I ended up really liking this book! It was such a sweet story and I could really see a little of myself in Nina. I read this in two days and it was a little slower to start for me but I stayed up until midnight one night reading because once I hit around the halfway point (maybe a little before), I couldn’t put it down. I loved that the friend group was super important and a central point to the story and so was Nina’s relationship with her aunt and not just her relationship with Ari. It flowed pretty well and was easy to follow and read, I don’t feel like it jumped around confusingly or anything. I like that Nina’s friends easily accepted her back in and that they didn’t choose someone else over their friendship with her. Nina’s and Ari’s growth throughout the story was really nice to see as well. There were a couple of things that bothered me only slightly like the phrasing the other year to signify something in the past instead of like last year or x years ago but honestly that’s so minor it didn’t take away from the story overall. I’d say 4-4.5 out of 5 for me and I’ll probably pick up a physical copy.

I appreciate being able to read this as an ARC ahead of time from Netgalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

For Her Consideration is a new sapphic Hollywood story about Nina, who writes emails for celebrities and Ari, the front runner for the best supporting actress nomination for the next Academy Awards.

Definitely pick this book up if you want a story with a big queer, loyal and supportive friend group that meets for Sunday Brunch, a romance between a Hollywood actress and someone that works more behind the curtains in the industry (and lives in the suburbs) with cute dates to Steak Houses and hikes, and a book about someone that learns not to run away but to run towards something and that dreams are worth chasing, in your own time.
I loved Nina's support system and I think a lot of her fears, concerns and decisions are relatable and understandable. I wish we’d have seen more of Ari (like maybe getting her POV too!), because sometimes she did feel just as mysterious as her cat. There are some memorable characters and little running gags in this story, that made me smile every few pages. I think parts of the story could have been condensed maybe, while the ending felt a little rushed.

Even though this book didn’t turn out to be my new favorite, I am definitely looking forward to future works of this author!

Eine Rom-Com, die zwar auch ihre Klischees erfüllt, aber dennoch realistisch bleibt und in der man sich teilweise wiederfinden kann. Alle Charaktere sind zum Greifen nah und wollen mich auch mit ihnen befreundet sein lassen!
Es wurde nicht unnötig Spannung erzeugt und sehr dramatisch geschrieben, dennoch möchte man unbedingt wissen was als nächstes passiert. Alles in allem ein sehr schönes und lockeres Buch über einen Neuanfang der gewagt werden muss.

*I received a free arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A super cute sapphic celebrity romance with lots of heartfelt emotions and character growth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to seeing more from this author!

I received a copy from Netgalley for review.

So I really wanted to like this. It's queer with a fat main character and I just didn't. In the prologue we find out that Nina has a really traumatic break up with an ex girlfriend, but then she's basically stopped living her life and abandons her friends in the process and becomes a hermit. I got about 22% into it and just had to give up. The main character's POV makes it very hard to want to continue reading and it was just really not my thing. I think if you like Hollywood and queer romance this is definitely the book for you, however, I will note that there is some internalized fat phobia and other issues that the main character deals with that it can be quite triggering.

3.5 ⭐️ A Hollywood love story and make it queer?! Yup totally up my alley!

This story follows Nina who lives out in the suburbs working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email. Nina has sworn off LA, her friends and love after a horrible break up with her ex fiancé. She essentially ditches her entire life for 3 years because of this break up. Nina is called into her works office one day when one of their clients a rising queer star named Ari isn’t happy with Nina’s email performance. Ari and Nina end up hitting it off and there relationship grows.

I loved the found family aspect we got in this book. Nina is incredibly lucky to have awesome friends and Aunt. When we meet her friends there all interesting and had great relationships with one another. I was confused by how she was able to hide from her friends for 3 years and they heard a rumor she died and none of them found a way to track her down. I wouldn’t ever let my friend disappear for 3 years!

I really liked Ari and Nina’s banter with one another. I thought most of the time their relationship seemed fun and sweet. There flirting was hot and the tiny bit of spice was great. There were moments where Ari was super pushy she was quick to apologize but she kept making the same pushy mistake.

