For the Love of Friends: A Novel

For the Love of Friends: A Novel

  • Downloads:7781
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-08-15 11:21:02
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Sara Goodman Confino
  • ISBN:1713584565
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

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 is her mother’s worst nightmare: thirty-two and single—the horror! She’s also a talented writer but hides behind a boring job at a science foundation。 To her friends, she’s reliable and selfless, which is how she winds up a bridesmaid in five weddings in six weeks。 Anything for her three best friends and two (younger) siblings, right? Even if her own love life is…well, she’d rather not talk about it。 To keep her sanity, Lily needs a safe place to vent。

And so her anonymous blog, Bridesmania, is born。 The posts start pouring out of her: all the feels about mom-zillas, her vanishing bank balance, the wicked bridesmaids of the west, high-strung brides-to-be, body-shaming dress clerks, bachelorette parties, and Spanx for days, not to mention being deemed guardian of eighty-eight-year-old Granny (who enjoys morning mimosas in the nude) for her brother’s destination wedding。

So far the blog has stayed anonymous。 But as everyone knows, few things online remain secret forever…

When all is said and done, can Lily help all five couples make it to happily ever after? And will her own happy ending be close behind?

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Reviews

Michelle

For the Love of Friends is what I'd consider a mostly light-hearted summer read。 While the book's protagonist, Lily, did tackle a few of the difficult subjects that women face in their lives, it was all handled in a humorous-sometimes delightfully snarky-way。 Lily has some great insight into what makes her friends tick, and after a serious miscalculation in blogging about those insights she is forced to turn that lens on herself。 I really enjoyed the humor in this story, which helped to keep the For the Love of Friends is what I'd consider a mostly light-hearted summer read。 While the book's protagonist, Lily, did tackle a few of the difficult subjects that women face in their lives, it was all handled in a humorous-sometimes delightfully snarky-way。 Lily has some great insight into what makes her friends tick, and after a serious miscalculation in blogging about those insights she is forced to turn that lens on herself。 I really enjoyed the humor in this story, which helped to keep the book from getting too dark in terms of the catty bridesmaid and bridezilla interactions。 The romance is definitely not the priority of the story, but was slow-burn and very sweet。 I love a great friends to lovers relationship。 If this is what we get from the author's first book, than I'm looking forward to the stories that are shared next。 。。。more

Debbie Rozier

About the Book32 year old and still single, Lily, who is in public relations for a science nonprofit, is in 5 weddings in the same year。 These include her younger brother, younger sister, college roommate, best friend since childhood, and work best friend。To get out her frustrations about some of the goings on with the bridal parties AND to hopefully generate some much needed spare income to pay to be a 5 time bridesmaid, Lily starts an anonymous blog。 In this blog, she gets out her feelings as About the Book32 year old and still single, Lily, who is in public relations for a science nonprofit, is in 5 weddings in the same year。 These include her younger brother, younger sister, college roommate, best friend since childhood, and work best friend。To get out her frustrations about some of the goings on with the bridal parties AND to hopefully generate some much needed spare income to pay to be a 5 time bridesmaid, Lily starts an anonymous blog。 In this blog, she gets out her feelings as she tells stories such as how one bride expects all the bridal party to have Botox and her grandmother’s exploits at her brother’s wedding in Mexico。Through all this, Lily meets a nice guy and they become best friends and maybe more?!?But when Buzzfeed outs Lily for being the author of the blog, Lily may loose not only 5 friends but one special guy!My ThoughtsThis book is a laugh out loud RomCom that also has the wonderful element of a lesson learned。I enjoyed watching Lily’s character evolve during the course of the book。 She not only becomes self aware but she also begins to find that creative writing spark that’s been missing from her life for the past 10 years。I also like the fact that body image especially during weddings and the high cost of participating in a wedding was addressed。 I loved the way the plot was handled when all the brides learned about the blog。The ending had a nice little twist that I did not see coming。It doesn’t need to be wedding season to enjoy this fantastic read! 。。。more

Shira

Took a while to get going, but overall a cute, fun read。 Second successful amazon first read in a row。

