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In order to honor someone she loves Kate has decided to attend university at Cambridge and become part of the women’s rowing team even if it is way outside of her comfort zone. When she meets Oz she is drawn to him in a way she didn’t expect however not only does she consider him off limits due to his reputation but the fact that he attends a rival university.
Oz’s life has been planned by his politician father both when it comes to his education and his career. His first meeting with Kate left quite the impression on him and he isn’t about to let anyone, or anything come between them and now he just needs to convince her.
Kate and Oz were exactly what the other needed in their lives from the fun times to the heartfelt moment and to the way they helped each other realize what and who they wanted in their lives both now and in the future.
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I did a legit happy dance when this hit my kindle! It’s no secret that I absolutely adore Lulu’s books, so I knew I had to get a copy of this one !
I have never watched a boat race, or heard much about them but this book makes me want to hop on the wagon.
I loved Oz and Kate from their very first meet cute, to all the tender moments together.
This is very much a forbidden/secret relationship trope!
Also, Kate is just straight badass for all the hard work she put in for herself and the towing team.
This book is one you will want to add to your TBR immediately !
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(Advance Readers Copy)
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice 🌶🌶.5
Oz and Kate were the sweetest things I've read in a book in a long time. They are on competitive rowing teams from Cambridge and Oxford. From the moment Kate tripped and landed in Oz's lap, he knew she would be his.
Oz had to be one of the sweetest MMC I've read in a book in a long time. He's swoony and everything in-between. He's a billionaire, but that doesn't affect his attitude when it comes to his behavior. He calls Kate his Yankee Doodle since she's from America.
This author also did a great job at existing what rowing was. I never thought I'd be interested in a book like this, but I'm glad I read it. If you're looking for a good palette cleanser or just a sweet romantic book. This is the one I'd recommend. I smiled a lot during this book, and I'm glad I got a chance to read this.
Tropes:
- Athletic Competition
- Secret Relationship
- Billionaire MMC
- Rowing Athletes
- British Book
- Swoon-worthy MMC
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* I got this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Valentine PR.*
This book is about Arthur (Oz) and Kate.
Kate came here to fulfill her brothers idea and she is also on Cambridge rowing team as a Cox. She meets Oz one night and they hit it off. She comes to find out that he is a rower on the Oxford team.
They finally decided to date but as he is "kinda royalty" they get found out and it is too much for Kate. Arthur loves her so much and things take a bad turn.
This story is so sweet and fun. I had to the watch rowing races and look up what all the different jobs were on a rowing team. This is a great book and I love her writing style
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brb I’m going to England and joining a rowing team 🚣
Honestly though, Oar Than Friends was SO MUCH FUN!! AND SO ADORABLE!! It was so British and so cute and will have you kicking and giggling 99% of the time.
Oz and Kate were perfect. I loved how they clicked and how much they supported each other despite attending competitor schools. Also, I loved how sweet they were, but not in an overbearing/ridiculous way lol.
The rowing team aspect was so unique and I want more rowing romances asap! I know zero about the sport, but Oar Than Friends was easy follow while also being pretty sporty! Lulu did a great job simplifying it for us non-rowers.
This was my first Lulu Moore book and I can’t wait to pick up another! Also, looking forward to the rest of the Oxbridge series now 🫶
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And now I’m a fan of Rowing!!! Never saw that coming but anything for Oz & Kate!! These two have one of the best meet cutes ever! Ball trauma & I totally swooned with this quote from Oz:
‘Did you know that according to Greek mythology, humans were born with two heads and four arms and legs? Zeus, sitting on his throne in Olympus, became worried that humans were going to be strong enough to overpower the Gods, and so split them down the middle. Ever since, humans have searched the earth for their other half. Their soulmate.’
One of my favorite tropes is Boy Obsessed & this was so Oz & I am here for it. Oz & Kate also have a great banter & fun flirting but I really enjoyed how Lulu addressed Kate’s Survivors Grief & both of the characters emotional baggage. I really enjoyed all things British in this book & can’t wait for more. Especially hot mess Ollie’s story!!
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I’ll start my saying I have LOVED all of @lulumoorebooks and this was no exception.
I loved the rowing theme in this book, and the dynamic between Kate and Arthur was just what I was looking for.
The banter, the flirting, the swoon moments were perfect and there was some difficult themes tackled very well in this one, and their relationship grew through the book and I could not put it down. Lulu puts magic into her books and you can’t help fall in love and root for her characters.
I have pre-ordered the paperback which should land through my door today so I’m excited to re read at some point but I was lucky to get and e-arc of this one which I am very grateful for so thanks to the author, NetGalley and @valentine_pr_ for that in return for an honest review.
A fab romance as usual, can’t wait to read more in this series.