My biggest hang up was Nina’s self doubt. I understand feeling broken, not good enough, or toxic but the fact she felt that way with no character arc until the book was practically done was frustrating. I thought the ending wrapped up to quickly but I VERY much appreciated that Nina was going to therapy.

Overall I enjoyed my time reading this one and loved seeing all the queer and fat representation.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute romance with a few spicier scenes included, but unfortunately, it wasn't something I necessarily enjoyed due to the dynamic of the characters,

Nina Rice is not living her best life - after moving to LA to write a script for television, going through a horrendous break up with the woman she wanted to marry, and losing all of her friends (her own doing), Nina is now a remote worker for an agency, where she responds to celebrity emails in place of them. This life was working out great for her up until one of her clients, Ari Fox, complains that she wasn't all the way thrilled with the communication that Nina was providing,
Ari Fox is an up-and-coming LGBTQ actress, on her way to an Oscar. She meets for dinner with Nina, and her boss Joyce, to settle the communication issues she has, but ends up falling head over heels with Nina.

I think you can tell where the rest is going. And while the plot is SO PROMISING, there's some things that I can't overlook when it comes to character development. The two main points are below.

1: Ari is... for lack of a better word... Pushy. And its not in a cute, playful, "I'm Joking," kind of way. It's cringe-worthy. How many times does your girlfriend need to say "No," before it clicks? Oh wait... It doesn't click. And that's the reason for the inevitable rom-com romantic split.

2: Nina has NO character development until 94% of the book is over. She actually gets WORSE up until her and Ari make up and the relationship has seemingly made her "whole," again. It's very off-putting.

I really wanted to fall head over heels for this book and the characters, but I found myself wanting more of the side characters - Nina's friends - instead of Ari and Nina, and that really is a huge issue.

Thanks to Kensington Books for my copy of For Her Consideration.

I'm a fan of celebrity/Hollywood books and For Her Consideration was cute but it took me a while to get into. I didn't really like Nina that much as a character so I struggled to really feel invested in the story. I wish it had been a dual POV instead of only Nina.

For Her Consideration is a queer, Hollywood romance that really surprised me in a good way! Nina is still reeling from a terrible breakup 3 years ago and has intentionally isolated herself in the suburbs of LA. She works remotely at a talent agency answering celebrities emails while living in her aunts condo, despite having originally moved to LA to become a scriptwriter. Through her job she meets up-and-coming queer actress, Ari Fox, has Nina realizing that the life she's built may not be what she actually needs. Nina reconnects with her old friends and soon finds out that Ari is interested in being more than friends...

Overall, I really liked this one! I loved Nina's friends and found family and thought her growth was great. Also loved the call out towards the end of her needing to go to therapy because...yes. I loved Ari's personality too.

My nit-picky things about this are that the ending and the reunion with Ari felt a bit rushed at the end. One of my pet peeves is when the main character knows something, talks about that thing, but the reader doesn't get to know the specifics until the end. That happens in this - when her previous girlfriend broke up with her, she sent Nina a long list of things she needed to "improve upon" in order to continue a relationship. Nina refers to this several times throughout the book but we dont get the specifics until the last bit of the book. I think had we known more about the list earlier, it would have helped me to understand where Nina was coming from better.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nina Rice has ensconced herself in the suburbs of LA. Giving up her TV writing dreams after a devastating breakup, she now works an easy, safe job while living in her aunts condo. She spends most of her time alone and hasn't opened her script in years. Until a chance meeting with Ari Fox. Ari is an out and proud up and coming Hollywood starlet on the cusp of her big break. And for the first time, both Nina and Ari finally feel like they've found their forever. That is, if Ari's need to micro manage everything and Nina's penchant for running doesn't stand in their way.