Matthew A。

So funny and so honest。 I truly could not put this book down until the end。 Then was disappointed that there are no other books by this gifted writer。 I laughed out loud more times then I could count and was as heartbroken as Lily when she lost her anonymity, although most of her friends were bridezillas and treated her so badly, I was appalled and felt that they had as much to apologize for as Lily did。 Hair color and fake lashes??? Body shaming?? Weddings can bring out the best and the worst i So funny and so honest。 I truly could not put this book down until the end。 Then was disappointed that there are no other books by this gifted writer。 I laughed out loud more times then I could count and was as heartbroken as Lily when she lost her anonymity, although most of her friends were bridezillas and treated her so badly, I was appalled and felt that they had as much to apologize for as Lily did。 Hair color and fake lashes??? Body shaming?? Weddings can bring out the best and the worst in many of us and Sara got it right。 The dialog was excellent and believable。 Please publish again soon!! I really enjoyed this book。 。。。more

Ticey Geyer

This book was hilarious and so much fun!! I love weddings, but I can’t even imagine being in 5 weddings during one summer and Lily’s blog of keeping it up with it was absolute perfection。 We’ve all come across a bridezilla or two! But despite all the laughs, this story still had plenty of heart。 It’s about friendships, family, and falling in love! Romcom lovers this one is for you!4。5 stars rounded up to 5

Judy

This is a fun story about a woman who ends up as bridesmaid at five friends' weddings within a few weeks period。 Suddenly her friends become bridezillas (or their mothers become momzillas)。 To relieve her feelings, she starts an anonymous and somewhat fictionalized blog describing her dilemma in an attempt to makes some extra money to help pay for the wedding expenses。 It starts off slowly, but as the brides' demands become more outrageous, she becomes more outrageous, and when she is finally ou This is a fun story about a woman who ends up as bridesmaid at five friends' weddings within a few weeks period。 Suddenly her friends become bridezillas (or their mothers become momzillas)。 To relieve her feelings, she starts an anonymous and somewhat fictionalized blog describing her dilemma in an attempt to makes some extra money to help pay for the wedding expenses。 It starts off slowly, but as the brides' demands become more outrageous, she becomes more outrageous, and when she is finally outed as the author, everyone is angry with her。 My main reaction was incredulity about how out of control weddings are in this world。 But her snarky reaction is entertaining at least。 3。5 stars 。。。more

keli pittman

Funny I really enjoyed this book。 It was light hearted and made me smile at the main characters shenanigans。 I laughed out loud a few times。 The premise of the story was pretty standard so I knew what I was getting in too but I enjoyed the storyline。 Can't wait to read more by this author。 Funny I really enjoyed this book。 It was light hearted and made me smile at the main characters shenanigans。 I laughed out loud a few times。 The premise of the story was pretty standard so I knew what I was getting in too but I enjoyed the storyline。 Can't wait to read more by this author。 。。。more

Meimi

This book made me laugh out loud albeit all the clichès and predictability and cringe-worthy moments of the plot。 The way the blog was created is way too easy or recognizable for someone trying to be anonymous so it was already expected to fail at some point。 This book has both its ups and downs in terms of creativeness and writing — but, hey, who am I to judge this way eh?All I can say is if you’re looking for some light reading。。 a chick flick in the form of a book — then pick this book up!

Donna read。athon2021

I kindly received an advance copy of this book to read and review though NetGalley。 I was only a bridesmaid once, and that put me off having any in my own wedding。 Being a single thirty something when all your friends get married, right up there with depressing life stuff。 I really felt for Lily。 At 32, she is single and somehow a bridesmaid at 3 friends weddings。 Things deteriorate when both her younger brother and then younger sister also announce their engagements and ask her to be part of th I kindly received an advance copy of this book to read and review though NetGalley。 I was only a bridesmaid once, and that put me off having any in my own wedding。 Being a single thirty something when all your friends get married, right up there with depressing life stuff。 I really felt for Lily。 At 32, she is single and somehow a bridesmaid at 3 friends weddings。 Things deteriorate when both her younger brother and then younger sister also announce their engagements and ask her to be part of the wedding party。 It’s no wonder that Lily gets a bit drunk and can’t remember the events of the evening。 But Lily finds her voice when the wedding planning gets going。 Pity that the voice isn’t too complimentary about her friends and family。 I enjoyed this story。 It’s a pretty light read but deals with that time in life when all seems pretty hopeless。 📚📖 📚 。。。more

Jessica (readitandquip) H

Snarky & fun! This is for all your former bridesmaids who’ve known what it’s like to deal with bridezillas, momzillas, and the cost of weddings!

