This is the second novel in Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series.

This book is a quick and enjoyable read. Max is relatable; she has pursued her dreams, moved to the city, and secured a job, but things aren’t as smooth as she expected. Building a close circle of friends is tougher than she anticipated, which makes her journey refreshing.

After a rough day, Max embarks on a journey of self-discovery. I initially expected a simplified path with cliché lessons, but instead, I was surprised by her authentic growth, marked by self-reflection and difficult conversations. This mirrors my thoughts on Spalding's previous book, *For Her Consideration*, where realistic personal development is rewarding.

In *For Her Consideration*, I enjoyed the updates on familiar characters like Nina and Ari. Readers of the previous book will appreciate the cameo, and it doesn't detract from the story for newcomers.

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Max's life is simply... stuck. Her career doesn't seem to have a direction and the brightest part of her day is seeing Sadie, the cute barista at the bar under her flat, so when her roommate asks her to take part in a self-actualisation experiment she hesitantly accepts. What she didn't expect was for it to turn her life upside down...

Another cute sapphic romance from Amy Spalding, this book is a fresh take on what it's like to be on your twenties - what do you mean not everyone has their dream job at twenty-five?! Max's story is a more mature version of a coming of age story: she learns that it's necessary to put yourself out there if you actually want to change, and that change is not always comfortable but it is necessary. Her internal dialogue is worryingly relatable at times: "Why couldn’t I have just gotten my own shit together? Was I pathetic or was life actually kind of hard? Sometimes it felt like other people didn’t struggle as much as I did. Sometimes I felt uniquely bad at everything."

I was really rooting for the romance in this book, and if I could I might've had a physical fight with Chelsey, the roommate, for complicating things. The conflict frustrated me quite a bit but I also realise it was necessary, in part because it balances out the overall lighthearted tone of the book.

All in all, this is a great read for a lazy weekend in. You're sure to have a nice time with it if you're looking for something fluffy and positive.

Another quote I found relatable: "It wasn’t that LA wasn’t what I’d expected; it was that I was still me, even after relocating over two thousand miles away."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this story. It was hopeful and heart-warming with just the right amount of humor. I’ll definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Enjoyable and fun! Great characters that connect well with a moving plot that keeps me engaged. Worth the read. Light and easy.

I hadn’t realised before receiving an ARC of this book that it was the second book of a series. Although standalone, I hate not having the full background so I went back to read book 1, and to be honest didn’t enjoy it so much. Unfortunately, I feel the same about book 2. I struggled with how insecure Max was about everything in her life. Obviously this was the necessary set up for the story to develop, but it made her character really difficult for me to enjoy while reading - especially as a single pov book. To be constantly in her head where she’s so negative on herself, her work, her love life, her few friends and family is not something I enjoyed. I had a similar issue with Nina in book 1 so I think it’s just not the right writing and author for me. I also found really really really annoying how Sadie asks Max for help with one thing and Max just… doesn’t do it until the very end? If you’re into someone, helping them with something that’s important to them and that you’ve promised you would do should be one of your priorities.

I was so excited to continue the Out in Hollywood series and i was not let down at all. Amy Spalding once again writes such rich and interesting characters that i want to read about. The action was done really well and i enjoyed how the little side plots all interconnected. The romance aspect was really cute and i was so excited to see what would happen Max and the cute bartender. I'm hoping this series continues as every book so far has been great.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This fell very flat for me. I didn't root for Max and actually found the roommate sub-plot more interesting than Max's story. Max's continual inner monologue annoyed me. I get that she's trying to get her life in order while pining for the bartender, but please stop the whining and self-loathing. It was too much.

I DNF'd around 40%

This isn’t a book I would normally pick up but I am glad I did read this one as even a couple of weeks later I am still thinking about it I liked the characters and the storyline. This is a book I would recommend.

i received an arc of this book from netgalley - thank you so much!
i LOVED "for her consideration" so i was so excited to read this one. the author‘s writing style is super nice to read and very relatable, and i love diving into the world of talent agencies and celebrities. also, this is an adult sapphic romance with some really nice spicy scenes! 🔥
however, compared to the first book, i couldn’t really connect with the characters as well in this one. i liked the characters, but i didn‘t really care about them as much as i wanted to. i still enjoyed the story though and i think it made some very good points about being in your twenties and trying to figure out your life, which i could really relate to!

