What Are Friends For?
What Are Friends For?
By Lizzie O'Hagan
Funny, heartwarming, with all the joys of online dating, perfect for hopeless romantics!
Book review, no spoilers I swear!!
Published: 17th September 2020 by Headline.
Well this was a great romantic surprise. I would firstly like to say thank you to Netgalley and Headline review for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
When I read the blurb to this novel I was instantly captured and knew that this was a book I just had to read next. This is a book for all you romantics out there and everyone who has tried dating in a world consumed by online apps.
But before I tell you about what I thought about this book, perhaps I shall give you the blurb. Give you an idea of what its about.
The Blurb:
Sliding Doors meets The Flatshare meets One Day In December in this sweeping, romantic comedy for the digital age! Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Beth O’Leary.
Everyone gives their friends advice when it comes to dating, but what happens when it all goes wrong?
Eve doesn’t have time for dating, but having watched her best friend and flatmate have her heart broken one too many times, she reluctantly volunteers to play her Cupid.
Max is too much of a hopeless romantic to find the algorithms of online dating anything other than clinical, but he lives with his romantically-challenged best friend who desperately needs his advice.
And after all, what are friends for?
As Eve and Max become more involved in their best friends’ relationship, they quickly realise there is a fine line between instruction and imitation, especially when they find they can’t stop thinking about their best friend’s date…
Thoughts:
I absolutely without a doubt loved this book! It is the kind of book that makes you feel warm and happy leaving you with a smile on your face and wanting more.
Becky, Eve's friend needs her help. Eve pretends to be Becky. Eve is using her own personality so she can bag Becky a date with the perfect Tom. Which pulls Eve into a world of online dating and the perks of finding a kindred spirit in Tom. Tom, whose one night fun profile isn't working enlists Max's help. Max uses his personality to pretend to be Tom so he can bag Tom a date with the Becky who is actually Eve. Max and Eve find themselves falling for the wrong people...
Max for Becky and Eve for Tom.
Sounds confusing right?
I mean it can't end well surely?
Eve is a great character, from afar she is this strong, no nonsense woman who takes every problem in her stride. In reality, she's struggling to move forward from her past, to fight for what she wants without feeling that she needs someone to hold her hand. I loved how Eve is an ordinary girl, her past being what drives her.
Max is the shy boy next door who is a hopeless romantic. He is sweet and attentive, he gives it his all to everyone he meets. Max is lovely, he is the sweetest character I have come across, working for a charity and having a friendship with the ultimately brilliant Peggy. I especially loved how Max was a character that unashamedly reads romance.
If there is one thing that this book has, it is a lot of book references, making it the perfect book for all book lovers and lovers of the classics. I mean I haven't read all the classics yet I still understood all the references. The flirty texts Eve (as Becky) and Max (as Tom) are full of chemistry with there shared love for books and easy understanding of one another made the book easy to read and kept me hooked throughout.
I also liked how O'Hagan used both Max and Eve to tell the story. Both POV of these characters allowed there to be a growth between all the characters and the complicated, budding relationship between the two.
Using a dating app and text messages to build a relationship between the characters also reminded me of You've Got Mail, except the texts aren't over email.
This is a fun book with plenty of love, grief and pure honesty. It's these themes that create the perfect mix to this book, making it feel real, making you believe in fate and love.
Rating: 4* out of 5. Overall, a great debut. I would happily read more from this author.
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Phoebe x
What Are Friends For? By Lizzie O'Hagan will be published on 17th September 2020 and is available to pre-order now in ebook & paperback on Amazon.
Again, thank you to Netgalley and Headline for the copy in exchange for an honest review.