Alexandra Klotz

This book was so so so good! As a woman in my early 30s, it was very relatable。 Highly recommend! I’ll be passing onto my girlfriends to read。

Mary

Love this books! Love the personality of the main character! A quirky and fun read that tugs at the heartstrings! Highly recommend for anyone who loves a romantic comedy!

Diana Leneker

Loved this book。 Just a great blend of snark with humor。 This is a new to me author but now an automatic buy!

Madelyn Hwang

one of the best books i’ve read in a while!!!!

Eve

This books is so cute and fun, I was looking for good beach books and this was perfect。 If you’ve ever been in a wedding or part of one you can relate to Lily。 The love interest is cute and it feels realistic, not a hallmark dude at all! I will say as a warning the main character is body-shamed repeatedly (mostly in the start about bridesmaid dresses) and it’s super valid and a real experience but might be good to know in advance for some readers。 A+ book! Ironically someone in my family got eng This books is so cute and fun, I was looking for good beach books and this was perfect。 If you’ve ever been in a wedding or part of one you can relate to Lily。 The love interest is cute and it feels realistic, not a hallmark dude at all! I will say as a warning the main character is body-shamed repeatedly (mostly in the start about bridesmaid dresses) and it’s super valid and a real experience but might be good to know in advance for some readers。 A+ book! Ironically someone in my family got engaged while I was reading this XD 。。。more

yasmi

I did not expect to fall in love with this book as much as I did! This book was very fun, relatable and sweet。 I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely fell in love with the characters, they were so easy to connect with。 Lily made so many mistakes, but it never made me dislike her。 Alex was definitely favourite - what a hero! The only thing I would change about this book is the amount of diet culture talk - I wouldn’t mind if this was toned down a bit。 I also didn’t like that whenever we found out a I did not expect to fall in love with this book as much as I did! This book was very fun, relatable and sweet。 I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely fell in love with the characters, they were so easy to connect with。 Lily made so many mistakes, but it never made me dislike her。 Alex was definitely favourite - what a hero! The only thing I would change about this book is the amount of diet culture talk - I wouldn’t mind if this was toned down a bit。 I also didn’t like that whenever we found out about Alex’s past trauma, it was swept under the rug very quickly and never brought up again。 I found it a bit predictable at times, but I didn’t mind at all - it felt very comforting。This book was overall very funny, light hearted and an amazing summer read。 I stayed up all night to finish it! I absolutely recommended this。Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc。 。。。more

Mary Mccormack

Honest review This book had me cracking up, almost in tears, and wanting to hug the main character all in one book。 I guessed the twist in the story, but loved that even that had surprises to offer。

Muskan Modi

Oh, God! Picking this one up has been one of my best decisions this week。 The reality of Adulthood hits Lily like a train when she is invited to 5 weddings at once。 Her younger siblings have life figured out, her friends are getting a house and moving on with life。 Basically, everyone is doing grown-up, adult things except Lily, who drinks martinis until she gets blackout drunk at parties。 In between all this drama, she starts a blog "Bridesmania" But what would happen if everyone found out abou Oh, God! Picking this one up has been one of my best decisions this week。 The reality of Adulthood hits Lily like a train when she is invited to 5 weddings at once。 Her younger siblings have life figured out, her friends are getting a house and moving on with life。 Basically, everyone is doing grown-up, adult things except Lily, who drinks martinis until she gets blackout drunk at parties。 In between all this drama, she starts a blog "Bridesmania" But what would happen if everyone found out about her blog? I love the character of Lily。 I like how snarky she is, and doesn't take everything seriously。 At the same time, she loves her friends, is determined and passionate, and has a great sense of humor。 The book was engaging。 I finished the whole thing in a day, despite having a family event and exams going on。 I adore Alex。 He is such a sweet and caring guy。 Overall, the book is awesome。 Would highly recommend picking this up。 Thank You Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC of this book。 。。。more

Amanda

I’m shocked at how much I loved this book。 I hate to say anything close to “I’m not like other girls” but I’m at least not like the women that a lot of pop media is aimed at in that I have less than zero interest in weddings。 So I’m not sure what actually made me download this but I’m very glad I did because it was *really* good。 Great characters, genuinely funny and more relatable than anything I’ve read in recent memory。

