I absolutely loved Nina and Ari's relationship in this one! I also felt like Nina was a very relatable character and I saw a lot of myself in her.

The progression of Nina and Ari's relationship from strangers to friends to lovers was very well done. Also, the spicy scenes were top notch!

My only real qualm in this one was the miscommunication that led to the third act break up and the amount of time after said break up. The way that was handled really didn't have me rooting for them as a couple anymore.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book and would likely recommend. Also, the audiobook was well done.

This was okay. I love the sapphic fat rep but I don't think it's going to be a story that I'm going to remember anything about beyond the fact that the main character was queer and fat in a month. Even despite the fact that I liked some of the relationships and I liked the friend group and I especially liked the aunt, I just didn't get as invested as I thought I would. It's not a bad book It just wasn't anything super spectacular beyond fat queer representation.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kensington Books and RB Media for the ARC and audio ARC of this! I switched back and forth between them while I was reading.

This was a cute famous person romance, and I loved the supporting characters and friendships so much. There was a lot of the queer found family vibes I was hoping for. Lorna absolutely had my whole heart. It wasn’t ever stated (although it’s possible I missed it) but the big “list” from Taylor about Nina’s flaws read to me like an ADHD traits list, and I’m curious if she was meant to be that way. A lot of the drama/misunderstanding was too much for me, but I really enjoyed the chemistry and the relationship building. I need to know more about Steve!

I loved the narrator, the voices for Nina and Ari were excellent.

This was a cool plot line that I’ve never read before which with romance books can be rare. I enjoyed the characters the bonds between them and how we got to see them grow and become better versions of themselves throughout the book. I enjoyed the friendships shown in this book and how they were represented just as importantly as romantic relationships. Overall this was a wonderful book that I will definitely be recommending!

I really enjoyed this sweet Hollywood romance & following along as Nina figured out her career, friendships and romantic relationships. It was funny, relatable and vulnerable, with just enough spice and character growth. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect!

This is my first novel from Amy Spalding and I really hope to see more adult romance from her. I really enjoyed this story. I loved so many aspects of this story. Ari Fox is just enchanting. I could clearly picture her in my mind and she's simply wonderful. I love how Spalding wrote a curvy character where it wasn't an insecurity for her, Nina is curvy and comfortable in her body. I loved that this wasn't a negative or something the main character wanted to change about herself (even though there were other insecurities from this character)
I really respected how the author captured anxiety and how negative self-talk can lead to self-sabotage.
Nina's friends were an absolute delight. Spalding did a wonderful job of building this world - from Nina's wonderful aunt to Nina's amazing friend group. I feel like I got an elevated L-Word tour of LA and it was fantastic!

The main drawback for me was the third act break up, but that's more of a personal preference than a reflection of the author or the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see more from this author.

This audiobook was narrated by Sophie Amoss and I was very pleased with her performance. She really brought these characters to life for me.

Thank you to #netgalley & #amyspalding for the Audiobook ARC of this book for an honest review.

Unfortunately this didn't work for me. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

Firstly, we start off with the main character going through a breakup and having a bunch of her flaws listed, those flaws are our first impression and we never see any strengths to counter the flaws.

Secondly, the romance is too easy, the main couple gets together early on and apart from a (very forced) third act breakup, it's all just a bit too boring and simple.

Last but not least, the MC stopped talking to her friends TWICE in the duration of the book, friends whom she calls family.

I feel like the main idea of the story could've worked, but unfortunately there was not enough tension with the romantic interest, the storyline with the friends didn't work and mostly, the MC doesn't have any good attributes apart from her good looks. I had a hard time finishing it but pushed through for a good ending and was disappointed.

Overall enjoyed it but I hated Nina.
I understood that she came from an abusing relationship and she cannot get over it, She was annoying repeating all the time the 12 points of Taylor. Also hated that she just couldn't communicate while this was her job.
If she had open communication with her friends, she would then realised that Taylor was an a-hole, and she wouldn't escaped her life and her friends.
On the other side, I loved Ari, loved Laurna, and I want these kind of friends for myself as well.. The romance was a nice one.
Oh, one thing, in the first few chapters, like every minute she mentioned that 'I'm a queer woman' Ok, I got that from reading the synopse, you don't have to tell me on every page. That was annoying too.

As far as the audiobook goes, I think it was really done and made the story flow easier for me. Sophie Amoss created really distinct characters throughout and made it easy for me to follow what was going on overall. It certainly made the story more immersive and kept me reading when the pacing made it more difficult.