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Who knew that rowing romance books existed? This was soooooooo good. They had such an instant connection but the second she figured out who Oz was she pushed him away so hard. Oz was never deterred though, he knew that he was going to end up with Kate. They are just perfect and are able to bring out the best in each other. It warmed my heart when she met his whole family and they just took her in as one of their own. Or when she was crying and so he drove 2 hours just to come comfort her.
I received an arc from valentine pr.
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•College rowing
•Rivals to lovers
•Slow burn
Lulu’s first college romance was so enjoyable with the banter I’ve come to know and love in her stories and a sprinkle of the spice from her other books. She truly is a comfort author for me.
Kate meets Arthur (Oz) when she stumbles (literally) upon him on campus and they have an instant connection. The only thing they don’t realize is they’re on rivaling rowing teams - Cambridge vs. Oxford. A rivalry that spans decades and is taken very seriously by many. Kate, an American on scholarship at Cambridge, doesn’t want to do anything to rock the boat so she keeps Oz at arms length after finding out who he really is.
Oz is such a charming and lovable MMC. He’s sweet, caring, lovable - all things that contradicts the public’s perception of him. He was adamant on showing Kate his true colors, while Kate was adamant on keeping her distance. Oz wore her down and once they came together it was so unbelievably sweet. I found myself smiling throughout this book and when we got glimpses into their teammates who I hope will be MCs in future books I was very much intrigued!!
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I really enjoyed this. It captured my attention in a way that it hasn’t been in a long time. I think maybe because it’s a sports romance, but rowing is a pretty obscure sport. Like it’s a total athletic pursuit and absolutely no joke, but it’s not one that has an opportunity to row professionally as far as I know. So rowing for Oxford and Cambridge is as elite as the sport can get outside the Olympics. I very much enjoyed the world created by the author and learning a bit more about rowing culture.
Another reason I liked this book is that it somehow made me nostalgic for my own university years. Especially Kate’s experience of moving away from home, living in a dorm, making best friends right away. Learning to be an adult while also taking on a heavy course load. Oh - and competing at the top of your sport, no pressure.
The author portrayed the university experience in a different way from most other college sports romances I’ve read - full of parties and fuckbois. This kept its focus on the sports, the academics, the rivalry - and of course the relationship between Oz and Kate. Their meet cute was the best!!! Oz seemed so down to earth, despite his aristocratic upbringing.
All told, I thought it was a charming story and romance. One of the best new adult romances I’ve read - possibly ever. Pick this one up, you will not regret it!!!!
Advanced copy was provided by NetGalley and all opinions are my own.
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RATING : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 🔥🔥
If you told me I would fall head over heels for a rowing romance, I’m not quite sure I would believe you, but here we are!
This book put a permanent smile on my face that I don’t think I wiped off the entire time I was reading it. Oz and Kate are soulmates, couples goals and athlete goals all wrapped up into one perfect package. My heart is so full with how much I loved this book!
TROPES ⬇️
🩵 Sports Romance
🩵 College Rivals
🩵 British Billionaire MMC
🩵 He Falls First
🩵 Secret Relationship
🩵 A crash course in Rowing
Despite knowing nothing about rowing before reading this book, I’m now completely obsessed with how much I learned through Kate and Oz’s journey. They are both world-class rowers for Cambridge and Oxford, and they meet when Kate literally trips over Oz during her first week on campus from America. Their connection is both instant and absolutely adorable and watching them slowly fall into each other was so damn cute.
He calls her Yankie Doodle and she calls him Ozzy, and if you tell me soulmates don’t exist, I will make you read this book because these two prove that they do.
Oz may be the swooniest and sweetest MMC I’ve read in a while because from the second he meets Kate, he is done. She is it for him and he will accept no other outcome. He may have been raised a billionaire but this man is a tender marshmellow and I love him.
I just can’t stop raving about how much I loved this! It was low angst, tooth rotting sweetness and I never wanted it to end!
Read this book now if you need an immediate boost in serotonin because there is no way you won’t have heart flutters the entire way through.
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Lulu is such a fantastic writer. I enjoy everything she writes and was incredibly excited to see her go trad published. This book was incredibly cute and something I’m so excited to see out on shelves everywhere.
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I fell in love with both Kate and Oz as a couple instantly. There was such playful banter and flirting throughout the whole story but yet it also was so deep and a tale about grief and trauma too. Kate has moved from the states to Cambridge to study medicine on a scholarship and hopes to also make their women’s rowing team. Her reasons for being there are heartbreaking, and Lulu handles this really sensitively. Oz also has lot to sort out in his own life too as the story progresses. I’m excited for book 2- there’s a little sneak peak at the end of Oar than Friends and I can’t wait to read more about Violet.