Talie

3。5 starsThanks to Lake Union Publishing for the arc!One sentence review: A snarky fictional commentary of one woman's experience as a bridesmaid in five different weddings that would be perfect for people who like books about weddings or who love shows like Real Housewives。⁣⁣Lily Weiss finds herself as a bridesmaid at five weddings。 And some of these brides, and what they ask of her, will just make you shake your head。 Lily's way of coping? Well by writing an anonymous blog about her friends an 3。5 starsThanks to Lake Union Publishing for the arc!One sentence review: A snarky fictional commentary of one woman's experience as a bridesmaid in five different weddings that would be perfect for people who like books about weddings or who love shows like Real Housewives。⁣⁣Lily Weiss finds herself as a bridesmaid at five weddings。 And some of these brides, and what they ask of her, will just make you shake your head。 Lily's way of coping? Well by writing an anonymous blog about her friends and family of course。 What could possibly go wrong?⁣⁣My thoughts:⁣⁣- I really liked how this book explores the complicated dynamics of friends and family and how weddings can really bring out the worst in people。⁣- This book is all about the characters。 The author really brings these characters to life。 I didn't necessarily like them all but that felt real to me。⁣- Some of the antics going on in this story are pretty funny, while others are just cringe worthy。 And I think it is a line that this book balances pretty well。⁣- I didn't necessarily always find this book an easy read。 However when I got to the end I really felt like the book did a great job of making everything come full circle。 Life, especially friends and family, can be messy, and this book has fun illustrating this mess。 ⁣- If you are looking for a sunshine and rainbows story about weddings - this is not it。 This book is snarky and passive aggressive and illustrates a lot of behaviors that aren't particularly admirable。 However it really does a great job of capturing the weird emotions and expectations that occur around weddings that can bring out the worst in people。 ⁣⁣I recommend this book to people who like wedding stories with an edge。 There is an element of romance to this but at its heart I'd consider this more a work of contemporary fiction or women's lit。 。。。more

Shareca

This was so much "27 Dresses" with a wonderful, cute spin。 I love weddings, so I love For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino。 While this was uncorrected, it seemed fine enough to read。 It was in pretty decent shape to be uncorrected。 The "I'm sure she's a very sharp spoon" line is such a funny one, and there are many more that are just like that in the prose。 It was relatable, and I loved it! This was so much "27 Dresses" with a wonderful, cute spin。 I love weddings, so I love For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino。 While this was uncorrected, it seemed fine enough to read。 It was in pretty decent shape to be uncorrected。 The "I'm sure she's a very sharp spoon" line is such a funny one, and there are many more that are just like that in the prose。 It was relatable, and I loved it! 。。。more

Paula Williams

#Bridesmania is the perfect word Lily uses as her blog title, that she uses to write about the chaos of being in 5 weddings! What fun I had reading #FortheLoveofFriends! Lily is a lovable character! I mean, what are the chances anyone would get asked to be in so many weddings at once? I would go berserk! Lily handles it all as she tries to manage being the forever bridesmaid! Her friends & family were quite ridiculous & rude along the way! I’m not quite sure how she managed the craziness, but sh #Bridesmania is the perfect word Lily uses as her blog title, that she uses to write about the chaos of being in 5 weddings! What fun I had reading #FortheLoveofFriends! Lily is a lovable character! I mean, what are the chances anyone would get asked to be in so many weddings at once? I would go berserk! Lily handles it all as she tries to manage being the forever bridesmaid! Her friends & family were quite ridiculous & rude along the way! I’m not quite sure how she managed the craziness, but she did!! Confino’s #debutnovel is not to be missed! I’m so ready for her next one! 。。。more

Kerstin

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, I’m guessing。” “She’s not even a knife。 She might be a spoon。” “I’m sure she’s a very sharp spoon。” I thought this was a cute read! Of course some events were obviously going to happen, but I still enjoyed this。 There were some definite funny parts and I got some good chuckles out it, like the quote above。 Honestly, my biggest complaint I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, I’m guessing。” “She’s not even a knife。 She might be a spoon。” “I’m sure she’s a very sharp spoon。” I thought this was a cute read! Of course some events were obviously going to happen, but I still enjoyed this。 There were some definite funny parts and I got some good chuckles out it, like the quote above。 Honestly, my biggest complaint was how awful everyone was to Lily! I could NOT believe some of the things that were said to her and I don't feel like anyone ever apologized to her! She definitely got the worst deal at the end。 All in all, it was a cute read and I enjoyed the romance。 I also enjoyed the inside look into weddings!! 。。。more

