Okay, first things first. The cover of this book is sheer perfection and the title is precious. I really enjoyed the book. I don't want to give too much away, but Dumond managed to pack a surprising amount of plot into this book. That's partially because we only get to see Amy's perspective on things. I really related to some of Amy's struggles with ingrained people-pleasing southern femininity. We get so see a lot of growth from Amy in a way that feels real. I love the sense of place and community Dumond created in the book. I'm looking forward to seeing what Dumond comes up with next, given this absolutely delightful debut.

First of all this cover is adorable. Second of all this was a fun one. When Amy a semi-closeted baker gets fired from the Christian bakery it’s time to reassess, just as Charley moves into town and into her life.
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This is a story about no long pleasing everyone else but finding out what truly makes yourself happy.
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Thank you #NetGalley and #Dial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .

I found the premise of Queerly Beloved very intriguing: a semi-closeted queer woman, working at a Christian bakery in conservative Oklahoma in the days before marriage equality, takes on a side gig of being a bridesmaid-for-hire after getting outed at her job and fired. Although the concept is thought-provoking, I found the execution to be a little uneven.

What I liked:
- A sobering look at what life and love were like in the days before gay marriage was legal. As pleased as I am that we have finally reached a place where more people believe that love is love, and there is greater, if not total acceptance, it still saddens me to think that less than twenty years ago the queer community had to stand on the outside looking in as others were allowed to be legally bound to each other, and had to consider their surroundings before showing affection in public.
- Watching Amy on her journey of personal growth. Throughout most of the book she manages to be both a people-pleaser and self-centered, so it's interesting to watch her move somewhere in the middle by the end of the book.
- Amy's friends. Although most of them are fairly one-dimensional, I do love a story of found family.
- The epilogue. I love epilogues in general, but am disappointed when they take place like two weeks after the rest of the story. In this book, we get a nice long time gap, and are able to see Amy and her extended found family and get updates on their lives and loves.
- The cupcake recipe at the end. Don't miss it!

What I didn't:
- The love interest, Charley, is a completely one-dimensional character. By the end of the book we know not a bit more about her than when she and Amy first met - she's an engineer from Texas who moved to Tulsa to work in the oil and gas industry. That's it.
- This is packaged as a rom-com, but there isn't a whole lot of romance to be found. We have some insta-love (at least on Amy's part) and then there is a very long period of time when her relationship with Charley is pushed to the side. And then it comes back at the very end and everything wraps up with a happily-ever-after bow on top. It would more properly be categorized as women's or LGBTQ fiction.
- The slow pace of the first half of the book. There were a lot of weddings and that was kind of interesting but at one point I just wondered where the story was going. However, the last part of the book was beautiful and made me cry. So kudos for that.
- Overall, I think it could have used another round or two of editing. Like I said, I love the concept, I just wish the execution had been a bit cleaner.

This book also comes with some content warnings: homophobia, outing, infidelity, a reference to conversion therapy, familial estrangement, references to a parent's battle with cancer.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queerly Beloved is a tender hearted read that focuses on one woman finding herself and being true to who she is. The romance takes a bit of a backseat in this love story, so I think if you know that going in, you can enjoy this book for what it is, which is more of a “coming of age as a grown up.” story. The food and baking elements were also a plus - I really enjoyed that! I’ll be eager to hear more about this one when it releases this week.

I love the adorable rom com cover on this book, and the cute concept of a baker-turned-bridesmaid-for-hire. The tone was darker and plot heavier than I expected from the cover and description. The romance was sweet but superficial during the first quarter of the book, so I was surprised that the first love scene occurred so early. Ultimately, this book was not for me. DNF at 25%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I was drawn to this book about a queer aspiring baker who has to stay closeted while working for a conservative Christian bakery. When she gets fired, she then decides to become a bridesmaid-for-hire. We follow Amy as she begins a new relationship, and the internal struggle she feels because she wants to be open with her relationship, but still fears judgement from others in 2013 Tulsa.

