This was an easy read enjoyable read based around 2 sets of friends and the trials and tribulations of Internet dating. Max sets up a profile for Tom and Eve sets one up for Becky but neither profile are a reflection of their true selves and are infact more like profiles that should be set up for Max and Eve. The 2 carry on the fake profiles by messaging Tom and Becky pretending to be them. Sounds complicated right?! The story had some good witty banter throughout but it was also laced with some heavy storyline too. I just wish the deception hadn't gone on as long as it did and that we got more of a conclusion about what happened with Tom and Becky as they were pretty perfect for each other after all. I really enjoyed the epilogue it made me smile. Overall an enjoyable story

I was captured by the characters and the story line after the first chapter. It's a modern day romance with a lot of misunderstandings and is a classic British romcom waiting to happen.It's relatable, funny and fresh, especially if you've ever done online dating.

A lighthearted, easy to read romance that is perfect for thos of us who need a little escapism.
This story definitely grows on you ad the book progresses. It was a fun, enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book, but didn't think it was the best thing I've ever read. It was easy to read, yet a bit predictable.

I ended up finishing this book being frustrated with Eve and Max. I could understand them but did not condone them lying and pretending to be other people.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
A sweet romance, perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read. The characters are cute and engaging
The story has a bit of an anticlimax to start with which makes the story slow to start and difficult to get into. However, the story improves later on into the story. On the whole, a good read.

What I'd hoped to get out of this book was a cute, lighthearted Read with fun characters.
Unfortunately that's not what I ended up getting from this book.
Personally, I didn't like Max and Eve much at all, which made it a little hard to connect with the book.
This book is marketed as comedic, so I was expecting a rom com style read, and yet I didn't find it funny and honestly the romance wasn't great either.
The plot seemed to drag and the wound up being rushed in the last few pages.
There were a few moments that were enjoyable to read, and I really did like the idea of the overall premise, which is why this is getting a two star review. I just feel it could have been executed a little better.

Eve and Becky are best friends. Becky is a serial online dater but is desperate to find love. She enlists Eves help to overhaul her online profile to make her sound more appealing to a different kind of guy.

Max and Tom are best friends. Tom is struggling with heartbreak and has racked up numerous one night stands, but is now ready to move on. Like Becky, he enlists the help of his best friend to improve his chances at online dating.

Tom and Becky are soon matched and begin messaging... or do they?

A good mixture of friendship, family, romance, heartbreak and even grief. I found it a really enjoyable read, albeit a bit predictable. This is the sweetest, cosiest romance you'll read in a long time.

Lovely read :)

After a few ‘emotionally difficult’ reads over the past few weeks, this was exactly what I needed! I read it over a rainy weekend and it kept me entertained without taxing my brain too much. I enjoyed the online dating dramas, the friendships and the bookish banter between the protagonists. I’d definitely read more books from this author and would recommend this for some lighthearted, amusing and lovely reading time.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was captured by the characters and the story line after the first chapter. It's a modern day romance with a lot of misunderstandings and is a classic British romcom waiting to happen. It's relatable, funny and fresh, especially if you've ever done online dating.

There were a lot of positives about 'What Are Friends For'?', a great hook and some wonderful characters to fall in love with. I'm always drawn to a dating app story, especially as this is very much the world we now live in and this story certainly appeals to this generation. We've all been there with the bad Tinder matches, the slightly awkward Hinge dates, the moment you have to work out whether the man who is eyeing you up is in fact the man you've been talking too. Reading about these moments in fiction allows us to have a sense of camaraderie with the characters and Lizzie conjures this brilliantly. There was something so fresh and honest about her take on a dating app romance that I was immediately pulled in.

It was a great romantic read, and I loved the slightly deeper moments focussing on being lonely and how to combat this but also the family relationships around the characters.

I've give this four stars as it did niggle with me that the fake profiles were a bit too cliche. It lost the well-roundedness of the story for me so I had to drop it a star.

Overall a wonderful romance, and a perfect book to curl up with on an Autumn weekend when you're bored of scrolling through Hinge.

Reading this I just wanted to scream.
That is not the ending I was hoping for. All the build up and all I get is - turn around and kiss me. Nooooo!
This was such a amazing story and with this cut off ending. I am soooo sad.
I just wanted more for Max and Eve!!!!

3.5 stars.

This story is definitely a must read for any romantic comedy lovers. I loved the interaction, the banter and the drama between all of them. I laugh out loud so many times as well as feeling sorry for them at times.
A story about nowadays dating life and how everything is not exactly what we think or what we expect.
It’s more about the loneliness than many people are experiencing now actually and the romance side story wasn’t exactly what I expected but overall was a nice story.

A modern take on Cyrano. 3.5/5 stars

The premise of this book is great. It’s a modern-day take on Cyrano de Bergerac, and the use of text exchanges between the lovers is engaging and lively. The settings for the dates were well-described, and there was a pub that I – and probably most book-lovers – would love to visit. Aside from the romantic relationships, I particularly enjoyed the friendships, especially seeing a close friendship between two men (Max and Tom) depicted in first person.

However, I would warn those looking for a rom com, this is really more a story about friendship and dealing with loneliness, self-doubt and grief than a light love story.

