Huge fan of this author following this book and this is another absolutely superb read. I have nothing negative I can say about this book. It has been a great read filled with interesting characters and a unique plot.

This book was a difficult read. It had all the potential to be brilliant but none of the main characters were likeable at all, which then makes the whole book a chore.. I ended up dragging it out and putting it off. I’m sorry to say it about any book, knowing the hard work that went in to it but it just didn’t click with me.

Remember years ago before online dating apps you could persuade one of your friends to approach a stranger to put in a good word on your behalf to ask them out for a date. The common used phrase at the time was “Asking for a Friend”. Move forward to the current day and follow 3 best friends as they share good and bad times, plus a number of dates.

I loved the format of this novel. Each chapter is from the point of view of the 3 best friends, Jemima 42, Meagan 29 and Simi 35. There is a strict linear time frame so that when you start a new chapter, it follows the moment after the previous chapter ended, even if the same characters are still in the same room. This made this novel extremely easy to follow and made the reader feel like the fly on the wall. In many ways the dynamics and chemistry of this book is the same as the popular British television series Birds of a Feather.

I think the writing quality is very high and with an extensive vocabulary. The pace is lovely with good editing, so there are no slow or boring bits. The story is a continuous roll as though you are living along with the characters. I found this novel to be engaging, bright and refreshing with a huge feel good factor.

Character development is very good and although it is centred around 3 women, this novel should appeal to male readers too. This is because Andi Osho is a successful British stand up comedian and her humour appeals to both genders. Of course men find some things especially funny, so here are my top 3 from this book…

‘You got her to take a shower?’ said Jemima as Meagan walked back into the living room. ‘She smelt like a steak bake, babes.’

What happened to the cursory ‘hi’ followed by a frantic quickie? One time they’d got down to it so fast it was only afterwards she realised she still had her handbag on her shoulder.

Nether regions that felt like a pounded chicken escalope. Yep. Sex had taken place.

… I wonder if Andi knows how many men are attracted by the smell of steak bakes? Apart from the thought of making love to a girl smelling like a steak bake, there is a fair amount of romance in this story but nothing to offend your grandmother or 69 year old wife.

Andi is a very intelligent woman and by coincidence I saw a repeat on television the other night of her appearing on The Chase back in 2017. The 3 other contestants did not get through to the final round, so Andi was on her own against the Chaser. Generally the Chaser always wins in this television quiz as it is their day job. However, Andi was so good at the vast range of questions, she beat the Chaser and won £7,000 for charity.

Asking for a Friend is the debut novel that is simply a pleasure to read. I was really impressed by the quality and her talent shines bright. I think this book is an OUTSTANDING read that gets the top score of 5 stars from me. This story would make a great television comedy drama to be broadcast after the 21:00 watershed, maybe sponsored by Greggs.

I love trying a new author and enjoyed reading this book about the trio of friends. A story based around the general ups and downs of their love lives and how they had been shaped into the women they have become. The storyline was funny making me chuckle throughout and I liked how we got to know each of the friends separately and how different they were.

A great read, that I enjoyed but it didn't quite provide the escapism I've been craving lately in a book. I will be looking our for this author again as I liked her humour and whole idea behind the story.

A very solid 3.5*

I loved the premise of this book and was really looking forward to reading it.
Three women who are friends but at different stages of their lives. One thing that they do all have in common is how disappointed in love they are. The idea that they come up with is to set each other up on dates. Surely that will work? Who knows you better than your best friends? After all, you haven't been making the best decisions for yourself so far!

This was a nice enough story but I can't really say that I felt invested in the book. This is probably down to the fact that I didn't really relate to any of them and the fact that the situations that they found themselves in were unbelievable, to me anyway.

I also struggled with the way that the author included elongated words that the women used. I understand that this is how the women spoke to each other but it got very annoying, very quickly.

This book was below average for me. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters so I didn’t really enjoy the book. This could just be me because I am struggling to read currently and I just wanted to get this book done with. I skipped many pages and read through it quickly.

