Oh this book! I absolutely loved it to pieces.
It was my first book related to rowing and it was really cool to read about it as a college sport.

But these characters? They had depth and struggles and anxieties about their future and family expectations that made this book so interesting.
Their connection from the first night was so cute and special and getting to know each other was so adorable!

I just want to read more and more about these characters and this sport, and I cannot stop smiling about this damn book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Happy Release Day to Oar than Friends! 🚣‍♀️💙🚣‍♂️

Lulu is back with the first book in her new rowing romance series. After tackling the worlds of baseball & hockey, she now has her sights set on rowing. And let me just say this is now my new comfort read, as Kate & Oz spent their time together on & off the water. 

This story focuses on Kate & Oz, as Kate is freshly off the plane from the States as she enrolled in her first year at Cambridge University. When she first meets Oz, who is in his final year at Oxford University, it is as if the rom-com gods themselves planned their introduction. Although these two should be bitter rivals, as they attend different prestigious institutions & come from very different worlds, the ultimate showdown between Cambridge & Oxford comes to a head. They share something forbidden but more powerful, as it changes both of their lives as they find everything they both never knew they needed in each other.  

Kate epitomizes a woman who will leave her mark on the world, as she wears her heart on her sleeve. She's a medical student who's all heart & passion, as she has so much spark about her. She's internally torn to balance her dreams & her pull home. I adored her & found her so relatable, as I greatly appreciated her strength & fiestyness for the people in her life, as well as her goals. Oz, where do I begin with this man? English men just always hit differently for me, but Oz is a dream; he comes from a world with many stereotypes that seem to follow him, as he was charismatic & thoughtful. I loved how hard he loved Kate as he thrived to make his own path in life.  

What a story with so much heart! If you love authors like Hannah Bonam-Young, you won't want to miss this one. Lulu combined my all-time favorite tropes & mixed them with the exuberance & liveliness of rowing. From the sportsmanship to comradery to the friendships, I didn't know which team or friendship group I wanted to be a part of more. I hope every one of them gets a story & to catch up with Kate & Oz again very soon. 

Q: What's a book that you're already dying to re-read? 

Huge thank you to @lulumoorebooks & @valentine_pr_ for the ARC 💙

This was the first book I read from Lulu Moore and I’ve already started adding her other books to my TBR!! I wasn’t planning on finishing this in one sitting but it happened and I’m so glad it did. The connection between Oz and Kate is undeniably one of the best connections I’ve read in a book. I could almost feel the emotions coming off the pages as I kept reading. Definitely worth a read on a rainy day or on any day!

What can I say! Lulu does it again and you know what the amazing part of this is?!? This book was fantastic.

Let me tell you why… have you read a rowing romance?!! Yeah, no, neither have I and now I want more of them. Kate and Oz are both rowing athletes but for different Universities. Rival Universities! Kate at Cambridge and the swooniest of book boyfriends is at Oxford. Oz knows he wants Kate and Kate wants Oz but due to their teams rivalries she is unsure if this is allowed and due to some circumstances, Kate is worried she will lose her position and scholarship with the university if found out.

Kate is working through life with the past of her brother in her forefront. She is trying to do him and her family proud but is it what she wants. Kate’s character has grown throughout the book and Lulu did such an amazing job showcasing the guilt and grief one can have with the loss like she had. Oz is persistent. He himself is dealing with a life that in a way is planned for him but is that what he truly wants?!? What he does want though is Kate and he is not shy about and does not give up. The two together deliver. They are exactly what each other needs and truly balance each other out. From their meet cute to their spice to the sweet moments, Kate and Oz had me invested.

Did I mention this was a rowing romance?! Yes, okay just wanted to make sure. If like me, you have not read one. I recommend Oar Than Friends. Lulu did such a great job with detail in regard to the sport itself. Not knowing much about rowing, I did not feel lost when reading. I was absorbed in this book the entire time. From the lead up to the rowing race, Kate and Oz’s relationship and as always, the side characters, I could not put this down!!

Congrats on the release, Lulu and thank you for sharing with us this new world that is rowing and I am so excited to read more!!!


If you like:

Rivals to Lovers
Forbidden Romance
Secret Relationship
Boy Obsessed
Ivy League
Rowing Romance
British MMC
American FMC

5⭐️

-College Sports
-American H
-British H

She's rowing for Cambridge. He's rowing for Oxford. A boat race for the ages.

