I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Kate Astley has travelled half way across the world to fulfil her late brother's dream, and earn a medical degree at Cambridge. Her future is all planned out, and with her scholarship, she needs to work hard to keep both her studies, and her rowing career on course. It's going to be hard, but she can do it. However, meeting Arthur, and falling head over heels for the Oxford captain was not in the cards. So when their worlds collide in a truly unexpected way, and they will be competing head to head at the annual Boat Race, neither Kate nor Oz know how their love will survive.

I just loved this book. I'm not a sporty person, and I very rarely watch the Boat Race when it's on the TV, but from the first few pages in this book, I was hooked. Kate was someone who knew what she wanted, but was also willing to fulfil her brother's wishes and do the wrong degree. Her love of racing, and her ability as a coxswain, kept her going. But never in her wildest dreams would she imagine she would be racing at the annual Boat Race, and let alone the cox for the men's team. I could see early on that she and Oz would be going head to head, and couldn't wait to see it. When they found out each other went to competing universities, and then were actually competing against each other, it was so fun to see their friendship and romance blossom. They were truly made for each other, and though Oz came from a privileged background, his family was not the most stable, and he was under a lot of pressure from parental expectations. I was so happy with how Kate and Oz's stories intertwined, and the ending was perfection! I can't wait to read the next book, and pray that these two will make a lot of appearances.

OKAY. YES. IM SCREAMING. BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS SO STINKING CUTE I JUST NEED EVERYONE TO KNOW! I don’t know how Lulu is able to consistently write the dang cutest MMC’s for book, but like the other two books of her she’s written and I’ve read?! I’m obsessed.

“If I was an artist, I would have grabbed a pencil and drawn her because I’d never seen something so perfect.”

There’s some books that just are so freaking good that you actually remember all the details of the plot? Yea that’s this book. All the cute things Ozzy did for Kate are just on a loop in my head?! I knew I’d be obsessed by the time Kate figured out who Oz was, was obsessed by the pumpkin pie girl, and was down right swooning by the trash pick up partnership. The third act break up actually caused me to tear up (genuine emotions or post partum? Not sure, either way, I still had tears!) this book was truly just cute over and over again! I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading, and binge read it in a day in a half (which is impressive seeing as I have a 4 week old newborn currently)

“I was captivated by her in a way l'd never been with anyone before. It had never occurred to me to be. If this is what love was, sign me the f*ck up.”

Tropes:
💙 Rowing Sports Romance
🩵Rival Colleges (Oxford & Cambridge)
🚣🏼‍♂️ Insta Attraction
🩵 Forbidden Romance
💙 Secret Romance

Lastly, I think you can tell that this is a different style of writing for Lulu, as it’s a traditionally published work, versus her usual indie published books. While there was spice, it was a bit more tame. I loved this book just as much as her New York Lions indie series, but just thought it should be noted that I felt a difference in her writing. I’m so glad Penguin Random House choose to publish this book! I’m so excited to recommend it to so many of my romance loving besties 🩵

Anyone else hoping we get an Imogen & Brooks since book two is already confirmed as Charlie Violet?!

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️, 2.5🌶️

Thank you Valentine PR, Michael Joseph- PenguinRandom House, and NetGalley for granting me an eARC of this book! This is my honest and unpaid review!

🚣🏼‍♀️ Rival universities
🥧 Secret romance
🚣🏼‍♀️ Sports romance - rowing
🥧 American FMC
🚣🏼‍♀️ British MMC
🥧 He falls first
🚣🏼‍♀️ All the swoon
🥧 1st pov/ dual

💜 Arthur "Oz" Osbourne-Cloud!!! + Kate 💜

Have you read Check + Mate by Ali Hazelwood and said man I wish there was a small amount of open door scenes. Well here ya go. Absolutely nothing a like but yet absolutely the same vibes. This was so damn cute and perfect. The level of SWOON I did for Oz. Their texting/FaceTime conversations. THE PIE 🥧!!!! That's all I'm saying because I want you to read that and experience it's greatness.