I thought the idea behind this book was interesting, and something different from other rom-coms I’ve read. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into the book. It was boring, and I didn’t connect with or root for any of the characters.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book publishes May 3, 2022..

I don't know if this is just because I've had so many queer romances set around food lately, but I really liked this one.

I really enjoyed this book! Watching Amy find a way to combine her passion for all things wedding with the fact that, as a queer woman in 2013 Oklahoma, she's not afforded that right for herself was fantastic. I enjoyed the side characters, her queer family, and seeing the role they played in helping Amy figure out how to be true to herself without ever again needing to pretend she isn't exactly who she's meant to be. 4 star read! Can't wait for this author's next book!

Be still my heart i am in love! This book was so gosh darn cute I couldn't handle it! I love baking and I love lesbians (or just sapphics in general) and this book had it all. There was definitely some deeper part of this story but this is one where the ending just made my heart feel so full I was in tears. I can not wait for a physical copy and to make all of my friends read this.

This book had a lot of good components, but just didn't completely work out for me. It felt like Amy and Charley had insta-love and then that love story took a back seat while these characters found themselves quite separately. Then it tied up with a bow at the end.

Some of the story components also felt a little forced. I love a queer romance, but I think it's a tricky thing for the author to find the balance between having these characters defined by being queer only or having that be one aspect of their full personality. I think that balance was a little off here.

I think a lot of readers will really love this book! It has great food scenes, found family. and finding oneself. But it just wasn't a good overall fit for me.

Amy loves her job, but in order to keep it she can't be out as a lesbian in conservative Tulsa, Oklahoma. Set in the early 2010's where gay rights aren't nationally recognized, her boss finds out and fires her because of her '"religious beliefs." Down on her luck she meets Charley who is new to town and instantly feels a connection to each other, but when someones feelings are more passionate then the other, they take a break. Not to mention Amys' BFF gets engaged throwing a riff in their relationship. Can Amy mend fences with her best friend as well as her crush while starting a new business, without being partially in the closet.

I was really excited for this book, but it just wasn't for me. We were promised a love story about baking and weddings, but I felt like we didn't really get a ton of romance, or baking, and the wedding aspect is about her being a bridesmaid for hire which also somehow turned into wedding event planner? The plot was just a bit all over the place. Everything felt like it was just touched on and we didn't get much depth. I feel like if we could have gotten rid of one or two conflicts it could have left more room for a fuller romance arc, or more about her coming out to the community and her business adventures. For instance her fight with her best friend goes from 0-100 in 2 pages and then they don"t see each other for most of the book and then all of a sudden it needs to be wrapped up and she barely gets an apology out before he is just like 'ok I forgive you!' Same with the romance. Amy meets Charley they go on a few dates, then she says she loves you, then they break up and for the majority of the book we don't see Charley again, then it needs to be wrapped up so all of a sudden they are forgiven and they live happily ever after. If you're looking for a light romance definitely check this book out, but if you were hoping for something more substantial this might not be it.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 5/3

✨ Review ✨
This book is set in 2013-2014 Tulsa, Oklahoma following Amy, a queer baker and bartender who loves marriages...but set in a time before gay marriage was legalized. She falls in love with Charley, an engineer new to town, and we follow Amy as she sets out on a professional bridesmaid business, going from wedding to wedding in Tulsa.

Where this book nails it is in its consideration of what it could mean for a queer person to love weddings in a time before they could themselves legally get married. It asks questions about whether Amy is complicit in the system by participating in the wedding industry when it wasn't an open and equitable practice. Amy spends a lot of the time thinking about her feelings about marriage as a system, as well as about living openly as herself vs. being semi-closeted.

Where this book fell short for me was 1) the on-again-off-again relationship with Charley just wasn't enough for me to be invested in their relationship. While I'm sure it is very realistic and it certainly was sweet, it just didn't leave enough a lot to feel very fleshed out. 2) Amy spends so much time at weddings that it started to feel a little repetitive.

