Member Reviews
I wanted to like For Her Consideration, but I found the narrative perspective to be grating and frustrating (I don’t enjoy a protagonist who is so down on herself all the time!) and the book was very overly long in my opinion.
Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
*I had access to both the e-book & audiobook of this title, and read it on audio.
This was such a cute sapphic celebrity romance, with so much emotion. I really enjoyed that even though it was a Hollywood setting, ari wasn't a massive star (yet) & everyone had "normal" industry jobs.
I loved both of our main characters, and that they were both flawed but in realistic way that didn't feel to far away and outlandish. They were so loveable, and such a great fit together.
One of my favourite parts were all the side characters, who were all so loveable. From Lorna, to the fierce friendship group all the way down to max.
I think the narrator done a really good job of the audiobook! I thought the voice for Ari went so well with the character and really helped me build her in my head, I love going for audiobooks as they help me imagine the story a little better!
I'd love to see a sequel, maybe with Chloe's story? With the little glimpses we got of Chloe's character we got, I'd definitely love more of her!
Amy Spalding had me at famous/non-famous queer romance.
Nina is a decidedly behind-the-scenes character: Her very job is to manage celebrity email accounts for a talent agency (i.e. she pretends to be each of several celebrities). Following a bad breakup, she's stowed away her aspiration of becoming a screenwriter with a happy marriage, fulfilling friendships, and a few adopted rescue dogs. Instead, she does her job, visits her great aunt, and keeps up her daily crossword streak.
But then client Ari Fox, an up and coming young actress, asks for a meeting. Ari, who just so happens to be gorgeous. And maybe, just maybe, seems interested in Nina?
There's a lot to like here, from Nina's close relationship with her aunt Lorna to her close group of friends. The pacing and conflict are frustrating at times, especially if miscommunication is a least favorite trope (as it is for me). I tried to respect Nina navigating her challenges on her own time, in the way in which she felt comfortable, but I'd have liked more on-the-page flirting/chemistry and/or Ari's point of view to balance out Nina's. Still, this was an enjoyable romance with a nice sub-focus on found family.
I liked the narration by Sophie Amoss a lot. She sounded appropriately young, but not too young, for Nina. Occasionally in conversations it was difficult to tell which character was speaking, but I think that's less to do with the narrator and more the way the dialogue was constructed in the first place. (Either I was able to rewind and figure it out or it wasn't crucial to understand -- I still recommend the audiobook.)
Appropriately finished “For Her Consideration” on Valentine’s Day 💕
🌟🌟🌟🌟
As someone that isn’t always the biggest fan of audiobooks, this one was truly an enjoyable read! Nina’s story was easy to jump into & follow along with, and I always looked forward to listening to it. I liked the chemistry she had with Ari, the actress who she meets through her job, as well as her group of friends. They play as big of a role as her romantic relationship, and some of my favorite scenes involved her interactions with them.
This was close to 5 stars, but some of the dialogue did feel a bit too scripted at times, though I fully admit that this is a personal preference. I just can’t get over when characters use someone’s full name over and over when speaking to them—it’s not organic!
Overall fun and light-hearted read, and another one with a different spin on the romance genre. It releases next week on the 21st, so if this sounds up your alley, I’d definitely recommend checking it out then.
Thanks to @netgalley and RB Media for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
A new f/f celebrity romance. Yay. The main character Nina is hard to like in the beginning. She has gone almost invisible for the last three years since the a bad breakup. She works for a talent agency managing celebrity email accounts which she can do from her condo in the suburbs of LA. She is good at her job but she wants to be a tv writer. She is called into meet a client Ari, an up and coming queer actress. Ari is said to be demanding by the agency (a couple of times) but she never appears that way in the book. Nina and Ari hit it off and go on outings together. Actually the getting to know each other is very wholesome with easy going talks. Nina in the mean time also reconnects with her core friend group. A really big deal in the story is “chosen family” but these people never reached out in three years. They even joke there was a rumor that she died. It didn’t fit the story well.
