Of all the different types of Sports Romance out there never would I have thought I’d be so invested in one about rowing. And yet, here I am. Though I shouldn’t have been too surprised since Oar Than Friends was written by Lulu Moore, who books I just adore. Plus she’s no stranger to Sports Romance, having both a hockey romance series, The New York Players, and a baseball romance series, The New York Lions.

Kate Astley is an American that comes to The University of Cambridge due to scholarships in both medical studies and rowing. Arthur Osbourne-Cloud, Oz, attends Oxford University, who’s often in the spotlight for both his talents in rowing as well as his family dramas thanks to his political father. While attending rival universities, Kate and Oz have a lovely meet-cute that left me giddy. Whenever they were together, I couldn’t help but root for them. If you’re a fan of rowing or know nothing about it, Oar Than Friends, is a charming read. And the fact that Oz is a well educated, handsome, British athlete definitely makes it easy to fall in love with him. Lulu definitely knows how to write your next book boyfriend.

Thank you Lulu and Valentine PR for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much. I've read plenty of stories taking place at either Oxford or Cambridge over the years (mostly mysteries); it was especially fun to read a story that featured both competition and camaraderie between the two schools. And eventually romance, of course. And I'm sure I've never read a sports romance centered around rowing - so creative and interesting!

Those are just the wonderful broad brush strokes of this novel. Kate and Oz are so much fun! Their meet-cute is hilarious, and their trials and tribulations make for great reading. I can imagine meeting them and their circle of friends and having great times. Ms. Moore does a wonderful job making the reader feel like the most careful observer, seeing all the action and following characters' thought processes. I think I even felt tired just reading about all their workouts!

I am definitely looking forward to reading further installments in this series.

3.5 stars

Oar than Friends is the first book in the Oxbridge series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Kate & Oz went to rival colleges. Oz had a bad reputation, which Kate believed. But he was determined to prove what people thought of him was wrong, and get Kate to see the real him.

It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I enjoyed it. And, ooh, this was so cute! I know nothing about rowing, but it was great that there was a lot of detailed information about it — so, it wasn’t just mentioned that they’re both in that sport.

There’s just something about the rivalry and having to sneak around to be together. But more than that, these two were able to open up to each other in ways they couldn’t with other people. And I loved that they both encouraged each other to follow their real dreams.

ARC Review

Oar than friends by Lulu Moore

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️.5/5

✨ I might not have won the Boat Race, but I’d definitely come away with the biggest prover. Her. ✨

Tropes:
🚣‍♀️ Rivals to Lovers
🚣‍♀️ British MMC/American FMC
🚣‍♀️ Oxbridge setting
🚣‍♀️ Sports Romance

I loved this book so so much! Everyone should go read this book right now! I laughed, I swooned, I cried. This book is everything. This is my favourite read this year and if I could give this 6 stars I would.

Kate and Arthur are perfect. Their banter, their sweet moments, even their sad moments. They made me fall in love with them, break my heart and mend it again.

I loved Oz so so much. He fell fast and so hard. He was just so swoon worthy. Hot, flirty and the kindest MMC ever!!

I’m so excited to watch the Boat race this year due to this book, I definitely will read another Rowing romance. I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you Lulu for send me an ARC. It was an absolute pleasure!

#bookreview #lulumoore #lulumoorebooks #lulumooreauthor #oarthanfriends #romancebooks #romancereader

This book was utterly charming and just made my heart happy. It was such a comfort read that hit all the marks for a romantic comedy!

Kate was all excited to start her adventure at Cambridge, making the rowing team and studying medicine. The last thing Kate needed was to fall for the charming Oz, who just happens to be the President of the Oxford rowing team, Cambridges biggest rival! There is something about Oz she just can't resist, but secret relationships, team rivalry, finding your place and family dramas, makes for some challenging obstacles for them to overcome.

The premise of this book was so fun, rowing is such a classic British sport and the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge is legendary! Oz was just so freaking charming, he just oozed charisma. He was such a fun character and had me swooning from page one. I loved how determined he was to have Kate see a different side to him. His relationship with his teammates was so fun and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes. Kate did frustrate me, but in the best way! She was stubborn but loyal, and watching her slowly give in to Oz just made me happy. I honestly couldn't stop smiling as I read this one. The chemistry between them was phenomenal and I just thoroughly enjoyed reading their story.

