response to a crazy situation - it made the whole story that much more enjoyable.

So while I'm sure you'll be able to predict what happens here, I'd still recommend For the Love of Friends . The narrative is lighthearted with unexpected warmth and a welcome perspective on some very familiar tropes.

Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.

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[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding out about this novel was a case of book besherte. A friend from my neighborhood heard about it from a group of Jewish moms in our county on Facebook. (I didn't even know the group existed, but then joined it right away.) She told me about it and I reached out to the author's publicist, who then sent me a copy and connected me with the author for an interview. When I finally got around to reading it, I was more than impressed by this fantastic debut romcom.

I have over a decade on Lily and have only been a bridesmaid once, but she was so relatable that I couldn't help but root for her, even when the people in her life thought she was being awful. She and I both have a sibling who lives in Chicago while we live in the DC area (and I love that the story takes place here). We're both first-born children and Jewish. Also, we both worked at a job for 10 years even though it wasn't what we were meant to be doing, career-wise. I loved Lily's snark and sense of humor. The dialogue and banter was spot-on the entire time. I also found myself messaging the author anytime one of the wicked bridesmaids made me really angry. I had fun learning about the reason why these characters were created to act that way.

This was such a great story that I can't stop recommending! I told my sister that she needs to read it because she's the one who stood up in a lot of weddings. I already can't wait to read Sara Goodman Confino's next book.

Movie casting suggestions:

Lily: Kat Dennings

Alex: James Wolk

Amy: Madison Iseman

Madison: Molly Gordon

Megan: Sheila Vand

Caryn: Amanda Leighton

Lily's grandma: Lainie Kazan

[Meika Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, bridezillas are a fictional and real thing.

The premises is that Lily is single and writes a blog about her experience being a bridesmaid to 5 different brides.

Slight spoiler, but Lily should have not apologized to Bride A (Caryn) for making Lily change her looks to fit a “look for photos”. Caryn did not deserve an apology for being awful to Lily. I don’t even care if she stood up for her in the end, she’s awful.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

- kind of slow
- the drama between the bridesmaids wasnt very realistic and just seemed way too highschool-like
- the "secret" groomsman she had a one night stand with was too obvious, as was the whole blog eventually not being so anonymous anymore.

I didn't vibe AT ALL with the main character tbh... she wasn't that funny but she tried really hard to be. And she's kind of an a-hole. Literally all of these characters were kind of jerks. All the main character does is talks about herself with her love interest, we don't get to know much about the love interest at all really. AND the main character's NOT EVEN A GOOD WRITER like everyone is saying in the book !! Also the grandma was not funny and just very annoying.

:/ I'm actually pretty disappointed in this book since I expected so much because of the author's new book She's Up to No Good (which I ADORED). She redeemed herself in that one that's for sure. Oddly though the grandma in both books had the same name too?

The only reason I finished this book is my uncomfortableness with not finishing a book (no matter how much i hate it)

[Angie Miale · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so tempting to rate backlist titles from a newly discovered author and compare them to the first one you have read. This is my least favorite Sara Goodman Confino book, but that said, it is STILL a five star read. I love her more recent historical fiction titles. This book is a contemporary fiction book about a 32 year old "spinster" who is in 5 weddings, her best friend, both her siblings, a work bestie, and another friend. She is trying to afford them and balance all of her responsibilities. A lot of commentary on wedding culture and examples of people being ridiculous. I don't like the term "bridezilla" and "momzilla" as I find them vaguely misogynistic, as it puts the blame on the individual instead of the overall culture. This book definitely has something to say, it is very funny, well paced and well written. The main character is likable and relatable. She decides to write a blog about her experiences and finds support from her online readers. I will read anything SGC writes!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for a arc copy for a honest review.

For The Love Of Friend’s was a fun read I love Lilly she was so much fun to read she has a busy life I give this book 3 star’s

Happy Reading

Lisa

[skyeslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Lily (from her own POV) as she navigates being a bridesmaid in five different weddings that take place all within two months. oh my gosh, can you even imagine?!

