I loved this! I was nervous because I’ve read a book with a slightly similar vibe and it was boring. But this was definitely not boring! I loved the characters and the storyline. I definitely will be picking up a copy eventually for my shelves!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 21, 2023

A sapphic celeb/normie relationship which is always fun. A bit of insta-love which I always struggle with—but this turned up and I was rooting for them both in the end, despite the 3rd act conflict/fight losing me a bit.

For Her Consideration was a cute quick read! I really enjoyed the representation within the book. Cute romance, cute found family trope.

I loved the build up to Nina and Ari! It wasn’t love at first sight, they enjoyed themselves while pining for one another and it was so good! Although I didn’t love everything about their relationship, I did enjoy it overall.

At points the choices Nina made irritated me and it just really got under my skin. I liked her most of the time but there were quite a few times where I just started to get fed up. I also didn’t love the ‘secret’ relationship, I kept feeling like the other shoe was about to fall and it was not really enjoyable.

For Her Consideration is a heart-warming story about two women in Hollywood. It was the perfect recipe for everything that I love in a romance novel.

Nina Rice is content in her office job, writing emails for the rich and famous. After a vicious breakup years ago, Nina is pretty content with her new life. That is until her new client, Ari Fox comes in and shakes things up.

I LOVE Hollywood romances. They are some of my favorite books to read for some inexplicable reason - so when I saw this one getting some buzz, I knew I wanted to read it. I think it hit everything it should have, there was just something missing that I can't put my finger on. It was missing the addicting factor that makes you want to be actively reading the book. I had a fun time with the story, but I often was picking up other books that I was having more fun with while I was reading this one.

That is not to say this is a bad book, because it isn't. It just wasn't my perfect book. There were still plenty of things I loved about the story! It was even going to be a 4 star read right up until the third act conflict!

I adored the found family aspect. The secondary characters were all so lively and had their own developed personalities. I honestly think it would be fun to have more books written about the secondary characters, especially CJ and Sofia!

I thought the chapter titles were also fun - a feature that you don't often see in books anymore! The pacing was consistent and the humor was well placed.

The thing that is really bothering me about the story was the third act conflict. You could see what was going to happen a mile away, and yet, I was still frustrated when it happened. I felt like it was a pointless argument and then 30 pages later everything was fine again! It was just minority frustrating because it was both the miscommunication trope and the third act breakup. Both of which I am not a huge fan of.

But overall, I do think this book is deserving of the hype that it has been getting. I am really excited for others to get to read it and see the truly wonderful representation. At the end of the day, It just wasn't my favorite, but that does't mean it won't be yours!

Thank you to Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review!

{3,5}

This is one of the favorite beginnings of books this year, unfortunately the final part did not reach the expectations that were created. I really liked the romance of the book and the way it was developing, but the chosen paths (the whole situation of the script) made me kind of upset, for me it was a somewhat unnecessary fight. Other conflicts could have been created in the place, which would have added more to the story. But it was still a very enjoyable read, Nina is a great character and it was very easy to get attached to her. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I want to say I LOVED the romance in this. From the very beginning, I loved the interactions between Nina and Ari and wanted to read more about them. They were cute together, and their interactions made me laugh out loud even just in the little bit that I read.

That being said, the romance was the only thing I really loved about this book. There was a lot of infodumping, some of it quite repetitive (especially about how LA is set up, how far away Nina lives from the city proper, etc.)-- there was so much information I got very overwhelmed and, in some cases, felt like getting NO information would have been more helpful. I ended up DNFing around 20% of the way through because the infodumping just got to be too much.
On the flip side, there were things that were glossed over that I really wanted more time spent on (like Nina finally hanging out with her friends she hasn't seen in 3 years-- we only get the initial reunions, and then none of the rest of the night, which would have gone a really long way to humanize Nina and all of her friends). It basically just felt like I was getting the wrong amount of information about almost everything, whether it was too much or too little.

Basically-- if you are good with heavy infodumping, definitely give this book a chance, because what little I saw of the romance was sweet and fun and funny. It just wasn't quite enough to carry me through the sheer amount of information that was dropped on me (again, some of it repeatedly). I was definitely sad about DNFing this one, because the romance itself seemed like everything I wanted it to be, it was just everything else that didn't really work for me.

This was a fun and heartwarming sapphic love story set in Hollywood. I loved the main characters, Ari and Nina so much. I especially loved Ari and how she was out and proud! It also deserves a mention how much food is in this book! I adore any books that have food in them.

I absolutely loved this book! As a Los Angeles native, I sometimes struggle with books set in LA because it's hard to capture the real vibe, but this book totally nailed it. I loved watching Nina and Ari find their way to each other and I really loved watching Nina find her way back to herself. This one was a perfect romance read from start to finish!

