Book Review: Oar than Friends by Lulu Moore 🚣🏻♀️
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‘We’re on opposite sides of two teams who want to do nothing but beat each other. It was literally the first thing I was told when I had my orientation: “do not fraternize with the enemy”, ‘ she mimicked. ‘Get good grades and beat Oxford. I’m not even sure which they put more importance on.’
‘Oh it’s definitely to beat Oxford,’ I chuckled.
‘Then why all this? Nothing good can come of it. We both have a ton of work . . .’ she peered over at me with a wry smile, ‘well I do, and it’s a distraction we don’t need.’
I put my black bag down and turned to her. ‘Because we’re more than our coursework and a boat race, and because six weeks ago I met a girl I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.’
Synopsis
She's rowing for Cambridge. He's rowing for Oxford. But they just can't keep one another at oar's length . . .
Arthur Osbourne-Cloud has his future mapped out for him – graduate Oxford and follow his dreadful father into politics. Except Arthur wants anything but that. He’d rather spend his days rowing for gold at the Olympics,.
And this year he has the Boat Race to win.
Kate Astley also has her future mapped out. Fly half-way across the world, and win a scholarship at Cambridge University to study medicine. Oh, and crew for the legendary Boat Race. Seems simple enough.
But then she meets Arthur.
For Arthur, this feisty American challenges everything he's been taught to believe, while Kate battles between what she's expected to do, and what she wants to do.
The bitter rivalry between their universities ought to destroy them. Or will it just be a matter of time before they surrender to the sizzling chemistry between them?
But In The Boat Race, there can only be one winner. Who will sink and who will swim?
My Review
I suddenly find myself extremely interested in rowing after devouring Oar than Friends . . . no really!! This was the perfect sports romance for me: packed with witty banter, a thoughtful (and extremely chiseled) male lead, a funny crew of side characters, and tender character growth, I feel like I was a fellow uni student cheering on Kate and Oz in their adventure as rivals at Cambridge and Oxford.
While I loved learning about competitive rowing and Kate’s pivotal role as a coxswain, I think Lulu balanced teaching the reader about the sport and the storyline really well. Oar than Friends really hit the spot for me, and I cannot WAIT for the next book in the series!!
Oar than Friends has immediately shot to the top of my recommendations to friends. If you’re looking for a sports romance without a lot of spice, dive in!
*I received a free advanced readers copy (ARC)of this book from the author, Lulu and Valentine PR. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book. 💙
