Asking for a Friend is the debut novel by comedian Andi Osho and she's done a cracking job with her first book. It has all the wit and humour you would expect but as we moved further into the story I found there were lots of deep observations too which added more depth to the characters.

The story is told from the points of view of the three women, Jemima, Meagan and Simi. They have all been unlucky in love and devise a game to help each of them break away from the usual men they go for, this results in some hilarious consequences.

For me it took a little while for me to warm to the characters but by the end of the book I fell in love with all three of them. What I loved most about this book is you think it's going to be a typical Romcom but it turns out that the love story is actually the friendship between the girls.

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I was really looking forward to this and thought it was going to make me laugh out loud but unfortunately it didn't.

I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I also found in places it was a little preachy, such as references to the make-up in the in-flight magazine and when he says he cries like a little girl. I just didn't feel it was necessary to highlight an issue here, as it felt forced rather than enhancing the problem that is there.

This just wasn't the romance book for me.

A refreshing book focusing on three female friends as they try to sort out each other's love lives. One is a novelist who's been asked to add spice to her romantic scenes, and meets an attractive stranger on a plane back from the US. One is a romance addict, who falls apart every time a relationship ends and struggles with how this affects her budding acting career. One is an ambitious young comedy agent, who won't let anything - even her boyfriend - interfere with her ascent up the ladder. Andi Osho establishes herself as a writer with potential and a gift for getting across the nuances of female friendship.

‘Asking for a friend’ is an easy read about female friendship. It wasn’t as funny as I thought it might be and I didn’t think it really broke any ‘women’s fiction’ moulds. Worth a read if you don’t have too much else on your reading list.

I really was hoping I would love this book but unfortunately I found it just OK. There was definitely good bits in the book and the characters were OK but I felt that chase could have featured a lot more than he did and I found it hard to see how Jemima felt when he was in the story so little.
I found the main characters a bit annoying. I hate leaving bad reviews but I believe in leaving honest reviews.
This was still some good parts to the book but it just wasn't a page Turner for me sadly

I quite enjoyed this debut book, although I feel the blurb is a bit misleading - the dating game the girls play where they pick out dates for each other barely features in the book! It is more about female friendship. My main problem with this book is that two out of the three main characters (Jemima and Meagan) were pretty unlikeable. Simi was sweet though and I was very much rooting for her. I also really liked the leading man Chance (stupid name though). All in all, an ok read that passed a few hours pleasantly but nothing special. I wouldn’t read another one by this author.

From the description - comedian author, perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane (I am) and dating - I was looking forward to a funny catalogue of dating disasters ending in true love obviously (it is a romcom after all). Sadly though the book was more about the friends' relationships with themselves and each other than the dates themselves.

There were a few funny one-liners - one of my favourites being "she was as British as binge drinking and sarcasm" - but on the whole most of the 'comedy' came from the banter between the girls. I did love the dynamics between the three very different friends though, and the effortless way the author managed to capture how real friends tease, argue, champion and talk straight to each other.

I enjoyed this book for what it was; a light-hearted story about love and friendship. But, would probably have done so more had it itself not promised more.

I liked this book, it has some good stories however it was quite hectic at times and it took me a while to understand who was who and what their back story was. Not all the characters were likeable however I really enjoyed the dating game that they played. There were also some very funny lol moments too.

I would definitely be keen to read more by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Asking for a friend is about friendship and sisterhood through the good and bad and these three best friends certainly take you on a rollercoaster.

Jemima is a forty-something author. She needs to get her love life back on track but can’t seem to shake off her ex. Hopefully her friends can help her work through this. Twenty-something Meagan is working through her five year plan. She almost ready for a relationship, but why rush these things. With her sass she’s certainly no push over but to the point of being scary. Then we have thirty-something Simi, an aspiring actress who’s love life is a nightmare. If she manages to get a second date, she’s convinced it will lead to marriage! Deciding they need to get out of their comfort zones, the girls decide to play The Dating Game. It has specific rules but the main one is, you can’t pick your own date.

