I really enjoyed this book, it was super fun! Not one that I think I will remember for a long time, but a solid 3.5 stars.

I’ve read other reviews suggesting this be marketed more as fiction than romcom and I tend to agree. That said, what did work so well in this book of Susie Dumond’s is how they really let you see inside main character Amy’s closeted mind and heart. The racist bakery trope - I was worried about how it would play out but in fact was the perfect setting for Amy’s character to expand, so to speak. I truly enjoyed reading about Amy’s inside voice thoughts as juxtaposed to what was happening in her outside world. Thanks for this advanced reading copy, NetGalley and also Susie!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Set in 2013, the book opens with Amy, a queer, semi-closeted baker and bartender. She lives in Tulsa Oklahoma where the values are as religious as you can get. When Amy gets outed at the Christian bakery she works at, she must figure out how to pay her rent, get her poor car fixed, and live. The bartending job does not cover everything. at her cousin's wedding, she meets another couple and they offer to pay her for standing in at their wedding for a bridesmaid that cannot attend. A new business is born.

However, while doing this business, she must stay untrue to herself. She has to act hetero and keep her feelings about weddings and the exclusion of her and her friends from getting married. The novel is a look into this world that I am not a part of. However, by reading this book, it opens my eyes even more to the injustices that are being carried out in our political system. I really, really enjoyed reading this and had a hard time putting it down.

Also - the cover artwork - fantastic!

Loved this book more than I expected too! Took me awhile to get to but I was so glad when I finally did. Was a bit of a slow burn but eventually found it's footing. I enjoyed the authors writing as well- a very light read. Book was also longer than I intended and felt it could have been condensed for the story told. Last thing is I would have liked a little more depth in the MC's, but liked the story well enough.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. The timing in the book consistently felt off. I felt the book dragged for the first half.

This book was unfortunately very disappointing. I found the characters to be all over the place, very inconsistent, and there was no chemistry between the two so the romance felt very forced. I also found that the book had a lot of stereotyping. I wish I could say something good about this book, but unfortunately I can’t.

Queerly Beloved is a really cute romcom with great LGBTQ+ rep. I loved the complex characters and that Amy, the main character, saw so much growth in this book! This book made me laugh, cringe, and root for the couple - all things I want in my romcoms. Imperfect characters are the best and create such interesting stories. While a bit predictable at times, I enjoyed reading this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

This one was really cute and touched on a lot of topics I hadn’t thought about. I also love that it was based in Oklahoma so close to home! I am looking forward to more from this author the writing style flowed effortlessly and you got to know and fall in love with all the characters, not just the MCs.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the concept of a closeted queer woman working at a Christian bakery. For the time period, it felt realistic and led to a really interesting story. On the other hand, the romance was underdeveloped and not even necessary. If there was going to be a romance, I would've liked more character development for Charley and more interaction between them. The romance just felt tacked on. Still, I enjoyed the process of Amy becoming more authentic and learning more about herself!

This was sweet and the writing was good. It was entertaining and easy to read despite a slightly slow start. However, I would have preferred more romance and development of the relationship from the book!

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for the ARC.

I have mixed feelings on this book which is why its only getting three stars. I found setting the book before marriage equality to be very interesting and found Amy's internal conflict about participating in the institution to be especially poignant. However I really wish the book would have just focused on that and left the romance out of it entirely. Amy and Charley's relationship did nothing for me and I found myself growing frustrated by their lack of communication, heat, etc. I found Amy's relationships with her friends to be much more interesting and dynamic. This book also was a lot more serious and darker than what the cover suggests. The religious bigotry and hate, while accurately portrayed, could be very trigging for those with religious trauma, so I wish there would have been some content warnings at the front of the book.

Thank you

I DNF this unfortunately. This book is my catnip but unfortunately it did not click with me. This is definitely less of a romance and more of a women's fiction which isn't a bad thing, just wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted to love the storyline and I wanted to love the characters but everything felt forced.

I loved this book! Amy and her friends jumped off the pages, and I loved her connection with Charlie. There were many moments I was laughing out loud, but there were also just as many that made my heart swell. This book definitely deserves more hype!

Such a cute read! I always enjoy reading LGBTQ+ books that mention growing up in a religious town/environment. This story was definitely needed and it was your average sweet LGBTQ+ romance. No matter how many times I read a sapphic romance, I can never get enough.

My only complaint with this book was that it was a bit slow to start and I wished there was more from the characters at the beginning,

Overall this is a very enjoyable romance, and I would definitely recommend Queerly Beloved to queer readers everywhere.

Not exactly what I was expecting, but a decent read! I definitely felt this romance was a little low on the romance unfortunately, the cover definitely made me think this would have traditional romance plotting, but it reads more like a new adult coming of age story. In that light it is a good read that explores what being queer means in spaces that are especially unaccepting of it. I think if you look at this book in that light you will enjoy it! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Found this damn weird. I have no clue where the plot was going.

The love between the MCs felt super forced and quick. Probably not even love, just lust. It was a case of "You're lesbian and so am I, so let's..."

Nothing felt organic in this book, just a lot of external events that went very slow and dragged on.

I didn't like the characters either, so I don't have much good to say about this I'm sorry. (I wish I liked it)

Based on the synopsis I was immediately sold. Unfortunately this one just did not work for me. Our two MC's had a fast insta-love connection and there was basically no romance. No romance and a weirdly dragging plot... sorry to say this is not for me.

I went into this book thinking it was a romance, but found the actual romantic plotline to be forced, awkward, and secondary to our main character's internal monologue. The elements I did enjoy - callbacks to the early 2000s (though the actual tone of the story didn't really match these mentions), the queer scene in Oklahoma, and Amy's found family. However, these moments couldn't make up for the lackluster romance and Amy's strangely inconsistent personality, so this one just isn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for the eARC.

Here’s the deal. I wanted to love this book, but there were a few things that I really struggled with. First, the book just felt long to me. I really struggled to push through. Second, I still feel skeptical of Amy and Charley’s relationship, given that most of what we saw was miscommunication and a lack of honesty. But I loved the concept. I loved Ruby Red’s and the cast of lovable side characters. Overall, I’d give the book a 3/5.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review. Amy loves her job as a baker for a popular shop in Tulsa but is careful to never bring her whole self to work. As a queer woman in Oklahoma, she knows everyone accepts who she is, and her boss is one of those who can't seem to accept everyone. One morning, a woman walks into the bakery who she can't take her eyes off of. Charley is new to town, and they immediately hit it off. Now Amy finds herself without a job, trying to start a new relationship, and starting up a new business all at once. She's also being very careful about who she can be her full self around. It's all getting to be too much; will she be able to handle it all? Can she continue to please everyone around her while sacrificing her authentic self?

This book felt like a love letter to the queer community in Tulsa. As someone who grew up in Tulsa, and currently lives there, I loved the little tour of my hometown. And also, as someone who grew up and went to college while identifying as a heterosexual, it was extremely insightful to see what the queer community lives with, especially in 2013 when this story takes place. I loved both Amy and Charley. They both felt so familiar to me, like they could be people I know. And the found families were fantastic. Amy took a journey to find the truest version of herself, which I think most of us can relate to. This is a fantastic book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys sapphic romance, closed door romance, found family, or wants to know more about Tulsa!