📚: Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond
⭐️: 4/5

The gist: Gray is newly single after leaving her long-term girlfriend, and finds herself nearing 29, staying at her best friends’ house in NOLA, and having a case of imposter syndrome at her new job. Her best friend enlists the help of renowned astrologist Madame Nouvelle Lune, setting off a plan to date each star sign before her Saturn Return on her upcoming birthday.

The good: This book was an ideal palette cleanser. It was feel good cute. It was fun. It has characters to cheer for and lots of fun NOLA scenic references. (I’d love a beignet right now.) A solid pace as well that kept me reading past my bedtime, making this a surprising #inonesitting read for me!

The eh: I mean, predictable. So predictable. I don’t even consider this a downside though because that predictability was exactly what I look for in a feel good book like this. A 4 star rating because it didn’t five star wow me — but I so enjoyed it!

Thank you to @randomhouse via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Looking for a Sign just released this week and is available everywhere books are sold!

3.5 stars. I love the setting and all the dates were really fun, and LOVED the representation we saw in the books, bringing out the LGBTQIa and perfect for pride month. Being bi sexual I also loved the bi rep, and talking about bi phobia. I enjoyed the first 2/3, the parts it lost me on were that I didn’t really think Veronica was very nice to our girl, and the conflict made me upset. I wish it would’ve been resolved sooner, and I also wish we would’ve had more Veronica time together than all the dates, it felt more about finding yourself than a romance story.

I'm not sure if Looking for a Sign is supposed to be a Princess and the Frog retelling, but that's <i> sort of </i> the takeaway I ended up with. Let me explain. Recently divorced Gray lives with her best friend Cherry, and on her friend's advice, visits a bayou astrologer to find out what direction her life should take. Gray and Cherry (mistakenly) misinterpret the astrologer's advice to mean that Gray should date, and sleep with, someone with every astrological sign before her birthday in a few weeks. Thus begins the dating challenge. There's lots of chemistry and silliness and fun queer times. Along the way, Gray gets of on the wrong foot with coworker Veronica.

One of my favorite things about this is the setting in New Orleans and the surrounding area. I loved all the dates, good and bad, and it almost felt like I was with Gray on some of them!

I will say that I didn't immediately clock the love interest, which never happens, because she was truly awful in the beginning. We don't get an explanation for her rigidity, which I would have appreciated, because seriously, girl, damn. But other than a brief miscommunication/misleading trope, the communication between Gray and her friends and LI is healthy without drawn out drama. I really enjoyed this one!

I received an advanced copy for review. This is my own opinion. Thanks to Netgalley, Random House/Dial Press, and Susie Dumond for the ARC.

I wish this had been better, because one of the main reasons I requested this ARC was due to the astrology premise. It sounded so cute but fell so flat. Also you cannot be a lesbian and date people of all genders. That's not how it works. If you date all genders, that's Bi/Pan.

after the dissolution of a ten year relationship, gray is newly single at 29 and looking for love. her best friend suggests she see an astrologer, madame nouvelle lune, who advises gray that the stars might hold answers. the plan fully formulates: gray will go on a date with a person from every single star sign in an effort to find the one she's meant to settle down with.

set in new orleans, i get what the spirit this book was trying to invoke - campy, esoteric fun in the form of tourist-trappy palm readers, silliness like the pisces that gray finds that turns out to be a disney adult lugging her sister along with her on dates, etc. for whatever reason, i was checked out of this. it could be that i don't like romance. it could be that i don't like stories that include motherhood/kids/etc. of which this book had a bit (seriously, there's nothing that gives me secondhand embarrassment the way adults trying to write dialogue for toddlers does with the exception of audiobook narrators pitching a screech to try to SPEAK that dialogue).

i also fear i checked out pretty early in at gray's proclamation that she could be a lesbian and date people of all genders. j'excuse? especially mentioning trans men as part of this proclamation, it's giving transphobia. the ickiness being followed by her friend saying, "yeah, fuck gender essentialism," felt weird and judgey too.

anyway, not for me.

This was such a well written and enjoyable book. Gray and Cherry were enviable friends and their relationship felt real and pleasant. The whole astrology dating thing was hilarious. Gray was a very lovable character and easy to root for. Personally I could have done without the weird fashion descriptions or ode to la croix.