This has officially made the list of one of my favorite romances! Nina and Ari, and their gaggle of supporting friends/family were so well developed. It was as if they could jump off the page and easily attend your weekly brunch session. This has all the hallmarks of a cute/mildly spicy romance, but the heart of the novel is just bursting at the seams. This is truly a story of what happens in love when we are our own worst enemy, and when we allow the worst thoughts about ourselves to become our self-worth, and what happens when you see past the B.S. to the shambles of a life that you actually created for yourself. Then how you can pick up the pieces, fix up the walls, and let your chosen family help rebuild and make you stronger. All while trying not to push away or run from the love of your life, of course. This was so so so so good, and I can't wait for release day so everyone can get their hands on it!

A cute, contemporary queer rom-com!

Would I recommend it? Yes.
But is it a perfect story that always makes sense? No.

I enjoyed reading it, but I found it to be somewhat lacking in character descriptions and developement. I somtimes felt like the decisions certain characters made was rather out-of-character. And then there's some things I simply don't understand.

First of all, I do wonder the whole "ghosting all of her friends after the breakup" situation. I get that it all comes down to her insecurity in herself, but why would these friends let that happen? I'm sorry, but if no one in her so called group of friends reached out or tried to help her during that time, they're not her friends. And there was even a rumour that she was dead..? Yet no one tried to find out if that was true or not? I find that really odd. Surely a "chosen family" wouldn't just abandon her without at least trying to get in contact again?

I appreciate the fact that amongst Nina's many "flaws", her size is not one of them. I'm sick of reading books where anything but slim is an acceptable size for loving your body. Thank you!

I do think it would have been interesting if we got the occasional chapter from Ari's POV. While I can understand why Nina fancies Ari, I sometimes had a hard time seeing why the interest was reciprocated. I'll admit to being a sucker for reading multiple POVs of a situation in a romance book, as I then get to experience both of their longing for the other person. But anyways, I just wonder why someone would try to date Nina when she's described as toxic and seems to be excellent at self sabotage. Though I guess that continously being told by someone you love (Nina's ex, in this case) that you're toxic and that everything is her fault, I guess that will eventually turn out to be reality.

Having said all this, and I know the review is seemingly more critisism than praise, I would still recommend this book. It's a cute, contemporary and queer romance book and whatever it's lacking in details and questionable decisions, it makes up for in lovely little moments of yearning and love. At the end of the day, no one is perfect and we all make stupid mistakes in the game of life. This just wasn't my favourite cup of tea, although I'll admit to enjoying it still.

Such a cute and engaging romance novel <3 I really enjoyed reading from Nina's perspective and the level of growth she experience throughout the story. The build of Nina and Ari's relationship was very sweet and I was really rooting for them. I'm a sucker for an entertainment industry story and this one was really great!

This one reads very much like a YA novel and fell quite flat for me. I was kinda forcing myself to finish it, to be honest.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

🅵🅾🆁 🅷🅴🆁 🅲🅾🅽🆂🅸🅳🅴🆁🅰🆃🅸🅾🅽 ♡
Is a Sapphic love story where Nina Rice, a socially awkward talent agency ghostwriter [I can't believe this is a thing!!] who basically crawled into a hole after being shamed by a former girlfriend, meets, and falls for Ari Fox - a sexy queer actress with strong Clea DuVall/Natasha Lyonne vibes.
➕️ Nina is plus-sized. I LOVE FAT GIRL REP. WE BELONG IN ALL THE GENRES. WE DESERVE LOVE AND NOT JUST AS A KINK.
➕️ You're gonna fall in love with all her friends. And Lorna. And Lorna's friends. This book is like the best buffet of side characters I've had in a while.
➕️ FOUND FAMILY. This is climbing the charts of my favorite tropes
➕️ Queer rep. There's LOADS of it, and not just lesbians!
➕️ Character growth!!! A huge pet peeve of mine is when the MC makes the same stupid mistakes throughout the book, but no. Nina gets solid growth that was so inspiring, I briefly worked on my own resume.

This book is gonna be great for fans of Meryl Wilsner & Casey McQuiston.

Overall, I give it 4 stars.

Unfortunately this was boring, I found myself forcing me to finish it. It’s told in first person and via one POV which didn’t help because the character of that POV is annoying and reads much younger than 30 (actually this whole book reads like a YA). Definitely should have been third person with dual POV.
There was NO chemistry between the MC and LI. None!
I am surprised this isn’t a first draft or a debut. Or maybe it was because of the way the author wrote the MC as super immature that it read like a first draft?
This was my first book by this author and I doubt I’ll read another.

Also, I just want to add the word laugh, laughter and laughed are said 178 times…….

3.5

This was cute (…and spicy) but mostly I am glad that Nina got her well-needed therapy. There were a lot of moments that I had to pause my reading because I was getting such second hand embarrassment. Hated that for me.

