As a member of the LGBTQ+ community who lived much of my life closeted, I went into Queerly Beloved really excited for the story of Amy and Charley.

There were parts of the story I did enjoy- the chosen family aspect and young queer love (duh), The cover was absolutely adorable and was a major selling point for me.

However, as an overall story, Queerly Beloved just fell flat for me. The character of Charley had next to no personality, Amy seemed to be hung up on her ex girlfriend with how much the character talked about her, and while billed as a romance, the romantic aspect of the book took a backseat to the actual coming to terms with her own identity that Amy did throughout the book.

I wanted to like it. No, I wanted to LOVE it and find another queer author that could become an automatic buy for future works, but unfortunately this book left me wanting much more than it gave.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an arc of this book in change of an honest review.

I really wanted to like this story, but it did not seem like there was a real point to the story. I am not sure if I just did not connect with it or if it was boring.

this is easily a five-star read for me! as a fan of baking and reading, i was instantly drawn to “queerly beloved” but there’s so much more love, friendships, and self-discovery woven between the pages. to me, any amazing rom-com is full of more than just the romance aspect of the novel. i loved how this plot placed equal importance on amy’s found family and journey in finding her place in tulsa. in a town that wants her to confirm to one set of virtues, she has to figure out whether to follow the status quo or listen to her heart.

there are so many amazing characters introduced in “queerly beloved.” all of them were written beautifully and i’d do anything to meet them in real-life! i especially loved amy and how headstrong she is. i loved how her job as a professional bridesmaid was incorporated into the plot. it reminded me of katy birchall’s “the wedding season,” which was another five-star favorite of mine. from the first chapter and all the way to the epilogue, my heart was full of happiness and frustration for amy and charley. it’s not often that i’m left holding my breath and speechless. there’s not enough praise i can give to this novel and susie dumond is definitely an auto-buy for me!

Thank you Random House for the chance to read and support Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond. I want to say that I loved this book for what it was, a thoughtful and valuable examination of queer identity with Amy's journey about herself and her life/career as the main focus. I say this as a lot of reader will look at this charming cover and think rom/com and while there is romance, and I thought Charley was a great character with depth, this book is more contemporary fiction and self growth. It was a bit like Yerba Buena (not as intense as that book was in terms of topics) in that the story is the character, not the romance and witty banter some might look for.

I really enjoy character driven stories and I truly enjoyed reading Amy's story, as a reader/reviewer, an ally, and an educator I am better for books that help me listen, think, and understand diverse lives. Amy's story will stay with me because I got a lot out of being in her thoughts and experiences. As I said I also really liked Charley, she was strong and well developed and I liked her vibe. Secondary characters and plot points held my attention as well.

Go in thinking that the title means not rom com wedding vibes and more something internal about reconciling being and giving love to self, being beloved in a broader sense, and exploring what a queer identity is.

This book was not for me at this point in my life. I think that the writing is delightful and I liked the premise and I loved the cover, but it was a slow start and seemed to get more into the facing homophobia side of life than I'm interested in reading in a romance novel right now.

Thank you for the chance to review this! I won't be posting this review on Goodreads or anywhere else since I don't think it's the book or the author's fault that I didn't like it.

Absolutely loved this story. We meet Amy, a young baker who is trying to just live her best life. She loves love and is learning to be her authentic self. I love the trials and struggles she goes through while navigating a new relationship and career path.

There are a lot of aspects of this book I loved--the queer family and the gorgeous queer relationships. The pacing is off and the it should have been edited down, but I'll definitely look forward to reading this author again.

I love the "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" trope and this book didn't disappoint at all! I will definitely be reading more Dumond.

While there were some things that I really liked about this book, overall I didn’t love it

I really liked the character Amy and seeing her character development and watching her grow was one of my fav parts of the book. Other than Amy I didn’t really get attached or anything to the other characters, they were okay but not too special for me. I felt like we didn’t find out a lot about the love interest Charley.

