If there is any way to convince me to read a book, I’d to just say that it is sapphic. This was such a swoon worthy read and I love romances with a famous celebrity. I quite liked listening to the audiobook, The voice actor was very soothing.

This was heartwarming!

I laughed out loud SO many times reading this. I absolutely ADORED Lorna and would literally give anything to be able to attend a Thursday lunch with her retirement home gang. I also loved Ari's cat, Steve, who Ari claimed existed, but no one ever saw. Nina's inner dialogue had me rolling more than once as well.

Nina felt like a very real person to me, but she also infuriated me. She was the queen of self-deprecation and jumping to conclusions. I found it extremely selfish that any time the slightest thing went wrong in her life, she immediately cut everyone out and would isolate herself, regardless of what her friends were going through. For example, her best friend and her wife were going through the process of adopting a child, but due to a break up, Nina completely cut them out and 'forgot' to write a letter of recommendation for them. I would struggle to continue being friends with someone like that, but honestly, Nina's friends were one of the best parts of the story. It was refreshing to see her friends call her out for her actions and push her to go to therapy instead of just letting everything slide.

I enjoyed Nina and Ari's relationship and felt that they were good for each other. I struggled with the miscommunication trope/climax. Actually, no communication would be a better description. If you have read any of my previous reviews, you already know this is my biggest pet peeve in stories.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. This book almost felt like a conversation I was having with a friend. I loved the importance represented in this story of found family, family/friend acceptance of who you are, finding yourself, working to better yourself, and the honest discussions of how we are all human and make mistakes. Witty, funny, and full of pop culture references, this story addresses hard and meaningful topics in a fun, light-hearted, and heartwarming manner.

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!

This was such a fun read!
At first I was soooo annoyed by Nina when she kept taking Taylor's words as if it was somethign certain and then I realized this is actually such a good depiction of someone after a toxic relationship! The way she let herself be defined by what the other person said and the whole journey to get through it, just amazing. I really liked the setting, the whole atmosphere was definitely one of the best parts of he book as you felt you were right there next to the characters. I really liked all the characters, especially Lorna! It was so nice to see an older character included in Nina's life. The romance was really good too, I loved seeing them connect and get to know each other. I got a little bit of Evelyn Hugo vibes with Ari being an actress so I really liked that.
Overall I really enjoyed myself and I would recommend if you're in the mood for a nice, cute romance with Hollywood vibes.

Are you looking for a funny queer, fat-positive romance? Look no further than For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding. This book releases this February, and would be a great addition to your Valentines themed TBR.

Quick bullet points of my favorite takeaways:

1. Sapphic Novel
2. HEA
3. Fat-positive FMC
4. Fake dating trope


Strong 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 on GoodReads. The audiobook is narrated by Sophie Amos’s and is an easy listen. I was able to comfortably listen between 2-2.5x.

Thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for an advanced listen in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinion.


#ForHerConsideration #AmySpalding #netgalley #arc #bookstagram #sophiasmoss #audiobooks #RBMedia

For your consideration is a fun queer romance that features found family and healing from a toxic relationship. I enjoyed the characters and the story. Overall this is a satisfying and entertaining read, if a bit predictable.
The story is told through Nina's perspective. After being dumped, Nina internalizes all of the faults he girlfriend blames her for, thinking she is cursed to only bring pain to anyone she is close to. 3 years later, she has a chance at a new relationship, but she is still carrying all the baggage. While I was sympathetic to the character and appreciate seeing her growth it is slow in coming. As Nina is quite flawed, Ari is too good to be true. I wish we could see more of her - then perhaps she may seem more real. The two extremes make for a bit of contrived ;plot line that I could never fully buy into. If you are i the mood for a fluffy romance, set in LA with all the Hollywood glitz, this will be exactly what you would expect, but not much more. Extra points for fun Grays Anatomy allusions.

This audiobook is well done. I enjoyed the narrator who does a great job voicing Nina and making her insecurities come to life while cultivating empathy for her position.

For Her Consideration is an adult romance book about Nina Rice, a once aspiring writer who, after a very bad break up, kind of just gave up and distanced herself from everything. She is now living a monotone solitary life when one day her boss ask her to have a meeting with a client who complained about Nina's work. Enter Ari Fox, the new rising Hollywood star who is queer, single and ready to mingle.

So, how was it? Good. Great. Amazing, really. Nina is a very relatable character and I liked how her struggle with depression and self loathing is portrayed in a way that is respectful and sensible. Her relationship with Ari is something that I also very much enjoyed, specially how they get to know each other and become friends before starting a relationship together. The side characters are yet another great thing here: from Lorna, the coolest of the cool aunts, to Bianca, the sexy best friend we all wish we had; they are all amazingly well written with their expectations, hopes, dreams, issues etc. In general, I have nothing but praise when it comes to Amy Spalding's character work.