I am such of fan of Lulus writing, she has such a great sense of humour that clearly comes across in the characters, the spice was spicy and it was just an heart-warming, swoony romance that I highly recommend!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
🩵 rowing
🩵 college
🩵 rivals to lovers
🩵 secret relationship
🩵 slow burn

I am on a sports romance kick and I really enjoyed reading about a different sport and reading a sports romance set in the UK. Also, Kate and Ozzy are the cutest and will totally steal your heart!

I saw a lot of people talking about how much they learned about rowing from this story. I definitely learned stuff about rowing but I personally learned the most about grading and medical training at Oxford. It's probably just the part of my brain that's always a professor but I needed to know why an undergrad was in a medical program and what a first meant! I also thought the college rivalry was a fun twist and I could totally see people taking it as seriously as it was portrayed in the book.

I loved Ozzy and Kate's connection. They really brought out the best in each other and I liked that they understood each other so well. I also liked that they had a shared interest in rowing and an understanding of family pressure but other big differences. Their story is super romantic and swoony and I think any romance reader will love it.

This was my first Lulu Moore book but it won't be my last! I am already so invested in these characters. I need book two now! I really liked that this was a college romance that was sold as adult romance but not super spicy. While I enjoy spicy books I feel like a lot of books in the new adult space are either sold and YA when they shouldn't be or are super spicy. I enjoy the super spicy ones as much as the next reader but I think the variety is a great thing!

🌶️🌶️ - This book has a couple open door scenes but the detail is pretty limited. There is yearning and some sexual tension but it's by no means the focus of the story.

Oar Than Friends was a fun story! I’ve never read anything by Lulu Moore before, but I definitely will again in the future. I enjoyed the school and rowing team rivalry they had going on throughout the story. I also really enjoyed Kate and Oz working to get to know each other and get to be with each other. I enjoyed the side characters and hope we get books with some of them as well.

What worked for me:
I loved Kate and Oz’s communication
All of the friends, though Olly and Imogen were my favorites
Oz’s family (excluding his father, obviously)
Neither one of them ever tried to tear the other down or sabotage the other’s team. They were genuinely supportive and wanted their significant other to do well
What I struggled with:
Mary Heston legitimately getting people kicked out of Cambridge. How????
A certain event that happened near 80% for reasons that I get, but still had me going WHYYYYYY

Overall I really enjoyed the story and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

*Thank you to Valentine PR and the publisher for the ARC*

OAR THAN FRIENDS
Lᴜʟᴜ Mᴏᴏʀᴇ
March 14, 2024- Oᴜᴛ TODAY!!

🇬🇧Bʀɪᴇғ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs/Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs

Okkkkk… whyyy didn't anyone tell me that ROWING romance existed??? THIS is my thing! Y’all can have the cowboys, gimme a Brit in a boat anyday. Especially if they’re Oz! Yep. New book boyfriend alert. He’s a keeper y’all. (And I sure did switch my iPhone voice text reader over to “Oliver” to read it to me. 🥰

So we’ve got Kate, who’s come from the US to Cambridge to go to med school and row and Arthur “Oz” who is “reading the classics” (aka studying English for us Americans) but his father expects him to go into politics. He’s also captain of the Oxford rowing team. They meet when she literally bumps into him in the most adorable meet cute, then find out later they’re on opposing teams and aren’t supposed to fraternize with each other. Chaos ensues.

The insta-love works here. It’s what happens in college. Lots of texting, 500 questions, sneaking around, keeping each others clothes to smell like the other person. Adorable.

There is a glossary of rowing terms in the front to help. I happen to LOVE rowing/crew and look forward to it during the Olympics every year. It’s not really a big sport down here like it is on the East coast but we do have a few teams that row out by City Park (if you’ve ever been here)

This is going to be a new series so I will def be reading this one. Lulu, you’ve got a reader for life here. 🩵

🩵RIYL
#SportsRomance
#BoyObsessed
#RivalstoLovers
#ForbiddenLove
#BillionaireRomance
#BritHero

Thank you #partners @valentine_pr_ @lulumoorebooks

In a stumbling instalove with more than a few obstacles Lulu Moore gives a sweet and meaningful romance in Oar Than Friends.