I also must say I know NOTHING about rowing and I was able to follow along and fall in love 😍.

The side characters 🙌🏼👏🏼 honestly there's about 4-6 at least I would love to get their own book. I will absolutely be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one!

Thank you to valentine pr, netgalley and Lulu for this ARC!

"Oar Than Friends" by Lulu Moore is a poignant story about human connection set against the tranquil setting of a seaside community. Because of Moore's deft treatment of subjects like friendship and love, the story flows with the tides and keeps readers interested from start to finish. The book takes readers to a universe where relationships are as strong as the sea itself with its beautiful scenery and deep characterizations. "Oar Than Friends" is a literary masterpiece that stays with the reader long after the last chapter, with its moving depiction of loyalty, sacrifice, and the transformational power of forgiveness.

"Oz" & Kate
ARC Review

* College Romance
* Sports Romance- Rowing
* New Adult / contemporary romance
*British MMC
*American FMC
* Low spice

She is a freshman from the US and he is a British Senior. They both row for rival prestigious colleges. However, they can't seem to stay away from each other even if they should be forbidden. Their friendship and relationship grows and they begin to find themselves. They both come from different worlds, different socioeconomic backgrounds and have many burdens to shoulder from their families.

My favorite part of this book was how they stood by each other to work out their inner struggles. She was a med student who was only doing it to fulfill the dream of her deceased brother. Seeing her come into her own self was empowering. He was destined to follow in the political footsteps although that wasn't his dream either. His Father couldn't seem to stay out of the tabloids and Oz seemed to be somewhat famous because of it. Kate, being from the States didn't know him. That was refreshing for Oz because he was used to being judged based on his family.

My biggest struggle with this book is of a personal nature and not because of the writing itself- I just seemed to struggle with the British slang and my inability to visualize where the story was taking place. Because of that I felt I had to slow down to read and sometimes re-read things in order for it to connect with me. Again, that is not a fault of the story, but of my own. Otherwise, a very sweet coming of age, low on the spice romance.

These characters had a lot on their shoulders and often times acted more mature. I appreciated their friendship first and their honesty with each other.

I received an advance copy of this book for free and am leaving a review voluntarily. Many thanks to publisher, Valentine PR, Netgalley, and Author for the opportunity to read and review early.

If you are looking to read a cute and unique story on college rivals and sports romance then Oat Than Friends it’s your perfect choice. I enjoyed reading this book by Lulu Moore and I loved the characters so so so much. The story of Kate and Ozzy(Arthur) will grab your attention and will steal your heart. I laughed, I screamed and I cried while reading this book.

Kate is studying medicine at Cambridge and she’s on a rowing scholarship; whereas, Ozzy is studying classics at Oxford and it’s the president of the rowing team. When they accidentally meet each other on a dark night, neither of them know that their teams are sworn enemies. Once they find out, things get harder between them two because winning the legendary Boat Race is important and there can only be one winner.

Kate is such a strong character and she went across the world to study medicine to fulfill her brother’s dream.
Oz is the embodiment of a perfect boyfriend and I fell in love with his character and his pure heart. He was always there for Kate and his family and was always putting their needs first. Oz was misinterpreted by so many people because of his father’s image and he tried to hard to get out of his shadow and show his true self.


Thank you Valentine PR, Lulu Moore, and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

ARC TEAM Lulu Moore AND @VALENTINEPR

I am completely in love with this story.

4,7 ⭐️

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book before it was published, I absolutely loved this book and never thought I would like this sport, I didn't even know it existed.

This story follows the lives of Kate and Oz, who are both part of the boat racing club, Kate belongs to the Cambridge University team and Oz to the Oxford University team, so they are "rivals" even though they don't compete in the same category.

When they first meet they spark and it's as if they were meant to be together and they complement each other and understand themselves in a way that no one has ever done before, I think it's beautiful how they can't stop thinking about each other.

