I absolutely loved this book! Fake dating, discovering your bisexuality later in adulthood, a ton of laughs - what more could you ask for?! The narration was fantastic and really captivated the feelings of Clementine and helps the listener pick up on the nuances of the feelings of other characters. Chloe and Clementine were well developed and I loved learning about their lives. I highly recommend this to every romance reader!

On Her Terms by Amy Spalding-
I love Amy Spalding and this book series they are always so fun and cute!

This book was such a fun and heartfelt read! Clementine’s journey of self-discovery, fresh off a breakup and questioning what she truly wants, felt so relatable. The fake dating setup with Chloe, a witty and confident dog groomer, was the perfect mix of chaos and charm. Their banter had me laughing out loud, and the slow-burn tension made their growing connection all the more satisfying.

What I loved most was how this wasn’t just a romance—it was also about Clem figuring out what makes her happy beyond relationships. She’s not just looking for love; she’s redefining what she wants her life to look like. Chloe, on the other hand, is convinced Clem is just eager to settle down with *someone*, and watching them navigate that push and pull was both frustrating and rewarding in the best way.

By the end, I was completely invested in their story. The writing is sharp, funny, and full of heart, making every moment between Clem and Chloe feel authentic. If you love fake dating, slow-burn romance, and characters with great chemistry, this book is an absolute must-read!

on her terms by amy spalding is a comedic sapphic fake dating rom-com!

let me start with highlights! our main character, clementine is bi, plus-size, and has adhd, all of which were very well represented and a lot of great conversations about mental illness, fatness, and bisexuality transpire throughout the book! The audiobook narration itself was well done, the differentiation between the characters was clear and the tone was very engaging and caught the comedic timing quite well! the love interest, chloe, had a very sweet, queer friend group, through which the societal prioritization of romantic or sexual love over platonic love was explored beautifully.

now for my qualms.... let me begin by prefacing that I am not saying this as a generational insult by any means, but this was a very millennial book. which is okay! it is just something to keep in mind if that isn't really for you! for example, clementine's workplace is "Big Marketing Energy", chloe wears crocs in nearly every scene, clem's cat is named jesse pinkman, the word "twee" is used about 20 times too many, and quite frankly, the references and much of the metaphors (and even dialogue) read as just too online, if that makes sense. I saw someone else describe the dialogue as reading like twitter discourse and that really hit the nail on the head.

now for my main qualm: the love interest is despicable. I really tried to like her but the way she objectifies, infantilizes, fetishizes, and condescends down to clementine is wild. chloe gives bi-affirming speeches to clem that her place within the queer community isn't dependent on the gender of her partner, but then turns around and contradicts this repeatedly by acting as a queer elder that is showing clem the "baby gay" the ropes of queerness following her breakup with a "boring man". chloe calls clementine a "baby gay" a total of 15 times throughout the book (I bought it on kindle just to count) and although clementine's ex-boyfriend, will, remained on good terms and hold no animosity seeing as they had a healthy adult break up, chloe takes every opportunity to call him "boring" and be very rude. all in all, chloe treats clementine pretty horribly throughout the book, and I found myself disappointed when they resolved their third-act conflict. the build up for their relationship is nonexistent. their romance isn't believable and I didn't root for them at any point.

also I would like to preface this by saying that I am a bi-romantic demisexual so my experiences as a bisexual woman are likely very different from someone who is not aroaspec. while there were aspects of clem's bisexuality that aligned with my own personal experiences with bisexuality, specifically the internalized biphobia of having only ever been with a man, there were other aspects that didn't quite sit right with me. one such example would be the way that clem's exploration of her sapphic attraction is described as her 'deciding' she wants to be with a woman now. now this could be how this feels for some bi women, and could simply be something that my demisexuality doesn't resonate with, but it wasn't my desired way of seeing bisexuality be represented. it also didn't sit right with me with the thin love interest that fetishized the main character's fatness during the sexual scenes, "complimenting" her in ways that didn't feel as much like compliments as much as they did gratuitous objectification.

once again, these could just be my personal opinions based on my experiences with attraction, but I wanted to make sure I put it out there in case someone else would be bothered by that. please remember that these are just my opinions and if you love this, there is nothing wrong with that!!

maybe this just wasn't for me! and this is okay!

this book did have a lot of fun tropes though, so if you are a fan of fake dating, forced proximity, or one-bed trope, you could definitely have fun with this!