Blue Collar American rowing scholarship student Kate Astley was determined to fulfill her deceased brother's dream of going to med school at Cambridge at the risk of ignoring her own dreams. Aristocratic rowing champion Arthur 'Oz' Osbourne-Cloud was actively defying his father's wishes that he follow in his footsteps by planning to be a teacher instead of being a politician.

Oz and Kate each had their fair share of personal burdens to deal with but what stood out was their bonding in their differences as well as their similarities. Yes there were hurdles and setbacks with this pair but they were always madly in love and heartbroken when apart, proving the depth of their feelings. This author had a good grasp of her characters' ages and the pressures they were under in all aspects of their lives. Amusing dialog and insightful poignant interactions kept this story steadily flowing. There was a spicy physical aspect to this relationship as well as a significant compassionate one.

This author's attention to detail in the world of competitive rowing without overdoing it was well done. All the secondary characters in Oar Than Friends added to this work and contributed to this story as a whole.

Lulu Moore excels in expressing the many layers of friendships and love. Her banter always stands out for memorable reads. Oar Than Friends captures young love and conquering the seemingly impossible for a fun story!

Oar Than Friends by Lulu Moore is the first book in her new Oxbridge series. It is a love at first sight, sports romance between Arthur aka Oz and Kate. It is set at the British Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and is an unique story based around the famous annual Boat Race on the Thames. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about the sport of rowing because Lulu describes it extremely well. Oz is a swoon worthy book boyfriend and he makes this a sweet and delightful rivals to lovers tale.
Kate has left her home in America to study medicine at Cambridge. She is also there on a rowing scholarship as she is a talented coxswain. On her first night out she stumbles upon Oz and they have an instant connection. Oz is studying Classics at Oxford and is a star on their rowing team. An eventful evening ends up with him literally falling for Kate. He loves the fact that she has no idea who he is and after their hilarious meeting a friendship develops, neither knowing the challenges they will face in the coming months.
Kate is shocked when she finds out not only is he a student at a rival university but he is the president of their rowing club. She hears all the gossip about his reputation and can’t believe the guy she knows is the same person. She is also worried she could lose her place on the team for being with him as other students think a relationship with a rival is forbidden, even though she is on the women’s team and not in direct competition with him.
Oz has to deal with the repercussions of the actions of his father and is very protective of his mother and his siblings. He has been tainted with the same reputation but luckily Kate sees him for the guy he really is. It turns out they have a lot in common when it is revealed they are both affected by family circumstance. They have set their dreams aside to follow a path not of their own choosing. There is lots of banter and fun throughout the story. She tries to fight the attraction but he is so persistent and totally obsessed with her.
They compliment one another really well as they understand what the other is going through.
It is lovely how he supports her and never sees her as the enemy. It was sweet how he dropped everything to show how much he cared and was there for her especially when she was under so much pressure and being affected by who he is. We meet a great mixture of friends, family and teammates. Kate lives with Imogen and Hannah, Oz lives with Brooks and Charlie, who are all so supportive of the couple. I also liked Oz’s best friend Olly and the Cambridge boat president Will. The story touches on grief and family drama, guilt and loyalty.
I loved their game of a question for a question, his great nickname for her, all the funny chapter titles and the pumpkin pie scene was so romantic. As a Brit, I loved that the story was set over here. I have grown up watching the Boat Race and supporting Cambridge so Kate had me cheering her on. With so many sport romances it was refreshing to have a story about a lesser known sport. Lulu describes the rivalry and dedication of the rowers really well. I felt sorry for Kate when everything gets on top of her but knew she’d be alright with Oz on her side. Will they both get the chance to have the future they deserves or will circumstances be against them. With this group I think the next book about Charlie and Brook’s sister Violet will be another good story.

This was a super fun take on a sports romance with a bit of rivals-to-lovers. Oz (Arthur) is the President of the Rowing Club for Oxford and Kate is an American student at Cambridge, who is also on the Rowing Team. I've never read about rowing and it was so fun to read about a different sport!