Kate is a strong protagonist, determined and with clear goals, she puts all her love in what she does, in the people around her and she is also super funny, she is a medical student, she studies thousands and thousands of kilometres away from her home and she struggles to achieve a dream that is not even hers. She loves racing and it is clear that she is the best cox on her team.

Oz is wonderful, a lot of people only know the public side of his life and unfortunately they talk about him and don't really get to know him. I love that he's like some kind of famous briths boy old money type but at the same time he's super tender and loves his family, his friends and he's completely crazy and obsessed with Kate.

They have immediate spark and it fascinates me that he is so in love with her that he can't stop thinking about her at any moment.

Their relationship is a little bit sketchy but you can see the love they have for each other and you can see how they fall in love gradually.

I loved the theme of the boat races and the rivalry they have, I had no idea of the existence of this sport and now all I want to do is look for videos, movies, clips, whatever and learn more about it.

Anyway, I think this book is going to be my favourite for March.

Thank you to net galley and Lulu for this ARC, releasing March 14th!!!

I have read a lot of sports romance, but this was definitely my first rowing (yes ROWING 🚣‍♀️) romance and omg did it DELIVER!! Like truly so much fun🤩

We get insta-love (in a non cringey way, if I say so myself), college rivals to lovers, a British MMC (c’mon), and struggling MCs with family pressure finding themselves💟

AND this MMC??? I love you, Ozzy🫶🏼🥰

Lulu Moore managed to write the perfect amount of sweet and spice. This was one of those sweet, makes you smile, and brings you a lot of joy romances🤗

Now someone take me rowing doing The Thames River pls and thanks🚣‍♀️🚣

OH and let me tell you - we already got the first chapter for the next one in this standalone series and I cannot WAIT for it (about 50% in the book I was hoping so hard Lulu was going to grace us with this story…)

I am new to Lulu Moore but was happy to get the Arc for this!
This is my second book set in London and I like it here!
We first meet Kate, an American studying medicine at Cambridge. She is also the coxswain for the girls' rowing team. After a night out she stumbles into the devastatingly handsome Oz (AOC) who just so happens to be the President of the Oxford Men's Team (their bitter rival). Oz has quite the reputation, as the son of a wealthy politician, and the star on his rowing team.
After some back and forth, Oz convinces Kate to get to know him and these two start to fall hard for each other. Even though they are worlds apart they both support and care for each other. The only problem is they are on rival teams and have to keep things secret. If word gets out, Kate could risk her scholarship and place on the team.
This book is a new favorite! I know nothing about rowing but you get a sense of what the sport is like and how dedicated they are. Oz was such a golden retriever for Kate and wanted to make her happy any way he could. I loved how he was all in from the start! Things get tricky for them towards the end but these two never gave up! Definitely cannot wait for book 2 in this series. I loved the little snippet we get at the end of the book.
* Set in London
* Rivals
* He falls hard
* Sports Romance
4.5 stars

“I’ll see you at the finish line.”

Where to start… I absolutely loved this book! From the start Oz and Kate had such great chemistry. Their meet-cute was hilarious and kept you wanting to read even more about them. I knew nothing about rowing going into this, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience at all. In fact, it made me want to learn even more about the sport.

This book was everything I ever could have wanted in a romance book. There was funny banter, great friendships, rivalry, adorable moments, and of course some spice. Each character was so well developed and relatable. I loved that Lulu Moore didn’t just focus on the romantic relationship, but the platonic ones as well. It helped the book be so well rounded. I can’t wait to read more from the series!

The story of Kate, an American in England on a rowing scholarship, and Oz, the son of a politician who was involved in scandal who is portrayed poorly.

These two are on the rowing team for competitive colleges Oxford and Cambridge. I loved the rivalry between the schools and that they didn't let it ruin their relationship at first.

This story was so wholesome and I loved reading about each characters past and how they both deal with it. I thought Oz was going to be a typical playboy but the way he fell for Kate was sweet and genuine that I fell in love with him too.

There is a third act breakup because of course people get scared but I enjoyed reading them come back together and how they both were able to change for the better because of each other.

