I loved this book. I felt that the author did a very good of describing how conflicting it can be to be partially in the closet in a super conservative location. I know some many judge Amy harshly for the way she lived her life, but honestly it's one of those that I can understand why she made the choices she did.in terms of that, especially considering how her family treated her when she came out.

That said, it is not an easy read, especially if you're someone who is also in this boat in some way. But it was accurate in describing how it might feel and I appreciate the honesty and directness of that.

I also enjoyed how Amy actually grew throughout the story. Because at first, yeah, she was a little selfish in some aspects. And not always mindful that she had to also be a listening ear as well as a speaking mouth. But she finally realized that and I think that all her relationships were that much the better for it.

While the romance was light in this, I would still classify it as one because the relationship with Charley was always there driving the plot. But so was Amy's journey of self-love and that was amazing to see. and I cheered every step of the way. This was an amazing debut and I can't wait to see more from the author.

I was given a free eARC by the publisher for an open and honest review.

Amy is a part time baker, part time bartender at the local lesbian bar. Amy is making her way in her beloved hometown and even meets a potential new love interest before being outed to her conservative christian boss and losing her main source of income. Amy scrambles to stay afout and takes on the odd job of “bridesmaid for hire”. Amy’s new life changes turn her world upside down and put a strain on each of her relationships and makes her question everything.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. Semi closeted lesbian in the middle of the bible belt sounded intriguing, but this story falls short. The plot wound up being much different than the lighthearted romcom I was expecting. In fact, the romance seemed more like a subplot, and was absent from much of the story. The setting was a little too much for me and felt VERY niche. Often stories are set in real cities and towns are done well with subtle nods and references. This book was simply too much T-Town for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Susie Dumond & Dial Press Trade Paperback for an advance copy of this!

This will be published on May 3rd, 2022.

Taken place in the mid 2010s in Tulsa, OK where being part of the LGBTQIA+ is frown upon and Amy a baker has to remain closeted at her employer. She works at the local bakery called the Daily Bread where she goes by Amelia. While working one day a new customer comes in and turns her world upside down. She meets Charley and they hit it off immediately. After getting fired from her baking job due to the homophobic owners finding out her secret, Amy is left in a tailspin trying to figure out her next move. During her cousin's wedding, one of the guests asked Amy to be a fill in bridesmaid at her wedding. The light bulb went off on what her next job should be. Amy became a bridesmaid superwoman catering to the needs of brides on their day.

It felt that things were being thrown in for the sake of throwing in.
Examples:
Underage teen sneaking into a bar? check
Equality rally? check
Sex toys? check

Amy Amy Amy, I am also conflicted in how I feel about her. I absolutely loved her heart & loved how she gave 10000% into everything she does. I loved her hustle and she never gave up. I also was surprised at how fast Amy fell for Charley. They did not spend that much time together before she was head over heels.

I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about Charley. I'll be honest throughout most of this book, I did not like Charley. I understood where she was coming from at the end but being mysterious and wishy washy just wasn't my jam.

I did love the other relationships throughout this book. I love how close to her friends and how they have become her chosen family. I love how close to her mom she was. I also resonated with her fight with her friend. That felt the most realy in this book. I felt their pain.

I would still recommend this book as I enjoyed the different representation. Plus it really made me hungry for cupcakes and pretty much any baked goods.
For those wondering the steam is level is almost at a closed door level.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Good intentions don't excuse bad behavior. But letting that anger fester doesn't fix anything; it just poisons you."

Also just out of pure irony that I had two books in a row that referenced "My Best Friend's Wedding." No complaints from me as its one of the greatest rom coms.

Rating: 3.5

I loved this book! I went into it with exceptionally high expectations after seeing it on a Buzzfeed list of anticipated 2022 releases, and it absolutely did not disappoint. I ate this book right UP, and was honestly sad to see it end.

I think we romance readers are desperate for well-written queer romances, so finding this book was really lucky. The characters felt real but also perfectly fictional, which is my favorite combo in a book, and I was just in awe of how quickly I was able to dive into the story. I’m not sure I would classify this as a straight up (no pun intended lmao) romance - maybe something more in the realm of women’s fiction - but that didn’t put me off. I loved it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for my honest review in exchange for the e-ARC!

