* sorry for taking so long to send review *

I really enjoyed this! I loved Nina’s character and her growth! I’m an absolute sucker for character development and this book had it! I loved the relationships! Well written and easy to follow the story, really sucked me into being invested in where Nina and Aris relationship would go! Beautiful read!

"I was taking steps toward love, after I’d told myself I couldn’t have this again. I shouldn’t have this again. But here I was, just having it. Having her."

trope: friends to lovers, celebrity romance, found family
pov: first person pov, one pov

rating: 4,75/5-Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. A bad break up, 3 years ago leads Nina Rice to isolate herself from everyone, and is now working for a talent agency from home, managing celebrity's email accounts. One of those celebrities is Ari Fox, a new actress who is on everyone's radar who requests a meeting so that the email sent by Nina could sound more like her. After meeting Ari, Nina starts to face everything that she abandoned 3 years ago, by seeing her friends again and finally having the courage to resume her dream of being a script writer.
This book was so much fun to read, I absolutely adored Nina and her evolution throughout this book. I also adored her relationship with Ari, with her group of friends and with Lorna, her aunt. Ari and Nina were so cute. I also really like the fact that Nina is plus sized, but that it wasn't a plot device or the story isn't focused on that at all.
This book is an amazing sapphic rom-com and if you're looking for a quick read this is for you. 

 rep: plus sized lesbian mc, lesbian li, sapphic relationship, lesbian and non binary side characters, sapphic side relationships.
tw: anxiety, depression

genre: Adult Romance 
#NetGalley #ForHerConsideration

[3.5 stars]

After a bad breakup, Nina Rice finds herself in a rut; she's living in her Aunt's old condo up in the suburbs and away from the hustle and bustle of LA, she drives a terrible car, her job is stagnant (but enjoyable) and she lost all her friends in the divorce. Enter: Ari Fox, an up and coming out and proud queer actress whose tipped to win the Oscar in the next year - and also change Nina's life forever.

I enjoyed this for the most part! The plot was simple but no less enjoyable and although the writing wasn't *really* my vibe, I still found myself eager to pick my Kindle up when I got a moment. I *loved* Ari. I thought she was a really interesting character and I loved that she never shied away from who she was or made herself small, no matter how often Joyce called her 'difficult' (I don't think she was difficult, I think she was just a woman trying to make a name for herself).

But some gripes that I had:

- The word 'lesbian' wasn't used nearly as much as I would have liked. Both of the protagonists were lesbians from what I understood - so why were they constantly described as 'queer'. It's maybe petty, but I wish the word lesbian was used more.
- It annoyed me how Lorna always called Nina 'Nina Louise' and Aria called her 'Nina Rice.' I'm usually a sucker for little name quirks like that (Oliver of Boyfriend Material always calling Luc 'Lucien' for example) but I just found it a bit annoying.
- The last 150 or so pages really started to drag for me, and I wish the pace was a bit quicker.

But other than that, I really enjoyed the book and would love to read more by Spalding in the future!

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

3.5 stars

For Her Consideration was a quick, fun, sapphic rom-com. I found that this was a quite easy read, and the writing felt witty and engaging.

However, I did feel like Nina, our MC, got a little tiresome with her insecurities in certain points, and I would have loved to see just a bit more of Ari than we actually did. The supporting characters were fantastic though!

After her ex breaks up with her, Nina Rice has been in a rut. She has cut off all contact with her former friends, put aside her dreams of becoming a TV screenwriter, and lives alone in her aunt's condo. Her main focus now is her job at a talent agency where she meticulously crafts emails for celebrities. When on-the-rise Ari Fox requests to see her, Nina can't help feeling attracted to the sexy confident actress. She thinks she's just lusting after the unavailable, but what if Ari is interested in her too?

We follow Nina's point of view for the entire book. I didn't miss the dual POVs that I normally prefer because both she and Ari are well developed and have their own strengths and weaknesses. When we meet her, Nina is insecure about herself and feels awkward around people in general. Her humor and feistiness shine throughout the book and I especially appreciated how Nina embraces and loves her plus size body in all its glory.

I have to say that Ari Fox is definitely charming and swoon-worthy. Her caring nature and thoughtful actions won my heart and I really loved her chemistry with Nina. Their back-and-forth flirty email exchange was one of my favorite parts and the buildup to their first kiss was amazing! The sex scenes were also great and I really wished there was more! I would definitely recommend this for those who enjoy wlw stories!

<spoiler>
Some wishful thinking:
After Nina and Ari make up with each other, I would have loved another scene of them having sex. It would have been nice to have one more steamy scene before the epilogue!

Some comments:
-When Ari is described as "difficult" by Nina's boss a few times, I felt the label didn't really make sense. It's understandable that Ari wants her emails to be written a certain way to have control of her image in the public eye. Maybe if there were more examples why she seems difficult, it would be more convincing why she is perceived that way professionally. She doesn't come across as really controlling to me (with the exception of her huge mistake in the last third of the book).

-The elusive cat Steve was a nice detail in the story. I also liked Lorna as Nina's supportive aunt. As for Nina's friends, they didn't add too much to the story for me. While they do help move the plot along, none are especially memorable. Chloe has the least amount of time in the book so I'm not sure she's really needed as a character.
</spoiler>

For Her Consideration
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 2/28/23
Author: Amy Spaulding
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Goodreads Rating: 4.06

TW ⚠️: Anxiety and depression; talk about adoption

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Nina Rice has written everything out of her life after a bad breakup. She's in her aunt's condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts. But a surprise meeting called by Ari Fox, a young actress on everyone's radar, stirs up all kinds of feelings Nina thought she'd deleted for good... Ari is sexy, out and proud, and a serious control freak, according to Nina's boss. Nina suddenly finds it less scary to revisit her abandoned life than seriously consider that Ari is flirting with her. A relationship with a movie star seems like something she'll definitely mess up--but what could be more worth the risk?

