Gray's entire life is being thrown upside down and there may be a cosmic reason why. She's left her partner of ten years and moved from Tulsa to New Orleans, where she finds herself living in a spare room above her best friend Cherry, her husband Robbie, and baby River's garage and working a totally new PR job for a local private school.

To help Gray make sense of what's happening to her, Cherry suggests she see a famous but very private astrologer named Madame Nouvelle Lune. Gray learns that she's at the tail end of her Saturn return--a cosmic transit that happens approximately every 29 years that signals big changes and life lessons.

Desperate for a love and family of her own, and maybe (definitely) misconstruing her astrologer's advice, Gray sets off to go on a date with each sign before her 29th birthday, certain that her destiny is written in the stars. But Gray soon learns that nothing as lovely and complicated as love is predestined, and who she's been looking for may have just been there this whole time.

I can forgive a lot of things about this book: I can forgive the fact they used sun signs as a basis for compatability rather than Venus signs/other relevant placements. I can forgive the fact that the dates with each sign were a formulaic. I can even forgive the fact that who Gray ends up with is highly predictable.

But I cannot forgive the fact that Gray and her love interest have zero chemistry and pursuing a relationship with Gray seems completely out of character for practical/ethical reasons on the LI's behalf, which is what bumps what would be a sweet 4 star read for me down to 3. If romance is your jam, though, give it a try. Just because it's not for me doesn't mean it may not be for you.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

3.5 stars!

A book for all those folks who say they like zodiac signs for the memes, who meet a friend who takes the zodiac very seriously and sends them down a rabbit hole! This book felt so fun for me specifically, as an April Aries woman who recently had my Saturn return, just like Gray!!

28-year old Gray is re-evaluating her life in the wake of a breakup and subsequent move to a new city. She had been with only her girlfriend for the last 10 years, and now has no clue who or what she is meant for- enter astrologer Madame Nouvelle Lune. Through a slight misinterpretation of advice, Gray decides to embark, with the helpful advice (truly helpful for those who don't know the zodiac stereotypes!!) of her best friend Cherry, to go on a date with someone of every sign to see who she is most compatible with!! (Hint- I knew it wasn't going to be the Cancer or the Capricorn)

This was a cute little exploration of the zodiac signs- with a bit of a real romance story and a story of self-discovery mixed in. With the emphasis on the zodiac aspect, I feel like that took center stage and we didn't get to feel the real romance take as strong of a precedent as I would have liked. HOWEVER, the zodiac side of it was really fun and I would love this as like a netflix dating show!!

Thank you so much to Susie Dumond and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited about this book mainly because of the astrology aspect, which did not disappoint! I loved learning about the different zodiac signs especially when related to finding a romantic partner. The main character Gray, was true to her sign Aries: typically impulsive, which was a main frustration point because she hardly ever thought anything through before making a decision. I really wanted to root for Gray and feel like she had her moments of intellect, determination, and kindness, but her flaws unfortunately overshadowed the good in my opinion. She proved to be very naive and immature when it came to love and being on her own. I think she could have developed more as a character if the plot wasn’t so focused on the rushed zodiac sign date challenge. After just getting out of a 10 year relationship, Gray should have taken a year or even two to figure out who is and what she wants outside of her old relationship. These things take time, and having Gray immediately rush into dating, did not help her cause.

Because there were so many dates and people to keep track of, it was hard to feel connected to any of them, even Veronica, because of the sense of distance and limited time. Some of the dates Gray went on seemed to have more chemistry at times than even her main love interest. The first date had some of the most spice out of them all, and things kind of just fizzled out after that. Veronica was very off putting from the beginning, and it was very hard to make that change and have her be the one we are supposedly rooting for. Yes she does eventually warm up, but it’s like just as we get to like her, the book ends. There was simply not enough time for her to grow and for us the reader to like her enough, especially with the kind of attitude and personality that she started off with.

But some of my favorite aspects of the book come from the side characters. Cherry is such a great best friend and everything you would want as an unwavering support system. Her and Robbie’s relationship was real, hilarious at times, and a great example of the family that Gray is striving for. River is SO unbelievably adorable, especially how he calls Gray, Aunt Gay. Veronica’s daughter Karys is also so sweet and kind, and has a great head on her shoulders.