Along the way, she makes and loses friends, but ultimately learns a lot. While Lily does have some selfish tendencies, I found her to be pretty selfless — to the point where it bothered me at times. There were moments where she let people treat her badly or get away with stuff that I would never tolerate. But she did it For the Love of Friends. ;)

This was a really fun book, and I loved Lily as a narrator. The romantic plotline was not front-and-center, but it was present enough to get me invested. For me personally, I would have enjoyed a little more on the romance side. Especially because I really liked her love interest. I think that’s the only thing that could have enhanced my reading experience here.

If you’re interested in reading abut a witty, thirty-something professional that is still trying to figure life out, I highly recommend this one!

I want to thank the author — Sara Goodman Confino — for sending me a physical copy of this book for me to read and review!

[Christine Manzari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and sweet and hard to put down.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an entertaining read. There are many laughs to be had and found within the pages of this book. Lily and her blog, Bridesmania are the stars of this book. I think any woman who has been a bridesmaid can relate to the things that Lily wrote about. There are so many hilarious moments that I can not pick just a few. Almost every other page I was smiling and laughing.

Luckily, for me I have one sister and most of my friends and co workers are already married or younger than me have closer friends to ask the honor of bridesmaid. My sister was not picky when it came to her bridesmaid. When it came time for me to get married; my sister was living in another state and almost due to have her first child, so she could not travel. My husband and I opted to have a small wedding and no bridesmaids or groomsmen.

Back to the book. If you are looking for a book to get lost in one afternoon, then you need to pick up a copy of this book. You will be glad to be sitting on the sidelines.

[Laura ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

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.

[avid reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow I am not sure how to unpack this book, ok in all fairness I am not going to say that over all it was a horrible piece of literature. Plus, the author knows how to write kudos to you my dear! However, ms Confinó you actually could write a female character that is NOT a door mat. Is this what society in general views women?! This book shows how much a push over women can be. The idea that female characters are cardboards cut out, insecure, one dimensional, like the main character in this book is in fact, preposterous. I would never let people make me feel the way this character was made feel by relatively all her close family and friends. This book does not in many instances reflect me and many women out there that, have self respect and value themselves over superficial bull shit called, social cues. It saddens me to no end to read books like this one, that for some reason I keep giving chance after chance with no change in sight. I am sorry, I know, I am in the minority here with all the five stars reviews. I wanted to like this book I did but, at last I just did not find it at all realistic nor empowering towards all the women out there.

[Rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @netgalley for the arc.

The protagonist Lilly Weiss finds herself being her mother's worst nightmare. But that didn't concern Lily as much as finding herself in five different weddings and being the bridesmaid in every single of them.

This was one really quick read. The wedding bells were heavy in this book. Lliterally felt like reading something out of a movie. Hilarious indeed, with just the right amount of romance. There were lots of wedding surrounded dramas which were really entertaining. Of course in situation like this we find tons of bridesmaids and groomsmen(you can guess what may happen;)The bridesmaids were really annoying seriously. There were perpetuation of body shaming and single shaming. But Lily helped her friends and herself conquer it. I loved how she always have the snarky comebacks for internalized misogyny. This really felt like a movie night rom com.

[Suzy Krause · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real world was an annoying distraction to me while I read this book—For the Love of Friends was such a fun escape, with an ending that caused a lot of good self-reflection. Loved it.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, madcap, contemporary novel perfect for that beach read by the pool – from Amazon’s book club imprint Lake Union Publishing.

Our heroine Lily is trying to survive the upcoming year where she is a bridesmaid in five (yes, five) weddings for friends and family in just as two-month period. Attempting to balance her job, her maid of honor/bridesmaid duties, not to mention her budget is stretching her to the breaking point. Finicky friends, family jealousies, and a cram-packed schedule push her to the point of losing it. Then there’s the groomsmen Lily slept with after one of wedding-related event parties (oops) who she’s desperately trying to avoid. Can Lily keep her sanity and survive a budding romance with a friend as well? Hop on board this crazy ride of a book and find out!

