This was good! This was a very solid romcom and I did really enjoy the characters and the story was very enjoyable to read. I don't have a ton to say about it because I feel like it was pretty middle of the road, nothing really wrong with it but also wasn't amazing or groundbreaking.

Would still recommend as a solid romcom read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced readers copy.

There’s something about For Her Consideration that stayed on my mind even though I didn’t love the book. When I reviewed it, I rated it 3.5⭐️, and yet I never forgot Nina and Ari. Or Max. So when I realised Max would be getting her own book, I had to check it out. I’m very glad I did, since I enjoyed it a whole lot, and I now hope to read many more books by Amy Spalding.

Max feels constantly underestimated and not taken seriously, even at work where she gives her all and knows she’s appreciated. When her roommate Chelsey, an influencer, asks her to try a self-actualisation app, Max refuses at first but after a catastrophic date, decides to give it a go, even if it means sharing her feelings and awkwardness with Chelsey’s numerous followers. And finds that it’s actually helping.

Romances in which one of the MCs has a huge, unflattering secret that is bound to come out and ruin the fledgling relationship usually make me very uncomfortable. In this case however, perhaps because Max is so relatable, or because I trusted Sadie, I was actually looking forward to seeing how they would deal with the situation. It’s still not my favourite trope, but I didn’t cringe once. And I found myself reading well into the night twice in a row when I really should have been sleeping.

As in For Her Consideration, L.A. is almost a character in itself, or at least the love of one of the MCs for the city is, and reading about it makes me want to go discover all these places by myself.

Lori Prince narrates the audiobook and I’m looking forward to listening to it in the near future.

I would like to thank netgalley and Kensington Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how relatable this felt and the sense of community.

This was a cute and easy read. I loved the sense of community and the way that was written in this book.

At Her Service was marketed as a romance, however, this felt more like a book about personal growth and figuring out your life in your twenties. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, I even enjoyed reading about Max's journey, but it wasn't what I expected from this book. The romance felt more as a story on the side than that it had a lot of standing on its own and that's why it felt a bit off. The conflict between the love interests was quite stupid and I couldn't really feel the spark between them during the story.

All in all, it definitely was not a bad book at all, it was quite an enjoyable read, though you might want to go in with different expectations.

5*

I was really looking forward to At Her Service, especially since my favorite character from the first book in the series would be the main character. Max van Doren is a quirky, sweet girl, whose innocence and insecurities are highly relatable. Despite being pretty good at her job, she had goals and expectations of moving to LA, and they're not happening. That is until her influencer roommate Chelsey offers Max free access to a self-actualization app, in turn for video content. Max' starts actively working on her goals, but along the way realizes the app is crazily expensive and money DOES make the world go round.

While this book is marketed as a rom-com, I appreciated that this wasn't the main topic of the book. I loved going on this journey with Max to see how she'd improve herself and become more confident in all aspects of her life. I also appreciated the representation of queerness, without it revolving around coming-out or having a harder life. However the queer millennial struggle of "being behind" was definitely there and something very relatable.

All in all, I LOVED reading this new book by Amy Spalding and am already looking forward to the next one.

Thanks NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was so swoony and funny and lovely from start to finish. Amy has such a way of drawing the reader into the story. I couldn’t put my kindle down.

I enjoyed this sequel about the assistant from the first book well enough but did feel a bit like it didn't match my expectations. It felt a little like it started out of nowhere but I'm not sure if there was a teaser in the first book I'm forgetting about to set it up? The lead's journey from insecure, self-doubtful and isolated to more confidently taking chances to work for the life she wanted via an app that her influencer roomie has her tet was interesting and felt fresh and relatable. Also, there are a few spicy scenes but it's primarily a slow burn. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC, it came out last week so you can read it now!

I really wanted to fall in love with this book after reading the synopsis! Sadly it just didn't excite me as much as I had hoped!

Max is somewhat new to LA and has big dreams that she hasn't really put a ton of effort into until her roommate catches her off guard and convinces her to be a part of a campaign she's doing with You Point Oh. She has to get out of her comfort zone and start making strides in her life.

I really liked Max and Sadie but just felt the book fell flat. Seemed pretty predictable for the most part which was really disappointing!

I feel like the beginning was very similar to the first book in the series, but it quickly found its own voice. Max was a character that I ended up really liking even though she was very frustrating. She just has all of these thoughts that she keeps inside instead of telling anyone. The program helps her with that and I enjoyed her character arc.

I received an arc through netgalley.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 20, 2024

Loved Spalding’s last release and was excited for the opportunity to read this one! A bit of an adult coming of age—Max has goals (career and relationship) but needs to find herself and her confidence before she can reach them. With the help of an app, the algorithm gives her the jump start she has been looking for!

The author posted a sneak peak on her social media a while back that At Her Service will be masc4masc book, so that's what had me excited for this release for months. Unfortunately for me personally, Sadie didnt deliver from that point of view. Besides that, this book was awesome! I loved the character development, the interesting story, funny situations and the writing was smooth as butter. Already excited for Amy's next book!

unfortunately i didn’t love this! i did love for your consideration, but i don’t think the hollywood trope is for me. amy spalding is a great author and fleshes our characters very well, this just wasn’t the plot for me. i will definitely read her next publication.

I enjoyed this one! I read (listened) the first book in this series (For Her Consideration) and didn’t totally love it, but I really quite liked this one! It felt more realistic and relatable I suppose?