Obviously Nina and Ari become more to each other. And I like that the change is realistic and gradual. Everything is told from Nina’s POV and a lot of time you feel her anxiety and how poorly she thinks of herself. Of course she can’t change until she is ready. And the middle of the story seems to go very slowly. I did like the story over all but it has a few flaws I’ve mentioned. Ari is almost too good to be true other that her one action that causes a little drama. I enjoyed the narration by Sophie Amoss.
For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding is a F/F romantic comedy about Ari and Nina, but mostly Nina. This was a sweet romance with a bit of spice, found family and emotional/personal growth. It really had all the makings of a great book.
If you love F/F romances with wit and drama this is a good book for you. I think that for any romance lover it is a decent read. That said, this book fell a bit short for me.
Nina was not my cup of tea. She had so many issues that she really needed counseling for and it didn’t really get addressed, except for a couple of sentences where her friends tell her she needs to go and then in the epilogue. There was no character growth for her and it made the entire thing unbelievable. Nina was incredibly toxic and she straight up ghosted her friends over a breakup for 3 years….yes you read that right 3 years! Her friends are more forgiving then I am, because I would not have let her back into my life with arms wide-open and no apology. The entire drama in the book surrounded Nina having confidence issues and self-sabotaging. She never actually went to counseling during the narrative, so it didn’t make sense that she magically figured it out. I just really struggled with liking her as a character and everything that her friends saw in her was not apparent. It was like I was reading about one person and then they were telling me she was a completely different person that was truly likeable.
Plus, there was a lot of shaming people who move what the author deems too fast in relationships. It was brought up multiple times that they were not going to be “that” couple. But that all depends on the couple. Nina obviously had a lot of work she needed to do on herself before she should get married etc. That doesn’t mean it is a one-size fits all. It was just really odd how many times it was brought up.
Overall, I do not regret listening to this. The narration was great and probably what kept me going. The story just fell short in a lot of areas for me, which was disappointing because there was so much good there. 2.5 stars rounded up.
happy to share my favourite romance of 2023 (so far), as well as one of my most anticipated books of the year. amy spalding's adult debut 'for her consideration' follows 32-year-old nina, an aspiring tv writer working as a celeb email account manager & living in the la suburbs while recovering from a breakup three years prior. when a surprise meeting called by ari fox (the young, hot, very queer actress getting oscar buzz) makes nina feel things she had sworn off of after her last relationship ended, suddenly nina feels like maybe this is where her life takes a turn for the better. between rekindling lost friendships and working on a new script in her free time, a relationship with a movie star might be too far out of her league. but is seeking new love worth the risk?
this book was HOT. it was fun, it was very relatable, and i fell for both the main characters instantly. their relationship develops quickly but believably, and i really felt like we got a sense of why nina made the decisions she did. i knocked off a star for the classic third-act breakup (ugh) but aside from that, this book was a dream to read.
Wow, Nina & Ari gave me butterflies. A great story about love, making mistakes, and just figuring out life. This was the first book I have read by Amy Spalding but I’ve been convinced to read more. I was able to listen to the audiobook and k think the narrator was great as well.
As a person who leans towards going silent to lessen the risk of hurting others, I related to this book WAY TOO MUCH! I tell myself that not having me around, will be better for them. Ultimately, this book reminded me that I am worthy and deserving of my own happy ending.
The narrator was wonderful.
Trigger Warnings: Car accident, break-up, past death of a grandparent, alcohol, weed, cursing, injury, hospital, sex
Representation: Queer, Fat, Nonbinary
For Her Consideration is a queer contemporary romance about agency writer Nina Rice. Nina is still mending a broken heart out in the suburbs in her aunt’s condo working remotely. When her boss schedules a meeting with an unhappy client, Nina meets up and coming actress Ari Fox.
Ari is a serious control freak who wants her emails handled in a specific manner. In order for her to relinquish control, Ari wants to get to know Nina better. Over the course of several “sessions,” Nina and Ari become closer than coworkers ought to be, plus Nina is inspired to revisit her life from before her break-up.