Some parts were a bit predictable, and it was a bit boggy in the first half with all of the wedding preparations (could have been peppier). But the book had an awesome theme of being brave and not scared to do what you love.

Recommended for fans of novels highlighting the craziness of the modern world in the vein of Julie Valerie’s Holly Banks Village of Primm series or Emma Gannon’s Olive, or for your next book club read.

A big thank you to debut author Sara Goodman Confino, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

To grab a copy of For the Love of Friends for yourself, head on over to www.BookShop.org – the online bookstore that gives 75% of each book’s profit margin back to independent bookshops. Find yours at https://bookshop.org/lists/best-ficti....

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[Emely · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5☆
Una mezcla entre las películas de 27 bodas, Damas en guerra y un poco del programa de Say yes to the dress.

Lily es dama de honor de CINCO bodas en un mismo verano. Ella es una soltera de treinta y dos años todo esto para el horror de su madre y más aún cuando dos de estas cinco bodas son de sus hermanos menores.

"Did I have any normal friends left? Or did weddings turn everyone into unrecognizable zombies who fed on bridesmaids instead of brains?"

Lidiar con algunas de las HORRIBLES damas de honor y las "Mom-zillas", cumplir TODASlas exigencias de las novias, su creciente grado de pobreza debido al costo de estar en tantas bodas y un posible nuevo romance entre ella y un lindo padrino, están teniendo repercusiones en la cordura de Lily así que ella decide crear un blog anónimo en donde pueda desahogarse y tal vez poder sacar un poco de dinero mientras esta en ello.

ME ENCANTÓ, no me lo esperaba, pero me mantuvo riendo y súper enganchada. Durante cada capítulo solo estaba esperando a que alguna de las personas involucradas descubriera el blog y como todo iba a explotar cuando dejará de ser anónimo.

Es un libro que tiene un pizca de romance pero mayormente se enfoca en hacerte reír y te deja preguntándote hasta donde llegarías por amor a tus amigos.

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Hello Book Friends! FOR THE LOVE OF FRIENDS by Sara Goodman Confino was exactly what I needed for my vacation. This book is funny, likable, and relatable. I found myself relating to Lily Weiss in many ways. I have those “friends” that commented on my weight, my age, my “need to do something about those lines near my eyes”. Luckily, my family is not like hers, although my mom has some similarities to hers (she is a great critic). Being in the wedding part of five weddings in the same year is quite an exploit. Lily handles this the best she can. It might be tricky, but it is definitely entertaining. And if Lily can find love amid all that chaos, she is not doing too bad unless she messes up real bad. I really enjoyed this fun read. It is a perfect summer book.

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[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

I loved this book so much! For the Love of Friends is my third book by this author. Her two newer books are historical fiction. This one is a contemporary romance/humorous women's fiction.

The narrator is 32 year old Lily Weiss. She is asked to be a bridesmaid for 5 weddings. And honestly the bridesmaid drama was hilarious. She starts blogging about it anonymously. And honestly I loved this so much.

This book is so funny. I honestly could not put it down. I loved how Lily was there for her friends. And I really enjoyed how crazy the brides and other bridesmaids were throughout this story. And there is romance, which I absolutely adored.

Overall this book is fantastic. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun read that will make you smile. I absolutely loved it!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for sharing this story!

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!!

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

*read for free via Kindle Unlimited and audible audio *

This was a fun story with plenty of "what the hell" moments. A misunderstanding at the end is worthy of a facepalm and some laughter.

I probably would have been one of her blog's readers *sheepish *

I thought her growth after everything went down was well done and there were consequences for her actions, not everything being brushed over or swept under the rug.

Also glad Lily stood up for herself, even if it took awhile.

Also that a certain side character finally got told off.

The romance for Lily was a nice compliment to the story and not overshadowing everything, which was nice.

I want to keep Lily's grandma, she's a hoot :)

[menna hafez · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.