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.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

It’s not that this book is a bad book that led me to rate this at 3.5 stars: it’s that this book is just as frustratingly blah and has that paint-by-numbers feel to it as just about every wedding-centered rom-com it references. And while I can respect this book may please a great many people just the same as those sorts of movies please a great deal of people, it took me a great deal of patience and actively trying to focus to even finish it.

It didn’t help matters that I didn’t really like any of the characters much, either.

To me, the best parts of this book were the parts in which our main character, Amy, is doing her new job she invented for herself. Those scenes are the ones I looked forward to, mainly because it’s where I related to her the most. I’ve played crisis manager at more than one big event (including stepping in as a bridesmaid at a wedding as a replacement, even), and chaos is where I thrive best. I loved those scenes and really identified with Amy’s conflicting emotions regarding whether or not she was doing the right thing by donning a different persona with every wedding instead of being her authentic self. I may live in a blue state, but you never know where discrimination and prejudice could be hiding just behind a polite exterior.

I just wish this book had been less rote. Then maybe I wouldn’t have actively had to make myself pay attention to it in order to finish it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Dial Press Trade Paperbacks for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review will not be tagged for either publisher or author on social media due to the nature of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publish for an eARC of Queerly Beloved in exchange for an honest review.

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond is an Adult romance set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 2013. This novel follows main character Amy, an out and proud queer baker working at the best Christian bakery in town. To keep herself and her wallet happy and safe she must roleplay as straight Amelia, but one day when a cute new queer stranger roles into town Amy's life is thrown for a loop and baking is no longer a viable option.

With her main income gone Amy must work quickly to find a new hustle and with all the stars seemingly aligning being a bridesmaid for hire falls right into her lap. With her DIY prowess, organizational skills and need to people please this job comes to naturally to her but how is someone supposed to love weddings and the industry so much when most of her friends can't even legally participate in it.

This novel weaves together a complicated look at being queer in Oklahoma before the legalization of gay along with softer and more fun moments like a sweet romance between a wedding loving baker and a little bit more cynical engineer.

This novel explores themes of religion (mainly bigotry), queer identity and making space for yourself in areas people don't want you in. Overall it was a good novel, I rated it four out of five stars, it wasn't anything mind blowing but was overall a good novel.

Amy has always done her best to blend in because after all being gay in mid-2010s Oklahoma isn’t easy. When she is outed at her job, she’s fired and scrambling to figure out what to do next. After what was supposed to be a one-time bridesmaid for hire situation, Amy realizes that maybe she could make a whole business of it and sets out to do just that.

I went into this thrilled to read a sapphic romance set in mid-2010s Oklahoma. I quickly began to realize that this book was not really a sapphic romance. In fact, it was something completely different with the romance as something far far in the background. I do think I was able to look past it, but that was a disappointing pill to swallow.

The plot focuses on Amy. Queerly Beloved gives her the space to breathe and grow. Readers get to see a lot of her as she navigates the waters of her bridesmaid business. The ups and downs of it, the reader gets to see it all. I did like seeing this. Amy was so uncertain about it at first, but really grew into the job and found something she really loved after losing her baking job she loved.

Now her development was nice. She really learned to be confident with herself and who she is even if everyone around her isn’t comfortable with that and that was nice to see.

Since the focus is solely on Amy and her growth, the side characters do fall short. They are underdeveloped and really feel like they are there solely to help further develop Amy. I didn’t feel the connection between any of them. Even Joel and Amy who were supposed to be incredibly close, I didn’t feel that connection with them. Their interactions were bare minimum, so there is no seeing it. Readers are simply told that they are close.

The romance falls under that too for me. Readers do get the chance to see Charley and Amy go on a few dates, so they do have more interaction than I feel like some of her friends do, but then Charley is missing throughout half the novel, so it still feels unbalanced. It’s a roller coaster of a ride and not really in a good way.

While I think the side characters are pushed out of the way and the romance is a second thought, I do feel like if someone goes into this book knowing that they might be able to enjoy it as Amy does have decent character development.

Hiding your own beliefs to stay employed? Man, been there. That is to say, if you have any kind of queer religious trauma, probably skip this one.

I LOVED the concept and the first half shows so much promise. I found 'the holy spirits' thing really clever and funny. The found family dynamics were good and I loved that there was a little gay bar in this small conservative town. There were several times I laughed reading this book. I was so rooting for this to be an amazing queer rom com, but was a little sad that it felt just okay to me.

This is a bakery meet cute, instant love that follows lots of lesbian stereotypes. I really wanted more buildup of the relationships, complexity in the scenarios and just 'more' overall. For people who like queer fiction, this is sweet and pretty fun overall. BUT if you are looking for an interesting queer romance' (which I felt was how it was advertised to me?) this book is not really that.

I was intrigued by the premise, a queer girl living in Tulsa OK looking for a partner and a job she loves. Just like the rest of the world in their mid-twenties.
I couldn’t get all the way into it, unfortunately. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters, and they seemed kind of flat. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Don't be fooled by this cutesy cover. This book has depth. Amy is queer and living in Tulsa OK before gay marriage is legally across the country. She wants to be a baker so has to be closeted at work, going so far as to have an alter ego at work so she can compartmentalize her job and her queer self. When she is outed and fired she falls into being a professional bridesmaid. Amy struggles with how to be authentic in her work life. She and her queer friends struggle with the gay marriage issue and what it means or doesn't mean for them. The cutesy cover does give away that there is a happy ending for Amy and her friends.

I had a really hard time reading this book because there was so much more “telling” than showing. The concept was clever but it was preachy at times and the story dragged. I also felt the romance was an afterthought. There wasn’t good chemistry between the characters and they weren’t together much. The scene with Gracie was sweet though and I liked the baking ideas. Overall it missed the mark for me.

Short summary: Amy’s fired from a Christian bakery for being gay and falls into a job as a (straight) bridesmaid-for-hire. Her people pleasing nature clashes with her desire to be authentic and she must decide what’s more important.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.