Wow I really loved this book! I was a little concerned because the author’s last book was not my favorite, but this book was soo much better! This is such a great read for fans of Meryl Wilsner! I loved both main characters and Nina’s friends are amazing. They bring so much love and honesty to the story. I wish they could have been a bigger part of the story but I often wish that for the side characters!
This is a romance so obviously a third act break-up was coming but I just hate them! These two women have some serious things they needed to discuss and work through but I also so desperately wanted to pretend they were just perfect together instead. The resolution was awesome and I loved seeing flawed adult characters who were able to recognize those flaws and seek out the therapy they need! Overall, this book was great!!
I really enjoyed this audiobook. This was a light, fun listen about a Hollywood sapphic romance. There was a lot of good humor throughout the story- I found myself chuckling aloud several times. I absolutely adored Nina's friend group and the chosen family theme. Is it odd that someone would ghost their chosen family for three years? Yes, but I could suspend my disbelief because the story was so cute aside from that.
And I loved the body positivity in this book. I appreciated that this story did not include a "falling in love with my body" plot and instead she already did. Nina had a lot of insecurities but being plus size was not one of them.
Thank you RB Media, Recorded books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.
Nina has a bad breakup - her ex accusing her of being a horrible friend among other things. Nina cuts ties to her friends - and hibernates in the suburbs.
A few years later, Nina is forced out of hiding. One of her clients, Ari Fox, is not a fan of her representation. After a business meeting, something starts between them. Friendship begins - but Nina doesn't want to sully Ari.
Nina runs into her once close friend, Bianca - forcing her to rejoin her abandoned social group.
Let's not forget her comic aunt - who reminds her life is meant to be lived.
Very sweet debut.
I enjoyed the narration!
Nina has been dumped in a pretty mean way three years ago and never really recovered. Her ex had made her think that she was some evil, toxic person who didn’t deserve to be happy and Nina had believed her. Not only she swore off dating, she also ghosted all her friends.
Ari Fox, calls a meeting with Nina's talent agency and hits it off right away with her. These women are at completely different places in their lives, but can’t seem to keep away from each other with their easy banter and instant chemistry.
I love when books inspire me and have amazing supporting characters. Nina just went through a horrible breakup, after that she has been in isolation until she had to go back to work, and she meets Ari. Now THIS woman was captivating for her, not only was she famous, out, and proud, she ACTUALLY wanted to hang out with Nina, Nina was shocked that someone this amazing actually wanted to hang with her. I love how easy it was with them, even their chemistry when they were finally dating was AMAZING. Because of Ari, Nina was able to come out of her shell some more, with that came hanging out with her friends again after being away, seeing that she is not a failure and finally tapping into her real career interests. I am telling you guys aside from the romance being steamy AF between these two, this book was so much funny, heartfelt and again inspiring. Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
*I received a copy via Netgalley for my honest review*
I am reviewing the audiobook version Narrated by Sophie Amoss.
I related alot to Nina, 30s, fat, queer, Midwestern. I loved Lorna and her retirement buddies.
I felt like the romance and relationships were realistic. The miscommunication trope and no good enough trope was the main theme.
I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator, I was confused at times with who was talking. All in all it was enjoyable read.
"For Her Consideration" by Amy Spalding is a heartwarming romance novel that tackles the themes of love, identity, and self-discovery. The protagonist, Nina, is a relatable character working as an email responder. She is still recovering from a bad breakup with her ex, Taylor, and is trying to find her way back to believing in love. The introduction of Ari, a confident and out-and-proud queer actress, provides a new perspective on love and challenges Nina to see herself in a new light.
One of the novel's strengths is its representation of diverse characters and their identities. The representation of a plus-sized woman as the protagonist is refreshing, and the diverse labels of the other characters add to the wholesome feel of the story.
However, the book has some drawbacks as well. The conflict arc felt longer than necessary and could have been shorter. The mystery of what happened between Taylor and Nina was teased throughout the story, only to be revealed in the last quarter in a way that felt a bit info-dumpy.
This book is worthwhile for anyone looking for a heartwarming romance novel with diverse characters. While the book had its flaws, the protagonist Nina is likable and relatable, and the representation of diverse identities is wholesome. An alternating POV could have added a different perspective and improved the book.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing an ARC.