At Her Service
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Amy Spaulding

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

Synopsis: Max Van Doren has a wish list, and a great career and a girlfriend are at the top. But despite being pretty good at her job as an assistant to one of Hollywood’s fastest rising talent agents, she has no idea how to move up the ladder. And when it comes to her love life, she’s stuck in perpetual lust for an adorably perfect bartender named Sadie. Her goals are clear—and Max has everything but the self-confidence to go for them. Even her mother seems to assume she’ll be crawling home to her childhood bedroom at some point . . .

When Max’s roommate, Chelsey—an irritatingly gorgeous and self-assured influencer in plus-size and queer spaces—offers to sponsor her for a new self-actualization app, Max gives in. If she can’t run her own life, maybe an algorithm guiding her choices will help? Suddenly Max is scoring big everywhere, and her dreams are achingly close to coming true. But when one of Chelsey’s posts reveals Sadie’s part in the app’s campaign, Max is poised for heartbreak on all fronts. Tired of the sponcon life with its fake friends and endless selfies, Max realizes that to have true influence, she’ll have to find the courage to make her own, totally authentic way in the world . . .

My Thoughts: This is the second book in Out in Hollywood series, however, it could be read as a standalone. This was a cute queer romcom that I enjoyed very much. Max wants more than anything to have a great career and a girlfriend. She is currently the assistant to one of the top talent agents, is really good at her job, but makes next to nothing. Max’s own mother believes that she will come home eventually. Max’s roommate, whom she finds slightly annoying, offers to sponsor her in a new self-actualization app, Max eventually gives in. Through this app is expensive shirts, a professional gym trainer, smoothies, a dating coach, and even a life coach. When one of Chelsey’s post shows Sadie leaving the apartment, not only does it go viral, but causes Max all sort of problems. Can Max find the courage? This follows the tropes of queer romance, friends to lovers, and FMC secret.

The story is narrated in Max, through her POV. Max lacks confidence in all areas of her life, and hopes to find it through the self-actualization app. Max wants a fulfilling career, a sense of community, and a solid girlfriend. She stops by the local dive bar just to see her favorite bartender every night, whom she secretly pines after. Sadie knows what she wants, at least career wise, but has struggled with relationships. The angst, tension, push and pull of Sadie and Max is beautiful, yet frustrating at times. More than once I would yell at them to get it together. The characters were well fleshed out with depth, witty banter, chemistry, intriguing, and growth. I really loved how much both of our MCs grew during the story. The supporting characters also elevated the story to another level. The author’s writing style was complex, compelling, funny, swoony, heartwarming, and beautiful. The characters are relatable, even as someone almost 50, have aspects I can relate to.

Overall, such a cute romance that I absolutely adored. The only con is I would like to have seen more focus on their relationship, however, I think the focus on improving themselves took priority over that, and that is more than okay with me. I highly recommend this to other readers.

The messy characters are easy to cheer on, and the romance is satisfactory. It is an enjoyable read, however some parts felt predictable, and the pacing occasionally lagged.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just loved this story. I haven’t read as many book in this category as I should but if this is what awaits me, then sign me up for all the books. The characters and their journey was just lovely and I really hope to read more like this as soon as possible.

This was a really enjoyable read with a fun premise. I adored the characters and the romance within, it definitely made for an easy read!

My first novel by Amy Spalding, I really enjoyed this romance. with witty and fun characters trying to find their way in the world, and hopefully fall in love in the process. The Romance elements were good, without being OTT or unrealistic. A fun read.

I have really enjoyed this series so far. This book was really enjoyable and the perfect read on holiday.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I had mixed feelings about this read. Going into the book, I expected it to be more of a sapphic story (which it is, of sorts) but is more about the character finding herself rather than a romance book.

Saying this, the story was good and fairly short so an easy read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Very lovely continuation of this series by amy spalding! I read part one when I got it as an afterlight (illumicrate) special edition, and im so glad i got to learn about amy spalding's existence through it! She captures sapphic love stories in the best way possible, and she perfectly manages the "awkward gay" relatability with max. This story has the best relatable characters, with real life problems. I loved reading this and i recommend it to all the gays (and allies).

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review