There's also the matter of how Nina's break up affected her in several ways and how she, even though still aware of her situation, cannot break from the cycle of self loathing she's fallen into. It is certainly a difficult situation to depict without falling into a stereotype but here I feel was done in a skilful respectable way.

The only thing I was not very convinced with was how the third-act conflict started, since it was a bit too out of the blue and out of character. However, I will give credit where credit is due and say that the growth that came out of the conflict was very satisfactory and heart-warming to read.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. The flirty banter between Ari and Nina was delightful to read and made me giggle at how cute they were. The portrayal of mental health struggles felt very real and relatable and at times made me want to just hug Nina and tell her everything was going to be OK <3 Highly recommended if you are looking for a heart-warming F/F adult romance between a plus-sized aspiring writer and a rising Hollywood star.

And for those of you who are wondering if ebook or audiobook on this one: The audiobook is excellent. Sophie Amos (the narrator) did an amazing job at bringing this book to life, giving the different characters their own distinct voice so you always know who is who and acting all their emotions. Not only was the narration easy to follow, but it enhanced the experience making an already lively book even livelier.

Rating 4.5 stars (rounded up).

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for providing an audiobook-ARC of For Her Consideration!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and I couldn’t be more excited.

I absolutely loved this book. Love and heartbreak. Career changes, family, friend, and life changes. LBGTQ+, Thursday Lunches and Sunday Brunches. Oh and SMUT!!!

Ari and Nina are beyond cute!!! I love the friendships that Nina has and how even after a long time of being apart her friends still have her back. How they accepted Ari into their circle without a second glance. When life changes for Nina and Ari, the friend circle made sure to keep Nina in her best state of mind.

Although the use of the “F” word makes me cringe. It’s the only curse word I think should not be used in a novel.

I can’t really sum this book up into a few words but I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a feel good book!!!

Thank you netgalley, publisher author Amy Spalding and rb mesia for the ALC in exchange for honest review. Parts felt so genuine and true and yet parts lile miscommunication makes you frustrated and want to sit both down and force them to just talk. I loved parts and didnt love parts this would make a great adaptation but the book was harder to follow with number of characters and lots of moving pieces.

3.5/5☆

I just couldn't get into this -- it didn't hold my attention, so I didn't finish reading it.


_______________________________

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main character, Nina Rice, a celebrity ghost-email writer/aspiring screenwriter has been hiding out in the LA suburbs since the love of her life broke up with her, leaving her with a broken heart and a list of her 12 worst traits. Believing she is toxic, Nina ghosts all of her friends to protect them from herself. Through the course of her work, she meets Ari Fox, an up and coming queer actor and they begin a relationship that moves from professional to friendship and then more. She slowly comes out of her self-imposed exile, reconnecting with her amazing group of friends and rekindling her writing ambitions.

I often am very frustrated by how obtuse main characters are in romance books. I suppose in the case, I can see how Nina convinced herself that a celebrity such as Ari couldn't be attracted to her. I'm not sure I bought, however, that Nina would go 3 years without speaking to such an amazing and supportive group of friends. It seems someone would have called up her aunt Lorna and showed up on her doorstep to pull her out of her stupor of self-loathing.

Overall, this was a sweet and engaging story with a diverse group of well-developed characters. I was rooting for all of them to get their happy ever afters.

Goodness this was a cute and swoony novel. The story of a queer plus sized over 30 year old dealing with trauma from a past toxic relationship. First let me say I love all of the representation in this book. I was so happy to read a romance with an 32 year old main character who doesn’t really have her life together. The LGBTQ representation is wonderful.

The relationship in this book was sweet and simple and I caught myself smiling when they started flirting and getting to know each other. I shipped the couple so fast.

I wish that our main character had more confidence in herself. I know that is part of the trope but it feels a bit overdone at this point. The book does fall into the typical romance miscommunication and misunderstanding place but I did not mind. I felt like the couple handled their problems with more grace than a lot of romance couples I have read in the past.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, spice or steam (dang those scenes we good), and behind the scenes Hollywood drama.

This ARC audiobook was kindly provided to me by RB Media and Netgalley.

This was a quick listen and I really enjoyed it.

Nina - she ghost writes celebrity email responses for her career. She works from home. Lives far out (for CA standards) from everyone. Has recently come out of a relationship feeling she'snot worthy. And has basically ghosted all her friends. She does have a standing Thursday lunch date with her great aunt Lorna (who was amazing as a character!) and that's about the extent of her social life.

She's called into a meeting (in person - GASP!) by her boss - Ari Fox, one of the celebrities she writes emails for, has a concern and they all meet.

I felt sparks flew between Nina and Ari from the start and when they meet up outside of work, and continue to meet, Nina knows she's breaking the rules but can't stop herself.