Overall, I loved that this featured a queer story in the "heartland" of America, outside of big East/West coast cities. I loved her family/friends in this book. I was fascinated at this idea of a paid bridesmaid who's the master problem solver and I appreciated the way this book made me think. It also had a lot of great pop culture references and set the scene of 2013-2014 queer life with lots of little details of that "moment."

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: f/f contemporary romance
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

Read this if you like:
⭕️ CAKE, baked goods, and weddings
⭕️ stories of queer found family
⭕️ stories set in the interior of the U.S. - it definitely had great Southern/Oklahoman flavor!

Thanks to Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and #netgalley for an e-copy of this book!

I loved this book. I felt that the author did a very good of describing how conflicting it can be to be partially in the closet in a super conservative location. I know some many judge Amy harshly for the way she lived her life, but honestly it's one of those that I can understand why she made the choices she did.in terms of that, especially considering how her family treated her when she came out.

That said, it is not an easy read, especially if you're someone who is also in this boat in some way. But it was accurate in describing how it might feel and I appreciate the honesty and directness of that.

I also enjoyed how Amy actually grew throughout the story. Because at first, yeah, she was a little selfish in some aspects. And not always mindful that she had to also be a listening ear as well as a speaking mouth. But she finally realized that and I think that all her relationships were that much the better for it.

While the romance was light in this, I would still classify it as one because the relationship with Charley was always there driving the plot. But so was Amy's journey of self-love and that was amazing to see. and I cheered every step of the way. This was an amazing debut and I can't wait to see more from the author.

I was given a free eARC by the publisher for an open and honest review.

Amy is a part time baker, part time bartender at the local lesbian bar. Amy is making her way in her beloved hometown and even meets a potential new love interest before being outed to her conservative christian boss and losing her main source of income. Amy scrambles to stay afout and takes on the odd job of “bridesmaid for hire”. Amy’s new life changes turn her world upside down and put a strain on each of her relationships and makes her question everything.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. Semi closeted lesbian in the middle of the bible belt sounded intriguing, but this story falls short. The plot wound up being much different than the lighthearted romcom I was expecting. In fact, the romance seemed more like a subplot, and was absent from much of the story. The setting was a little too much for me and felt VERY niche. Often stories are set in real cities and towns are done well with subtle nods and references. This book was simply too much T-Town for me.

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

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Susie Dumond & Dial Press Trade Paperback for an advance copy of this!

This will be published on May 3rd, 2022.

Taken place in the mid 2010s in Tulsa, OK where being part of the LGBTQIA+ is frown upon and Amy a baker has to remain closeted at her employer. She works at the local bakery called the Daily Bread where she goes by Amelia. While working one day a new customer comes in and turns her world upside down. She meets Charley and they hit it off immediately. After getting fired from her baking job due to the homophobic owners finding out her secret, Amy is left in a tailspin trying to figure out her next move. During her cousin's wedding, one of the guests asked Amy to be a fill in bridesmaid at her wedding. The light bulb went off on what her next job should be. Amy became a bridesmaid superwoman catering to the needs of brides on their day.

It felt that things were being thrown in for the sake of throwing in.
Examples:
Underage teen sneaking into a bar? check
Equality rally? check
Sex toys? check

Amy Amy Amy, I am also conflicted in how I feel about her. I absolutely loved her heart & loved how she gave 10000% into everything she does. I loved her hustle and she never gave up. I also was surprised at how fast Amy fell for Charley. They did not spend that much time together before she was head over heels.

I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about Charley. I'll be honest throughout most of this book, I did not like Charley. I understood where she was coming from at the end but being mysterious and wishy washy just wasn't my jam.

I did love the other relationships throughout this book. I love how close to her friends and how they have become her chosen family. I love how close to her mom she was. I also resonated with her fight with her friend. That felt the most realy in this book. I felt their pain.

I would still recommend this book as I enjoyed the different representation. Plus it really made me hungry for cupcakes and pretty much any baked goods.
For those wondering the steam is level is almost at a closed door level.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Good intentions don't excuse bad behavior. But letting that anger fester doesn't fix anything; it just poisons you."