Diving into the actual book, I think that this is a decent romance, but it wasn’t quite as good as I had been hoping. I’d like to think I’m a pretty big fan of celebrity/Hollywood based romances, and I think that FOR HER CONSIDERATION introduces a somewhat unique take on the classic commoner x celeb romance trope. In fact, some of the Hollywood aspects were the best parts of the book in my opinion, besides Nina’s friends and her aunt. As I mentioned, the pacing felt a bit off and there were times where I just didn’t really feel the chemistry, but it still had redeeming elements.

My favourite characters and relationship in the entire book was hands-down Nina’s friend group. I think they strike the balance well between being realistic and also working well within the story. They all felt fleshed out and also like friends that I would want rooting for me, even after Nina semi-accidentally ghosts them for years over a misunderstanding. Her aunt also falls into that group, she is genuinely funny while still being blunt. And I loved that despite her age, she and her friends get to still be people who are fun and real instead of simply being old.

The biggest struggle I had with this book was that I struggled to really get into the relationship by itself. I remember an update at about 52% where I just could not figure out what exactly else was going to happen in the rest of the book. I understood that Ari and Nina technically liked each other and were going to get together, but I didn’t necessarily feel it. They have some great moments, and other times where it feels like the story was holding up the romance instead of the other way around.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book, and it certainly improves a lot about halfway to 2/3rds in. If you’re looking for great side characters and family members in a romance, this is definitely a book to check out. And if you’re considering it, I would definitely recommend checking out the audiobook!

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub/Re Pub: 2/21/23

Book's cover: Both heroines, Ari walking the red carpet and Nina (a writer) above with a paper airplane flying to Ari.

Format: Audiobook and kindle

Source: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review.

Page Count: 320, narrator: Sophie Amoss. Very easy to follow, good inflection when changing characters. I especially liked Lorna's voice. Run time 11hrs 18 min.

Setting: CA

Genre: Women's fiction, Rom Com

Tropes: LGBTQ+, celebrity romance, office romance, opposites attract

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: yes, Ari finally living her dream life

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Synopsis/Plot Summary: Nina went through a bad break-up, now lives in the suburbs alone- working remotely. Up and coming actress Ari Fox has a problem with Nina's work ghostwriting her emails and wants to meet and discuss.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: F/F

Contains Cheating: no

Contains Children: at the end and not h/h

Flashbacks: yes Nina's break up 3 years ago with Taylor. Their life together and why they broke up.

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : no

Amount of Sex In The Book: a little, nothing in graphic detail

Overall Smex Rating: 2

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Heroine: Nina Parker

Heroine Description: 32, talent agent. Lives in aunt's condo, has avoided friends since her break-up 3 years ago. She is a recluse lamenting over her break-up.

Heroine Likability Rating: 3

Heroine loves books/writing: yes, started writing scripts in college. Has a 4-year project she's started working on again.

Heroine: Ari Fox

Heroine Description: openly queer actress, gaining lots of fame, in running for Oscars next year. A control freak

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Heroine loves books/writing: reads plenty of scripts but loves acting.

Secondary characters:
Lorna-Nina's aunt she visits at her retirement community weekly for lunch.
Nina's circle of friends she re-connects with: Phoebe/Bianca-married, looking to adopt a baby; Chloe and her dog Fernando; CJ and artist gf Sofia.
Joyce-Nina's boss
Max-Joyce's asst.

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

OW/OM/Exes: Nina's ex Taylor. No one recent for Ari

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: Mental health and therapy discussed

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Amy Spalding, 1st time author for me

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 3.5

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: probably not

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: The family Nina and her friends create is such a great support system. With them, Nina believes she is worth knowing and loving. She is a little uptight and wants everything perfect. She's stuck at a job with no passion for it. It takes the whole book for her to grow up. Ari is so cool and comfortable with herself. She has that "it" factor, attracting Nina. She's very solid. I became frustrated at times with Nina. She did not trust that Ari wasn't going anywhere. I loved how seamless they reunite at the gallery. Taylor makes an appearance which is that needed final goodbye to Nina's old life.

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding follows Nina, a woman who has given up on relationships, friendships, and her dream of screenwriting since her toxic ex broke up with her. She's been working for a talent agency, sending emails on behalf of her boss's clients. When Ari Fox, an up-and-coming queer actor and notoriously "difficult" client, asks for a meeting, Nina is sure her job is at risk. Luckily, Ari just wants Nina to get to know her so the emails Nina sends will sound more like her. As they get to know each other, Nina begins to think she just might be ready to open her life and heart to others again.