The author addressed some important topics such as race, gender, sexual identity, and stereotypes which was appreciated. That being said though, it came off as too much, too soon, and as a result, the book as a whole became underdeveloped, rushed, and could have benefited with less is more. For a quick, fun, and astrological learning experience, I don’t regret the read, just would have liked everything to develop a little more, to truly recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy for review!

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of queer romance and I think they are some of the best books. I’ve read in recent years.. Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond is like a starter queer romance. I didn’t love all of the characters, especially the main love interest and I’m not a huge astronomy girly so I wasn’t really into that.
Positives- it was a fun and original book. I really liked the friendships and the structure of this book.

Thank you #Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I didn’t care for the main character at all, nor did I care to stick around and see if she had any character growth. Additionally, based on other reviews I read, this book does not seem to align with my values and therefore I won’t be reading more of it.

I thought this was a really fun book with extremely likeable characters. I appreciated the diversity of the characters and the LGBTQ representation. I loved following the main character on her quest for love, and dealing with other life hurdles along the way. The book lost me a bit towards the end, as it seemed like the main character underwent drastic changes with little catalyst. I also wasn't a huge fan of the endgame romance, and didn't see them as very compatible. Altogether a fun book, but it lost steam for me towards the end.

As an astrology crazy person myself, I loved this book and the premise of it. Much like Dumond's debut, a lot of the plot had to do with Gray having a journey of self-discovery and reflection and realizing why she did or reacted the way she did in certain situations. Reading about the highs and lows of all the dates were hilarious and also inspiring. I would recommend this for any astrology and Sapphic lover, even if Saturn isn't headed back to the spot it was when they were born.

*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

YES! This was such a fun book. The premise has me interested from the get-go, and I stayed engaged because of the characters, hilarious situations, and Gray's determined quest to find love. I really liked how each date was presented as an over-the-top caricature of their zodiac sign. It walked the border between believable and stereotypical so perfectly, and as a result had me cringing, laughing, awe-ing, and generally just fully feeling all of the emotions the author was trying to convey.

Gray's character development was really wonderful as well, she definitely grew as a person throughout the book which is exactly what I wanted to see from her. As she dates each zodiac sign from youngest to oldest, you can actually see her grow and mature as well. While this is a romance book, it doesn't necessarily progress in the way we usually see romance books progress too, so it felt fresh and new.

Overall, I think was a really great read and I highly recommend it!

I’m not a huge astrology girlie, but this was a fun book!

I liked the NOLA setting, and I did like the characters, although I could not really connect with the characters.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of romance and astrology.

Whats a girl yo do when being freshly dumped and looking for her new perfect match but to go on dates with people based off of their astrological sign. Gray has just gotten out of a relationship with her long time partner and decides to move to New Orleans for a new job. Gray is determined to find her soulmate and finally get the family she's always wanted... the only problem is that going back to dating after being in a long time relationship isn't so easy. Gray visits an iconic astrologer with her best friend, and they come up with a plan: Gray will go on dates with people from each of the zodiac signs to see how compatible she is with them. While trying to find the perfect partner she is also dealing with a new job, the dating scene, and trying to find if the stars align for her. While this sounded like a cute read it just fell so completely flat for me. I love queer rom coms and this sounded like so much fun, however the execution of the actual book felt lackluster at best. I really didn't find myself all that invested in Gray's dates, and thats the whole point of the the story, to get to know Gray's fun rom com shenanigans. Instead of feeling like I was having a fun time I felt like the date that just couldn't escape the dinner table and was counting down the seconds until the bill could come. The romance interest for Gray didn't even really feel like a romance interest. Sadly this one was a miss from me, however if you want a sapphic rom com then give it a go, maybe you'll have better luck with it than I did.

Release Date: June 11, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me access to the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I overall enjoyed this book, I have to say I struggled with liking the main character at first. She eventually ended up growing on me, but it took me a minute. I also predicted who the love interest would end up being as soon as they were introduced. It was overall a little predictable to me, and the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. But I thought the premise of the book and the supporting characters were phenomenal. Overall it's a cute little queer romance.