The friendship between three friends is obviously lovely and we definitely crave for that kind of friendship. However, I couldn’t convince myself of how shut off or co dependent these ladies were despite their ages. I understand how maturity may not come with age, but this was a bit too much for me, found their dating plan childish; sorry but I just didn’t enjoy the book. The only character I liked was Chance and wished there was more of him.

Thankyou Netgalley and HQ for the e-arc.

Centering around three friends this is a great novel about female friendship and the lengths we will go to be there and support the people we care about the most. I especially liked that the women were all of differing ages and at different stages of life.

I can see this would be a light-hearted, easy and entertaining read for some. However I
Found it just too predictable and lacked substance.
Three ladies who are looking for the right man, each of them with careers in the arts Jemma meets a man who is interested and interesting but pushes him away. Meagan has a friend with benefits but keeps him at emotional arms length.
The friends go through ups and downs but surprise! The men they're with turn out to be the ones.
Too cliché.

ow does a feel-good book about the ups and downs that only come from that almost-sister level of close friendship sound? Good, right? Asking for a Friend had me laughing from page one and I loved jumping straight into the lives of Jemima, Meagan and Simi.

What’s so unique about this trio of friends – and not something you read about often – is they are all different ages. Writer Jemima is 42, Actress Simi is 35 and Comedy Agent Meagan is 29. They live in London and met at an improv comedy class and although none kept up the comedy, and all have different personalities, they became instant friends.

When we meet them, Simi is going through a big break up, and all three women are single, so Meagan and Jemima create the dating challenge: they can only date men their friends choose for them. In an attempt to date out of their usual type and have better luck.

Although the dating challenge was billed as a key part of the story, to me it wasn’t the focus. I loved reading what happened while they tried their dating experiment, but it was getting to know each woman’s backstory – and key elements that made each so unique – that was the heart of Asking for a Friend for me.

One of my favourite storylines was Jemima trying to write her new book. I did develop a soft spot for Beverly Blake (of Beverly Blake Investigates), Jemima’s fictional sleuth. When Jemima hits a wall with her character development of Beverly while trying to write book three, she finds herself ‘borrowing’ elements of Simi and Meagan’s lives to fuel Beverly.

The only thing is, they are not always flattering stories and she hasn’t asked her friends if she can use their lives like this. Jemima is playing a dangerous game – and she knows it.

From phrases and wry observations that pepper the story throughout to The Cave – the hottest piece of literary fiction around (read the book to find out more about this, you won’t regret it) and the Beverly Blake filth fest – Asking for a Friend was just so funny! It was such a joy to loose myself in the lives of these three amazing women.

Asking for a Friend is the debut novel from comedian and actor Andi Osho. The characters choice of careers are a biographical nod to Andi’s own career, which I enjoyed and also meant an authentic background knowledge came through.

Such a refreshing, funny and totally heart-warming read about loyalty, friendship and having the courage to be your true self. I zipped through this book and fully recommend if you need a feel-good boost.

Loved this book. Made me laugh which we need more of in these difficult times. The female characters were well written and it was easy to identify with elements of all of them. Will definitely read more from this author in the future.

A lighthearted easy read.

This book is about 3 best friends who matchmake for each other. Laugh out loud funny in places.

A fun book

Asking for a Friend is the debut novel by a well known British comedian. A lighthearted and warm book about dating and female friendship and ideal for relaxing on the lawn or beach.

Asking for a Friend - Andi Osho

Full of great humour that you can obviously expect from Andi Osho, I thought that the humour made the story very relatable. I liked the diverse group of characters, but felt frustrated at them hurting one another and almost pushing each other away for most of the story. I liked the layout of the book - how we jump between the three friends for each new chapter, I thought this gave the reader a fast paced flow. Overall I think this would make the perfect holiday read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for allowing me the chance to read and review this book

The concept of this story really intrigued me as it was something I had a conversation about with my sister - finding a good match for our friends. Though I had been thinking more in the lines of an app, this story goes old-school and 3 friends take on this challenge by looking for these potentials in real-life situations.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it was a DNF at 54%. I'd hoped to have found it really funny and for there to be twists and turns to make it more exciting and make me want to continue reading, especially as I was at the halfway point, but the plot felt very linear and I wasn't enjoying it.

