3.75 stars
It’s always so refreshing to read an adult romance. I enjoyed reading from a fat queer woman who loved her body. Additionally, this is one of the few times where I’ve read a book where the hot model love interest is also masculine. I really appreciated the discussion of not feeling ambitious enough. Nina, the main character, constantly feels pushed by everyone to want more. I related so much with her feelings about her career. I loved the way they confessed their feelings to one another. I also liked that they formed a strong friendship before getting together. After the third act breakup, I started to get bored.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed the romance between Nina and Ari. Not gonna lie that 1st chapter where Nina gets her heart and self-esteem stomped on by an ex was hard. This book is part romance and part finding yourself again after being crushed. I loved reading Nina reconnect with old friends and find her own footing again.

Super cute romance, loved the body positivity, loved the "working through your feelings" vibe, and of course anything queer is a win in my book when done properly (not homophobic). Read this on plane and *thankfully* it didn't make me cry, there was a little spice, and honestly this was just a super cute quick read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this early!!

I love a celebrity romance trope. But a queer, size inclusive, with mental health representation? Sign me UP.

This delightful novel absorbed me from the moment I started reading and I couldn’t put it down. This was a fast, fun read that tackled bigger issues, while still remaining sweet and fun. The true stars of the show were the secondary characters. I love a good found family story, and these characters were wonderful to read - I wanted more!

As a plus size woman, I absolutely love when I can see myself as the lead in a romance - and Nina was just so relatable.

This book brings the story, the spice, and the representation - you’ll love it!

This was such a fun read and I really loved the storyline between Nina and Ari! I especially enjoyed reading from Nina's POV and joining her on her journey from healing from her ex gf.

Great book about queer family and how to figure out your life. Fluid writing and interesting characters.

This was a cute romance. Nina doesn’t have much direction in life and was crushed when her girlfriend sent a list of ‘problems’ to her. She devotes her time to her job and pulls away from friends. Enter Ari Fox, up and coming queer actress. Chaos ensues.

Almost every single romance book suffers from a lack of communication and sometimes it drives me crazy. I know at 65-70% through the book, a breakup will occur. I can’t wait to not have that happen in a book.

Obviously this one has a happy ending. Lots of representation here too. Overall it was a decent read even though it took me awhile to get through.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a quick, fun read with enough emotional depth to make me keep thinking about it days after finishing it. It handled the characters’ emotions with such care and I really felt like the characters’ emotions were seen as valid by the author. In addition, the emotions that were described in the book were so relatable, and for that reason alone I will be adopting this book in my curriculum. Very well done.

I adore Amy Spalding's books. She is such a smart, funny writer, and I'm thrilled to have read her adult debut. I also loved that it was a celebrity romance, as I cannot get enough of celeb-normal person romance, and I loved that it was a queer celeb romance featuring a fat heroine. The LA details were so specific and real that it made me want to visit. I also love thinking about what it would really be like to date a celebrity with all of its downsides as well as perks, which heightens the stakes of a relationship. I can't wait to read more from Amy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Queer romance is my new favorite genre, and this one was one of the good ones. Great character development, a quick but not unrealistic pace, and a satisfying ending. The main character's self-isolation & lack of communication with her dear friends was a bit unbelievable, but I loved the dynamic between her and her paramour so much I could ignore it.

Queer joy in a book. Such a cute and fun romcom. Lesbian romance with references to the L word??? Yes please!

Since a crushing breakup three years ago, Nina has written romance, friends, her dreams of scriptwriting for TV, & even L.A. Instead, she's safely out in the suburbs in her aunt's condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts, & certain that's plenty of writing-- & plot--for her life. But that changes when she meets Ari, a young actress on everyone's radar appears in her life leaving her confused... Between reconnecting with her old crew and working on a new script, a relationship with a movie star seems like something she'll definitely mess up--but what could be more worth the risk?

What I liked 👍
● the body positivity element
● I loved Ari!
● the comedy

I struggled a bit to connect with Nina but that was more of a personal issue than a reflection of the book.

💭 If you enjoy fun romances I'd recommend giving it a go as a cute easy read 💛

Finally, thanks to NetGalley & Amy Spalding for this #gifted E-Advanced Reader Copy of For Her Consideration.

A sweet romance worthy of it's own tv show or film. I loved the dialogue and there was a firm amount of angst throughout. The fighting and misunderstandings were all realistic. I do wish that the ending was stretched out a little more. This is a great book to recommend to anyone requesting queer fiction or queer romance with an HEA.

A fun romp into Hollywoodland!

This romcom is a quick read, with lovable characters. Nina and Ari are a great couple, and I definitely was cheering them on!