I can't wait for book 2 to come out.

"You're a cox?"
"How did you know?"
"You look like one,"

I loveee watching the annual Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race and have been watching it for years now. So when I saw this book was based around it, I was excited to pick it up. It's not often you see sports romances about rowing, never-mind the boat race itself, so I liked the originality! Plus, you could see that Lulu knew what she was talking about from the descriptions and rowing talk throughout... It wasn't a case of just mentioning that the two were involved in rowing and then never really seeing anything else about them participating like I find some sports romances do.

As a Dark Blue supporter myself, I was rooting for Arthur throughout! 🙌 And will be rooting for Oxford at the end of the month when this years race is scheduled for 💙 Unfortunately, I didn't love Kate's character as much as Arthur though as I thought she was a bit unfair to him at times.

I really liked the relationships between the teams though and looking forward to getting more from the other character. 3.7*

*ARC received for an honest review.

arc review —

rating: 4 ⭐️

once i started this book i couldn’t put it down! i absolutely loved the story, the concept, the setting, the love and friendship 💖

granted these are british schools and there were a few terms not used correctly when discussing the british schooling system but nonetheless, it didn’t bother me that much and just moved past it.

i really loved that this was a sports romance that was entirely new for me. i know nothing about rowing but it was just so fun to read about. the author really knew how to get you invested in the race and build up to it. so much tension and energy around it i loved it.

i loved oz and kate’s banter, humour and inevitably their love because it was so wonderful to read. each character had a thoughtful backstory and i loved reading it all. my favourite moments were when kate spent christmas with oz and his family. it was so sweet!

i loveeee seeing how obsessed oz was with kate from the start! he was sweet and charming and won her over instantly, no matter how much she was fighting the attraction. there were so many sweet and tender moments that i just can’t move on from and i don’t want to.

i can’t wait to read more of this series and i hope everyone in oz’s friendship group gets a book!

read this if you love:
🚣🏻 sports romance
🚣🏻 strangers to rivals to lovers
🚣🏻 secret relationship
🚣🏻 he falls first

thank you valentine pr and lulu moore for the arc 🫶🏻

Listen. Do I know a single thing about rowing? Absolutely not. But this book was so fun and I enjoyed every second! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope so I knew I’d love it. Arthur and Kate had such good chemistry and their banter was 10/10. Kate is a driven, focused FMC and she is very easy to relate to. And Arthur is an Englishman with a hot accent. Nuff said 🔥

this is my first read from Lulu Moore and i was not disappointed!!!!!!!

the book follows Kate Astley and Arthur Osborne-Cloud, she is a small town in Connecticut, on a rowing scholarship, studying medicine at Cambridge. Oz is the Oxford University Boat Club President and he's studying classics. Their rowing team are rivals but their hearts say something totally different.

what I liked most about this book is that neither Oz nor Kate are afraid to acknowledge their feelings. They both have such a beautiful soul, from the moment they met they connected in the deepest way ever. They told each other their biggest secrets and THEY JUST MET each other. Their relationship was so healthy and cute, they could talk about anything. And the author shows us in a very tender way, how Kate and Oz fell in love, which is reflected in the sacrifices each one made to be able to be with the other.

Oar Than Friends was my first ever rowing romance and English-college-based romance in general LOL. I know nothing about rowing but the story between Oz and Kate was perfectly informative, an amazing & fast read, and adorable all-around!

As for meet cutes, I think Oz and Kate’s was so hilarious and the perfect start to their story. Right from the jump, Oz is a sweet-talker and knows he’s talented but deep down, there’s a big softie in him. Kate is a determined American at Cambridge after some tragedy strikes her family. The adorably innocent scenes that show the depth of their feelings had my cheeks blushing and my heart feeling so full. I absolutely admire the training and schedule that rowing requires and I think it was written about perfectly in this book! The larger-than-life friend groups seriously had me obsessed and the humor throughout this book made me laugh out loud multiple times🤣

The ups and downs of the plot were really fun to read and I think showed real struggles for college students, athletes, and those who have lost someone. I loved that we got to go through the whole rowing season and were able to see the final Boat Race. I was seriously at the edge of my seat waiting to see who won! I think the way that the story ended was so funny and sweet, just like how it started hehe, and gave Oz and Kate the happy ending that they deserve!