Like this author’s earlier book, I think this one is better enjoyed if thought of as women’s fiction and not romance. The focus of the story is really on Gray’s growth and story and the romantic element is only a focus of the last 25% of the book or so. That said, I loved the set up for the story of going on a date with someone of every astrological sign! Some of the dates had me laughing out loud, others cringing with secondhand embarrassment. But Gray was a very likely character and I loved seeing her relationship with Veronica blossom from colleagues to friends to lovers.

Content flags: some discussion of being forced to attend conversion therapy and being rejected by parents upon coming out; some discussion of time spent in conservative religious settings

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Newly single Gray is determined that her move to New Orleans after breaking up with her first (and only) girlfriend means that she has to step it up in the dating department if she wants to have the family she's always dreamed of. In her quest to do this, she goes to Madame Nouvelle Lune, an astrologer who tells her she needs to experience the signs to find her happiness. Gray interprets this as needing to date one person from each zodiac sign and sets off on a series of dates that will open up her mind and world. But is dating all the signs really what she needs, or does she just need to be open to what the universe is putting in front of her?

It's a fun story full of interesting characters altogether with Gray as a great person to experience it with. She's a very positive person despite the bad times she's had and some of the obstacles she's facing, so the worse the date, the more fun it is to read about. It's obvious who she's going to end up with as soon as you meet them, but getting there is so enjoyable that I didn't mind it one bit.

Overall, a fun and quick romantic story that's all about the positives. I highly recommend checking it out if you need a pick-me-up.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the fun read!

I loved the representation here! I promise not to ruin the ending, but I called it from a mile away. And the idea of dating through all of the zodiac signs is interesting. Anyone looking for a dating challenge needs to look no further! Review (no spoilers): I loved the representation here! I promise not to ruin the ending, but I called it from a mile away. And the idea of dating through all of the zodiac signs is interesting. Anyone looking for a dating challenge needs to look no further!

This book was a nice easy read and I enjoyed the storyline.

Gray feels like she is going through a quarter-life crisis. Gray had just recently broken up with her long time girlfriend and moved to New Orleans for a fresh start. Gray feels like due to her age she is in a rush to find someone and settle down. Gray goes to a psychic and hears that she needs to date a different person of each horoscope to figure out who her soulmate is.

The dates were fun to read and I kept longing to read about the next date and what Gray experienced with each sign. As someone who isn't big into horoscopes, it was nice to learn about the different personality types. Gray was annoying in certain aspects as some of her behaviors seemed childish. Overall, this was a nice quick read and had great LGBTQIA+ representation.

3/5 stars as I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't anything special. I do recommend if you are looking for a cute, short read.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Susie Dumond and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy pub day! This was an entertaining 3-star read. It requires some serious suspension of disbelief and ability to just let the astrology flow. The best part of this book was definitely the astrological dates, so it does live up to its premise in that regard. They are funny, cringe-y, relatable (ish), and feel like episodes of a tv show.

The 'actual' plot and relationship development was where this book struggled. The chaotic way Gray lives her life and makes choices is a lot. She is meant to be a hyper-competent PR person, which, sure. But she seems to PR her way out of everything and the multiple grand work apology gestures pushed this a bit too far for me. Also, without giving too much away, (view spoiler) is just not very consistent or believable as a character. That took a bit away from the read, even when it was pretty obvious where things were heading (to everyone except Gray, ofc).

Anyway, come for the chaos astrology dating and stay for the chaos astrology dating.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A slow, lighthearted Sapphic romance about serial dating and compatibility.

Fresh from a breakup after 10 years together, Gray has moved to New Orleans to get a fresh start on achieving the family of her dreams. With her best friend Cherry's encouragement, Gray seeks help from an astrologer which ends up with Cherry convincing Gray to date one person from each astrological sign before Gray's birthday. Meanwhile, Gray starts at a new job as a PR representative for a school whose principal (Victoria Taylor) is trying to guide the school towards more progressive and diverse policies.

The idea behind this is pretty neat. Gray goes on a date with someone from each sign to figure out her compatibility with people. But Gray operates on assumptions throughout the whole thing, and that was such a drawback. Even while discovering all the layers to Victoria, Gray still makes silly assumptions about Victoria and several of the people Gray meets. The romance is slow-burn and there's barely a hint of spice (both of which I'm good with). I liked Cherry and her son. I like that Victoria is a single mom working to support her vision for the school. The last chapter was cute.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

Extremely cute!