As per usual, I had no idea what this book was about before going into it and I have to say that I was delighted at every turn! This book offers fluffy, lesbian romance, angsty, selfish moments, and complicated feelings about being closeted and/or complicit in the cisheteronormative wedding industry. I loved Charley as Amy's safe place to land, but also her own person who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. All the heartwarming chosen family moments had me emotional (especially the Thanksgiving scene) and I loved that Amy's mother had her back through and through.

This does contain religious homophobia, a cheating ex, and brief mentions of cancer and alcoholism, so take care of yourself when reading.

I enjoyed the story, but it was hard to connect with the characters. I also didn't find the romance to be super believable as Charlie and Amy barely had time together. It was obvious that this was more about Amy's story, but I didn't find that she really grew as a character. I did enjoy the supporting characters a lot. There was also some vernacular that was used that wasn't used in 2013. Introducing yourself and telling of which pronouns were used wasn't a big thing in 2013. That wasn't big until around 2019. It felt that the author wanted to write a more contemporary story, but needed the current social climate in 2013 to create the drama in her story. It wasn't a bad novel. It's not a contemporary romance, so it shouldn't be marketed as such. But as a LGBT+ novel, I can see how it could be important and those voices need to be heard.

This look into the LGBTQ community reveals that underneath it all we all have the same fears, hopes, dreams, and desires in life.

Set in Oklahoma (part of the famed bible belt) around 2013, this story is a reflection of the lack of support the LGBTQ+ community received before marriage was legalized in 2015. There are many that do not support this community and in some cases, you could lose your job just for being gay. Amy discovers after working for 2 years in a bakery that her hard work and dedication don't mean squat to the owner and it is all about your lifestyle to her. This throws Amy into a quandary on what to do with her life and she comes up with a great solution, a professional bridesmaid. She stumbles upon this after helping resolve a few crises at a family wedding and meeting her first clients at the same wedding and it snowballs from there.

Amy struggles with her own life outside of a job including finding love. She meets Charley by chance and they seem to start up a relationship but is it what either party wants long term? I didn't get a good sense of Charley and her likes, dislikes, or much of anything else about her personality. She did feel a little flat. I will say that it did pick up in the last 20% of the book with some great advice from Regi when she asked Amy if she was showing her true self to Charley, or anyone else for that matter. I think we all get caught up in trying to be our best selves that sometimes we forget that who we are deep down is the most important person to reveal to friends and family.

Friendships abound in this community and I did appreciate how they seemed to support one another. Considering the timeframe, it isn't too surprising and I enjoyed the friendships and the interactions, especially with Joel and Damien. Amy and Joel have been best friends since they were 18 and it is nice to have that strong bonds to fall back on until you don't. I won't spoil it but it goes a lot to Amy and her insecurities with herself that cause a rift between these friends.

There is a good baseline story but it is filled with stereotypes. I also found it weird that people were using pronouns to define themselves in 2013 when that really didn't become a thing for many years later. I felt like the last 20% of the book is the best because it is when Amy starts realizing that she needs to do what is right for her and not what is expected by society.

Don't miss the cupcake recipe at the end, yum!

Overall we give this 3 paws up.

Queerly Beloved follows the story of Amy, a semi-closeted, baker after she is fired after being outed at work in early 2010s Oklahoma. Amy starts taking jobs as a "professional" bridesmaid to make ends while embracing her love for weddings in a time most of her friends couldn't get married. Amy works to navigate the balance of work, family, community and a blooming relationship.

This navigation was the part of this book the worked the best for me. The navigation of self to find happiness and safety in a place where not everyone cares about you felt well balanced and still kind. The importance of found family was beautifully established. The value on friendships and those created families was emphasized over the romantic and I loved that. On the other side, the main romantic story didn't click as much for me. I am not sure if it was when I read it or if it was the characters themselves, but I could not bring myself to root for Amy to end up with the girl. Still it was a fun read.