Thank you to Net Galley and Recorded Books for access to this ARC.
This is more of a 3.5 but rounded up. I listened to this via audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. I liked this book and I liked the characters, but at the same time Nina kept getting on my nerves. To be fair, I saw a lot of myself in how she handled issues, and it drove me crazy! Everything could’ve so easily been solved if she told her friends what happened with Taylor three years before. And the break up scene??!! I wanted to scream! They literally didn’t need to break up and it could’ve been avoided if one of them just apologized or something! I was so annoyed!!!! Aside from my frustration with the way Nina dealt with things, I had a really fun time with this book. The characters were all well written and the chemistry between them all was so great and i loved that.
For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding is an amazing celebrity romance. Just what I needed!
Nina's talent agency job is writing emails for celebrates until she's told her notes pretending to be up and coming lesbian heartthrob actress Ari Fox are not cutting it. Ari suggests she and Nina hang out so Nina can learn her communication style, and sparks fly.
I'm a sucker for celebrity romance, and this one is at the top of its game.
Many books in this sub-genre have really bad power dynamics with the older celebrity holding all the power in the relationship. I appreciated For Her Consideration made Ari younger than Nina, and while Ari is up and coming, she can still go out and not be recognized. That lessened some of the inequality between them.
This book is packed with friends and found family. I loved all of Nina's crew and can't wait for each of their books.
The story is entirely from Nina's POV, and she has many dating, life, and job fears and hang-ups. In that way it skews towards woman's fiction. The book is in first person, and Nina's way of coping with her fears got a little annoying at times, but I loved her journey. Since the book is from Nina's POV, we don't learn as much about Ari, and her issues were less clear. I still loved the book.
I listed to the audio version of For Her Consideration, read by the amazing Sophie Amoss. She's an excellent narrator, who deftly voices Nina.
Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for access to an advanced audio copy of this book.
Okay. This book did things to my heart that I had no idea I needed. Essentially, it’s a book about navigating your way through life with or without allowing other peoples opinions of you controlling how you act. We meet Nina in a really difficult moment in her life. It’s the exact moment the “love of her life” breaks up with her. Taylor gives Nina a 12 point list of all her shortcomings, and convinces her that she is the problem in every single piece of her life. Taylor tells Nina that the only reason any of her friends care for her now is that they don’t know her well enough, because once they do, they will have their lives negatively affected in the same way Taylor has. What a horrible thing to tell someone!!
The story revolves around Nina navigating her way through life, while constantly thinking she’s a ticking time bomb, that she will detonate and destroy everyone and everything she cares about. Enter a minor celebrity woman who Nina fangirls over, and we’re taken on a wild ride of self discovery, self love, and self acceptance. Add in a very suspiciously absent cat (hey Steve 😉) and you’ve got a book that is so cute it made my teeth hurt, so funny I belly laughed on multiple occasions, and just the right amount of spicy. I absolutely loved it. Queer, body positive, heartwarming, what more could you ask for?!
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions here are my own.
After a breakup from a master gaslighter, someone she thought was "the one", Nina exiled herself to a the suburbs of LA. She ghosted her pre-breakup friends and settled herself in a comfortable, easy job. Enter Ari Fox, a sultry, sexy rising celebrity who is able to unearth the Nina from days past.
Nina doubts so many aspects of herself but I loved her body positivity and self deprecating humor. "I can't have cold brew, it makes me feel like I'm on meth. Not that I've been on meth" I laughed out loud and many times found myself wanting to give her a hug.
There was such natural chemistry between Ari and Nina and their traits complemented each other beautifully. While there was meaningful commentary of LGBTQ identities and community, it was not folded into their romantic conflict.
The narrator Sophie Amoss was perfect for this read. Coincidentally, I also devoured her narration of Back to the Burbs by Avery Flynn and Tracy Wolff.
I would love an invite to brunch with this fierce framily and am left wondering if we will see more stories featuring Nina's friends. Highly recommend FOR HER CONSIDERATION to those looking for a heart-warming sapphic romance.