They bump into each other one night before the semester starts and neither knows who the other is or that they're essentially rivals. But Oz falls HARD. He is a man obsessed right from the start!! I love it. Kate is just as taken by him after their first meeting until she learns who he is and hears some unsavory things about him. But Oz is on a mission to make Kate his and clear his name from the rumors she's heard.

These two had so much in common even though they were from wildly different worlds! It seemed doomed from the start, but I loved how they came together through everything thrown at them. I just loved their banter and their friends and I'm so excited for more stories set in this world! Thank you to Lulu, Valentine PR, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I just finished reading this and this was a total treat to read. First of the tropes, I mean it's all of my favourite ones put together 🤌🤌

🛶 Academic Rivals ( Different Universities)
🛶 Enemies to Lovers
🛶 Sports Romance (Rowing)
🛶 Forbidden Romance
🛶 He falls first

Sports romance, which wasn't hockey but rowing 🤭 along with Enemies to Lovers Trope and Academic Rivals..!! I couldn't ask for more here now!
This is the first installment in the series and the author has beautifully penned down each character in the book, right from the starting Aurther and Kate's interactions were my favourite. I loved them from the starting to end.
I finished it in one sitting only as the characters and the plotline kept me hooked till the very end of the book and I don't regret sacrificing my one night's sleep too 🤭🤭

This book filled me with joy, I loved it from start to finish.

From Kate and Arthur/Oz’s first encounter there is a connection between them. I love how hard and fast Oz fell and Kate felt it too. But Kate could lose so much if others found out that these Oxford and Cambridge University rowers were together, the rivalry runs long and deep. Kate and Oz’s journey may not always be easy and pain free but their story is beautiful, swoon worthy and full of fun.

This book has everything I know Lulu now provides, perfect banter, amazing characters, the MC’s and their friends, tension and excitement from their relationship and the rowing too. It left me smiling so much my cheeks hurt and looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book was absolutely incredible, and everyone needs to read it as soon as it comes out! I never thought I’d be saying this but rowing is so much fun to read about and we need more romance books about rowers! The friendships, the banter, the friendly competition, this book was perfect!

Kate and Oz have a very funny meet cute, and their chemistry is apparent immediately. The way they were able to have a witty, lighthearted, and emotional conversation all at once made me so excited for everything to come. Oz was just so charming and charismatic, it was impossible not to fall for him right alongside Kate.

I loved Kate and Oz so much and thought it was so relatable how they were trying to forge their own paths in life while still trying to honor and please their families. I loved how they pushed each other to do what made them happy and see that life’s too short to not go after what you truly want.

The way Oz always dropped everything to get to Kate when she was upset made him a top tier book boyfriend. Nothing could keep him away from comforting her, he was absolutely obsessed and wasn’t going to let a little rivalry keep them apart. And, I loved how their relationship could be fun, like all of their flirty banter, as well as emotional, like when Kate spent Christmas with his family. Every moment they spent together just strengthened their relationship and made me love them a little bit more.

Also, all the details about rowing and the boat race were so interesting. I felt like I was training with the team or watching the race along with all of the spectators!

I always know I’m going to have so much fun when I read a Lulu Moore book, and I’m already excited about the next book in this series!

Oar than friends 

Was a brilliantly duo pov romance. Arthur and Kate are so great together, from the instant they meet Arthur is hooked, he is obsessed with her.

This book is definite he falls first.. I loved that even tho they were on rival teams Arthur helps Kate learn how to row on the Thames.. can you tell I loved Arthur as a male lead character.

They both have their own family problems to overcome. But can they do it together and can they get over that they both want to win and someone is definitely going to lose.

This was hard to put down. I really enjoyed the fact it is set in Oxford and Cambridge. I love a sports romance so this ticks those boxes. Definitely a really enjoyable read.

I was kindly gifted this book but all reviews are my own
This book is out now.
🌟🌟🌟🌟

#netgalleyreader #lulumoore #valentinepr #oarthanfriends

First person, dual POV: Kate & Oz
Rating: 4.5⭐️
Spice: 1.5🌶️
Tropes: secret relationship, sports romance, rival schools, he falls first (& HARD)

Did I know anything about rowing prior to reading this? Nope. But I did know I love Lulu Moore and if anyone could do it right, it’s her. Which was accurate information.