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Wow, one of my top reads of this year so far! I loved the plot and the main characters, as well as the forbidden love trope and Oxford College scene. It's my first from the author and I plan on reading more of her books! Arthur ( Oz ) and Kate are so good together, and I loved how both had to overcome many obstacles in their lives to find happiness. Its fun, a bit sexy, and a page turner.
Full review on my Instagram.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this arc.
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Thank you Valentine PR and Lulu Moore for the ARC! 💕
This was such a fun read! I've never read anything by Lulu and I loved entering the rowing scene with this book! I definitely have to go back and read the rest of her books! Oz is another book boyfriend I've added to my list. He's so caring, wonderful, and always made sure Kate was loved and cared for. It was really interesting to hear all about rowing and it's definitely peaked my interested.
About: Kate randomly stumbles on someone (literally) and he listens about her worries being so far away from home. She's on a rowing scholarship studying medicine at Cambridge University so it definitely can be overwhelming. Arthur Osborne-Cloud (swoon), or Oz as others call him is the President of the Oxford University Boat Club studying the classics. Will their school's rivalry take over their feelings for each other?
Recommend if you enjoy:
-sports romance
-rivals to lovers
-he falls first
-secret relationship
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶️
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Oar Than Friends by Lulu Moore is the first novel in the Oxbridge series, and it is adorable! I absolutely love the group of friends on both sides. The world that Lulu Moore has created for this series is so fun. The banter is never ending.
Kate is new in England and at Cambridge University. She is planning to study medicine and row on the university's team. She is getting acclimated to a new country and making new friends, then she meets a super cute guy in a hilarious way.
Oz is dealing with a lot. His family life is a bit of a mess, and he's trying to decide what to do with his future. He wants to do something completely different than his father wants and expects. He is visiting his friend Olly one night, when he gets his precious goods stepped on by the most beautiful girl.
I absolutely loved the chemistry between Oz and Kate! I loved the banter and that they each had their own personal struggles to find their way to each other. I cannot wait for the next novel in this series!
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Oar Than Friends by Lulu Moore, is the first book in the Oxbridge Series, here we will meet Kate Astley, this beautiful girl, hard-working and dedicated, travels from the United States to the University of Cambridge in England to study medicine after having received a scholarship, and one of her goals is to become part of the legendary rowing team, is ther that she meets a boy who she can't help but feel attracted to, but what Kate doesn't know is that this boy is the President of the Oxford Rowing team. Arthur Osbourne-Cloud “Oz” has always had his future planned, after graduating from Oxford he must follow in his father's footsteps in politics, which Oz is not enthusiastic about, that is not his dream, he just wants to have a good time and continue winning championships and medals with his rowing team, but suddenly he meets this beautiful american and the attraction is immediate, but what he does not know is that she is part of the Cambridge rowing team, the rival University that they will face in The Boat Race. Although they should stay apart and be rivals, Oz is completely enchanted by Kate, she is nothing like what he is used to and for Kate, although at first she tries to fight the attraction, she will end up getting carried away by it, which It leads them to find in each other what they didn't know they needed.
I loved this story! Since I started reading it I couldn't put it down, the wonderful characters, the jokes will have you laughing out loud, but you will also have moments where you will shed a few tears (Kate's story and her guilt tore my heart), all while you fall in love together with the characters and you find yourself in the middle of a competition, I knew very little about this sport and it was super exciting, especially the final. It's definitely a story you must read and I will be waiting patiently for the next stories of this wonderful group of characters. Highly recommended!
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I love sports romances and this new world in rowing was very interesting and so new to me, I Loved it. But most of all, I loved the love story between Kate and Arthur. They were so cute. Arthur is so swooning, I can tell, this man falls first and hard, he's so smitten.
I enjoyed their first meeting and the way they exchange all along the book. Kate's friends are fantastic, as are Arthur's. It's impossible not to love them all. It makes me want to read the next book as soon as possible, cause I know I'll love it ♥.
This was a sweet, cute and beautiful story. I bet you'll fall for Oz (Arthur), he's the sweetest.
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I loved this story! Lulu Moore is a favorite author of mine and Our Than Friends doesn’t disappoint. Oz and Kate’s story is cute- I love that he was so persistent. He definitely deserved the chance to have Kate get to know him without all the rumors her teammates told her about him. I also learned so much about rowing in this story!
Thank you for the ARC for my honest review
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This book was beyond good, I literally loved every page of it. It made me feel every single emotion possible, I had a great time with it and I loved how their story was written. It was realistic; it wasn’t too cheesy, too sad or too long. It was perfect. The ending left me emotional and wishing it was longer, just so I could obsess over Oz and Katey even more.
The new-found friendships and the relationships with their respective families were also very wholesome to read. I could go on and on about what I loved about it. Now looking forward and so incredibly excited for the next book in the series. 🫶 After reading the first chapter of it, I already know it’s going to be amazing!