Asking for a Friend - Andi Oshi

 ‘No woman gets left behind

Three best friends are going to solve their relationship woes once and for all

Forty-something Jemima’s life is on track – well, sort of. All she has to do is muster the courage to bat her niggly ex away for good.

Twenty-something Meagan is in the midst of her five-phase plan and is nearly ready for phase three – a relationship.

While thirty-something Simi has had more it’s not yous than any I dos.

Deciding it’s time to play the dating game by their own rules, they’re going to ditch the dating apps and ask people out in real life. The catch? They’re playing matchmaker and can only ask out potential dates for each other because the most important rule is that no woman gets left behind.

This fits very nicely into the rom com genre. If you’re a fan of that genre you’re going to love this. It’s fast paced. It’s witty. There are one or two laugh out loud moments. And as the blurb tells us it offers an interesting premise. All three women are very different and their characters are well defined so that you can see how some things work and some things don’t. There’s also a sterling cast of bit players with some lovely, comedy cameo moments. But it’s a celebration of strong, female friendships. I hope this isn’t a spoiler but I wonder how many of us would cut short a  trip in LA and fly back because one of our friends has split up with her boyfriend?

Overall it’s pretty lighthearted. In some instances outcomes are predictable but it’s one of those stories where they need to be or you would feel incredibly hard done by. Predictability can sometimes be offered as a criticism. I don’t think that’s always fair because although you can see what is pretty much going to happen it’s how it happens that’s the point. It’s how it happens that is the entertaining part. I think it offers the reader the kind of unspoken bond with the author. It is if we both know where this is going but our silly protagonists just can’t!

But for all its lightheartedness there is an underlying  more solemn  message about peoples’ insecurities, their fears and apprehensions, lack of self belief and the things we all do to protect our battered hearts and retain control of ourselves. That means we doesn’t always make the right choices and decisions. But ultimately it’s a heartwarming book and should uplift the willing reader . And........ allow me to let you into a little secret! I don’t normally do romcom. 😉

My thanks to HQ at HarperCollins for a gifted proof and a spot upon the blog tour.