Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for an Advance review copy of What Are Friends For?

Ahh what can I say about this book - I absolutely loved it. My previous read had been a fairly dark crime / thriller and as such, I was desperate for something a little more light hearted and romantic - a classic chick lit if you will - and What Are Friends For was just the ticket! I found myself smiling and laughing all the way through. If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella's books such as Can You Keep a Secret you'll love this.

What Are Friends For tells the story of Becky and Tom - both serial daters who have been swiping right for months, going on lots of dates, but ultimately always ending up with someone who isnt right for them. Queue lots of awkward hangovers and mornings after the night before. It is starting to look like they'll never meet 'the one' - that is until their friends step in to help.

Becky's best mate Eve helps Becky update her online profile to try and attract someone who would be perfect for her, but little does she realise she is actually describing herself. Meanwhile in Tom's flat, his best mate Max is doing exactly the same, tweaking Tom's profile with elements of his own personality.

Two two end up matched and agree to go on a date; but in order to keep some of the pretence from the profiles alive, the best friends Max and Eve end up messaging through the app, pretending to be their friends. Little do they realise that as this communication builds, they start to develop feelings of their own - for what they think is their best friends date!

You can of course see where this is going right from the outset; so whilst the plot is of course very predictable, there are also lots of sub plots and details to this story including Eve's relationship with her Dad, her career challenges and Max's guilt over the loss of his grandma, and his compensating relationship with an elderly Alzheimers sufferer Peggy.

Watching the story unfold is really enjoyable, and I did really laugh when some of the facades started to slip.

The ending is just perfect and I could so see this book being made into a movie - definitely one I would watch with a blanket and a tub of Ben and Jerrys after a rubbish day.

If you like a bit of happy escapism, romance and a chilled out Sunday read this is the ideal choice!

Becky and Tom have been been playing fast and loose with the dating app when their best fitness Eve and Max decide it’s time for them to mix it up a bit and find a different type of date. Becky and Tom match and meet up but things aren’t quite as they seem.

A fantastic feel good book with plenty of side stories to keep you wanting more.

'What Are Friends For?' tells the story of Eve and Max, who accidentally fall for each other when they agree to pretend to be their best friends, Becky and Tom, who asked for their help in messaging the other after matching each other on an online dating app.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. However, I wanted to like it so much more! I thought that the premise was great and it was well-paced, but I found the main characters to be quite obnoxious and their 'modesty' came across as very false, so I wasn't really fussed whether they ended up together or not. It also annoyed me that for two intelligent people, they didn't even begin to be suspicious that their friend's date didn't actually love books or were who they said they were.

Nevertheless, if the author wrote a second novel, I'd definitely give it a read.

This book just sadly wasn't for me, I really struggled with the writing style which felt very much all over the place and inconsistent which proved for a very difficult read. I also found the story very hard to follow considering the characters were not very different from each other and it was never clear which character we were following because all of the characters from the two protagonists to the two best friends were very standard and basic. Just not for me.

I really enjoyed this Book, and would recommend this book to read during the summer.

With thanks to Netgalley & Headline for the ARC of this book exchange for this review.

What Are Friends For is a fun, light, easy read that's perfect for a lazy Sunday lockdown afternoon. I enjoyed living vicariously through the characters, and the use of multiple perspectives ramped up the pace. The romance was realistic in the way it came together (in as much as it can be given the subject matter and how they communicate of course) and I appreciate the fact that - although clear from the outset how the book is going to pan out - it wasn't instalove from the very beginning.

This was a fun read. It was light and enjoyable, fast paced and entertaining. Max and Eve the two main characters were well written, they were relatable and we all know someone with their characteristics.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand the main characters, Max and Eve, kind of annoyed me, but on the other hand I really did enjoy reading this book.

I really loved the way this book was written. Especially the chapters where Eve and Becky would be doing or saying something and then it would change to Max and Tom’s point of view and they would be saying/doing something similar. The writing of this book was also so easy to read and it made the book so much more enjoyable.

Throughout ‘What Are Friends For?’, I did want Eve and Max to realise that they were speaking to each other and not Tom/Becky. This book had me shouting at Eve and Max to notice that they were falling for each other as this was definitely a slow burn romance. However, one of my main problems with this book was Eve and Max’s character. It was nice to see them helping their best friends, but it felt like Max/Eve were telling Tom/Becky that the only way they were going to find love is if they changed their whole personality and became more like them. It honestly felt like Max and Eve believed that they were better than Tom and Becky because they read classic novels and watched French films and didn’t use dating apps or watch Love Island.

I really did enjoy reading ‘What Are Friends For?’ and thought it was an amazing debut novel. I will definitely pick up any future novels by this author as I did love her writing.