Also just out of pure irony that I had two books in a row that referenced "My Best Friend's Wedding." No complaints from me as its one of the greatest rom coms.

Rating: 3.5

I loved this book! I went into it with exceptionally high expectations after seeing it on a Buzzfeed list of anticipated 2022 releases, and it absolutely did not disappoint. I ate this book right UP, and was honestly sad to see it end.

I think we romance readers are desperate for well-written queer romances, so finding this book was really lucky. The characters felt real but also perfectly fictional, which is my favorite combo in a book, and I was just in awe of how quickly I was able to dive into the story. I’m not sure I would classify this as a straight up (no pun intended lmao) romance - maybe something more in the realm of women’s fiction - but that didn’t put me off. I loved it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for my honest review in exchange for the e-ARC!

As per usual, I had no idea what this book was about before going into it and I have to say that I was delighted at every turn! This book offers fluffy, lesbian romance, angsty, selfish moments, and complicated feelings about being closeted and/or complicit in the cisheteronormative wedding industry. I loved Charley as Amy's safe place to land, but also her own person who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. All the heartwarming chosen family moments had me emotional (especially the Thanksgiving scene) and I loved that Amy's mother had her back through and through.

This does contain religious homophobia, a cheating ex, and brief mentions of cancer and alcoholism, so take care of yourself when reading.

I enjoyed the story, but it was hard to connect with the characters. I also didn't find the romance to be super believable as Charlie and Amy barely had time together. It was obvious that this was more about Amy's story, but I didn't find that she really grew as a character. I did enjoy the supporting characters a lot. There was also some vernacular that was used that wasn't used in 2013. Introducing yourself and telling of which pronouns were used wasn't a big thing in 2013. That wasn't big until around 2019. It felt that the author wanted to write a more contemporary story, but needed the current social climate in 2013 to create the drama in her story. It wasn't a bad novel. It's not a contemporary romance, so it shouldn't be marketed as such. But as a LGBT+ novel, I can see how it could be important and those voices need to be heard.

This look into the LGBTQ community reveals that underneath it all we all have the same fears, hopes, dreams, and desires in life.

Set in Oklahoma (part of the famed bible belt) around 2013, this story is a reflection of the lack of support the LGBTQ+ community received before marriage was legalized in 2015. There are many that do not support this community and in some cases, you could lose your job just for being gay. Amy discovers after working for 2 years in a bakery that her hard work and dedication don't mean squat to the owner and it is all about your lifestyle to her. This throws Amy into a quandary on what to do with her life and she comes up with a great solution, a professional bridesmaid. She stumbles upon this after helping resolve a few crises at a family wedding and meeting her first clients at the same wedding and it snowballs from there.

Amy struggles with her own life outside of a job including finding love. She meets Charley by chance and they seem to start up a relationship but is it what either party wants long term? I didn't get a good sense of Charley and her likes, dislikes, or much of anything else about her personality. She did feel a little flat. I will say that it did pick up in the last 20% of the book with some great advice from Regi when she asked Amy if she was showing her true self to Charley, or anyone else for that matter. I think we all get caught up in trying to be our best selves that sometimes we forget that who we are deep down is the most important person to reveal to friends and family.

Friendships abound in this community and I did appreciate how they seemed to support one another. Considering the timeframe, it isn't too surprising and I enjoyed the friendships and the interactions, especially with Joel and Damien. Amy and Joel have been best friends since they were 18 and it is nice to have that strong bonds to fall back on until you don't. I won't spoil it but it goes a lot to Amy and her insecurities with herself that cause a rift between these friends.

There is a good baseline story but it is filled with stereotypes. I also found it weird that people were using pronouns to define themselves in 2013 when that really didn't become a thing for many years later. I felt like the last 20% of the book is the best because it is when Amy starts realizing that she needs to do what is right for her and not what is expected by society.

Don't miss the cupcake recipe at the end, yum!

Overall we give this 3 paws up.