Daryl Price

Loved this book。 The main character was hilarious。 I loved the subject matter and how everything happened。 For a great laugh。。。read this book。

BernLuvsBooks

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 weddi 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。 ⁣⁣ 。。。more

Jen

What a fun romance to get stuck into。Who doesn’t enjoy a book about adults behaving rather badly? Lilly is 32, still single (much to her mother’s dismay) and suddenly in five weddings over the course of one summer (two of which are her younger siblings)。 Aside from the mounting costs, Lilly is completely out of her comfort zone among some of the other bridesmaids, for whom $3,000-weekend getaways, a spot of Botox, and regular hair- and lash-treatments are everyday expenditures。 And let’s not for What a fun romance to get stuck into。Who doesn’t enjoy a book about adults behaving rather badly? Lilly is 32, still single (much to her mother’s dismay) and suddenly in five weddings over the course of one summer (two of which are her younger siblings)。 Aside from the mounting costs, Lilly is completely out of her comfort zone among some of the other bridesmaids, for whom $3,000-weekend getaways, a spot of Botox, and regular hair- and lash-treatments are everyday expenditures。 And let’s not forget the snarky comments about Lily’s weight, height, and boob-size。To vent her frustrations, Lily starts a blog and, well, I’m sure you can imagine the rest。This was such a fun read。 I loved the snark, the bitchy friends, the ridiculous expectations from both brides and their families… It’s all so far out there and yet totally believable (I’m sure we’ve all met a Bridezilla in our lifetime)。 And the romance was done just right! The perfect summer read if you’re in the mood for something light and entertaining that’s also very well written。 。。。more

Cornelia

First things first, I love how the almost-impossible premise of For the Love of Friends (being a bridesmaids for five different brides in the same year!) is made just plausible。 Does Lily get in over her head? Absolutely。 Does she know this? Kinda。 Is it fun to watch? One-hundred percent!There is so much truth in how weddings (and other milestones) can bring out the worst in the people close to you- all those friends you’ve outgrown and family who let excitement or jealously get the better of th First things first, I love how the almost-impossible premise of For the Love of Friends (being a bridesmaids for five different brides in the same year!) is made just plausible。 Does Lily get in over her head? Absolutely。 Does she know this? Kinda。 Is it fun to watch? One-hundred percent!There is so much truth in how weddings (and other milestones) can bring out the worst in the people close to you- all those friends you’ve outgrown and family who let excitement or jealously get the better of them。 And Lily gets to witness this- and become part of this- four-fold。 Enter: Bridesmania, the Blog。 Borne out of the financial costs of attending/being a bridesmaid in five weddings, Bridesmania is an attempt to recoup some of the gallons of money she's spending on these weddings。 The blog allows Lily to release all the things she can't say to the brides, their overbearing families, or their awful friends。 It also allows her to poke fun at her situation since she can't really unload on her friends amidst their wedding-hazed brains。 Would a therapist perhaps be a more appropriate confidante? Maybe。 But no one pays you to go to therapy!However, as much as I loved the themes of this book (and the compassionate truth buried within) I was a little disappointed with the relatively slow pace。 It took a while for the wedding-tension to build and for the romance to get cooking, so there wasn't much to root for in the beginning。 Once it started, though, the banter was on fire and the chemistry was THERE。 Also they had a pretty sweet courtship。 It just took a little while to get there。Additionally, the way potential assault was handled rubbed me the wrong way since it wasn't really treated as such, though Lily did question the consent at one point。 While it made sense for Lily to be hard on herself (for other reasons) it was a little hard to get past so casually。 TW: SA, body-shaming。 A major plot point revolves around what Lily assumes to be a blackout-drunk hookup, though Lily is largely unaffected。 Multiple body-shaming comments are made by the wedding parties, though Lily pushes back。 。。。more

Cheryl

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 close 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。 。。。more

Dani

When her anonymous bridezilla blog went viral—the secondhand embarrassment was seriously painful for me。

☕️Hélène⚜️

Review to come