Kate is an American girl trying to make her dream a reality, which includes a spot on the rowing team and a scholarship to continue studying medicine. Oz is rowing royalty trying to make it through life his way while his father is trying to dictate his future.

You get a little meet cute of Kate and Oz literally falling for each other and having instant chemistry, to start out. That chemistry stays the whole way through and it was giving all the butterflies.
But the problem lies in the fact that she rows for Cambridge and he rows for Oxford. The two schools with the biggest rival in rowing history.

This book is full of so much wonderful banter between both Kate & Oz, but also the rest of the cast of characters.
And the way he would do anything for her? Literally dropping everything to drive to her when she’s crying. Swoon! He falls first, fast, and hard. I love a good boy obsessed and he was top tier.
The story was well balanced with story and spice. You get the spice because of the story, which seems to be hard to find these days. It all seemed very natural and made the characters seem real.

There were a few scenes where I wanted a little more meat to them, but overall this was a great book and I highly recommend to anyone who loves sports romance and/or a good campus romance.
I cannot wait until book 2!

✨ARC review✨

𝐎𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 by Lulu Moore is a new enemies to lovers sports rom-com with a love-at-first sight twist. Kate’s an American on a rowing scholarship to study medicine at Cambridge, and he’s the President of the rowing crew at Oxford trying to outrun his father’s plans for his life. They connect in an inexplicable way, but between their grueling schedules, the monstrous rivalry between their schools, and the all-important Boat Race that’s on the line, are they rowing right toward a broken heart?

When you’ve read as many romance novels as I have, diving into one with a brand new to me sport is an unexpected gift!! Learning so much much about the dynamics of the college rowing scene in England was a blast! These characters were well-developed and grabbed me immediately, and their meet-cute was perfect and totally unique!!😍😂 Both Kate and Oz were more than meets the eye, with emotional backstories, and struggles between pleasing others and living life for themselves. The world building was fantastic with several compelling characters that brought the banter, fun, and camaraderie. I loved the rivalry, the romance, the drama, and the emotional moments. It was quite a long book, and there were a few times where it started to lag a bit for me, but I stayed interested. However, the way it came together in the end was amazing, with a sweet little epilogue to top it off!🥰 I can’t wait to see more from this intriguing Ox-bridge world!

I received an ARC for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️.5

Lulu Moore is a sports romance queen!
Her characters always capture a little piece of my heart, and Kate and Arthur (Oz) certainly did that. This time we have a British hero and an American heroine, a lot of laughs and an unexplored sport. (I must admit I channeled Hugh Grant from Notting Hill 😆)
I’ve never read a rowing romance before, so this was a first. There is a fierce, hundreds of years long rivalry between the two Universities, but that didn’t stop Oz from is pursuit of Kate.
It’s a little bit instalove and a whole lot awesome. Sweet, steamy, funny, a great depth to the story and totally loveable characters.
I can’t wait for more in this new series.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Valentine PR.

🌟 4.25/5

‼️ While this could be read as a standalone, this is book 1 in the Oxbridge series.

ℙ𝕆𝕍: first person, dual perspectives

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪:
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 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
Lulu's books always leave me gasping and wanting more. Jumping into this book, I knew I'd have the time of my life finally reading about characters in the UK. Yes, she's written about our beloved Wolfie, Freddie, and Murray, but it was so wonderful being able to read about the UK culture and new characters in this book!❤️

Katey and Ozzy were a dream team. I can't get over how cute they were together. Also, can we talk about that meet-cute?!?!? I laughed for a solid 20 minutes, at least!🤣

As always, Lulu has created another great bromance in the books. Even between opposing sides, we see the camaraderie. I can't begin to tell y'all how much I loved it!🥺😍

Thank you, Lulu, for another great book and for gifting me with an ARC! I'm officially ready for Charlie and his tornado!🤭🫶

Kate and Arthur are a fun couple.
I enjoyed them both and the side characters as well.
I enjoyed the fact that the book was about a sport that’s not written about. I appreciated the information about rowing at the beginning of the book.
I also like one of the lessons in the story, something so simple, do what makes you happy. Each character figures this out in their own way.
It was also fun reading about the pranks and antics between the teams.
In my opinion, it took really long for something to happen with Kate and Arthur. We received a lot of information about them individually, their teammates, and rowing. I wanted more about them sooner.