What can I say…..as an ARC listen I didn’t know what to expect and honestly it couldn’t have been better if it had tried!

I absolutely loved the character development throughout and although some parts are standard in a romance novel, it was done in such a clever way!

Characters had real depth and grew throughout the book and was lovely to see.

It was a bit spicy, made my heart sing and brought me to tears. What else could I ask for! Utterly brilliant!

I want to thank the publisher for both a digital ARC and a digital ALC. I’ve read all three Out in Hollywood books, and after being disappointed by [book:At Her Service|157995253], I’m happy to say Spalding is back with a story that’s funny, heartbreaking, and impossible to put down.

Clem comes with a lot of baggage, but so does Chloe. I wasn’t a big fan of Clem—she felt self-centered, especially around her childhood friends—but she had a lot of grace for Chloe, and Chloe didn’t always return the favor. Chloe’s devil-may-care attitude was also frustrating at times, particularly in vulnerable situations. And yet, despite all of that, I still really enjoyed the book.

The best part? Chloe’s friends. They were supportive, funny, and brought a warmth to the story that made it easier to deal with the moments where Clem or Chloe tested my patience.

There were things I wanted more clarity on, and some characters I really wanted to see get what they deserved. But in the end, I was fully invested in Clem and Chloe’s story, rooting for them all the way.

Clementine is a mid-30’s bisexual woman who just started exploring her queer identity. This fake dating sapphic romance was a joy to listen to.

I love the found family elements and the exploration of friendships as we age and especially as life paths diverge. As a woman in her 30’s I definitely felt my own struggles reflected in Clem’s and found her very relatable.

The audio book was a delight to listen to. The narrator did a great job of having distinct voices for each character and delivered the jokes well.

I did find the constant mentions of being a “baby gay” a little cringe. I think this book could have done a better critique on this term.

Overall, this was a really easy book to listen to. It was a perfect combination of heartwarming and witty.
This was my first time reading Amy Spalding and I will definitely be reading more of her books!

This was my first book by Amy Spalding and will certainly not be my last! I loved On Her Terms, it was so funny and cute. In the first chapter alone I found myself cackling and very much enjoying the dynamic between Clem and Chloe, and that continued all throughout the book. The chemistry between them was witty and sizzling and I enjoyed watching them both grow throughout the book. Sapphic fake dating featuring a quirky and lovely group of friends, plus size body positivity, and a cat named Small Jesse Pinkman made this book a freaking DELIGHT. I can't wait to go back and read more of the books in this series.

The narrator was FANTASTIC! She did an amazing job nailing the awkward and shy tone of Clementine - her inflections made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. She also had a great dichotomy between the different characters' voices that I very much enjoyed.

4.25 Stars

This was quite a fun read. I really liked the main character, the love interest and her friend group too. The plot was quite fun, I liked the romance as well as the work storylines and I really just flew through this book. The characters were really layered and I do love a good fake dating trope. I read this so fast and really enjoyed the narrator. So yes, a good romance, I will be reading more books in this series if there are more. I really have been enjoying this series.

On Her Terms
By Amy Spalding
Narrated by Lori Prince
Released February 25th, 2025
RBmedia

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

🏳️‍🌈Clementine is a mid-30’s woman who goes on a journey to discover her queer self and what she truly wants from life. That ends her up newly single and in a fake dating scenario. This book will have you feeling and laughing from the first chapter! As Clementine gets to know Chloe and her friends, the relationships feel real and relatable. The journey of Clementine realizing what she wants is more than acceptable, it’s great - was truly touching and made me want more of her story. This is a well done feel good story, where it doesn’t feel overly predictable or cheesy. The spicy scenes are after the 50% mark I believe- open door and done so well! Definite spice but the spice isn’t the focus of the book or story.

