Oar Than Friends

By: Lulu Moore

Narrated by: Sebastian Humphreys, Ina Marie Smith

Brought to you by Penguin.

She's rowing for Cambridge. He's rowing for Oxford. A boat race to go down in history.

Arthur Osbourne-Cloud has always had his future mapped out for him – graduate Oxford and follow his dreadful father into politics. Except Arthur wants to do anything but that. He’s more than happy filling his days rowing for golds at the Olympics or World Championships, and this year he has The Boat Race to win.

Kate Astley also has her future mapped out – the next six years at least. Fly half-way across the world, and win a scholarship at Cambridge University to study medicine. Oh, and become a crew member 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 wants to do, and what she’s expected to do. The bitter rivalry between their schools is destined to destroy them, but it’s only a matter of time before they give in to the sizzling chemistry bubbling between them.

Then the reality of their future comes knocking. In The Boat Race, there can only be one winner. Who will sink and who will swim?

©2024 Lulu Moore (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Fun, Sporty, Rom Com

Just finished the audible and loved it. Parts made me laugh out loud and parts made me melancholy for a trip back to Oxford. Working in sports, but not being familiar with rowing, it was a great introduction to a sport and made me want to learn more. I am hoping there will be future books with Oz's team mates, his sister or Imogen... PLEASE....

Such a good book

A bit different than the usual Lulu Moore, but I loved it so much!! I thought for a second it was going to be pretty YA, but nope, the spice and chemistry really sneaked up on me. So good, loved it!

College Rowing Romance

4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice
1/5 tears

A Fresh Spin on College Rivals and Sports Romance

Imagine this: you're starting your first year at Cambridge, and you instantly click with a guy who just happens to attend Oxford - your school's arch-nemesis. Oh, and he's on the rival rowing team. What's a girl to do?

Oz is the epitome of charming obsession. As Kate struggles to resist her attraction to him and his determined pursuit, Oz only becomes more endearing. His inner monologue is heart-meltingly sweet, making him impossible not to adore. Kate, on the other hand, is a strong female lead grappling with past trauma that's shaping her present. Witnessing her find the strength and confidence to claim her life back, thanks in part to Oz, is a true highlight.

Lulu has outdone herself. I've never read a rowing romance before, but I'm not sure how any could surpass this. She masterfully weaves together humor, romance, and plot to create a story you can't help but be obsessed with from the start. The British setting adds an extra layer of charm to this already captivating tale.

The audiobook, performed by Sebastian Humphreys and Ina Marie Smith, transports you straight to the high-stakes race day. Both narrators do phenomenal justice to Lulu's vivid writing, truly bringing the story to life.

a new sport & a great performance

there is nothing i love more than my @lulumoorebooks era and i absolutely devoured this book. british boys? ✅ a new sport i haven’t read about? ✅ one of my favorite authors? ✅ a girl gang & a funny group of guys? ✅ spice? ✅✅

this book was everything & more! lulu has never written a book that i didn’t love, but there was just something about this couple that made my heart so happy. oz is just trying to make his way in the world and decide what he wants to do, while kate is trying to live up to something she may not actually want.

the performance made you want to be right there on race day. both Sebastian Humphreys and ina marie smith were absolutely wonderful! they truly brought this story and lulu's words to life!

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
spice: 🔥🔥🔥

Rowing, insta connection, secret relationship

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 😉

Sports Romance 🚣

I'm unfamiliar with rowing, so I don't know how realistic this scenario would be between the MCs. The story was cute, but the relationship felt more like two high schoolers, not intelligent college students attending Cambridge and Oxford.

The FMC, Kate, was likable and dealing with the grief of losing her brother. The MMC, Oz, falls hard for her. I'm not a fan of third-act break-ups, especially when these two felt perfect for each other. They needed communication, and they could've easily fixed their issue.