I don't think there are many sports romances about rowing, so it was like catnip, even though I know nothing about the sport.

A sweet, almost insta-love read with some drama and a third act breakup.

As a Lulu stan, I was SO excited for this! I love the glimpse into the rowing community as well as life in Oxford, and the romance was absolutely adorable! I'm obsessed!

I like to pick up sports romances that aren’t hockey from time to time to diversify and usually it’s fun, but I’m afraid nothing can make rowing interesting to me… I would say the book was kinda cute, but the entire rowing storyline just did not really interest me, and then the whole « forbidden love story that has to stay hidden » just felt very juvenile (rival universities does not have the same effect as Romeo and Juliet) so I struggled a bit to take them seriously.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6325529184

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e3d5d50f-9467-4e3a-ba7a-e1833cc529e3

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R373KCVZ6ZNTB0?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4f94PprtEa/

"Oar then Friends" follows Kate and Oz, rival college rowers from Cambridge and Oxford. One should not fraternize with the enemy. That is what they are taught both taught. More Kate than Oz. While I enjoyed the initial chapters, where they first meet, and without knowing who the other is. The romance between Oz and Kate had cute moments, but it felt rushed to get them together. There was an excess amount of internal monologue that just was not needed. Oz was my favorite character, he knew who he was, and did not need to change to appease anyone. Kate learned from him, more than once, and she decided to chase after her own dreams. Overall, I did enjoy the chapters and the story, and recommend it as a cute, sweet romance with an easy-going pace.

I didn't know a single thing about the sport of Rowing before picking up this book. I possibly still don't but I definitely want to!

Oz stole my heart from the first chapter from his POV. Not only is he insanely attractive but he is funny, charming and so full of heart. While I love a good bad boy, when the MMC shows his love for the FMC in front of anyone and everyone and wears his emotions on his sleeve, that is next level book boyfriend.

Both Oz and Kate have some demons and family trauma (drama) to contend with but Kate is more reluctant to admit to herself or to anyone else that she is not living out life on her terms but trying to live up to expectations she has placed on herself after her brothers death.

Oz is trying to live life the way he wants but still afraid to confront his father and truly be the man he wants to be.

Both Oz & Kate have a bit of growing up to do but all in all they stay true to who they are as people.
They experience growth that comes with becoming an adult and getting out from the shadows and expectations of others, or ones we place on ourselves in the name of guilt.

As far as the 3rd act break up, while it started out as Kate asking for some space due to all the publicity their relationship brings, when Oz had the realization that as much as he loves her if she can't accept him as he is and the parts of life he has no control over... Man that broke my heart!

The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is that I felt like the ending was rushed and I wish we got just a few hundred words more closure at the end.

I look forward to more books in this series and catch up with all of the characters because I loved them all!

I have to admit I know NOTHING about competitive rowing, but did that stop me from enjoying this book? HECK NO. This was such a heartwarming book full of sugar & spice and everything nice!

Kate has just arrived at Cambridge University (in England) for her first year of medical studies. She happens to stumble upon Oz (almost literally) on campus one night. They end up chatting for a bit and there’s an instant connection between them. Kate is excited for their first real date until she finds out that he’s the captain of the Oxford men’s rowing team which is her schools biggest rival! Enter pining, sneaking around, hurt feelings, & drama, but it’s all worth it to get to their happily ever after! 🙌🏻🫶🏻

Kate and Oz (Arthur) were so good together! Even when they were “enemies”, the banter between them was fabulous and their chemistry was off the charts! Lulu’s books are always a hit for me!💗 I absolutely love her writing and I cannot wait for the next book in this series! Add this to your TBR now!

Okay, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I fell in love with Moore's writing when I read The Shake Off last year, and when I saw she had another sport romance set in the UK (with British characters! - sorry, I have a soft spot for all things British), I was all over that. The icing on the cake for me was the fact that it was a romance about rival rowers - a sport I know absolutely zilch about, but loved the idea of it so much because it's such a unique sport to write about.

It's a book with all those yummy tropes - sports romance, enemies to lovers (though I do feel it was a little light on the "enemies" aspect personally), college aged protagonists with plenty of banter and chemistry abound. The fact that the sports aspect of this sports romance is actually a key element of the book also makes me very happy - there are some college sports romances that just gloss over the sport included, but this one dives right in -- and I learned a few things from it, too.

