Nora and the Search for Friendship

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Ellie is excited to go to university and finally make friends after a difficult time at high school. However, she’s a little worried when the book club has her read a really awful historical-fantasy story about what sixteen-year-old Eleanor gets up to at a “prep school” for the children of nobility. Still, she’s hopeful since the other girls seem nice, and they surely want to make fun of the story, so she’s in high spirits on her way to the meeting.

Then she dies.

Eleanor de Kent, beloved second daughter of a duke, slowly comes to terms with her memories of her past life as Ellie—including that she’s apparently the lead character from that book. Her childhood has its ups and downs, and loneliness seems to be inescapable. Now sixteen years old and attending the very school from the book Ellie had read, can she finally escape her fate and make friends?

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2019
Author: mialbowy

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 238
Views: 411,714

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

vanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a beautiful, slow, heart warming story that is not common on this site. And that is not a bad thing. It has a josei feel, and it's a genre that I like reading, so I really fell for this story. Title-wise, I like the earlier one, although the story progression has moved to friendship instead of the isekai aspect of the story, so I understand the reason for the name change. Hopefully, it's still a work in progress and author would found a name that would better reflect Ellie's journey. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story! And can't wait to read more.
YabintRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A charming story that follows the second life of Eleanor de Kent as she navigates the complexities of interpersonal relationships in a fantasy 19th-century Victorian style high society.
This web novel is not a typical reincarnation story where an overpowered main character breaks the society they are re-born into. Instead, we follow Nora as she uses the knowledge, experiences, and pain from her past life, to overcome her insecurities and awkwardness. At the same time, she skirts the line of acceptable behaviour for a young lady of her status and remains true to herself.
ella1eaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love how Nora puts so much thought into everything she does, and the story's a great balance of introspection and action. For me, reading about all of here different projects is very satisfying and entertaining. Additionally, she's pretty relatable. I like how Nora's feelings are more complicated than happy or sad. It's clear that there's a lot of though put into how Nora thinks and acts. I'm not done reading yet, but it's a fantastic read so far!
DeidrreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just finished it and I am tearing up.
It is very nice story with fleshed out characters that you will grow to love. I am honestly disappointed it is 'so short' (160 chapters, or 360k words -according to the author).
As mentioned in some other review, this is 'reincarned to a dating sim story done right' and it is.
It is a story that does what the title says, the MC is looking for friends. It has some beutifuly realistic scenes when she realises not every1 can be made friends with.
There is also the topic of bullying, so if you have problem with it be wary.
MC is the victim, but victim that pulls through. While I was lucky never to be bullied i might not be qualified but i think it was resolved in a way I can only compliment
As for grammar, most of the story I haven't found any mistakes, then there was a couple of chapters with some typos, then got back to none as far as i can tell.
Lilian Dipasupil KunimasaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love the story.
Unlike most Isekai novels where villains are villains and heroes are awesome in magical superpower fantasy, the magic powers is not much of OP type where in the MC relied purely on to succeed. How much each character is given with philosophical upgrading instead.
Profound and moving in every situation yet allowing readers to relate in a realistic manner.
Meridian PrimeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I was expecting a pretty typical Otome Game/Shoujo style Isekai when I started reading this, but very quickly found my expectations thrown to the wind - and all for the better. This story is an underappreciated and underrated gem, a reading experience that I genuinely can't say I've ever found anywhere else.
Ellie, a young women trying to make a fresh start at university after a history of bullying in school, finds herself waking up as Lady Eleanor de Kent (or as she later goes by, Nora) after an unfortunate meeting with the infamous 'Truck-kun'. From there, we follow her attempts to adjust to a society very different to our own, reckon with and overcome her own insecurities over bullying and loneliness, and well, search for friendship. Hence the title. That really is all there is to it, but what a journey we are taken on. The story is slice-of-life to the core (near the end, the author describes it as 'diary style' and that really is fitting), but please don't let that put you off if that's not your usual cup of tea. With its focus on the lives of fantasy medieval nobility as well as school, children and the politics therein, this will not be for everyone, but I urge you to at least give it a try. If you're lucky, it will suck you in the way it did to me! I'll be going into further detail about why I loved this story past this, but since it will go into some spoiler territory I'll just say here for those of you who want to go in completely unbiased - give it a shot. At worst you'll be bored after a few chapters, at best you'll be enthralled.
Spoiler : All right, those of you that stuck with me: have some word vomit!
The author's grasp of their characters, and the society and social structure of the world they've crafted, is subtle but sublime. What really struck me upon finishing it was that every character, even quite minor ones that we never really get to know all that well, feels like they could be a real person - living, breathing, complex, and unrestrained by
RayyynRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Right. So. Read this. Its good. Really, really, really, really, good. Its a wonderful twist on what would have otherwise been some kind of reverse harem story. The problems our heroine faces feel real to me in way few other authors have captured.
I highly suggest at least trying it, just don't bing until 5:00am on a school day like I did.
SatsumaPRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Nice fluffy novel about making friends in school. Characters are nicely done and properly motivated, dialog is fun and witty, and the prose flows smoothly with no obvious grammatical/spelling errors.
Plot is nothing innovative, but is well executed.
123abdiRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
the ending was too rushed but a great story nonetheless
BrGastlRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Story is decent. No bad characters, no bad plot, no problems to express the thoughts and a decent style. But overall the story seems to reach only for thr low hanging fruits.
It all boils down towards the MC basically doing the same things with a few new things sprinkeled here and there the only progress is that she slowly catches more friends. But compared to what the story might make you belief she doesn't try hard to get new friends shes basically her usual self and mostly withdrawn. In a way she seems to act contradictionary to her goals. She doesn't try she wont bend for it - she just is. There are also some plotholes like the MC making only one friend during the whole childhood, because she gets teased by the older generation in good jolly. As if kids would care much. Anyway it reads a bit like a basic "saintess" story only without the ever same obnoxious fate or romance issues, though we also get no action. So nothing which makes you jump the guns.
Coclusion: A read when your want to pass time. While liking the reincarnation or Slice of Life theme, with the character actually doing and not even trying to change their immediate surroundings a bit. Srsly. She manages to get math knowledge as a six year old and doesn't even manage to get proclaimed as genius, nor jumos classes. The MC is like a tranquil lake on a fullmoon, graciously showing no movement, though just in this case its toxic water from an industrial plant filling it. You want to change things up, because the status quo is bad (no friends and going for a headstart into a wall), but the MC is unmoved as wind has yet to be invented.