Love the bridesmaid for hire angle. A cute little romance between two women. It would make a fun Valentine's Day present. It was a little lightweight for my tastes but fun.

Queerly Beloved is delightful, relatable, and 100% for fans of Anita Kelly’s LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS.

A people-pleasing bridesmaid-for-hire falls for the crushable new lesbian in town. Will she finally find her happily ever after—and her own voice?

ONE OF BUZZFEED’S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022

Amy, a semicloseted queer baker and bartender in mid-2010s Oklahoma, has spent a lifetime putting other people’s needs before her own. Until, that is, she hits it off with Charley, a brilliant, attractive engineer who’s just moved to Tulsa. Suddenly, Amy’s found something—someone—she actually wants. Her tight-knit group of chosen family is thrilled she’s finally moving on from her ex. Mostly, though, they want Amy to find a way to show up for love—and life—as her authentic self.

But when a one-off gig subbing in for a bridesmaid turns into a full-time business—thanks to Amy’s baking talents, crafting skills, and years watching rom-coms and Say Yes to the Dress—her deep desire to please kicks into overdrive, at her own expense. It’s not until Amy’s precarious balancing act strains her relationships to the breaking point that she must decide what it looks like to be true to herself—and if she has the courage to try

Amy is a queer baker who lives in Tulsa and works at a super conservative Christian bakery. Amy is also a bartender at the local Lesbian dive bar, Ruby Reds. Charley comes into the bakery one day and they are automatically drawn to each other. Charley is an engineer and is new to Tulsa; Amy takes her on a series of dates around the city to show her around. Amy is bubbly and chaotic; Charley is confident and structured.

The book takes place in 2013/ 2014 and the topic of same sex marriage was brought up frequently since it hadn’t yet been passed in Oklahoma.

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay for me. I am so sad about it because the cover is beyond adorable, I love a Sapphic romance and the premise is really cute, but it was just 3 stars.

Things that didn’t work for me:
•I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Amy and Charley. Their first hook up was super awkward with the toy thing. They also went really long periods between contacting each other.
•I think this book should be considered ½ Romance and ½ General Fiction. At times, the romance part was a little light and there was a stronger focus on Amy finding herself, accepting her queerness and establishing her career after being terminated from Daily Bread.
•Parts of the book dragged a little, in my opinion. It was way too long. There was just too many things going on.

I would consider this semi- open door/ fades to black for those curious about the spice level.

I did enjoy the parts where Amy interacts with her “found family” and the community she has found in Tulsa. The book also lightly tries to address some of the challenges in being a non-heterosexual relationship (being out at work, PDA, etc.).

If you like Sapphic romances, Say Yes to the Dress and Tulsa (or any combination of those 3 things) take a chance on this one!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*I posted my Goodreads review today. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4538646936
** I will post my Instagram review at https://www.instagram.com/bookishkatelizabeth/ on release day.

I thought this book was cute and I loved the wedding drama. I wasn't a huge fan of the insta-love aspect between Amy and Charley. I didn't really feel like they were really in love, we were just told that they loved each other. I liked how Amy has a strong queer community and she was supported by both family and friends, however, her mother with her anti-conflict support got a bit aggravating at points. I loved all the cooking and baking descriptions and if Dumond used that kind of description for more than just the food then the book would read better. All in all, it was an enjoyable book to read.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a beautiful celebration of queer love. As a queer Christian I really appreciated the hard hitting questions of whether it’s right or not to support the institutions that believe your love is wrong or less than. The epilogue being set in present day was lovely & made me tear up with all of the perfect conclusions for all of the characters.

This one kind of left a lot to be desired. I found the underlying concepts important, but a little outdated. I think budding queers will find comfort in this book and community it has built. Really looking forward to what could come from this author in the future!

First off I love everything about this book, it just made me feel so at home. I just love a good queer found family, I want them all to be my friends. My main criticism is that I wouldn't consider this a romance book. It is more about Amy's journey of truly discovering who she is and how to confidently be herself. I enjoyed the romance between Amy and Charley but it is not the main focus.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This one didn’t work for me. I was drawn to the premise of a closeted queer woman working in a Christian bakery in mid-2010s Tulsa, but I wouldn’t consider “Queerly Beloved” as a romcom, since the primary focus is on Amy’s personal growth, rather than on her budding romance with Charley. In fact, there’s practically no romantic build up; the characters seem to fall for each other immediately, and then their romance takes a backseat as both characters focus on their jobs and occasionally go on short dates every few chapters. We also know almost nothing about Charley beyond the fact that she’s an engineer working for an oil company, which is a fact that characters bring up *a lot.* There’s even a scene where Amy, a white woman, seemingly gets turned on while listening to Charley, another white woman, tell her that she’s trying to convince her company not to expand into Indigenous territory. It’s uncomfortable to read, and I’m not sure why this was included.