Kate and Oz's story hits a lot deeper than anticipated, with an undercurrent of loss and grief, which has been written about in such a beautiful way that doesn't detract from the emotions and the story, but also doesn't over dramatise it. The characters show growth throughout the book, and you can't help but fall a little in love with them too.

Add in the cast of supporting characters that Moore always seems to make balance the FMC/MMC's romantic storyline, and you've got another winner. Looking forward to seeing where the rest of this series takes us!

I really enjoyed this book! Well written and a great read.
I have never read a book about rowing, but I found it really interesting!

If you like sports romance books, why not give this a go!!
The love story was wonderful and how they loved each other dearly.

Can’t wait to read more from this author:

A massive thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

Wow. I’ve never read a rowing romance before and wow I need to read more because Lulu smashed this, I felt myself constantly thinking about it and I read 50% in one night I couldn’t put it down!!

The dynamic was so good, I really enjoyed this, I kept telling people about my current read and already recommending before I had even finished!! A solid 4.5 stars from me! Go read it!!

So I guess I’m a rowing fan now?! I loved this book and these characters so much! Kate is at Cambridge to follow her brother’s dream and make her family proud. Oz is at Oxford trying to run away from his father’s expectations. Not only are they at rival schools, but rival teams since they are both rowers. But after one hilarious meeting, Oz can do nothing but think of Kate, and he won’t stop until they’re together.

The banter and interactions between these two were so fun and cute! They both have something to work for and something to prove. And they understand what each other are going through between their studies and athletics. It was a true partnership. And I loved how hard Oz fought to even just talk to Kate 😍 Even when things weren’t going great, he found ways to show her how much he cared.

At one point Kate gets such good news, I was kicking my feet in excitement. I was constantly swooning or smiling over every page! I seriously can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you, Lulu and Valentine PR, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Arthur Osborne-cloud aka Oz is President of Oxford Rowing, he's popular because of his achievements, but the media has him made out to be a player. It took one conversation with Kate Astley, an American rower for Cambridge to finally feel seen by Oz. They might not have time for a relationship, but sometimes fate has other plans.
This is a rivals to lovers. It's so great to read about other sports!
Loved this book!!

I love the easy relationship between Kate and Oz. Then tension and the banter was perfection. I would happily recommend Lulu Moore to friends. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I absolutely loved Oar Than Friends - it was such an adorable, well written story!

When I started the book, I knew absolutely nothing about rowing or boat racing - but being a huge sport romance fan, I wanted to give it a try and it did not disappoint. Lulu wrote the story in a way that you understand the terminologies and specificities very easily, and I’m low-key really tempted to start watching rowing now!

I loved both Kate and Oz - I loved seeing how their relationship blossomed and how they dealt with their situation. I love seeing how different they were but still were so right for each other and how much they loved each other.

This book was just the right mix of banter, angst; I love how funny the book as well as emotional at times.

Also absolutely love the side characters and I cannot wait to read more from that universe!

Thank you @lulumoore and @valentine_pr_ for the ARC 🖤

This is the first book of the Oxbridge series and also my first book by this author. This is a college sports romance, not really my thing, but the summary sounded interesting and the cover is really cute, so I thought I'd give it a try and I was not disappointed. I'm not familiar with Oxford or Cambridge, or rowing for that matter, so I can't say anything about the authenticity of the story. But I did find it quite entertaining and enjoyable, and that is all I was looking for, and that is all I really look for in any book. It's a way to escape and have a good time without leaving the comfort of your home. And that's exactly what I got out of this. Arthur and Kate are both competing in a rowing race on rival university teams. Their rivalry turns into a bit of a forbidden relationship as they go from enemies to something more. I think they complemented each other well and had great chemistry and I liked how they became supportive of each other. Overall, a cute romance story that was an easy read and is perfect for a nice laidback, lazy afternoon!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

I wanted to read this book because I am really into rowing. You could definitely enjoy this story without the knowledge or care for rowing but that aspect is such an important part of the story. You can easily understand the meanings. Their passion for their sport and college rivalries added a fun layer to the story. Kate is from America, stepping foot into another country for college. I enjoyed watching her grow into her own as she navigates this new part of her life. Oz is charming and his friends are so fun! When their worlds collide, it is a roller coaster of events that are not to be missed!