Holy sexy sapphic goodness!! This is hands down one of the most perfect, sexy, and heartfelt love stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading. While the love story is hot, it starts as an exquisitely written slow burn. Ari and Nina truly get to know each other and learn about each other. When they finally come together the heat is unparalleled! Beyond the sexy love story, we also meet Nina's found family. A group of loving and fun people who build her up when needed but also aren't afraid to tell her when she's wrong. Who show up for each other and also encourage each other to get therapy when needed. A group of people who truly prioritize each others mental, physical, and emotional health is a beautiful thing. Basically, I want a group of friends like Nina.

I loved every single page of this book. Every last one. I'm still in a book hangover writing this because it was just that damn good. Five stars truly aren't enough for the magic that is this book. Amy Spalding has just earned a new super fan! The fact she never misses Grey's Anatomy is just more proof our friendship is meant to be! 🤣❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Spalding, and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this! I was nervous because I’ve read a book with a slightly similar vibe and it was boring. But this was definitely not boring! I loved the characters and the storyline. I definitely will be picking up a copy eventually for my shelves!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 21, 2023

A sapphic celeb/normie relationship which is always fun. A bit of insta-love which I always struggle with—but this turned up and I was rooting for them both in the end, despite the 3rd act conflict/fight losing me a bit.

For Her Consideration was a cute quick read! I really enjoyed the representation within the book. Cute romance, cute found family trope.

I loved the build up to Nina and Ari! It wasn’t love at first sight, they enjoyed themselves while pining for one another and it was so good! Although I didn’t love everything about their relationship, I did enjoy it overall.

At points the choices Nina made irritated me and it just really got under my skin. I liked her most of the time but there were quite a few times where I just started to get fed up. I also didn’t love the ‘secret’ relationship, I kept feeling like the other shoe was about to fall and it was not really enjoyable.

For Her Consideration is a heart-warming story about two women in Hollywood. It was the perfect recipe for everything that I love in a romance novel.

Nina Rice is content in her office job, writing emails for the rich and famous. After a vicious breakup years ago, Nina is pretty content with her new life. That is until her new client, Ari Fox comes in and shakes things up.

I LOVE Hollywood romances. They are some of my favorite books to read for some inexplicable reason - so when I saw this one getting some buzz, I knew I wanted to read it. I think it hit everything it should have, there was just something missing that I can't put my finger on. It was missing the addicting factor that makes you want to be actively reading the book. I had a fun time with the story, but I often was picking up other books that I was having more fun with while I was reading this one.

That is not to say this is a bad book, because it isn't. It just wasn't my perfect book. There were still plenty of things I loved about the story! It was even going to be a 4 star read right up until the third act conflict!

I adored the found family aspect. The secondary characters were all so lively and had their own developed personalities. I honestly think it would be fun to have more books written about the secondary characters, especially CJ and Sofia!

I thought the chapter titles were also fun - a feature that you don't often see in books anymore! The pacing was consistent and the humor was well placed.

The thing that is really bothering me about the story was the third act conflict. You could see what was going to happen a mile away, and yet, I was still frustrated when it happened. I felt like it was a pointless argument and then 30 pages later everything was fine again! It was just minority frustrating because it was both the miscommunication trope and the third act breakup. Both of which I am not a huge fan of.

But overall, I do think this book is deserving of the hype that it has been getting. I am really excited for others to get to read it and see the truly wonderful representation. At the end of the day, It just wasn't my favorite, but that does't mean it won't be yours!

Thank you to Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review!

{3,5}

This is one of the favorite beginnings of books this year, unfortunately the final part did not reach the expectations that were created. I really liked the romance of the book and the way it was developing, but the chosen paths (the whole situation of the script) made me kind of upset, for me it was a somewhat unnecessary fight. Other conflicts could have been created in the place, which would have added more to the story. But it was still a very enjoyable read, Nina is a great character and it was very easy to get attached to her. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I want to say I LOVED the romance in this. From the very beginning, I loved the interactions between Nina and Ari and wanted to read more about them. They were cute together, and their interactions made me laugh out loud even just in the little bit that I read.

