3.5 ⭐️s

I enjoyed this well enough, but honestly less than For Her Consideration. I definitely prefer Max as a main character, but liked For Her Consideration’s plot and characters better.

While not the fault of the actual book, the synopsis spoils something that doesn’t come up until after the 72% mark (I know this percentage because I texted my best friend, annoyed that the synopsis spoiled so much). It’s the worst!

I don’t know, I wish I had more thoughts. I love Max’s growth throughout the book. Overall I just feel kinda meh about it. Like, I put off finishing the last 10 minutes of it for WEEKS. Why.

I loved Max so much in For Her Consideration and I was so excited that she was getting her own book and a hot new girlfriend of her own.

While I really enjoyed the romance, I was more drawn to Max’s character growth. I loved seeing her doing all of the glow-up tasks assigned to her. They helped her be braver and go for things both professionally and in her romantic life, and she learned that she didn’t have to become perfect to be worthy of love. I found that pretty inspiring!

I’d gladly read many more books in this series if the author chooses to write more!!

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Insta-Lust
✔️ Entertainment Industry

Just like For Her Consideration, At Her Service read like a love letter to LA. That was the part I liked the most. My other favorite parts were the side characters from the softball team to Chelsey and Billy.

I loved Sadie, but I am a sucker for a hot bartender character in a book. She was so clear as a character to me. The issue was Max - it took a while for me to get her and then even longer to root for her.

While the plot was perfectly fine, it didn't have the same sparkle that For Her Consideration had so I had to dock one star. That said, I breezed though and I loved the theme of figuring out how to be an adult and to take charge of your own life.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

Ultimately, I liked the first book better but this also very good!! Spalding is quickly becoming a must-read author for me.

Notes: While this book takes place in the same universe as Spalding’s For Her Consideration, it is not a sequel and can be read completely stand alone.

For those who are sex averse, there is one make out scene and one more graphic sex scene. Both come at or around the 3/4s mark and are telegraphed well enough to be easily skippable.

The book’s main character, Max, is going to either make or break this book for people, I think. I identified with Max’s anxiety and work frustrations and enjoyed her self-deprecating humor overall, but it did take time for her to grow on me. Some may never like her, and that’s a problem when the book is all about her growth. I also liked Sadie and Chelsea, most of all because I liked seeing how Max characterized and then reevaluated them. I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator, especially one that undergoes as much growth as Max.

While marketed as a romance book, I appreciated that the plot focused on Max’s overall growth as a person in work, physical health, and community. All these aspects tie together in building a person and gave an aroace like me something to relate to besides romance. That said, those seeking romance may find it slightly disappointing, as romance is merely one of the many goals Max pursues.

Since I know many (including myself) don’t like the 3rd act break up trope, I have to say that here it fits the situation presented. What felt more rushed and forced to me was Max’s way-too-late realization that all the things helping her were support she wouldn’t have received without sponsorship since she was poor. I think it was a good moment, but it came way too late and suddenly given Max’s work experiences related to influential things and her roommate’s job as an influencer.

All that said, those who enjoyed Spalding’s previous work will likely enjoy this one as well, and for those unfamiliar with her work, I think this book will be a fun, quick read.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, For Her Consideration, so I had expectations going in to At Her Service. I liked it, but didn't love it. It read as more of a self improvement fiction rather that romance/rom-com, which is what I was hoping for. Max was basically already in love with the love interest when the book starts, so we couldn't fall with her. I also feel like the love interest (Sadie) is so interesting but hardly fleshed out. She has a crazy family history and such a different outlook on life that it would have been so interesting to learn more of. But since this was mostly following Max and her self discovery, we didn't learn much about Sadie's life.

Overall, the story was good. Would recommend!

This isn’t a book I would normally pick up but I am glad I did read this one as even a couple of weeks later I am still thinking about it I liked the characters and the storyline. This is a book I would recommend.