At Her Service is completely different than the other because I know most of us can see ourselves in main character Max - a reserved, big beautiful woman just trying to get by in the big city. While I personally am not gay, I surround myself in the community (friends and family), so I feel at home reading sapphic romance novels and can fully relate to her life, even if we aren’t 100% identical… she’s trying to get by, has a wishlist for how she sees her life, is in love with the bartender from the bar down the road who she knows would never reciprocate, and attempts to still date - which she’s hopeless at.

Her roommate springs a social media idea on her (being an influencer), an app to improve in all aspects of life by following their program, and she decides to take the leap.

Watching Max’s progress over the month of the app and the program and seeing her crush her goals, improving her life, friendships and relationships makes me hopeful that there could be a way for all of us to do that in real life! This book made me happy in every way - even though the angsty and dramatic bits. I completely recommend this to everyone reading this review! Such a heartfelt and heartwarming story and I think everyone needs it in their lives - 4,5-stars!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Kensington Books, and this is my honest feedback.

Absolutely loved it! For Her Consideration was one of my faves last year and this follow up did not disappoint. Funny, sexy, and totally relatable characters. So loved Max’s “self-actualization” journey. And Max and Sadie are fire together.

Max is totally over feeling stuck. She's got this cool job assisting a big-time Hollywood agent but feels like she's going nowhere. Living with a roommate who's killing it online doesn't help, especially when Max is crushing hard on Sadie, the bartender she thinks she's got zero chance with.

When her roommate hooks her up with a chance to turn her life around using a self-help app, Max is all in, even if it means her fails are broadcasted for the world to see. Things start looking up as she pushes her boundaries, but then a video goes viral for all the wrong reasons, and Max's life looks like it's about to implode.

This story's a wild ride through Max's ups and downs, packed with humor, heart, and some serious self-reflection! It's a deep dive into the messiness of growing up and finding your place, especially when you're trying to navigate the chaos of love and life in the digital age! Totally a must-read if you're into stories that feel like real life, but with way more funny moments!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC!

When Max Van Doren feels like she's not being taken seriously as a powerhouse assistant to one of the top talent agents in Hollywood, or in her life she can't help but agree to be the subject of her newest sponcon using an up & coming self-actualization app her influencer roommate is launching. Max is hopeful this will help her actually ask out her crush, the sexy bartender at Max's favorite queer bar. To Max, Sadie seems like everything she's not, impossibly cool, down to earth, and has her life together, but once she actually gets to know Sadie it seems they have more in common than just some basic chemistry.

This was a quick and easy romcom about 20-year-olds finding themselves, their place in the world, and falling in love.

I loved the romance. I truly love a Hollywood romance when it’s done right. But something I see no one talking about is the grief rep. It was PHENOMENAL! I felt so seen. So heard. So understood. And not in a cheesy way.

Max comes across as a chronic pessimist and it was rather difficult to care what happened to her. While I admire having career goals, she doesn’t seem to make any effort to progress, likely due to a lack of confidence. Max has torn herself down with the expectations she has put on herself, so any comment that can be taken as criticism or doubt, she builds it up to people having a lack of faith. She was also rude, dismissive and uncaring towards most of the people around her, who I am surprised kept putting in effort. It took an app for her to give people a chance and attempt to reach her goals, which is believable in the modern, but I find it sad.
The You Point Oh app supplied basic advice and challenges, which highlighted that people need to take baby steps to remind them of the basics. We’ve lost touch with life without our phones and an app to help us tick.
The character Chelsey is a prime example of someone who lives off the praise of the internet, making her living from promoting products sent to her. While I admire that some people can do this, it’s not the lifestyle for everyone. Chelsey was a bit pushy and lacked respect for the privacy of others, but her heart was in the right place.
At the other end of the technology scale is Sadie, who lives above her uncle's bar with an old flip phone. She is passionate about keeping her uncle’s bar and his legacy alive, but she too has her fair share of self-doubt. The difference is she has a kinder approach to most of it. I much preferred Sadie to most other characters as she came across as more real, and less superficial.
The LGBTQI+ focus in the story wasn’t in your face and is the representation the world needs, though some of the intimacy scenes felt a little too detailed for my taste. It was still nice to read and see the exploration of new relationships and learning to be comfortable with who you are in all aspects of your life. The only slightly negative comment I could make is it felt like every character was queer like we almost needed a token straight character. Still, given they have enough representation elsewhere and this was intended as a queer community-focused novel, I can certainly look over it.
I went in expecting a fast-paced, fluffy romance, so I feel I had some disappointment in that regard, but that doesn’t reflect the quality of the book. I would have preferred the story to move a little faster and get to the inevitable point a bit sooner, but I will accept that as a personal preference rather than a fault. If I were recommending this book to someone, I would ensure they know that this book is an investment of time.
This is a 3-star for me personally, though I am rounding up to a 4-star since my reasons for the 3 are personal and not a reflection of the quality.

I started this book and immediately knew it was going to be one that I couldn't put down. I found myself going back to it whenever I had even a moment of down time. The author made it easy to know and understand the main character's career without having any knowledge going in as to what it actually entails. The chemistry between the two was amazing and the whole book was definitely well written!

This is sweet read, complete with humor, angst and a window into Max, a 26 year old, and her personal growth evolution. Her roommate, Chelsea, who is a social media influencer introduces her to an app she is promoting called You point Oh! As Max identifies what she wants in her life, including Sadie, who is a bartender at a queer bar Max frequents, we get to see how her story unfolds.
The story is enjoyable and the side characters are all likable and interesting. The author weaves humorous banter along with more sensitive subjects throughout the book.

I received the book through NetGalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review and then purchased the audiobook when it was released halfway through my reading the ebook! Lori Prince does a good job with narration.