"I love vacation. You get to go from being like a semi-productive member of society to someone who's too lazy to drive somewhere for food. And it's encouraged."

Thank you to Amy, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an early copy of For Her Consideration in exchange for an honest review!

3 Stars // Overall, I liked this book. However, I'm not sure it'll ever be on my "Top Queer Books to Read" list. For me, the secondary characters carried this book entirely. I LOVED THEM and honestly, still think about them. THEY made this book amazing. On the other hand, I really struggled with the main character and the storyline lacked any real punch for me.

Things I Loved:
-Ari, Lorna, and Nina's entire chosen family. They were all so joyful, inspiring, supportive, funny, and just overall incredible. I'm honestly sad I'll never get to meet any of them in real life.
-Steve, the cat. 😊
-The representation. (Race, gender, body type, mental illness)
-The body positivity.
-The celebrity trope!

Things I Struggled With:
-The main character, Nina Rice. I just found her to be incredibly lack luster, immature, uninspiring, and I couldn't relate to her tactics for dealing (or not dealing) with things at all. When she ceases communication with the amazing people in her life not once, but TWICE I wanted to scream.
-I wish we had an Ari POV. I think I'd believe the romance and feel the chemistry more. I was never quite sure what Ari saw in Nina. 😬
-Ari calling Nina "Nina Rice" the ENTIRE BOOK. Do people actually do that? Call loved ones by their first and last name always?

I wish I could rate this higher, but it just lacked a bit for me. That said, that was MY personal experience. There were so many incredible aspects of this book and if it intrigues you, I recommend you read it!

I want to preface this review by saying that I completely misinterpreted the first sentence of the blurb about the book. I thought that Nina was literally going to write a script and cast Ari and herself as the leads in her pilot. Cut to me being incredibly confused for the first third of the book. Once I got over my own, self-imposed, confusion, I thought the premise of the story was cute. I liked the characters. I loved how the 12-point list was always looming over Nina and the readers’ shoulders until we finally read all 12 points at the brunch in suburbia. A few things of note that I wish were a little different. I did not pick up on Nina really wanting to be a screen writer, like at all until maybe a third of the way through the book. Then, I felt like it was talked about constantly until the dreaded email and then not really that much throughout the rest of the book- it just seemed like an afterthought. I wish her desire to be a screenwriter was threaded through the story a little more, as opposed to the peaks and valleys. Additionally, I thought the story dragged between the dreaded email and when Nina has her life altering conversation with Lorna. This slow-paced portion of the book made the last bit feel incredibly fast, and almost rushed. I just felt that the pacing of the book was a little inconsistent which made the specifics of the narrative hard(er) to follow. All of this to say that at the end of the day, this was a good, entertaining, and representative sapphic rom com. I would love to see how people from LA and the surrounding area feel about Joyce’s hilarious jokes about how the suburbs of LA are like years and years away from society and North Hollywood is much much too far.

This was such a great story! I love a book that takes place in Hollywood and this was so fun. It gave me Casey McQuiston vibes while I was reading, in the best way. I found this was an easy, feel good story that also talked about tough topics. This author was new to me and I can't wait to read her other work!

A romance where a Kristen Stewart-ish stand-in falls in love with a screenwriter might as well be made for me. I'm happy to report that Amy Spadling's first adult romance deserves an Oscar...if they gave Oscars to books.

This was a very charming, very cute queer romance, with beautifully fleshed-out characters (including a fantastic plus-size lead!!), excellent subplots, and a really strong character voice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This hit basically everything I like in a romance: great character development, leads with good chemistry and a compelling relationship, a lovely supporting cast, and a well-done, realistic and reasonable conflict. This is the only "celebrity romance" I've ever read, but I thought that that aspect of the plot was handled really well; our POV lead is neither completely unaffected nor completely overwhelmed by her love interest's very public job, which felt like an excellent middle ground, on what I can only imagine is a difficult line to walk. And this is, I think, the first F/F romance I've read with a plus-size lead, which was amazing. 10/10, no notes.

My one complaint is that the platonic friend-group/found-family subplot felt a little unrealistic and too easily-resolved; no spoilers, but I think there should have been a little more conflict before that worked out, given the circumstances, and it took me out of the story a little bit (since I found myself thinking about it).

Definitely recommended, and I really hope we get more romance from Amy Spalding in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for an ARC of this title!

i was so excited to read this one but i’m so disappointed. This story felt very repetitive to me. I felt it was dragging on and it didn’t keep my attention. The relationship between Ari and Nina, I didn’t feel a connection at all. 1.5 ⭐️