Firstly I’d like to say, this book is NOT a romcom. It’s a contemporary fiction novel with a romance subplot, very different. The book centers Max, a butch lesbian living in LA who feels lost and stuck in her life. She dreams of love with the hot bartender at her local bar, a group of queer friends and a promotion at work, but she’s too afraid to go after the things she wants. More importantly, she doesn’t even know where to begin going after these things. Then everything changes when her roommate, an influencer, asks Max to be the face of a new app focused on self improvement called You Point Oh. The app will help Max get on track with her goals and dreams. Max says hesitantly says yes.
To be quite honest I was not vibing with this book for the first 40%. I didn’t click with Max as a character, and was confused as to why the romance wasn’t the focus. Once I changed my mindset from ‘this is a romcom’ to ‘this is a fiction book with a romance subplot’ I found myself enjoying the book more. It was also around the 50% mark that I began to empathize with Max as a character. One thing I really disliked was how dismissive and mean she was to Chelsey though. Even when they were being friendly she was still mean, snapping and being sarcastic with her. It also bothered me the whole book that she said she’d help Sadie with her dream to save Johnny’s, but then didn’t do anything about it until the very end. I understand the character development and Max’s arc, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been no miscommunication and if Max had just done what she said she was going to do right away. It had me STRESSED. That being said I really related to Max’s feelings of loneliness and not believing in herself enough.
I also really loved how this book highlighted the need of queer spaces/bars and how important they are to our community. Every year it feels like queer spaces are forced to close, leaving us with no where to go that’s ours. Just last year the only lesbian bar in Toronto, the Lavender Menace closed. It’s so important that we rally around our spaces and work to keep them going. I loved how dedicated Sadie was to Johnny’s, and how she wouldn’t let anyone tell her it wasn’t important.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t mind blowing or anything, but as with the first book in this series it was very decent and I even shed some tears towards the end of this book. 4/5 stars

「 ✦ ARC REVIEW ✦ 」 

《 at her service – amy spalding 》

☆☆☆☆/5 

I'm swiftly becoming an avid admirer of Amy Spalding! Her sharp irreverence and wit leap off the pages of this book. The gradual development of romance between the main characters, Max and Sadie, was particularly captivating.

Let's face it, we've all encountered similar scenarios: the bartender who doubts herself, the assistant striving for more, the social media influencer who messes everything up. This book feels incredibly authentic and reflects situations that undoubtedly occurred somewhere in America in 2023.

Spalding's books focus more on self-discovery with elements of romance, rather than the other way around, offering a refreshing take on modern storytelling. As someone in their early thirties, the theme of realizing we didn't have all the answers in our twenties was incredibly relatable and invigorating. I found myself rooting for Max, Sadie, and even Jonny throughout the entire story!

Love to see romance with two masc women! This was a very fun and fast paced novel. However, I was definitely searching for chemistry between Max and Sadie, and found the romance to come second to the day to day career and life of Max.

Maybe I wasn’t in the right head space to read this book… but it felt very all over the place. The overall theme and romance were nice but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Thanks to Kensington and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I really liked the first book in this series about queer people in Hollywood and was excited to read At Her Service. Max, the main character of this book, was a great side character in the first one and I was looking forward to her story. And while overall I enjoyed this book, something about it fell flat at times for me. I didn't get the love story as much and at times it felt like there were too many elements and all of them superficial, which was frustrating. I'm glad Max showed growth in this book and I would definitely read another by Amy Spalding, but sadly, the first book in the series was much better.

[Thanks to NetGalley & the author for providing me with this ARC]

What a sweet book about the fears and uncertainty of finding yourself, a career that makes you happy and that one special person while simultaneously navigating adulthood responsibilities and challenges. No matter if you’re in your twenties, thirties or forties, these things can be frightening.
I liked the aspects about the career ambitions and how important feeling good in the work environment was. This topic was nicely balanced with the different shades of love, from slightly awkward friendships to friends who stay by your side no matter what mixed with a blooming love. The type of love in this book isn’t as easy and natural as often portrayed, which some might find annoying because in this book, the love takes real work. It takes away some of the fairytale romantic elements often present in books but it also makes it feel more real. Finding someone you like is one thing but working on that relationship, working on growing the trust, understanding through all of life’s hardships and holding on to the love in the middle of chaos is easier said than done. It makes this story humanly flawed which can be a little tiring to read at times because it may remind you too much of your own struggles, but that also makes it so very comforting to read.

3.5 stars

Disclaimer: The ARC was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The ARC category in no way impacts the rating of the book. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions.

When I requested this incredibly fun queer romance, I did not realize this book was the second in a series. Luckily, it can certainly stand alone, but I loved it so much, I'll be reading book #1 soon now. Because it's me, of course, I had book# 1 already sitting on my shelves. My house is basically the equivalent of a small library now...