Thank you so much to ValentinePR and Lulu for gifting me an ARC of this book💙 So excited for the next in the Oxbridge series!!

oar than friends 🛶🍻🦞🩺📚📰🌧️🥧

“no, yankee doodle, you’re not. you could never be my enemy.”

“i wanted to claim her heart and her mind, like she had claimed mine.”

“a light blue and a dark blue, step by step.”

4.5 ☆ book one in oxbridge series by lulu moore

this book follows kate astley and arthur (oz) osborne-cloud. kate is from a small town in connecticut, on a rowing scholarship, studying medicine to fulfill a dream. oz is the oxford university boat club president studying classics. she’s rowing for cambridge. he’s rowing for oxford. a boat race to go down in history.

this is my first read from lulu moore and i was not disappointed! this book had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! i instantly fell in love with kate and oz! their love story is one of the cutest from their meet cute to the very end!

thank you to @lulumoorebooks and @valentine_pr_ for this arc! i really enjoyed it 🤍

tropes ➞ college romance / sports romance / he falls first / rivals to lovers / forbidden love / secret relationship

I have fell in love with sports romance. So when I saw that this one was different than anything else I've seen I was super excited. This is a college romance that takes place away from the states. Kate and Oz are part of rowing teams for two different universities who are rivals. Their meet cute, if we want to call it that lol, had me in stitches laughing.

Kate has lost her brother and is trying to fulfill what she thinks her parents would want while also pursuing what her brother is missing out on. Oz is trying to find his own path away from the tabloids and media surrounding his father who is a politician. Both have weird relationships with their dads. And they're both really just trying to find their way.

I loved seeing how they rival together even though they had reservations because of the conflicting schools. Their friend groups were amazing. And overall I just loved the feel of the atmosphere there. One of my favorite things was getting to me Oz and seeing how he really just scooped Kate up and showed her such a good time especially on her Christmas break when she was not near family.

This really was such a refreshing and great read. I love getting to see an inside view of what rowing entails. I'm so excited to see that it's a series and I can't wait to dive deeper into some of these side characters who have some of the best personalities.

Oh the chokehold this book had on me…. Do I know anything about rowing….no…. Did that affect the readability of the book ? No.

I love Lulu Moores writing style and her books in general, she has the ability to engulf readers into the world of the story she is writing.

The relationship between Kate and Arthur is everything, they have spectacular banter but go through very real relationship issues. Very minor spice throughout the story I would give it a 2.5/5 🌶️ level personally. I have fallen in love it’s not only Kate and Arthur but also all of their friends.

I am so thankful I got to receive an ARC of this book and cannot wait for the next book in the Oxbridge series. My new comfort read for sure (but all of Lulu Moore’s books are comfort reads to me)

This review is voluntary and all thoughts and feelings are my own

Oar than Friends by Lulu Moore

Loved this book! ❤️

She American and goes to Cambridge and he is Brit and goes to Oxford, both are on their college rowing team and they happen to run into each other.

Loved the instant connection between the Oz and Kate. Their secret relationship was so swoony. The troubles they both were working thru made for strong main characters. And the troubles they encountered along the way in their secret relationship only made the story that much more addicting. The 2nd half of the book I just wanted to keep reading and never stop.

I also loved getting a little glimpse into British life and learning a little about rowing throughout the story.

Great quick read and really hoping for another book about 2 of their friends 😉


#OarThanFriends #NetGalley
#ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy #SportsRomance #Athlete #Billionaire #BoyObsessed #BritishHero #EnemiestoLovers #ForbiddenLove #IvyLeagueUniversity #LoveatFirstSight #SecretRomance #SportsRomance