The third-act breakup was so fucking strange though. Nina asked Ari to not do something, Ari did it anyway, and Nina responded in an unproductive manner. They spoke about it on the phone, Nina hung up, and then they just ghosted each other for like a month? Strange.

Also, Nina was a very infuriating character to read. Taylor’s list of grievances about Nina was lowkey correct, albeit inappropriately delivered, and I’m glad Nina got to hear those words. Even if it meant she went from 0-100 about everything mentioned and somehow became just as toxic in the opposite manner. Whatever, she’s getting therapy now.

This was… okay. The premise intrigued me initially but overall the writing didn’t flow and I had a hard time relating to Nina. The pacing also felt a little off

I really enjoyed this adult debut from Amy Spalding, a new-to-me author!

Nina and Ari were adorable together, both flawed in their own ways but taking a chance on love anyway because we can be works and progress AND deserving of love. I really enjoyed the group dynamic between Nina and her friends, especially the fact that they all felt like individuals. I'm always in awe of authors who can create a group of characters that interact often but DON'T feel like carbon copies of each other. It's not an easy task, and Amy handled it with ease.

I loved the representation in this story. I'm starting to read more and more books that include characters who go by they/them pronouns and they NEVER make it a big deal — because it isn't. But it does make me pause the first time the character is introduced because it really is that easy, and I think about every person who will be able to identify with that character and see themselves represented. Representation matters, and I'm proud to support art that makes it a priority.

The fat representation was also spot on. There are a few authors I adore who do this really well, including Denise Williams and Jenny Howe, and I'm happy to add Amy to that list. We don't need stories of fat women who hate themselves and their size — we need stories of women who embrace their bodies, love themselves, and exude confidence. I loved Nina learning to let go of some insecurities as she let Ari in, and it serves as proof that our partners aren't critiquing every little thing on our bodies because Ari appreciated every, single, part of Nina.

As much as I enjoyed the story, there were a few parts that just didn't hit for me, First, I find it extremely unrealistic that Nina would fall off the face of the earth for three years following her breakup with Taylor, a RUMOR that she DIED would circulate, and none of her friends would try to reach out. That doesn't make any sense to me, personally.

I was also a little confused as to why Joyce continued to call Ari a difficult client...yet we saw NO evidence of this...ever. What was the point of her saying that every time she spoke to Nina about her? It felt repetitive but with no real explanation, which in turn just made it unnecessary.

But my biggest issue was the last 25% of the book. I noticed that the romance started kind of early on in the book, which meant we'd be getting a third act breakup. This breakup, however, was reminiscent of something I might experience in high school...and not in my early thirties. Nina acted like a child, full stop. I highly doubt any 32-year-old woman would be SO infuriated that her partner shared her script idea with a friend in the industry, that she would simply hang up the phone effectively ending the relationship. There was no ACTUAL conversation about a breakup, just a phone call that went from 1-100 and then ended. Then she proceeds to, once again, ghost ALL of her friends, retreat inward, and tell herself 'well, this is what my ex said would happen and I fulfilled the prophecy!' It wasn't believable, and it was frustrating to read. WHY is she still giving any brain space to something her EX said to her over three years ago and letting it dictate her life? WHY did she react so childishly to Ari sharing her project with someone who could help her? I get that Ari did it when she specifically asked her not to, but something of that magnitude doesn't warrant the response Nina gave. It felt as though the author was unsure of how to create conflict to cause the breakup and landed on this. It actually brought the book down from five stars to four stars for me because I spent the last 25% of the book...rolling my eyes at how ridiculous it was.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it, but the last 1/4 left much to be desired.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review originally appeared on Goodreads.

The vibes!! Set in sunny LA with an amazing cast of characters that make up a wonderfully gay found family. This book is truly a celebration of queer joy in everyday life, and I really loved that. In addition to that, it’s a story about Nina finding herself and realizing what it is she wants and how she intends to get there. She may be a ticking time bomb throughout the story (and you’re waiting for her to blow up), but despite that she truly is lovable. Her relationship with Ari is wonderful, but not the only aspect to the story as we see their lives and the lives of those around them.

Objectively I have absolutely no issues with this book and it is queer perfection, but for some reason I couldn’t quite LOVE it. I do highly recommend it if you’re looking for some sapphic movie star vibes ✨Rating: 3.5 stars.

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding is a refreshing sapphic romance.

Nina and Ari are wonderful characters. And the food, oh my gosh all the food!

The story is told from Nina's POV which I think is unique as I wander what the story would of been like with alternative POV's.

There were some serious issues which made the book more relatable.

A sweet romance that I really enjoyed.

For Her Consideration was pretty cute and I loved the beginning of the book, but towards the middle it started to drag and I lose connection with the characters.