For as long as I remember, the cycle has always been like this: reading speed rockets up, reading speed rockets down, reading slump, trying to read again after a while, reading speed rockets up again, and we're back to stage one. After more than two months of not reading, I started to get back to my somewhat old habit, and yesterday was the first time in months I finished a book in one sitting.
For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino was the titleholder. Following the story of Lily Weiss, a thirty-two single woman who is about to be a bridesmaid in five weddings within six weeks (two of the marriages ironically belong to her little siblings), this book is a series of chaotic events that will keep you entertained on the weekend. The stress of the upcoming weddings even when they are not technically hers is inevitable, and Lily finds the worst part of herself blogging about almost everything about the pressure.
"Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend,
but those Five Guys Cajun fries are a pretty close second."
I have only one experience being a bridesmaid, and it was all due to my best friend getting married at 21, so I was still practically a kid when it happened. I remember being super excited for her, and there was no stress following the wedding preparation as I didn't have a hand in it. I can't say this for everyone else here, but the culture that applies to me and my friends is quite different: bridesmaids are only involved in the actual wedding. Even our dresses—they are specially made and paid for by the bride. All we need to worry about is how to make a surprise bridal shower and pick the perfect gift.
Imagine my surprise learning about the actual tasks a bridesmaid holds. It made me want to give Lily a standing ovation for everything she was more than willing to go through for each wedding. From her lens, I got glimpses of bridal euphoria and actual wedding stresses, and though they seemed more challenging than fun, they were entertaining all the same.
It goes without saying that Lily was an easy character to like. Though her flaws seemed many when picked out, I considered her a sincere person still, Bridesmania blog included. She vented, angrily and a little too dramatically, but every person has this side within them that they hide. It was just that Lily chose to shed her darkest side in a published blog. I didn't think that made her a mean person, but human and clumsy instead.
With that said, I supported her fully, considering her friends became more and more ridiculous as the weddings got closer. And getting lost in the story felt effortless when the plot was fast and packed with wits. If you can't tell yet, I really, really enjoyed this book.
In conclusion, For the Love of Friends is certainly an entertaining romance-comedy. It is cute, but obviously not Kasie-West's books cute, and it surprisingly is not steamy at all. You can feel the tension between the two love interests, but other than that, this book is safe for teenagers to read.
Actual rating: 4.3★
