For the Love of Friends: A Novel

Written by Sara Goodman Confino

Narrated by Andrea Emmes

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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713584575

Sara Goodman Confino

Sara Goodman Confino is the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write, She’s Up to No Good, and For the Love of Friends. She teaches high school journalism and creative writing in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and two miniature schnauzers, Sandy and Gracie. When she’s not writing or working out, she can be found on the beach or at a Bruce Springsteen show, sometimes even dancing onstage. For more information, visit saraconfino.com.

Reviews for For the Love of Friends

[Raluca Copil · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although I love the author, It's not my favourite book
I hated that the main character tried so hard to please everyone only to be treated as a doormat.
The grand finale was filled with her apologising to all those who were rude to her and abused her , and the ending with her love interest was rushed and unconvincing. The miscommunication between them was ridiculous.

Unfortunately, I also did not like at all the voice of the narrator.

[Emily Sell · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

DNF the audiobook. I couldn’t stand how the narrator enunciated words. Lily sounded like LeeLee. The story line was flat and the characters were all crappy people. I loved Behind Every Good Man, but this book fell short for me.

[claudia zobel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Have found a new go-to author, too bad she’s only published two books so far, this one and She’s Up to No Good.

[vanessa cardenas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't stop reading it until I finished all the pages. What a roller coaster ride of emotion.

[Ephraim Tsalik · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable book by this terrific author. I’m looking forward to reading her next book.

[kimo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't stand it. All the people that piled their shit on her and she just ate it all. Then, when things come to light she's the ah. I didn't finish to find out if there was a good ending. Read it if you like the drama

[geauxgetlit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a spin of 27 Dresses. Lily, a single 32 year old, spring has just gone crazy. Her friends and younger siblings got engaged and now she is in 5 weddings. She finds herself struggling to keep up with all the dates and the bridezillas. To let go of her frustration she starts a blog.

I adored 27 dresses and I really wanted to love this book, but i wasn’t able to, it was boring to me.

[jacsun · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lilly Weiss has a lot of friends and now this 32 year has been asked to be in five weddings in the same year without a boyfriend. She has worked for more than ten years as the Director of Communications at a scientific company. She likes it because it's easy. While it pays the bills, she needs to create a budget to pay for the extras of being a bridesmaid. She then gets this brilliant idea: to write a blog about weddings and make money from advertisers. Pretty predictable - all of it: the brides, the good looking guy, the dominant mother and caring grandmother.

I enjoyed it. It made me think of all the young girls and how they're trying to do whatever it takes to make every wedding day perfect. But the bigger story is not about the bride but more about a girl finding her passion.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.