- QUEERLY BELOVED is a joy. It's a romcom with a delightfully screwball premise that also digs deep into some really hard, complicated feelings around queerness, assimilation, found family and more.
- I didn't live in the Midwest, but I remember having so many of these exact conversations and arguments in the pre-marriage equality days. It's cathartic to see so much of these tangled thoughts hashed out here.
- I love Amy and Charley. They're wonderful complements to each other, and it's fantastic to see a sapphic pairing that isn't two femmes.
- It's also lovely to see a queer story set somewhere that isn't traditionally thought of as gay-friendly, and showing that there is still vibrant queer life there, and not everyone is desperate to escape to a bigger city.

I really wanted to like this more than I actually did. It's cute enough. I'd compare it to a rom-com but it's not really. There's less focus on the rom and more focus on main character's growth. The romance is pretty blah for my tastes to be honest. But I think that comes from my lack of connection with the main character. I just do not like Amy. It's a personality clash. She does go through a lot. I do think she's a very human character. She's not a "bad" person, she really does genuinely love the people around her. There's a big fight towards the end with her best friend and I was FIRMLY on his side. He was right. Amy was selfish. Everything was somehow a reflection on her life and how undeserving a person she is and how empty the life she lives is. I was so emotionally exhausted reading it. She was NEVER not in her own head. She was always going down a worst case spiral in her mind. The romance was very surface, and I just never invested emotionally in it. Amy goes zero to sixty, but again, only in her own head. She tries SO hard to be who she thinks Charley wants that it ruins any moment of connection between them because it's not real. If I were Charley I would've pulled back too. It was too much! I don't think either of them knows the other well enough to drop the capital L word. I would've liked it way more without that to be honest. Reintroduce yourselves, end on the hint of "we'll try dating again". That I can get behind. ALL THIS SAID THOUGH - She does have a real awakening at the end about why all of this takes place, and why she behaved the way she did. It's addressed, amends are made where needed, etc etc. GROWTH we love to see it. It really does redeem her a bit. This book is also very preachy, which while valid is also an...awkward? weird? choice. It was a bit confusing to be reading arguments/lectures for why same-sex marriage should be legal and accepted when it already is? I know a majority of the book takes place before it was, but it would feel way different if it had been published then vs now. I'm willing to bet that the majority of those who read this is will already believe and support the right to be legally married so it's like you're preaching to the converted on why they already agree with you? You know what I mean? Maybe it just felt clunky. It didn't work for me for whatever reason. On the other hand, it makes complete sense why it would get such focus given the character's new career journey she embarks on. But I don't think this was a waste of time. I don't regret having read it. I think the writing over all was good. It didn't feel like I was forcing myself to slog through. There's real potential and promise. I think others will enjoy this type of story more than I do personally. So I do think there is an audience for it.

fun, charming, queer book less about the romance and more about the friendships and self discovery; well done!

This review will be published on 4/28/2022 on Unabridged-adventures.com


Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read an e-ARC of Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond.

I was incredibly excited to read this book, I love to use romance novels as a palate cleanser to all the incredibly long fantasy and sci-fi books I usually read and a queer romance set in the bible belt felt wonderfully close to my experiences living in Missouri. Having said that, this book has been one of my biggest disappointments of the year.

There are so many problems with it that I’m going to have to split this review up into different parts to make sure I cover everything properly.

Genre
First off, this is not a romance. It might be advertised as one but there is no relationship development between Amy and her love interest Charley. They meet in the first chapter and proceed to go on dates every few chapters, instantly fall in love, and that's it. Charley gets no character development and isn’t actually a very big part of Amy’s character development. I honestly think it would be more accurate to shelve this in historical fiction. For those of you that are still considering picking this up in hopes of some steamy scenes, look elsewhere, this is a fade to black book. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue for me but I was hoping to be distracted from the plot for a while.

Characters
We are essentially told who each of the characters are but never really get to see their individuality or personality shine through and those that do stay static throughout the entire book. Amy is introduced as a people-pleasing social chameleon but the main character that we actually get is very anxious and self-absorbed. When one of Amy’s friend calls her out for being selfish, she storms off and that friend eventually apologizes and says they were wrong. They weren’t. Amy spends so much time focused on herself that she comes close to even ruining some of the weddings she’s been hired for.

I still cannot tell Joel and Damian apart, it’s like the author was told that having a gay best friend is too cliche so her fix was to give Amy two gay best friends that are interchangeable. The characters of color exist to be woke in the background so that Amy doesn’t have to, she never confronts her privilege as a straight passing white lesbian while complaining about how hard it is to live in a red state. Charley, the love interest, gets zero character development; we know the same about her at the beginning of the book as we do at the end. She is completely absent for the majority of the book and the relationship between them is incredibly instalovey.