I wasn't sure if I would like this one as someone who really doesn't care much at all for the zodiac, but I loved Queerly Beloved so I wanted to give this a chance and I'm always looking for good sapphic books!

And I did indeed really like this! There's obviously a lot of zodiac talk and some stereotyping of certain signs but not in a way that ever felt super negative. And I thought it was really interesting how we saw Gray date so many different people but could still feel that thread of a relationship from who she ends up with. I didn't ever feel like the main romance got overshadowed by the dates and just really liked the evolution of their relationship.

The third act breakup was honestly a bit annoying - I don't know that {name redacted for spoilery reasons} groveled nearly enough after their blow up fight where she said some pretty awful things.

But other than that, I really enjoyed it! Thank you to Dial Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Can astrology point the way to true love? That's what Gray is hoping. She's just out of a long relationship and she's moved to New Orleans where she's decided to go on dates with someone born under each astrological sign to see what works. That adds a fun twist to this sapphic rom com- I liked learned admittedly cliched tidbits about the sign. What I enjoyed even more were the dates, not just for the dates but also for the locale. I've never been to New Orleans so this adds to my motivation to visit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun, light read.

Thank you to PRH and PRH Audio for free copies of Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond. This one is a great read for Pride month and is much more than the astrology theme that is woven into the story. A few thoughts for this fun sapphic read

1. I loved how many diverse identities and themes on sexuality and gender are woven into the story without the book ever feeling overly complicated to follow and never at once feeling like it was "preaching" to a reader about identity. Instead Dumond weaves identities into Gray's romantic explorations in a way that honors all identities, places them nicely in the queer dating world in a way that felt real and natural and all ways of experiencing attraction are valuable and important to write about.

2. I thought the astrology structure, though at times a bit repetitive, was a great way to organize a romance that was also a lot about self exploration and growth. It was fun instead of cheesy or overly fluffy and I found it gave a nice ways to share Gray's story. I also learned a bit, I don't know much about stars and signs.

3. I liked that the story had romance themes but also really leaned into self exploration and also offered thoughtfully devleoped secondary characters, none of Gray's dates/matches felt like stereotypes and instead were interesting characters with a strong voice. I appreciated that Dumond made the effort to create each character with depth!

A recommended read for romance readers and for those seeking spaces to celebrate queer and inclusive identities in books!

A charming book that was a fairly quick read.

I think that the astrology idea could have easily pushed this into too much but it was the perfect amount of depth and fun rather than leaning too much either way. I generally don't pick up books where the entire plot is someone trying to fall in love (it gets a bit too self-indulgent for me), but there is more than enough other life moments and growth to keep this book from being just another romance. Although we meet so many people in this book, it never got overwhelming and they all felt fully developed and real. I also appreciate that many of the problems the MC had weren't just magically fixed - she had to work on them and herself to resolve them.

I think this is a perfect pride month read as well as for anyone who is looking for a sapphic read - this one is fairly full of fluff but there are a few moments of depth to keep from getting too sweet.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Looking for a Sign follows newly single Gray as she embarks on a quest to date one person from each astrological sign in an attempt to find her soulmate.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical of the astrology element of this read. That kind of thing can often come off as incredibly cheesy, and I was worried that might ruin my suspension of disbelief. While it definitely did have a bit of cheese, I ended up finding this book quite charming. Gray, like all flawed romantic leads, is a bit of a nuisance, but I did enjoy her journey over the course of this book. Getting to see so many individual dates was a fun time, and I do think this book stuck the landing (perhaps with a slight wobble) with her overall arc.

I'm not sure this will be everyone's cup of tea -- it's got limited spice, and it approaches some conversations on queerness from an incredibly privileged white lens -- but I do think it's a pretty solid and cute read that will satisfy many romance readers.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Gray Young has always known that she wants to find her dream wife and raise a big, loud family. When Gray finds that her partner isn’t interested in that, she ends her decade long relationship and moves to New Orleans to start over. At the insistence of her best friend Cherry, she visits a renowned local psychic who tells her she’s entering her Saturn return, a major turning point and a time of change, which can lead her to her soulmate. She encourages Gray to explore the zodiac and find her perfect sign. Gray and Cherry come up with an idea — a zodiac dating challenge. Gray will date one of each sign to see how she vibes with them and hopefully find out what sign she’s destined to be with. With her 29th birthday and Saturn return looming, Gray tries to balance her dating quest with a new job and a tough new boss. As she moves through the zodiac and her birthday closes in, Gray learns about the signs but also about herself, what her future really holds, and that love is always where you least expect to find it.