Anyone who read The Summer of Jordi Perez will feel right at home with For Her Consideration's LA food scene and our relatable fat female MC. For Her Consideration is an adult romance though, so it is spicier than Jordi Perez! I really enjoyed this book. I used to live in LA, so the setting and horrendous traffic felt very familiar to me. For me, Ari was a little pushy but I still enjoyed her overall, and I really loved Nina, her aunt, and a lot of the side characters. This book does deal with trauma from a toxic past relationship and I think Spalding handled that really well. This is a messy romance, but I kinda liked that. I listened to the audiobook through Netgalley and I can say I really enjoyed the narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great sapphic romance and I loved it. I adored the characters and their relationship. This was a refreshing romantic read and was perfect.

5 stars

I love so many things about this book that it's difficult to pick a few to praise here. Nina Rice was one of the most genuine characters I have read about. Being in her head was hilarious and an absolute honour. Her story of going with life, stumbling, sometimes falling, but still getting back up is as inspiring as it is relatable. Amy Spalding did such an amazing job with the characters of this book that I was crying, laughing and everything in between at times. I usually write longer reviews but I'm literally speechless with how good this book was.

THANK YOU Netgalley and RB Media for (my first!!) advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

This was a really fun, sweet, and (mostly) lighthearted queer romance. I liked the main characters, felt the chemistry and connection between them, and enjoyed their story. I would recommend this one to anybody looking for a fun f/f romcom, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future books from this writer.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I’ve never read any other books by this author, but we both hail from the same hometown, so it was neat to see the references to it in the book.

I found the characters to be realistic and likable, and while I found Nina’s initial constant state of being starstrucked a tad irritating, eventually she gets over it.

I think it’s interesting that most of the lesbian romances I’ve read up to this point have a lot more depth than heterosexual ones. There’s little to no character and relationship development compared to lesbian romances.

I have no complaints about the narrator. I think this is a well-rounded book and would definitely read another by this author.

Really wonderful book. I swooned and laughed and enjoyed listening to it. I included this title in my romance recommendations for the month of February to my patrons.

Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for an ALC of this book!

Nina has kept herself from all kinds of relationships since her last one ended badly, but when she starts working with queer icon and Hollywood actress Ari, she finds herself drawn back into the world.

This was cute and fun and happy in the right ways, with a pinch of melancholy and sexy. Does that accurately describe a book? I really liked this romance and love love love the fat rep! Great read.

CW: emotional abuse, homophobia

I found this story very cute and enjoyable. While Nina was a difficult MC for me to like in the beginning I definitely saw what her motivations were and how her fears manifested into all the things that made me not like her. Ari was such a fun and cool character, and Lorna literally stole the show! I loved how accepting Nina’s friends were for her to come back into the group after she had disappeared on them for so long. Overall really enjoyed this book.

Read this if you enjoy:
Celeb/normal pairings
Sapphic romances
Found family
Character growth
Lovable side characters

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

An irresistible listen. This f/f romance is one that you will not be able to put down. When the office worker behind celebrity emails at a talent office finds herself called into a meeting with one of the clients (and a cute queer one at that) she's worried. Has she messed up the voice for someone she looks up to? Yet as the meeting turns into an opportunity to get to know each other better, things shift. What starts as business might just turn into pleasure.

Told with wonderful narration, highly recommend this audiobook!

I was looking forward to this one - I always love a good Hollywood romance, and a good sapphic romance. The early reviews weren’t necessarily all the greatest but I still wanted to see for myself what this one was about. I did wait until the audio was up… and it’s good that I did, because even then, I had difficulties getting through, even with someone reading it to me and not having to keeping plodding through on my own. I had to take long (1-2 other book) breaks.

While the premise had potential, I found my mind wandering and it just didn’t keep my interest. It dragged for pretty much the whole story. The narrator (Sophie Amoss) was the reason I kept coming back. She did a great job!

I think the fact that this was all told from the one character’s point of view, Nina Rice, and not both (didn’t have any for love interest Ari Fox), was part of it…. Nina had low self-esteem, was a big girl, had removed herself from her friend group after a bad breakup three years before and a whole lot of weird things came out of that. It was just an odd storyline, odd character relationships throughout, different writing style, and it just didn’t connect for me. 3-stars for writing and 5 for the narrator!

I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books, and this is my honest feedback.