Plot
This plot wasn't terrible. I think the main issue stems from the genre confusion. Romance follows a specific plotline with common beats, the meet-cute, the third-act break-up, the happily ever after, but this book can’t decide whether it’s a romance or not. So instead, it hits some of the right beats at the wrong time and skips others entirely. Amy’s journey from being a baker to being a bridesmaid is a bit of an odd one and at times it’s very clear that something happened because the author needed it to and not because it made any sense. Things between Charley and Amy were so lowkey that I feel like the third act break up happened more between her and the idea of marriage equality than between the two women.

Time Period
Queerly Beloved is set somewhere around 2013-2014 which can be extrapolated from the fact that it is described as mid-2010’s but same-sex marriage has not been federally legalized in the United States (something that is unnecessarily fixated on by almost all characters). I was baffled by the author’s decision to set the book during this period, especially when it is clear that this is a time that the author does not remember fondly. It never really makes sense and gives the book overall a very dated feeling. At times it literally felt like going backward in terms of representation, it so accurately achieved the feel of 2014 bible belt that I was waiting to get queerbaited the whole time.

The Bible belt is still difficult to navigate as a queer person in 2022, attitudes don’t automatically change because the Supreme Court said we could get married. The focus on marriage really reminded me of people that think same-sex marriage is the be-all and end all of queer rights. Amy and her friends spend so much of this book complaining about the lack of marriage equality while doing absolutely nothing to change it which leaves me feeling oddly preached at despite the fact that this is not a major issue anymore. We as a community face so many more issues on the daily than whether or not we can get married that this book ends up feeling tone-deaf and ignorant. Not to say that marriage equality isn't incredibly important, had this book been written in 2015 it would have made sense to focus on this groundbreaking ruling but it's not 2015 and we are facing different issues.

Amy's change of heart about marriage equality doesn't seem to be her realizing that it is just another step in the right direction but her being upset that she isn't immediately getting married and being fully accepted by everyone. Her expectations for everything feel unrealistic. The book seems to condemn the idea of staying closeted to work, Amy blames herself and feels ashamed about how she has to be closeted to work, even other characters tell her that she should come out when she isn't sure how her bosses will react. She compares her situation in a very stereotypically feminine job to that of her butch girlfriend's in a stereotypically masc job and then feels like a coward for not coming out. It is possible that the author is trying to make a comment to the opposite effect but it didn't come across that way.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is solidly okay. The writing is good, but not great. The dialogue gets a little dicey at times but is really good at others. The plot moves very slowly, dragging in spots, and then rushes the ending.

The diversity of representation here is lovely. Obviously it's weighted more heavily on the queer side of things but the straight characters are diverse, too. Seeing multigenerational queer interactions was a nice touch. I appreciate stories that bring history in an organic way like that.

I imagine the setting is well done, as well. I have no experience living in a red state, especially not one as conservative as Oklahoma, so I can't totally speak to that but it seems pretty accurate from what friends tell me. And the struggles the characters face are ones that queers across the country still face to this day, to varying degrees. The story and setting felt like it was both in the past and very much present day.

The main reason I didn't rate this higher is that Amy is not great as a character. She's annoying and self-centered. Everything is told from her point of view so we only get wrapped up in her neuroses. She's a mess and acts rather young, younger than the rest of the characters who are supposedly her age. That combined with the molasses-like plot made for a weird disconnect. I skimmed parts because I just wanted to keep moving.

What it all boils down to is that I found this to be okay, but not really the story for me.

I wanted to like this book. I adore the Written in the Stars series and was looking forward to this based on the summary. It had too much going on. Was it about Amy and Charley's romance? Was it about Amy being outed at her conservative workplace? Was it about Amy's bridesmaid for hire business?

Amy wasn't likeable because her personality was all over the place. Charley had zero personality. I felt no chemistry between the two of them. Charley came to Amy's work, Amy served her, and insta-love. The book as a whole was a lot of that English class critique of 'telling and not showing'. It was lots of narrative, very little feeling like I was experiencing things with them and no emotional build up. With the conversations about gay marriage and getting the right to marry, when it came up, it felt more lecture-like instead of feeling like nature conversation. Whenever it was brought up, it was part of a speech someone was giving.