🏳️‍🌈 I related strongly to this story. I didn’t come out as bi and eventually a lesbian until my late 20’s. That initial fear of not being “queer enough” is real! Also the idea that you want something different than your friends and family is real and scary. A well done plus size fmc is also refreshing!

🏳️‍🌈 I did receive this from NetGalley as an advance listen copy. My review is fair and honest.

🏳️‍🌈Amy Spalding is now an auto read and buy author for me!

Each time the author used the term “baby gay”, I died a little inside. This book featured every single stereotype in the queer woman space 😑 I also wasn’t invested in Clem and Chloe’s relationship.

Positives: it was comforting to read about the found family that some people are lucky enough to find when they find their community. The banter was good! I enjoyed reading Clem’s journey to enbracing her sexuality. There was a decent amount of plus size and queer women representation.

Negatives: the book is 100% from Clementine’s POV, which is unfortunate since she is super annoying. In fact, both Clem and Chloe were unlikable characters. I hated all of the stereotypes. They were middle-aged but still whined like 19 year olds. No thanks.

Overall, this was a light fun read, but I just couldn’t vibe with the main characters. 3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the audiobook.

I thought this book was cute, but it had its ups and downs for me. At first, I found the characters pretty cringeworthy, though by the end, I did warm up to them. I appreciated the fresh take on relationships and how the story challenged the idea that they all have to look the same. I also loved how it embraced body positivity (the bathing suit scene was great!), highlighted bisexuality (which is often underrepresented), and featured so many powerful women. These elements really stood out in a positive way.

That said, I had mixed feelings about Chloe—she came off as a bit manipulative and overall childish at times, which made it hard to fully like her. But I guess you’re not supposed to love every character. On the other hand, one moment that really got me was Clementine’s boss turning out to be one of Chloe’s friends early on. That reveal had me actually laughing out loud. I also loved that Will ended up getting more out of the situation in the end, and that Clementine didn’t lose her actual friends once she learned to communicate with them better. Those moments made the story feel more well-rounded and satisfying.

Additionally wasn’t entirely sold on the audiobook narrator. While I liked that she gave each character a distinct voice, it sometimes felt like she was adding too much of her own emotions into the story. Not necessarily bad, just not my personal preference.

Overall, this was a decent read with some fun moments, but it didn’t completely win me over. A solid three stars.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook through Netgalley.

Clementine's character felt real and vulnerable. Freshly single and trying to find herself as she becomes comfortable opening up as bi-sexual, she meets Chloe as a gay bar. Throughout the book you see a lot of character development as Clementine explores a new side of herself and starts to show up more authentically.

Chloe seems to be good for Clementine in many ways, aside from being her first "girlfriend", she introduces her to new friends, who like Clementine for who she is, not who they want her to be.

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars.

Such a good time! A super cozy romcom that hits all the right ones. Funny. Steamy, relatable yet aspirational, full of great women. Characters are fleshed out and not just because I’ve met them in other books of this series.

Big plus for me: this is the first time I’ve felt good about being a big woman reading about a plus size FMC. This was just done well. Subtle, but bold. It sounds contradictory, but you’ll know what I mean when you read it.

I got the audiobook ARC and must say that the voice acting was perfectly believable and the jokes were well-delivered. There were only a couple of pronunciations I’m not used to hearing, but you’ll get that with any audio media.


All that said, this was formulaic - nothing earth shattering - but sometimes that’s what you want.

Cozy, sexy, twee.

Clementine just broke up with her long-term boyfriend and is ready to try living her life more authentically, even if she doesn't want to end up alone. Chloe is tired of her friends looking down on her perpetually single state. Despite knowing that fake dating is a terrible idea best left to romance novels, Clem agrees to fake date Chloe until Chloe's friends' wedding and Clem's parents' anniversary party.

