Looking for a Sign is a fun and fast-paced romcom. The book follows Gray as she looks for her perfect match using astrology. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance itself, I found the premise of the book to be super engaging. I also really enjoyed the author's writing style. So while this book wasn't perfect, it was a fun, quick read.

This was a cute concept and a fun read. I did feel like it dragged a little bit in the middle, but overall, I enjoyed it.

I dnfd this book at 15% because it really just failed to grab my attention or really make me care about the mc.

Could be a good book but just not for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was released: June 11, 2024

After the end of a ten-year relationship, 29-year-old Gray is newly single and uncertain about what comes next. At her best friend’s suggestion, she visits an astrologer who believes the stars may hold the key to her love life. Inspired, Gray embarks on a one-of-a-kind dating experiment—one date for each zodiac sign—in hopes of finding the person she’s truly meant to be with.

What a fun premise! A queer novel following a “Zodiac Dating Challenge” plotline had me interested right off the bat. While I did enjoy some of the novel, I feel as if the execution fell flat and then became entirely predictable. There was so much more room for antics that would have livened this up and quickened the pace.

The longer this went on, the more I lost interest – it was extremely predictable and then went from 0 to 100 in the last 25%.

There are also some beliefs and phrases used throughout the novel that are questionable.
2.75-3 stars.

Looking for a sign is fun, unique premise in which Gray attempts to date someone from each of the 12 zodiac signs in order to find her best match, with emphasis on LQBTQIA+ romance. While it's not necessary to know facts/tidbits about the zodiac signs, I do feel it would be helpful to the reader in order to fully understand each date more, due to the fast paced nature of the plot. I also felt like this led to poorly developed romance/chemistry between anyone and it's almost like the romance took a backseat? It felt more like Gray's story of self discovery and I enjoyed her understanding of each of her dates own identity. I found Gray to be someone I could see myself being friends with, but felt like she was pretty naive for a 29, almost 30 year old.

I did enjoy Dumond's writing style and look forward to reading other books by her!

*rounded up to 4 stars
**Thank you to Netgalley and Dial for the ARC and chance to read and review. All opinions are my own**

This was such a fun concept! It was a quick read that sucked me in, and I don't think it'll linger with me for very long but I still enjoyed my time reading it.

I still don’t know how to feel about this. It was entertaining but it was hard to read about the MC go on a bunch of dates, kiss and sleep with different people while it was obvious that Veronica and her both liked each other and were going to end up together. Also, I disagree with their definition of lesbian but whatever

Super cute romance! I’m not big into astrology but find it interesting, but this made it even more fun to read and learn about. Love the found family and the characters and all the dates and the romance!

This was such a cute lesbian astrology romance!

Some highlights:
•Astrology talks, though often fairly high level and sometimes stereotypical
•Queerness - so many queer people!! MC defines as a lesbian
•Online dating - 12 dates in 6 weeks!
•Found family!

I truly enjoyed this book and loved getting to see Gray navigate the world of online dating after her relationship ended. The added adventure of the astrology signs was so fun. We do get to watch her go on 12 different dates, and each one is surely an experience! It was a fun read on dating and astrology, even just the basics that really make things fun. It was done well, and I loved getting the see the different trademarks of each sign, and figuring out what the best icebreaker is for each of them, depending on some of the traits their signs tend to carry!

Little summary, from my own words:
Gray is approaching 29 - her Saturn return. Fresh off a long term breakup where they weren't compatible in their life goals, she's seeking out answers for what's next. She wants to start a family and she feels time creeping up. She meets up with an astrologist who clues her into her sign and other aspects around the upcoming Saturn return, and how it makes sense that a lot of things are in flux at the moment. She tells her friend (an avid astrology believer) and they come up with the perfect plan - she should date someone from each sign to truly understand who she is compatible with and what signs she should look to date in the future. With a plan this great, nothing can go wrong, right? But work is getting a bit tougher for her, she has to work with a new Principal, who she gets off on the wrong foot with, she's living with her best friend and her husband, and she's now going on 12 dates in 6 weeks. Chaos does ensue.

You know, you'd think I know better by now than to pick up a book with so much astrology based plot. It just never hits for me! Maybe I'm just a permanent skeptic. Anyways, not the book for me but as always so happy to see queer stories come out!