I read this book over a couple of days and found it to be very enjoyable. I liked how the story unfolded and the characters progressed throughout the book and would rate it 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

This story is told from 3 different viewpoints, we meet three teenagers who are struggling with life
Agnes, Hattie and Jake, each of them has to find a way of dealing with their individual issues.
Hattie has an aunt with a B&B in Weston super mare and they catch a train to the coast where they hope to find the answers to their problems. A likeable story of trust and young development

This book is such an honest celebration of female friendship. The highs and lows were gripping, each of the 3 female characters was engaging for different reasons and I couldn’t put the book down. One of the best parts of the book was that although their romantic relationships were a big part of their storylines, they were not the main focus which was refreshing. Thank you for another great read netgalley.

The story of friendship between 3 friends and their efforts to find love for each other really appealed to me and the promise of some humour in these awful times was too hard to resist however I really struggled with the writing style and struggled to connect with the 3 leads.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

Asking For A Friend by Andi Osho - Pub Date 21 January 21
This debut novel tells the story of Simi, Jemima and Meagan.
They met at a Comedy Workshop and have been firm friends ever since. They all decide their love lives need some serious help. They make a pact to find each other a date.
This is a light-hearted, witty read about friendships. I would recommend to those who love rom-com novels.
I want to thank NetGalley, HQ and Andi Osho for a pre-publication copy to review.

There was a real sweetness to this book which was found in the friendship of the three protagonists: Jemima, Meagan and Simi. All very different but the best of friends. All utterly flawed and at times horribly annoying but with enough about them to have you rooting for them. Semi was the sweetest, Meagan the most abrasive and Jemima too scared to be true to herself and her friends.

The plot surrounds them choosing and asking for dates for each other due to their variously disastrous love-lives but really it's about their friendship and how that ultimately matters far more than men. It helps that each of them has as much of their energy spent on their careers as trying to find a man. Men are not front and centre in Jemima's and Meagan's lives and in fact the "asking for a friend" only happens because Meagan and Jemima need to do something to distract Simi from her latest breakup.. Along the way, Simi starts to believe in herself more and worry about men less and Meagan and Jemima realise that there might be a little bit of room in their lives for something like love.

A sweet book that was a decent read. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Great bit of light reading really showing friendship for what it can be sometimes! Nice and easy to read with some laughter and tears thrown in for good measure.

Jemima, Meagan and Simi are best friends. Jemima is a successful author but is struggling to find the romantic angle that her publisher has asked for. Simi falls hard for every man she meets, but fails to set boundaries and gets her heart broken time and again. Meagan is feisty and has her life all planned out but is she hiding behind this plan to cover up her fear of being vulnerable.

They haven't been successful in love, so come up with a dating game. They will each find dates for one another. But these dates don't go to plan. However, they do learn a lot about themselves in the process. With trials and tribulations, angry words and a rift in their friendship it seems as if life has only got more difficult. But the strength of the friendship ensures that they are reunited and suddenly the future looks a lot brighter.

A story about the power of friendship, the strength it takes to leave the past behind, and the courage needed to make the change required to live the life your heart truly desires.

Three best friends set out to get their love lives on track. They each choose a date for one of the others and have to go up to the potential date and ask them out for their friend. What ensues is a truly hilarious tale of female friendship, fun and some hidden secrets. I loved this tale and how the story unfolded and wanted to get to the end to see what happened to the three characters. A funny and feel good story - escapism at it's best..

This was a light-hearted, humourous read about relationships and love. An easy read that could be the perfect bit of escapism that you need right now!

A chick lit story written from the perspective of women of colour. It centres around three friends and follows their working, social and dating lives . Friends through thick and thin their friendships have ups and downs . The book is entertaining but also gives you food for thought about relationships with others. These girls have an active social life, relationships with the opposite sex need some work.
I liked the pace, the characters and the vibrance of the book. Also liked reading from the perspective of each of the characters in turn, you really get to know what makes them tick and how their behaviour affects the others. Not so keen on the use of some of the slang and fear this may date the book in the long term .
All in all a great read
Thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the first novel from comedian, Andi Osho. The book is injected with humour as you might expect, with sassy character, Meagan getting some great lines. The story is full of heart and even though it’s predictable, that doesn’t take from the warmth and love that shines through. The main bond is that of Jemima, Shimi and Meagan, three women who meet at a comedy workshop. Their friendships are strong and all that is wonderful about female friendships. The story takes their relationships to the brink and back again and left me wanting to give my brilliant female friends a big hug!