We do have a third act breakup, but I was okay with it as it prompted Nina to deal with her own internal issues, which we were aware of. Was there some lack of communication? Yes. But you understand why Nina is doing what she does and feeling how she feels.

I loved the side characters! Lorna stole the show for me. And despite Nina ghosting them, her friend group was so loving and supporting and their outings were the friend group get togethers everyone wants to have.

Many thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

3.25 stars 🌟 celebrity dating a non celebrity x queer x friends that feel like family

I really loved Ari. I'm so sad that we did not get her POV especially because she fell first, fast and hard. Nina was fun and I loved seeing her fall back into her friendship group. I found the pacing a little slow, but a this was a fun read nonetheless.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding
Audiobook ALC Review!
Pub day Feb 21 🎉

The narrator really brought these characters to life. I loved this narration and 100% recommend the audio if this book interests you at all!

Nina Rice works for a talent agency, as a ghostwriter for celebrity correspondence. Ari Fox, a queer movie star that Nina writes emails for, wants to meet Nina so that she can get a better sense of the actor's personality for believable emails. They go out for drinks which turns into dinner and more. There's spark and flirting from the start, but it's a celebrity romance--and it's queer icon ARI FOX--so Nina can't believe that Ari would truly be interested in her. More importantly, Nina's ex did a number on her, and this book is truly about her recovery from that break-up and toxic relationship.

In general, I don't love celebrity romance. But I really loved this book! Nina's internal turmoil and conflict is not easy to read, and overall she may be an unlikable heroine to many, but I really loved her and rooted for her through her journey. This was definitely a romance novel, but Nina's struggles and the focus on her felt like women's fiction, and I did not mind that at all.

Queer found family. The friend group! I loved that this book was filled with lesbian relationships. Everyone was queer!! Our heroine, Nina, really messed up with her friends in the past, but it's addressed by the end and you get a sense that none of them will let each other off the hook again. They really feel like chosen family and have a strong, supportive friendship. Hard not to love them all!

Open door steam! Not tons of it, but what we get is lovely. There's also just so much chemistry throughout, so it felt like such a sexy novel.

Flawed main characters: Nina is so ready to run at any sign of conflict, and her self-worth is so warped. Ari can be too pushy and bulldoze over her partner's wishes. But they are both so good-hearted, too. There's never too much angst and you know they will work their issues out!

I think Ari could have been just a little bit more developed. She doesn't seem like a celebrity and doesn't live a movie star lifestyle at all. But what do I know about it? Maybe they really are just like us. 🙃

Funny, clever, cute, and hot. So glad I requested and binged this audiobook.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts are my own!

This was such a great read and made you relate to Nina and want to comfort her at the same time. Witty story about our girl’s self-discovering journey. Love a book based on a confident “gordita” but my girl had other issues (lack of self-worth) and weight wasn’t the stem of it. She self-doubted herself so much as many of us do and was afraid to be happy after her ex told her. Her friends were so lovable as well, and I cheered for her and Ari through it all. Los Angeles setting and all that food added sprinkles to the cake! The narration by Sophie Amoss was just perfect! Great Book Amy Spaulding🫶🏻🙌🏻 Truly enjoyed this one!
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and RB Media for this ARC 🎧
Publishing Date: 02/21/2023

*4.25 Stars*

Nina Rice writes emails for a living. She pretty much replies to the emails celebrities must get from people who meet them reach out after. So she studies them and tries to imitate them as best as she can. But rising star Ari Fox thinks she's not doing such a great job and figures they should hang out for Nina to get to know her better and be able to reply for her better. And then, things get messy. And I didn't even mention Nina's ex and how she did a number on her...

I actually quite enjoyed this one. I listened to it on audio thanks to Netgalley and the US publisher and I had a good time. I was quite frustrated by the main character pretty often but still, it was a fun, fast read and I really liked the love interest and the MC's friends and aunt. I also liked how this was about being comfortable in our everyday life vs taking risks. This was a bit rude but I still really enjoyed it. I could related in a way.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun romance with extra depth and a great friend group.

I loved reading a story based on a bigger lady and seeing that it doesn't impact the actual story. Such a refreshing story too and I loved how dimensional the characters were and relatable too
The narrator really brought the story to live and added to the depth of the story.

Cover is beautiful too.

I have mixed feelings on this one. It was cute, and I loved the found family element and Lorna. I liked that Nina clearly learned and developed along the way, but I felt like it came a bit late. She went completely silent on her friends after just getting them back after 5 years, having learned so little the first time around. I liked Ari as a love interest, but I didn't feel like I knew her well enough by the end. One of my favorite parts was Nina's job - so interesting to think about the person responding as celebrity's to emails - and her search for career growth.

This book was just OK. I didn’t like how Nina’s weight was constantly being brought up, as well as her being toxic. Just didn’tfit the the story.