That being said, the romance was the only thing I really loved about this book. There was a lot of infodumping, some of it quite repetitive (especially about how LA is set up, how far away Nina lives from the city proper, etc.)-- there was so much information I got very overwhelmed and, in some cases, felt like getting NO information would have been more helpful. I ended up DNFing around 20% of the way through because the infodumping just got to be too much.
On the flip side, there were things that were glossed over that I really wanted more time spent on (like Nina finally hanging out with her friends she hasn't seen in 3 years-- we only get the initial reunions, and then none of the rest of the night, which would have gone a really long way to humanize Nina and all of her friends). It basically just felt like I was getting the wrong amount of information about almost everything, whether it was too much or too little.

Basically-- if you are good with heavy infodumping, definitely give this book a chance, because what little I saw of the romance was sweet and fun and funny. It just wasn't quite enough to carry me through the sheer amount of information that was dropped on me (again, some of it repeatedly). I was definitely sad about DNFing this one, because the romance itself seemed like everything I wanted it to be, it was just everything else that didn't really work for me.

This was a fun and heartwarming sapphic love story set in Hollywood. I loved the main characters, Ari and Nina so much. I especially loved Ari and how she was out and proud! It also deserves a mention how much food is in this book! I adore any books that have food in them.

I absolutely loved this book! As a Los Angeles native, I sometimes struggle with books set in LA because it's hard to capture the real vibe, but this book totally nailed it. I loved watching Nina and Ari find their way to each other and I really loved watching Nina find her way back to herself. This one was a perfect romance read from start to finish!

This has officially made the list of one of my favorite romances! Nina and Ari, and their gaggle of supporting friends/family were so well developed. It was as if they could jump off the page and easily attend your weekly brunch session. This has all the hallmarks of a cute/mildly spicy romance, but the heart of the novel is just bursting at the seams. This is truly a story of what happens in love when we are our own worst enemy, and when we allow the worst thoughts about ourselves to become our self-worth, and what happens when you see past the B.S. to the shambles of a life that you actually created for yourself. Then how you can pick up the pieces, fix up the walls, and let your chosen family help rebuild and make you stronger. All while trying not to push away or run from the love of your life, of course. This was so so so so good, and I can't wait for release day so everyone can get their hands on it!

A cute, contemporary queer rom-com!

Would I recommend it? Yes.
But is it a perfect story that always makes sense? No.

I enjoyed reading it, but I found it to be somewhat lacking in character descriptions and developement. I somtimes felt like the decisions certain characters made was rather out-of-character. And then there's some things I simply don't understand.

First of all, I do wonder the whole "ghosting all of her friends after the breakup" situation. I get that it all comes down to her insecurity in herself, but why would these friends let that happen? I'm sorry, but if no one in her so called group of friends reached out or tried to help her during that time, they're not her friends. And there was even a rumour that she was dead..? Yet no one tried to find out if that was true or not? I find that really odd. Surely a "chosen family" wouldn't just abandon her without at least trying to get in contact again?

I appreciate the fact that amongst Nina's many "flaws", her size is not one of them. I'm sick of reading books where anything but slim is an acceptable size for loving your body. Thank you!

I do think it would have been interesting if we got the occasional chapter from Ari's POV. While I can understand why Nina fancies Ari, I sometimes had a hard time seeing why the interest was reciprocated. I'll admit to being a sucker for reading multiple POVs of a situation in a romance book, as I then get to experience both of their longing for the other person. But anyways, I just wonder why someone would try to date Nina when she's described as toxic and seems to be excellent at self sabotage. Though I guess that continously being told by someone you love (Nina's ex, in this case) that you're toxic and that everything is her fault, I guess that will eventually turn out to be reality.

Having said all this, and I know the review is seemingly more critisism than praise, I would still recommend this book. It's a cute, contemporary and queer romance book and whatever it's lacking in details and questionable decisions, it makes up for in lovely little moments of yearning and love. At the end of the day, no one is perfect and we all make stupid mistakes in the game of life. This just wasn't my favourite cup of tea, although I'll admit to enjoying it still.