I felt a bit let down by the ending. The entire book was a build up to Eve and Max getting together, but we are cheated of that big moment! In fact, the ending felt rushed and anti-climactic. And if the romance was a little unresolved, an important character suddenly appeared very late in the story and was another thing we didn’t get to see wrapped up.

Overall: a good premise and interesting characters let down a little by the anti-climactic ending.

Welcome to 21st century dating- this is romance with a twist! When Eve and Max reluctantly agree to help improve their best friends' online dating profiles they have no idea just how invested they'll get. After weeks of helping their friends-giving advice, and messaging on their behalf- they both realise they've fallen in love with their best friends' date, little do they know they've really been speaking to one another all along.

This is an uplifting, funny, easy-read romance containing all the classic elements of a RomCom novel plus more! I loved the premise of this book, I thought it was unique and relevant to modern dating. The characters were well developed, each having a part of their personality that I could relate to. Whilst this is a lighthearted book it also touches on important topics, such as managing grief and loss, and I really appreciated that this book was as much about friendship and familial relationships as it was romance.

My main criticism is with the pacing of the plot. At times I thought the middle of the book lacked pace and I found myself skim reading over parts that felt repetitive. By contrast, the 'big reveal' at the end of the book all happened very quickly; I would have liked to have seen a slower build to the climax and more seeds of suspicion from Eve & Max planted throughout the book. For me, I don't think that the publishers comparison to 'The Flatshare' by Beth O'Leary was necessarily a helpful one. I found myself directly comparing the two books whilst reading 'What Are Friends For?' and unfortunately, I don't think it met the high expectations set by 'The Flatshare'.

Overall, this is a really strong debut novel by Lizzie O'Hagan that will be a great hit with romcom/chicklit fans, and I can definitely see this being made into a fab feel-good film one day!

Friends trying to help friends find better matches on a dating app by pretending to be them - what could possibly go wrong?

When I saw this book compared to The Flatshare, which was my favourite book of last year, I had to give it a go. Sadly it did not quite tick the same boxes for me. Instead I had such mixed feelings.

On one hand it was cute, fun and romantic. It carried such a strong positive message about family, friendship, community and loneliness. But on the other hand it was deceitful and frustrating. I liked how much Max and Eve tried to help their friends (with the best of intentions) but not how they went about it. It felt like cat fishing which I really disliked. Additionally it seemed like the message was “only smart people who read books can genuinely find love, not those who enjoy going to the gym and shopping”. Maybe it’s just me be it came across as if the author was looking down on people who watch reality tv instead of foreign films or maybe that’s just how the characters were supposed to be portrayed. That attitude really made me dislike the main characters.

But the flip side was that I genuinely did like the romance between Eve and Max. I enjoyed their bookish banter and the fact that they liked so many of the same things.

Having said that I found all the lying hard to get passed and it did stop me enjoying the book as much as I could have done had it been written in a slightly different way.

The format and writing style itself was fun and made it an easy read. I enjoyed how it was told from different perspectives so we got an insight as to how each pair was feeling about the situation. I like the bookish theme throughout and thought it was well placed without detracting from the story. So there definitely were positives.

Overall this was a mixed bag for me. Some bits I loved and some not so much but likely that’s just personal taste.

This book was so adorable and everything I needed in my time of need. It was fun, it was light-hearted and just generally cute. Told in both Eve and Max’s perspectives we get to watch as they both help their best friends in their attempt to find true love. I ended up devouring this book in one night as I found it impossible to put down.

I found myself loving Eve and Max and how developed these two characters were. They both dealing with their own issues and struggles but were quick to step in and help their best friends, who I also really loved! Becky was such a fun character and I can completely relate to her not ever wanting to work out!

While this story is predictable it didn’t stop me from fully enjoying this story and immersing myself into their world and the messages the two shared whilst pretending to be their best friends. My only issue is that I felt like for Tom and Becky to find their soulmate they had to change their personality and interests.

Overall, this was a super cute and quick read that just makes you believe in love and second chances. So if you’re looking for a beautiful and romantic, will they/wont they story this year this is the one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishing for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Eve and Becky are best friends. Becky is a serial online dater but is desperate to find love. She enlists Eves help to overhaul her online profile to make her sound more appealing to a different kind of guy.

Max and Tom are best friends. Tom is struggling with heartbreak and has racked up numerous one night stands, but is now ready to move on. Like Becky, he enlists the help of his best friend to improve his chances at online dating.

Tom and Becky are soon matched and begin messaging... or do they?

A good mixture of friendship, family, romance, heartbreak and even grief. I found it a really enjoyable read, albeit a bit predictable.

'What Are Friends For?' is a classic 'will they/won't they' rom-com read, perfect to snuggle up with on the couch or in the bath with a glass of wine. It follows Becky and Tom, who are unlucky-in-love serial daters, and their best friends, Eve and Max, who are determined to find their friends 'the one' by messaging on their behalf... only to discover that they actually get on rather well themselves.

Whilst classically predictable, this novel has that lovely feel good quality that a well written romance should have, Light-hearted and enjoyable, would recommend for fans of nice, easy chick-lit.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Sadly I had to DNF this book after 5o%. I'm afraid it just wasn't for me and I found it to be quite uninspiring and samey.