I felt like maybe this was more of a woman’s fiction book rather than a romance because it was more about Amy’s growth and journey

I liked the conversations about being gay in a red state, homophobia in religion, inequality and the institution of marriage - I really liked how these topics were tackled. I really enjoyed the last 20% of the book where Amy finally starts doing what is more right for her rather than what she feels is expected by society

I feel bad for criticizing a debut queer author but sadly this just didn’t do it for me, maybe if i went it with different expectations it would have been better

This is such a fun read! I LOVED Amy and Charley and I thought they had such good insta-chemistry. I personally could not imagine becoming a professional bridesmaid as its one of my least favorite things to be BUT since I'm planning a wedding, thinking of all the things that could go wrong and wondering who I would have to fix them, I am so close to searching out my very own professional bridesmaid.

Amy had such a strong queer community supporting her even if her extended family wasn't so accepting. Joel/Damien were such great best friends to have. I loved everything about Ruby Red's and their clientele/friend group!

Plus any book with a recipe included will win my heart over.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I devoured this queer romance in a day, and am a bit confused by the less than glowing reviews. The story was unique, and also very much a love story to Tulsa. Though I've not been, I now feel kinship with queers there. There were moments where I could actually feel the narrator's pain, and it was just the right amount of sexy without being exploitative. My only criticism is that some of the language / queer concepts feel too advanced for where most queer people were in 2013, particularly every character introducing themselves with pronouns. But I enjoyed the discourse on marriage equality that echoed many conversations I've had with my community.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what I pictured for this book to be like when I signed up for it but I was pleasantly surprised. This is more of a story about the main character coming out. Well she was out but not to everyone. The story takes place in Tulsa Oklahoma where you could be fired from your job for being gay and at the time gay marriage wasn't recognized. It was a pretty cute story and I loved how Amy was finally able to be herself and not hide who she was. She had to grow a lot in the book but got there. I think the only problem in the book was the lack of communication between Amy and Charley. She kept things hidden that probably didn't need to be so it threw off the chemistry between the two. The fake bridesmaid element of the story I actually loved and sounded like a pretty fun service to offer.

(3.5/5) I enjoyed this book, though it's heavier than the cover and description lead a reader to believe. It's more Women's Fiction than rom-com, with less focus on romance (though I LOVE Amy and Charley together) and more focus on character growth, family ties, and found family. While the bridesmaid-for-hire scheme is creative and fun, the religious angle resonated with me most, having grown up in a similar religious situation. Due to my history, I felt personally invested in Amy's situation. Regardless of background, this book is a worthwhile read—even if the rom-com vibes don't come through as strongly as I'd have liked.

This romance novel set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2013, centers around Amy. Amy's passion is baking, and she has hidden her lesbian identity in order to get a job at the best bakery in town, which is run by a Christian fundamentalist. Amy also has a second job, in the evenings at a gay dive bar, where she can be her real self. Most of Amy's family is also fundamentalist, and her relationships within her family became icy once she came out to them. Her mom, who raised her on her own, is a big support to her, as well as her mom's best friends, a gay couple who are like uncles to her.
When she is outed at the bakery and then fired from that job, she is understandably upset. Amy has been single for a while and recently met a woman, Charley, who she is drawn to. They have a first date planned for the evening of the day Amy was fired, and she is torn about whether to go. She also has a family wedding around this time, to which she is invited, but placed at a perimeter table. The bride is a cousin that Amy practically grew up with, and the distancing adds to her negative feelings.
When Amy talks with the other guests at her table, she finds potential friends, as well as an odd invitation. She is invited to fill in as a bridesmaid for the couple at her table, who had a last minute situation with one of their bridesmaids unable to attend.
Amy is a big romantic, a fan of Say Yes to the Dress, and a person who likes to see others happy. She agrees and soon considers taking on "bridesmaid for hire" as a way to earn some extra money. She finds that her skills are a good fit for this: her baking expertise, sewing expertise, and event management skills all prove to be helpful in different situations. But this job provides a new dilemma for Amy as she is still hiding her true self, not out to those who hire her, and sometimes put into very uncomfortable situations.
This is what I would classify as a Women's Fiction novel, as the major story here is the growth of Amy. She has to struggle through her identify issues, think about what she wants in a life partner, deal with the situation at the time of lesser rights for LGBTQ people, and even about her interactions with family and friends. There is a romance plotline with her and Charley, but that isn't the core focus. We see, through her evening job and some friends, the range of identities and issues in the LGBTQ community and there are multiple views given of these that really help show the frustration that goes along with not having the same rights as cisgender people.
A book with depth and thought-provoking situations, and an interesting character in Amy.