I loved the idea of looking for a life partner among all the zodiac signs.
From the start, it was almost clear who the love interest is going to be but I did wish that she showed more compassion toward Gray.

Nevertheless it was really enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of this book was so fun! I’m not super into astrology, so I liked learning more about the different signs and characteristics. I enjoyed reading each of the dates. Although I’m sad that my sign (Cancer) ended up being the Disney influencer. At least that date was memorable…

I loved the New Orleans setting! It’s one of my favorite places, so that will also give a book extra points from me. I also really liked the friendships that came out of some of the failed dates and her long time friendship with Cherry (and her family).

Overall, I liked but didn’t love this book. I thought the main character, Gray, was immature. Although, I think that’s probably accurate with her religious upbringing and then dating the same person for almost her entire 20s, but still…being almost 30 and still thinking there’s such a thing as perfect relationship/family seems a little naïve.

I also wish there had been an epilogue, but the bonuses at the end were a fun addition!

Title: Looking For a Sign by Susie Dumond
Publication Date- 06/11/24
Publisher- Random House
Overall Rating- 4.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

NGL this was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I enjoy reading about astrology, however I find that at times it can be somewhat superficial. In Looking for a Sign you meet a cast of various characters all with unique backgrounds. This is a queer romance so we get to see a lot of different types of relationships and interactions which I find very important. I enjoyed the humor but I wouldn’t say it was the strongest point of the book. The biggest theme that stood out to me was the personal development of the main character. We watch her grow and shape in a lot of different ways, by the end of the book she almost feels like a friend. The development of the main character and her relationships with people expand in a realistic way, that I really appreciated.

If you’re looking for a silly and fun queer romance, with good character development, found family and realistic characters you don’t want to miss this one.

i have mixed feelings about this one because i loooove the premise and the astrology/zodiac theme, but the romance was kind of average

what i liked:
- the romance is slow, sweet, and sincere
- the unconditional love and found family between friends
- new orleans dating adventures are so fun!
- all the fun goodies at the end! so cute and much preferred over an epilogue when veronica and grays story was perfectly wrapped up as is
- felt like

what i disliked:
- the dates ended up feeling like side quests and not really a bigger piece of the story
- similarly, the different side plots just felt too disjointede from gray’s central story - they all come to a head at the end but it felt too late to be impactful
- felt like veronica and gray lacked chemistry throughout the story (i could tell where it was going from the start, and the ending was still satisfying)

would recommend if you’re looking for a sweet, fluffy read!

thank you netgalley and random house for a copy of this arc!

i really did not enjoy this book and was unable to finish it. i don't like the way the lgnt stereotypes play out throughout this book and it was disappointing bc i was looking forward to this.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but right off the bat, seeing the MC say she identifies as a lesbian but will date "any gender" except cis men turned me off from enjoying it. Lesbians do date nonbinary people, but they don't date men, regardless of whether they're trans or not, Othering trans men like this felt extremely transphobic. I would've loved the book if Gray had just been bisexual instead of a lesbian.

Thank you to Dial Press for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

After a breakup, Gray wonders what it will take to settle down and start a family. So her best friend Cherry recommends she see Madame Nouvelle Lune, an astrologer. And after their consultation, Gray determines to date one person from each sign of the Zodiac to determine who she is compatible with and help her on a quest to a soul mate. And she only has a few weeks to pull this off before her 29th birthday.

I really enjoyed the way in which this romance brought in astrology and signs. And I found I learned from it, as I haven't really followed astrology much. But for me, I loved even more a part that wasn't clear from the synopsis -- Books!

Through her work, Gray fights against banned books and for education and inclusion. There were some absolutely beautiful book quotes with art descriptions. I want them for my walls and would snap up accompanying art in a heartbeat.

I found the many possible love interests fascinating and easier to keep track of than I had worried they would be. And I really enjoyed Gray's relationship with Cherry and with Cherry's toddler son.

This was such a great read for Pride month, and I recommend it for any time of the year.

i am never going to turn a queer book away but this one just fell a bit flat to me. overall it was a fun queer beach read!