Structurally, this book is too long and poorly edited. Very little happens within the first 200 pages; the pace lags and stumbles. The writing is also tedious––readers are told what happens to Amy, but it hardly ever feels like we’re experiencing it with her. The dialogue is clumsy and rarely believable, which makes banter between the MCs unachievable. It’s difficult to root for a couple that lacks any chemistry.

“Queerly Beloved” also tries to have a conversation about gay marriage and what it means to queer folks, but that discussion is underdeveloped. There’s a scene wherein a character challenges the importance of marriage as an institution, suggesting that it’s a homonormative construct. I appreciate that the author brings that idea in, but I’m disappointed that it’s later cast aside when another character is like, “Well I’m gay, and marriage is important to me!” I guess you’re unlikely to find a nuanced discussion of marriage rights in a novel about a lesbian who loves weddings.

Basically: Super interesting premise, but poor execution.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favorite. I think the premise of a lesbian baker working in a religious baker is kind of trying to hard to stay relevant (copying off the cases of religious bakeries refusing to make cakes for LGBTQ+ weddings).

Such a cute and approachable wedding story! This book had me hooked from page one. It was so fun to read, only took me a couple of days to fly through. Have already recommended to friends!

What a wonderful book! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Amy and her family and friends. The romance with Charley was sweet and well paced. However, the most satisfying love story was watching Amy grow to know and accept her authentic self.

Queerly Beloved was written well and the characters all come to life on the page. I was hooked right away and finished it in one sitting.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes rom-coms, romance or strong female characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Dual Press Trade for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Queerly Beloved -- while I think it falls more firmly in the genre of women's fic (as the novel more closely traced Amy's journey than the relationship of Amy and Charley), Amy was a really interesting character to see develop. Set in 2013 because of its pre-legalized gay marriage (this shift doesn't become clear until later in the novel -- I'm explaining it here so others aren't jarred or put-off by the backwards time setting), Queerly Beloved follows Amy and the different facets of her life: closeted at her bakery job due to the homophobia rampant in the Bible Belt, "out" and proud at her job at a lesbian/gay bar, her dive into an entrepreneurial business within the wedding industry, her friendship with her bestie, and her burgeoning relationship with Charley, who represents the underrepresented masc lesbian.

Amy has many queer folks in her life and the different conversations she has with them about LGBTQ+ rights, the normalization of binary marriage (and how it excludes nb and trans folks), and how to balance financially support herself within the wedding industry without further normalizing hiding one's gayness were so refreshing. I enjoyed these parts of the novel more than Amy's relationship with Charley, although I appreciated her growth post-conflict. The interview at the end of the novel with the author was also really interesting and gave nice insights into why she wrote some of the parts of the novel the way she did.

Rating 3.5 Stars

Good baking, weddings, and found families oh my! Queerly Beloved delivered with a deliciously sweet story of learning to love yourself. Also, can we look at that cover again? Gorgeous!

Queerly Beloved follows Amy, a semi-closeted lesbian baker, as she tries to navigate a new career as a bridesmaid-for-hire while juggling friends, romance, and the challenges that come from living as a queer person in 2013 Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This novel beautifully captures what it's like to have been living in a conservative state prior to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. When businesses could refuse service and terminate employers on the basis of sexual orientation (and still can in some states). Amy is forced to grapple with what it means for her to be queer while participating and making money off an industry that discriminates and is illegal for her and her found family.

Amy's story is easy and lovely to follow as she's so relatable (I saw so much of myself in Amy it was kind of scary!). Her inability to say no to others which leads to her working longer hours and getting way too involved in certain situations hits a little too close to home.

Amy has an issue putting others' comfort and happiness far above her own and it takes falling in a little too deep for her to realize that she's allowed to be who she wants to be and enjoy the things she likes to enjoy even if other people don’t. As a queer writer herself, Susie Dumond drives home that key message of unapologetically loving what and who you love no matter what and being authentically you always.