The side characters all seemed under-developed and fulfilling different stereotypes.

All in all, it was a book sounded like it had promise but ultimately disappointed.

I love LGBTQA reads, especially when its a rom-com. But seeing that it really was not a rom-com more of Amy finally finding herself as a gay woman in Oklahoma, was even more inspiring. Amy is such a fun character, and I loved her, and all of her friends, and even Charly, who I thought was going to be the ROMANCE, but there wasn't, I had a hard time connecting with their relationship, which is fine, Amy's fun ways compensated for the lack of romance. Aside from everything else, it was more of an inspirational book about a woman in a town that's predominantly Christian, who is a lesbian, finally is able to express that without shame and trying to live her best life and not settling for less.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Pub date 5/3/22,
Genre: romcom
In one sentence: In 2013 Oklahoma, Amy is a queer semicloseted baker and bartender living a quiet life - until engineer Charley shows up and turns her life upside down.

This book is so much more than a romance - I loved following Amy's journey. Her wedding planning/fake bridesmaid business made me laugh really hard. I also liked her found family at queer bar Ruby Red's. There are some darker elements to the story - forced outing, intolerance, and marriage bans - so be aware of that going in, but the overall tone of the story kept me smiling!

If you've enjoyed recent queer food romances like Love and Other Disasters and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, I bet you'll enjoy this one!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram 4/27/22.

I loved reading this book! I love a good romance book and this one was no different. The main character, Amy, was navigating her way through a heteronormative world to fulfill her love of love. I think this book is a great read for anyone and gives great insight into the LGBTQ+ community.

When I saw the cover of this book and read the synopsis I was expecting a light-hearted rom com and was really excited! The book started off wonderfully and I loved getting to know Amy. I also loved the way Amy and Charlie meet and the cake mishap at Amy's cousins wedding had me laughing out loud. From there though the story is more about Amy's glow up and less about the romance. The dynamic between her and Charlie has so much potential but it fell a little flat for me. I also really loved the dynamics Amy has with her friends and there could have been more developed there as well. If you are looking for less romance and more women's fiction, this is a book for you.

I loved this book!! I loved Amy and all of her chosen family. I loved the diversity in community that she had. Mom getting a happy ending was just great too! I really wish the book was a bit spicier.

I thought the author did a good job touching on various parts of queerness. I think Amy’s struggle with this is so real and raw. Its unfortunate that we live in such a heteronormative society where everyone is straight until proven otherwise. Amy also struggled with working in multiple industries that do not support queer people. I love how she was able to take back some of that power in the epilogue and the inclusion of how much growth we still have to do.

Trigger Warnings: Religion, Southern Baptist, homophobia, alcohol, past break-up/cheating, firing, sex toys, sex, racism, alcoholism, past drunk driving/car crash, HIV+, vomit, accidental outing, conversion camp, smoking, cursing

Representation: Lesbian, Black, They/them pronouns, various LGBT+ minor characters, HIV positive characters, Drag

Queerly Beloved is a contemporary romance about Amy, the Christian baker by day and lesbian bartender by night. This balance is the key to Amy’s success at making rent and training to become a great baker. When Amy is fired after she is outed, she turns her accidental bridesmaid gig into a flourishing business. Her success is then halted short when she is broken up with and loses her best friends in one foul swoop.

Aww I loved this book!! I loved Amy and all of her chosen family. I loved the diversity in community that she had, as well as her “rebellious” mother. Mom getting a happy ending was just great too! I really wish not every book needed to have a main character break up with their friends but this one wasn’t as annoying as other stories with similar plots.

I thought the author did a good job touching on various parts of queerness. When you’re queer, you don’t get to just announce it one time then never come out again. We have to constantly come out. I think Amy’s struggle with this is so real and raw. Its unfortunate that we live in such a heteronormative society where everyone is straight until proven otherwise. Amy also struggled with working in multiple industries that do not support queer people. I love how she was able to take back some of that power in the epilogue and the inclusion of how much growth we still have to do.