AT HER SERVICE is so charming, featuring a wonderfully relatable main character. Max moves to LA from Kentucky with a dream of a new life, where she climbs the corporate ladder and discovers the love of her life. Instead, she finds herself the assistant to a Hollywood talent agent, stuck in the thankless job with no plan to move up. And don't even get her started on love, where she can do nothing but scroll dating apps and suffer through a series of hapless first dates.

When her (gorgeous, popular, queer) influencer roommate Chelsey suggests Max be the face of Chelsey's latest promotion, a self-actualization app called You Point Oh, Max reluctantly agrees. Suddenly she's receiving career counseling, joining queer kickball leagues, and making the big move with Sadie, the hot bartender she's had a crush on for ages. But when Chelsey crosses line with how much of Max's life she shares with her followers, all of Max's forward progress threatens to tumble. She has to take what she's learned and truly apply it, especially if she wants to keep Sadie.

This is such a "lesbian in your 20s book," and I mean that with the highest praise. Max is so relatable with her fears; thoughts that she is waiting around for life to start; and anxieties about being unable to stand up for herself. Only the most self-assured among us (aka not me) will be unable to find some kernel of truth in Max's story. As she pines for Sadie, you cannot help but desperately want the two to get together, longing to jump into the pages and push the pair closer. Sadie, of course, has her own baggage, worrying she's not good enough for Max, and struggling to realize her dream of buying her uncle's bar.

This is an engaging romance that blossoms without tossing in a bunch of contrived problems for our protagonists to solve. Sure, they face plenty of issues, but for the most part they seem realistic. It makes excellent points about the importance of queer spaces, friendship, and community. The romance is sparkling and winning. In fact, AT HER SERVICE is a winner.

I loved For Her Consideration, and was very excited to read this follow up! It did not disappoint— Amy Spalding really knows how to write characters you fall in love with.

At Her Service by Amy Spalding
Out in Hollywood series #2. Sapphic romance. Can be read as a stand-alone. New Adult.
Max Van Doren has a great job as a Talent Agent Assistant. She juggles tasks, phone calls, errands and reads scripts. Sure, she’d love to have her boss’s job one day, but she’s still learning. And her job keeps her busy so she really hasn’t made any friends. She does have a favorite neighborhood bar but that may be because she has a huge crush on the bartender, Sadie.
Max has goals but she is not really sure how to make them a reality. Roommate Chelsey, a gorgeous and self-assured influencer convinces Max to sign up for a new self-actualization app and document the process through Chelsey’s page. Max now has actionable items for her career, finding new friends, gaining strength and moving forward on love. Max feels like her life is finally coming together. But the public exposure can also cause problems.

Oh the angst of dating, career and responsibilities. It can be daunting in your 20’s. Or 30’s. Or any age. This story has heart and drama. It has sexy love and uncomfortable friendships. It has career ambitions and uncertainty. It’s has feel good moments galore as Max learns more about herself and what she really wants. And it has love. It takes work but finding and keeping love does. And it’s okay.
Chase your dreams. You’re worth it.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

If you loved the first book, For Her Consideration, you’re going to love this one as well. The characters are heartfelt and genuine and Spalding creates a dynamic you truly want to root for

Something I really love about Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series is how smart and honest it is about working in the entertainment industry. Even something as simple as buckslip hierarchies are true to life details that make her books stand out. I also love her focus on found family and queer community, and in honoring people and paths that don't follow a certain type of middle class ideals of success. I really loved seeing Max come into herself in this book, and I strongly related to changing paths in Hollywood. I accidentally requested the UK and the US arcs of this book; whoops! That's how excited I was to read it.

Book #2 in the Out in Hollywood series!

We met Max in book #1 and I was definitely ready to see her get an HEA! We want all the good things for Max since she was so relatable.

The dedication is to adults who still feel like they are cosplaying and if that’s not relatable idk what is. Adulting is hard. And Max is hard on herself.

Sadie was a hot mess but I still adored her. The friends to lovers aspect of their relationship was *chefs kiss*

I’m excited for more of this series and wonder who the next book will be about.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC of ‘At Her Service’ by Amy Spalding.

This book was so sweet and lovely. The chemistry between Max and Sadie was amazing and I was really rooting for them. I do think Max wasn’t always 100% likeable but I think that just adds to the story. Cannot wait to read more from this author!