Enjoyable and fun read. This has kept my attention from very early on in the book. This is my first read by this author but i have been completely pulled into this one and found it difficult to put down.

I really enjoyed this book, I like how it separates the chapters between different characters. The story is different to books I've read before and I found myself constantly reading another paragraph even when I didn't have time to read. The story is very addictive, a little obvious but it still makes you want to read to find out if what you think is going to happen, does. The author has created a story in which two characters who don't think their in love actually are, in a way that I haven't seen written that way before, its a very will they won't they storyline. The author has given the characters plenty of background to keep the reader engaged too, not to much that it is centred around that but enough that you understand their point of view on different topics.

I really like Eve, one of the main characters, I could really relate to her. Wants to date, but doesn't really know how or if she has the time. Has past dad issues but doesn't let her world revolve around it and supports her best friend no matter what the outcome, even if its not in her own interests.

A great story and a quick read, mainly because you cant put it down once you've started it!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Eve and Max are too busy for romance but they try and play Cupid to help their friends Becky and Tom in their quest for romance.

I enjoyed this nice easy read and would happily read any other books by Lizzie O'Hagan.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Becky is a serial dater, but she never finds anybody that she wants to stick around. Eve, (her best friend and housemate) is her complete opposite. Tall where Becky is short, fair where Becky is dark, career-minded where Becky's head is clouded with a revolving door of romantic interests - Eve has absolutely no interest in dating, and Becky constantly dates. But none of them are working.

So (as most of us have for our best mates) Eve gives Becky's profile a much-needed makeover, and she matches with Tom. He's into Eve's version of Becky, which is essentially Becky's appearance with Eve's personality. Little do the ladies know, the men are doing the same thing. Tom's hurting over his last break-up, and his housemate and best friend Max encourages him to get back on Tinder - with a profile makeover to boot.

The story is a sweet one, and I liked the range of side characters. I'd have liked to see more of the dynamic between the girl group of Eve and Becky's, but then again I can appreciate and firmly believe it's a love story dedicated to their friendship and the men are almost secondary.

I enjoyed this book and I would definitely read more by this author.

What Are Friends For? is a fun and utterly compelling and original read by Lizzie O'Hagan, the perfect will they/won't romance to lose yourself in.

Sadly I didn't enjoy this one at all! There were several things that irritated me about the characters - why are they so judgemental about online dating, why does Eve never actually just email a pitch to her editor if she's that frustrated about lack of career progression - but mostly it was the repetitive and overdramatic soul searching that put me off this book. It's a shame because the plot definitely has a great hook!

**Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the advanced copy in exchange for this review

This novel centres around Eve and Max, whose best friends who are both a bit unlucky in love. The story follows the pair as they play Cupid for their friends. Eve helps teacher Becky make a sophisticated dating profile, whilst Max helps personal trainer Tom so he can find a girlfriend rather than his next hook-up. There’s some advice, instruction and imitation that means they’re a bit more involved than they planned to be, and the pair finding themselves falling hard. It is a little predictable (view spoiler) but it is an easy read and a little piece of escapism.

I loved the dual narrative switching between Eve and Max’s point of view and that you can see the build up to Becky and Tom’s date from both sides, and the conversations the pair have. The slip-ups in conversation -e.g. I love this, * Max loves this - are used to make things a little more obvious than they need to be. I think the epilogue should’ve been longer and a tad less predictable, and sometimes it felt like Eve/Max should’ve been caught using Becky/Tom’s profiles sooner.

It was a lot less “fluffy” and centred on online dating than I imagined - I read Kismet last year which was similar but far too dating app centric. It was wholesome, and funny in parts - also Penny was such a great character.

Nice characters but felt it wasn’t for me as I’m not part of the swipe left/right generation. Little confusing as to who was texting who. Not a bad read.

What Are Friends For is a book about friendship and online dating and is covered perfectly! It follows the story of Becky, Eve, Max & Tom who are all such likeable, well written characters. You get a real sense of who they are and they portray the importance of friendship brilliantly. It’s an entertaining read that was difficult to put down with an ending that you are rooting for the whole way through. Most books find it difficult to cover online dating without being fluffy and lacking any real substance but What Are Friends For does so perfectly whilst giving some real depth.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This was a beautiful and romantic story that literally took my breath away. The characters were realistic and well depicted. Highly recommended!

This was a really great and unique debut! I loved the whole aspect of texting through dating apps to help out their friends because that definitely happens! I wish they found out about each other sooner into the look though as it did get a little repetitive at times. This was fantastically written and I loved the dual perspectives and being able to follow along with all of their messages as it enhanced the book a tonne.

I loved all of the bookish references and the side plots to both man characters. Penny was one of my favourite characters from the book and I loved that he worked for a charity but was going above and beyond, we need more people like him in the world.

I adored the epilogue, it made me wish there was more pages!