For the Love of Friends A Novel

Sara Goodman Confino — 2021

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?

Reviews

Jessica Ford@jessford

Jan 7, 2023

4.5 stars I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you Goodreads! This was a quick, fun read, especially if you like snark. Laugh out loud hilarity. Looking forward to more from this author.

Skye@skyeslibrary

Mar 22, 2022

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!

Allie Garza@bookishblus

Nov 22, 2021

I was lucky to receive an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So it's currently 1:30AM! I couldn't put the book down after the first chapter. I really enjoyed Lily's voice in the book she was very relatable and snarky and I loved it. As I read I kept thinking the name of the book was a little off but at the end you really understand why it's called For the Love of Friend. Don't want to go into spoilers but Alex is amazing and definitely makes it to my Husbandooo List! The banter he and Lily had had me laughing throughout the book. Each of the bride's are pretty well developed so you get a feel of what's Lily is going through same can be said for her family. Over all I really enjoyed this book, I can't wait to buy a copy and get the audiobook when it becomes available!