It was a fun read about friendship, relationships, and career goals in your thirties. It was another fun read in the Out in Hollywood series.

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with this story. I did like the audiobook narrator though and would consider listening to more by her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc/alc.

On Her Terms by Amy Spalding was lighthearted and our fmc Clementine 🍊was a cutie! Set in LA, Clementine has broken up with her long term boyfriend after accepting the fact that they want different futures. She now gets to explore her bisexuality and a new life as a single woman in LA until she reconnects with Chloe. The pair quickly find themselves in a fake dating situation, but Clementine never feels fully comfortable with it and is actually falling for Chloe. On top of trying not to fall for her fake girlfriend, while hanging out with Chloe’s friends, Clementine is also having imposter syndrome, and never knows if she is “queer” enough. Regardless of her reservations, Clementine is able to grow in her new lifestyle while gaining new friends and memories along the way.

I found this audiobook very endearing and thought our fmc was adorable. I also enjoyed the bisexual representation and related to Clementines frequent reassurance that queerness does not look a specific way. There were a lot of pop culture references and some of them I could not relate to as I found they were geared more towards millennials.

I really enjoyed this. I received the first book in this series in a book box and loved it too. As soon as I finished On Her Terms I bought the second book on Audible and read it, and loved it too lol. I'm sure I'll now have to go back and read Amy's entire backlist.

on her terms by amy spalding - a fake dating sapphic romance!

clementine is fresh off of a long term relationship where she began to feel boxed in by what society expects of women her age. after pushing herself (through a lot of research & googling, of course) to go out to a local gay bar one night, she runs into chloe. what begins as friendship turns into a fake dating agreement between the two, mutually benefiting events they have coming up on their social calendars. clementine and chloe embark on a crazy & fun ride of fake dating - navigate topics such as mental health, fatphobia, adhd, community, and pressures / expectations within relationships.

i feel like i wasn't hooked initially, but once they agreed to start fake dating & the wedding was looming, i was really excited to watch their story unfold! my favorite part of the book was the running theme of found family. i absolutely love this trope in LGBTQ+ books - i thought it was so beautiful to watch clementine enter into a new social circle & see what unwavering love and support for your people looks like. i also liked that there were multiple storylines happening outside of the fake dating, like with clementines career and how determined she was to always bring her best self to the table. i thought it was hilarious that clementine full on acknowledged that she was living a romance book fake dating trope - and inevitably did the thing the main character always promises they won't do. the pop culture references were also perfect, from MUNA and chappell roan to wicked!

i would say the only negative for me was not initially being invested, but i also don't listen to audiobooks very often so it could have just been me adjusting to a new format! this was my first approved book through netgalley, so thank you so much for letting me listen to this book! can't wait to dive further into this amy spalding's catalog!

Clementine, a newly single bisexual and self-proclaimed 'baby gay,' meets Chloe, a feral, whimsical manic pixie dream girl in this fake dating story so that both can get their friends off their backs about being single. It's a pretty simple set up, but I never mind that because I thought the plot moved along well. There was a point about 30% in when I considered quitting though because I just didn't see any chemistry between the characters. Chloe is so *whimsical* and Clementine as a self-described "twee" girl just... they didn't do it for me.

That being said, I thought Clementine, as a whole, had very relatable shit going on in her life-- friends getting older and having babies, figuring out career goals, keeping it together, being too old for your 20s, but not wanting the same thing as everyone else in their 30s (which that itself seemed like a gross exaggeration, but for the sake of the story I'm not that bothered by it). As someone who is fresh out of a relationship with a man, she is fairly nervous about exploring dating women and I think that comes across really well. But overall, some of it was a little too exaggerated for me.

Chloe, on the other hand, is extremely flat for me. Ever sentence out of her mouth starts with "Clementine..." and then some pseudo-Dude (Lebowski, dude) like sentence. And I think that's what kept me from ever really attaching any kind of attraction between the two characters. Chloe is flat. She doesn't want to date. Okay... that's her entire personality. That an a musicals playlist.

Overall, it was alright.