Susie Dumond is the newest addition to my instant buy list. I thoroughly enjoyed Queerly Beloved, and then upon rediscovering with Looking for a Sign—I remembered why I fell in love with her story telling and why I wanted to watch for her next book.

Susie creates characters that make me want to invest in their outcome from the start.

I liked this book a little bit; the rapid progression of relationships left little room for meaningful connection, and I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters. It had a cool setting and premise, but the writing wasn't fully fleshed out.

The cover on this one pulled me in as soon as I saw it. The synopsis was next and gave me the impression that I would really enjoy this read. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me though.

Gray, our FMC, is trying to find the love of her life and ends up creating a challenge in hopes of doing just that. Initially, I thought the concept of combining astrology and dating was fun and would make for a cute story but it kinda fell short.

To be honest, it took me a really long time to finish reading Looking for a Sign because I ended up putting it down a few times and coming back but each time I struggled to be engaged. I found Gray unlikable and had a hard time relating.

I'm giving 2/5 stars.

I'd like to thank Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, I'm sorry this one just wasn't for me.

*Looking for a Sign* by Susie Dumond is a sweet, uplifting romance that blends humor and heartfelt moments. The story explores the idea of fate and serendipity with a charming lead and an engaging plot. While it can feel predictable at times, the chemistry between the characters and the feel-good tone make it an enjoyable, cozy read.

Amidst the chaos of a break-up and a move from Tulsa to New Orleans, Gray visits an astrologer for some guidance and misinterprets the advice about her impending Saturn return as a challenge to date one person from each sign to find her true match, leading to just as many swoon-worthy moments as cringe-worthy moments. More than that, Looking For a Sign is about taking risks and growing up even after you’re well into adulthood. Despite how dirty Dumond does Virgo (I mean, come ON), this is one you’ll want to pick up.

This was such a fun and unique rom-com! I really enjoyed the cast of characters and thought it was very well done. I found myself not wanting to put this book down!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

*Looking for a Sign* by Susie Dumond is a sweet and quirky romance with a fun premise centered around astrology and fate. The protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and the exploration of cosmic connections adds a unique twist to the traditional romance genre, making it a refreshing read for fans of light-hearted love stories with a touch of whimsy.

However, while the concept is charming, the execution fell a bit flat for me. The pacing sometimes felt uneven, and I found the plot to be somewhat predictable. The main characters had potential, but I didn’t feel as emotionally connected to them as I hoped. The romance, though endearing, lacked a bit of depth, and the secondary characters didn’t feel fully developed.

Overall, *Looking for a Sign* is an enjoyable, feel-good read, but it could have benefitted from more emotional weight and complexity to make it stand out in the genre. It's perfect for those who enjoy light, easy reads with a bit of astrology and fun but may leave others wanting more.

Looking for a Sign was a cute queer romance about Gray, who has just ended a decade-long relationship and has decided to date her way through the twelve zodiac signs. I really enjoyed Susie Dumond's previous book Queerly Beloved, so I was excited to read this book. And it didn't disappoint! The book is funny and had just the right level of spice in it. The book had good pacing and the dates Gray goes on didn't feel repetitive. I will say the story was very predictable, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was a quick and light hearted read, which i needed!

I am a firm lover of astrology and you would love this book if you are as well! This follows the story of Gray, a recently single woman, who has set out to date a woman of each zodiac sign. A fun concept overall!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dial Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for a Sign is the first book that I’ve read by Susie Dumond. I enjoyed reading it very much and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Likes:

I know nothing about astrology so the concept of Gray going on dates with each of the signs was novel. I can’t say I’m a believer in it as it’s always been a little woo woo for me, but I liked how the author explored the concept.

I also enjoyed the exploration of astrology in that Gray recognized that she used it as a sort of guide to life like she had previously done with religion. I like that she realized she needed to actually figure life out and not expect either to just give her a quest and signs.

I enjoyed reading about Gray’s close relationship with her found sister/best friend, Cherry. I love that Gray has Cherry.

I also respected how Gray and Veronica had a serious conversation at the park after all the events happened at their work and actually communicated with each other like adults and talked about what they actually needed and wanted.

Dislikes:

I didn’t like when Gray lied to her co-worker, Veronica about River being her son, not Cherry and Robbie’s that she was actually babysitting. Lying to a co-worker never ends well. Especially when Gray becomes friends with said co-worker, Veronica, who then discovered Gray’s lies.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more by Susie Dumond in the future.