Readers expecting a light-hearted and fun romance may be slightly disappointed with Queerly Beloved. While Amy does develop a romantic attraction with her love interest it's more of a subplot. Something that both helps and hinders Amy's character development throughout the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed Queerly Beloved. I have never read a book where the majority of the characters are LGBTQ+, and I think that made it quite special. The number of different sexual orientations and gender expressions presented in this story was so important. It was truly lovely to read. Queerly Beloved was authentic and realistic, funny and very cute, and should definitely be on your TBR list. Does anyone want to come with me to Ruby Red's?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My review will be posted to Goodreads and shared on my Instagram/Twitter/TikTok (https://www.instagram.com/megaras.library/) on publication day.

This was just the break I needed after many dark (albeit delightful) and twist reads that probably raised my blood pressure a little! Amy meets Charley and is immediately drawn to her. Things seem to be going well until Amy loses her job as a baker and Charley backs off and seems immune to her charms. Amy starts a new business as a "Bridesmaid for Hire" as she's a good problem-solver and can obviously handle the baked goods situation. But does any relationship go smoothly all the time? So Amy must reconsider her choices and rethink her methods. This is one of those laugh-out-loud and shed-a-little-tear novels that has you cheering at the end! It's a nice respite from tragedy! Enjoy!

4.5 stars
Queerly Beloved is such a cute, yet thoughtful story. I absolutely loved the characters, premise, and romance, but by far the strongest moments were the discussions surrounding LGBTQIA rights. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cute romance, but I would also recommend it to anyone looking for a book with well written discussions about queer identity.

I received this book from Net Galley in order to give a honest review.

This book was everything I want a LGTBQ+ book to be. There was humor, love, and acceptance. The book follows Amy and Charley in their whirlwind romance.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC of this book. I actually did not finish this one. I got about half way through and I just couldn't connect with the characters. I am all for a good romance book but this one just felt flat to me. I might give it another try one day. But I just wasn't feeling this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.

This review is hard for me to write because I am trying my best to judge the book objectively, even when it is not a book I normally like for myself.

To preface, I am a queer adult (nonbinary bisexual) so I relate to these characters.

However, I think a large problem is, this book is marked as a Rom Com and it is not. The romance is honestly kinda only like a 1/3 of the book if even. I felt a lot of the time, it took a backseat and I think it just kinda hurt the overall feeling.

The plot mostly focuses on Amy, a lesbian in Tulsa in 2013 (before marriage equality) After losing her job for being outed as queer she end ups starting her own business. During that time she meets Charley, whom she starts a relationship, and goes through a lot of soul search and such.

A large portion is devoted to Amy reflecting on what it means to be queer in a conservative society and the effects of having to stay constantly hidden and inauthentic vs being able to be who you are. This is seen a lot in the dichotomy of her being a Bridesmaid for hire during a time where she legally couldn’t have a wedding of her own.

While that is an important story to write, I think overall it does it a bit of a disservice to label it as a Rom Com, as again, most of the book focuses on Amy’s growth and self reflection, with her relationship with Charley just being one small facet.

Now, again, stories of questioning queer identity and dealing with homophobia etc, those are important. However sometimes I do get frustrated because sometimes you just want to read a fun love story. Queer rep is great but also gets a bit annoying when the only Queer rep you get is when it is just showing the ‘suffering’ instead of just having a basic Rom Com plot but with Queer people. (hopefully that makes sense)

So to conclude, the book itself is not bad, just not what I prefer to read or was expecting.

Queerly Beloved was a casual and easy-going read that housed a lot of elements of a romance YA that we have all come to enjoy. The relationships between found family and the romantic one felt well constructed and realistic. Amy as an individual who deals with identity in a close-minded area while trying to navigate heartache and expression was interesting to read and really gave a depth to her character that was overall enjoyable.
Overall having queer relationships that are sweet and strong is amazing to see and getting the opportunity to read about dynamics constructed this way is always so much fun.

While I enjoyed the representation, I really couldn’t connect with any of them at all. I think it was really hard for me to basically read through 28 chapters Amy’s poor me. Yes, she was facing a lot of issues, and yea, these are real issues people face, but also a drag to read nothing but woe is me. I had a hard time connecting with Charley as well because she kept popping in and out of the story. And, while I think I like her mom, her “uncles”, and her besties, there wasn’t enough of them for me to connect with. The whole feeling I got from this was, unfortunately, uncomfortable depression. Basically, I was expecting some fun and this just left me sad and uncomfortable. And not wanting to come back to this. But, I’m not a book quitter.