I loved the diversity of the three women in this story. I was initially connected to Jemima and gradually grew to care more about the other two women. This is a comic story about women trying to secure themselves in love after such abysmal relationships.

The narrative shifts between each woman’s perspective. Jemima, the oldest, is a writer and struggling to create a romantic back-story for her successful heroine. With no inspiration from her own love-life, Jemima cannot understand why her editors want this element to her novel. I really enjoyed the insight into the publishing world and feel that Osho has captured the struggles that writers face when trying to reach their final, approved draft.

Meagan is a very entertaining character. I loved her fiery responses and short-temper – I think she would intimidate me if I was her friend! One thing is for certain is her loyalty to her friends. Whilst she does not always make the right judgements, she is desperate to ensure that they are protected by her friendship. Meagan runs an agency for comedians and is struggling with her “friend with benefits” who clearly is moving to wanting more from their physical relationship. It was only as the story was really developed that I grew to like Meagan more and more; I thought she was dominated a lot by Jemima’s narrative instead.

Finally, Simi was the character I struggled to engage with the most. She seems really bland and insipid. This is partly deliberate from the author as it reflects the need for the dating game in the first place. Simi is clingy and cannot understand why her relationships repeatedly fail. When we are first introduced to her, she is presented in classic “break-up mode”: crying, snivelling, refusing to shower etc. Thankfully, Meagan and Jemima rally around to pull her out of her low mood and this is how the dating game is developed. Simi is a failing actor who cannot secure a decent audition. Meagan is her agent, but it soon becomes clear that by Simi blindly following Meagan’s advice is not the way to be successful. Over the story, I think it is Simi is matures the most and it was by the closing chapters that I really grew to respect her character. Simi evolves and I think I really liked her by the end and applauded her strength and determination; she has found her identity and does not feel the need to conform to other people’s expectations.

This was an entertaining story about trying to find love. The variety of men that are introduced on dates are broad and provided many chuckles. Scenarios that I am sure readers can relate to, I loved the different locations we are taken to in London – especially the cereal bar! It made for a really varied and interesting read, complementing the three women’s different personalities.

A strong debut novel, I think this will delight many readers. It is funny and relatable with interesting characters. Although it took me a while to warm to all of the women, I think there are many characteristics that we can all relate to on our own paths to love.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really click with this one. It was funny and I enjoyed the multiple narrative style but I wouldn’t say I kept rushing to pick it up. I enjoyed the premise of it but it did get quite confusing at times.

Asking for a Friend brings us the wonderful trio of Jemima, Meagan and Simi. These are three friends that have found some successes in their professional lives but are all united in the disaster that is their love lives. All looking for different types of men and differing kinds of relationships, each friend must face the past when looking for their “future.” During a night out the establish The Dating Game – asking out real life men in real life situations but for each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of characters, with each woman being unique and bringing something different to the friendship dynamic. As it is written in third person, each of the characters are given their own voice and we see how each of them develop and grown throughout the book. While the are learning about themselves its interesting to see how they are continuing to learn about each other too. Even after years of friendship it seems they need to work on being the best friend they can be.


I enjoyed reading this book, I found it amusing and well written. It had great pace, but I found the latter part of the book the best. I did enjoy reading from the different girls’ perspectives. Whilst it is funny, I didn’t find it laugh out loud hilarious, but it was entertaining and I would recommend it for a light, refreshing read.


Although this book is all about the girls finding romance with a man, and that is enjoyable and fun, I enjoyed that the main take away from this was about the strength and importance of friendships, supporting those we hold close and being someone who will be honest, support and understand the decisions of others.

An easy read about friendships which for me lacked because there just didn’t seem to be enough character depth within it.

The writing itself is solid and keeps you turning the pages, but it just lacked that special something - I like a book where I feel bereft at the end because I’m invested in the characters and I just didn’t feel that way - or even close.

Best friends Jemima, Simi and Meagan are disasters when it comes to relationships. They have a plan to sort this out. Dating apps are banned. They are going to ask men out in person but for each other. What could possibly go wrong? A sassy storyline with lots of laugh out loud moments. Will definitely cheer you up.

This book is a great book about friendship. It goes through the ups and downs, the good times and the fallouts. A great book about unity