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Nina, from her POV. I tend to like the dual POV but it wasn’t missed here as Nina grows exponentially through this book so the single POV really works well for this story. The story resonates with body positive imaginary, which I love when that is incorporated. This was a really fun read for me. It really delivers a powerful message as you can do anything you set your mind to. The characters were well developed with depth, connection, emotional, showed growth, were likable, and absolutely relatable. The author’s writing style was complex, creative, thought provoking, and flowed really well. This author is a first read for me but will not be my last. I highly recommend that you pre-order this book that comes out next year, I have a feeling it will be a highly anticipated book!

3.75 stars
It’s always so refreshing to read an adult romance. I enjoyed reading from a fat queer woman who loved her body. Additionally, this is one of the few times where I’ve read a book where the hot model love interest is also masculine. I really appreciated the discussion of not feeling ambitious enough. Nina, the main character, constantly feels pushed by everyone to want more. I related so much with her feelings about her career. I loved the way they confessed their feelings to one another. I also liked that they formed a strong friendship before getting together. After the third act breakup, I started to get bored.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed the romance between Nina and Ari. Not gonna lie that 1st chapter where Nina gets her heart and self-esteem stomped on by an ex was hard. This book is part romance and part finding yourself again after being crushed. I loved reading Nina reconnect with old friends and find her own footing again.

Super cute romance, loved the body positivity, loved the "working through your feelings" vibe, and of course anything queer is a win in my book when done properly (not homophobic). Read this on plane and *thankfully* it didn't make me cry, there was a little spice, and honestly this was just a super cute quick read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this early!!

I love a celebrity romance trope. But a queer, size inclusive, with mental health representation? Sign me UP.

This delightful novel absorbed me from the moment I started reading and I couldn’t put it down. This was a fast, fun read that tackled bigger issues, while still remaining sweet and fun. The true stars of the show were the secondary characters. I love a good found family story, and these characters were wonderful to read - I wanted more!

As a plus size woman, I absolutely love when I can see myself as the lead in a romance - and Nina was just so relatable.

This book brings the story, the spice, and the representation - you’ll love it!

This was such a fun read and I really loved the storyline between Nina and Ari! I especially enjoyed reading from Nina's POV and joining her on her journey from healing from her ex gf.

Great book about queer family and how to figure out your life. Fluid writing and interesting characters.

This was a cute romance. Nina doesn’t have much direction in life and was crushed when her girlfriend sent a list of ‘problems’ to her. She devotes her time to her job and pulls away from friends. Enter Ari Fox, up and coming queer actress. Chaos ensues.

Almost every single romance book suffers from a lack of communication and sometimes it drives me crazy. I know at 65-70% through the book, a breakup will occur. I can’t wait to not have that happen in a book.

Obviously this one has a happy ending. Lots of representation here too. Overall it was a decent read even though it took me awhile to get through.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a quick, fun read with enough emotional depth to make me keep thinking about it days after finishing it. It handled the characters’ emotions with such care and I really felt like the characters’ emotions were seen as valid by the author. In addition, the emotions that were described in the book were so relatable, and for that reason alone I will be adopting this book in my curriculum. Very well done.

I adore Amy Spalding's books. She is such a smart, funny writer, and I'm thrilled to have read her adult debut. I also loved that it was a celebrity romance, as I cannot get enough of celeb-normal person romance, and I loved that it was a queer celeb romance featuring a fat heroine. The LA details were so specific and real that it made me want to visit. I also love thinking about what it would really be like to date a celebrity with all of its downsides as well as perks, which heightens the stakes of a relationship. I can't wait to read more from Amy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Queer romance is my new favorite genre, and this one was one of the good ones. Great character development, a quick but not unrealistic pace, and a satisfying ending. The main character's self-isolation & lack of communication with her dear friends was a bit unbelievable, but I loved the dynamic between her and her paramour so much I could ignore it.

Queer joy in a book. Such a cute and fun romcom. Lesbian romance with references to the L word??? Yes please!

Since a crushing breakup three years ago, Nina has written romance, friends, her dreams of scriptwriting for TV, & even L.A. Instead, she's safely out in the suburbs in her aunt's condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts, & certain that's plenty of writing-- & plot--for her life. But that changes when she meets Ari, a young actress on everyone's radar appears in her life leaving her confused... Between reconnecting with her old crew and working on a new script, a relationship with a movie star seems like something she'll definitely mess up--but what could be more worth the risk?

What I liked 👍
● the body positivity element
● I loved Ari!
● the comedy

I struggled a bit to connect with Nina but that was more of a personal issue than a reflection of the book.

💭 If you enjoy fun romances I'd recommend giving it a go as a cute easy read 💛

Finally, thanks to NetGalley & Amy Spalding for this #gifted E-Advanced Reader Copy of For Her Consideration.

A sweet romance worthy of it's own tv show or film. I loved the dialogue and there was a firm amount of angst throughout. The fighting and misunderstandings were all realistic. I do wish that the ending was stretched out a little more. This is a great book to recommend to anyone requesting queer fiction or queer romance with an HEA.

A fun romp into Hollywoodland!

This romcom is a quick read, with lovable characters. Nina and Ari are a great couple, and I definitely was cheering them on!

"I love vacation. You get to go from being like a semi-productive member of society to someone who's too lazy to drive somewhere for food. And it's encouraged."