Hmm, how to start? This book was more a coming out story of personal growth for the main character Amy than a romance, and not at all a rom com with the heavy topics it addresses. Once I redirected my expectations, I mostly liked it but the marketing set me up to be let down (I mean hello, look at that gorgeous rainbow cake & cursive writing). The charming ending of the book really picked up and tied up well. The last few chapters felt like the rom com we deserved and were marketed, but the middle of the book was a bit rough to get through.

Set in the 2010s in Oklahoma, this book follows Amy's journey to find steady footing after getting fired from a religious bakery for being queer. She stumbles into launching her own business as a professional bridesmaid where she regains confidence in herself. The focus of this book was Amy. I wanted more of her friends and more of her love interest. And to be quite honest, a lot of the time I just did not like Amy all that much. She did a few cringeworthy things and did not communicate well. I am not a fan of romances based on miscommunication or a lack of communication.

2.5 stars

As much as I wanted to love this book, it just didn’t work for me. The characters feel one-dimensional and frustratingly stereotypical, and the chemistry between Charley and Amy is completely nonexistent. While it is set in 2013, you wouldn’t know that aside from the gay marriage conversation — it feels entirely contemporary, with no real sense of time.

I was rooting for it whole heartedly, but overall this one is a flop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had to DNF this book about 15% in. I, unfortunately, was not able to get into this, it was just too unrealistic for me. The two main characters meet in the first chapter and already have a date scheduled by the end of it which is fine I guess but I am not the biggest fan of insta-love and that is what this seemed like. THEN in the second chapter, Amy meets two strangers at her cousin's wedding and they offer her to be a bridesmaid in their wedding, which is the next week, THEN offer to pay her for it? I just couldn't handle it.

Also, the first chapter in the bakery kept introducing co-workers and other staff by name of their role? and like nothing else? idk it just seemed irrelevant?

It all seemed to be moving quickly, without any background or set-up, which just isn't my style. I tried to get back into it but just found myself skimming because I couldn't focus. I think the author did a lot of telling and not showing, which made things generally longer and harder to read in my opinion.

Thank you netgalley and random house publishing for the opportunity to review.

I was so excited about this book and feel kind of let down. Having a book set in the recent past is always kind of strange , but made sense for the story being told. The main issue I had was how underdeveloped the characters and the romance were. MC Amy was self-involved and seemed to be a pouty brat, for the most part. Charley, the other MC and love interest, was just...there? All I can remember about her is she worked in the oil industry and had a couple tattoos. Their communication was terrible and the chemistry was really lacking.
Also, why did Amy keep avoiding telling Charley why she got fired? That made absolutely no sense to me.
The whole fake-bridesmaid bit was fairly entertaining but there were a lot of plot holes within it.
Overall this just fell flat for me.

While Queerly Beloved was not my favorite book, it was a cute read. I felt as though some parts were a bit drawn out but at the same time, Susie Dumond did a great job of hitting a lot of important topics and barriers to the LGBTQ community over time. The sad part is, the people who really need to read this book, likely won’t, especially with the title that it has. That being said, it’s an adorable title with fun characters and was a—pun intended—sweet read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes but this book was pretty disappointing for me. I felt like the romance wasn't very believable or exciting, and also it seemed to take second priority to all of the other things going on. Overall, an okay book but not what I was hoping for.