Looking for a Sign is a fun rom-com that, obviously, very heavily centers on astrology. If you’re not well versed in astrology the author really walks you through each sign, which can be a little heavy-handed and repetitive at times. The author works to represent a wide spectrum of identities in Gray’s twelve dates, and does so pretty successfully. The character’s feel well flushed out, even the dates we only see briefly. She also does a great job exploring Gray’s religious trauma and how that informs her choices as an adult. Things felt a little stereotypical and clunky at times, but overall this was a really fun read that I was invested in finishing.

If you love queer romcoms, astrology, and/or the south, this one’s for you!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review!</i>

happy pride month! this sapphic book was filled with such a fun concept for astrology lovers everywhere!

the story follows Gray, who decides to go on a date with each member of the zodiac, trying to find her soulmate. this book was very inclusive and had great representation. i loved the bond between Gray and her best friend since childhood, Cherry. this story was funny and lighthearted at certain points, but also really addressed big, emotional topics members of the lgbtqia+ community experience, such as coming out to their family and acceptance to be who they are. i felt that this book was not strictly romance, but also about self-discovery and friendship.

i enjoyed the romance in this story and the way that Gray discovered herself. there were some really funny moments where the author kind of played at the stereotypes each zodiac sign has and it was entertaining to see the way each date went.

River was so precious! loved him as a lil side character and Veronica and Karys were cute additions as well. :)

i really enjoyed this story!!

After ending a ten-year relationship, relocating to New Orleans, and starting a new job, Gray is ready to meet her soulmate - but she has no idea how. After a visit to an astrologer, she decides to date one person from each astrological sign (mostly, but not all, women) in the six weeks before her twenty-ninth birthday. Over the course of those twelve dates, she learns about romantic etiquette, her new city, and the type of partner she's looking for - but will she meet The One before her birthday marks the life-defining Saturn Return?

There was so much to love about this story. The idea of dating one person from each sign was really cute, and each date was memorable and interesting to read about. I loved watching Gray's life in New Orleans come together as she became more comfortable in her job and got to know more people through her dating adventures. I also enjoyed the subplot of Gray's relationship with her best friend, Cherry, as it was challenged by their different life trajectories.

The one thing I didn't like was Gray's single-minded focus on the date-the-zodiac project. It's undertaken as a lark, but Gray gets weirdly serious about it for reasons that seem to have something to do with her religious upbringing as well as the sense that she's "falling behind". I wasn't expecting that, and I found it a frustrating development in the otherwise level-headed protagonist.

The premise is fun. Gray Young has moved to New Orleans after a break up with her long term girlfriend. She is living in an apartment garage of lifelong best-friend Cherryand is starting a new PR manager job at an expensive private school. Consulting an astrologer it sets her off a challenge to someone in each astrological sign looking for magical compatibility. She is ready to settle down and start her own family.

The book is marketed as romance but to me it is more general (women’s) fiction because so much time is spent on the dates that aren’t moving the romance further. Some of the dates are fun with good friends vibes, another is downright funny. For someone who has been monogamous for a decade she gets her groove on with a few dates too. Her best friend Cherry is great as cheerleader and sounding board. The overall tone is light and fun. And I like that Gray is very good at her job and New Orleans being the setting.

You can tell early on who the eventual love interest will be and I like that storyline as well. And Gray does learn some from her dating. But it all comes to a head very quickly and then finishes. At the 90 percent point Gray is still wanting her fantasy future and that isn’t what her love interest wants. So while I really want them together I’m not sure I believed in their potential HEA. It really could have used more conversations at the end or an epilogue. The ending dropped my rating.

I enjoyed Susie Dumond’s previous book, ‘Queery Beloved’ (May 2022) and will look forward to what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review. (3.5 Stars)