Member Reviews
This book had a lot of promise but fell short in the execution of the characters unfortunately. Not always personable this ruined my enjoy,eat of the book at times.
Something I really love about Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series is how smart and honest it is about working in the entertainment industry. Even something as simple as buckslip hierarchies are true to life details that make her books stand out. I also love her focus on found family and queer community, and in honoring people and paths that don't follow a certain type of middle class ideals of success. I really loved seeing Max come into herself in this book, and I strongly related to changing paths in Hollywood. I accidentally requested the UK and the US arcs of this book; whoops! That's how excited I was to read it.
Max can't seem to find her place, after moving to LA she never quite fell into her found queer family liked shed hoped for. Which is why after a drunk night out Max agrees to let her roommate convince her to join this self actualization app. One of Max's main goals is to "find love" and she's hoping it's with the bartender down the street.
After having loved "For Her Consideration" I was eager to jump into "At Her Service". However, I hate to admit it feel a little short for me. This turned out to be more of a self discovery journey than it was a romance as Max seemed to prioritize everything in her life above the single task that Sadie had asked her for help with.
I also wanted to love Chelsey but I felt she was so untracked always shoving her phone in Max's face and caring about the clicks and views instead of actual caring about a roomate that she seemed to genuinely want to care about in the end.
Max is stuck, in her career and her love life. She knows what she wants, but doesn't have the self-confidence to go for it and is getting tired of it.
When her influencer roommate offers her to try a new app for free. The app can potentially change her entire life, so she goes for it. But there is a catch, she needs to lay it out and document every little step.
It's a story of discovering who you are and having the guts to go for it, with a love story in between.
I like the storyline but had a hard time connecting to Max.
Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this one, including most aspects from the characters to how they and the plot developed. Would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in the genre. Taking all of this into consideration, I am giving it 4/5 stars. Can’t wait to read other works from this author.
I liked this sapphic romance. The main character was layered and I enjoyed the whole project with her roommate. It kept me on my toes. I also enjoyed seeing the main character at her job and see her dreams evolve throughout the story. I also enjoyed reading about her friendships.
I don't know if I'll remember this well in a few months, but this was a fun time overall and I'll be reading more romances by Amy Spalding.
At Her Service by Amy Spalding is a sapphic rom-com about a woman stuck in a bit of a rut. Max is 26 and works at a talent agency in L.A. When she moved from Kentucky, she thought that she'd be living the dream - an out and proud lesbian, working a great job, with a wide circle of queer friends hanging out in cool queer spaces. Maybe even a date with a hot bartender with "DiCaprio hair and a great ass"...
But L.A. hasn't exactly gone to plan. Max's job is great, but her lack of confidence is holding her back from promotion, she's lonely, and she just embarrassed herself in front of Sadie, the aforementioned hot bartender.
When Max's influencer roommate suggests that Max come on board for a sponsorship deal with a self-actualization app that claims to change your life, Max isn't convinced it'll work.... but it can't be any worse than the loneliness she feels now, right?
This was cute, and it was nice to read a contemporary rom-com featuring two women. I didn't always find Max likeable, and I didn't like some of the decisions she made (or how she treated Paige) but I was still invested enough to find out whether or not the app worked for her. I actually loved how the author handled the sponsorship deal storyline by drawing attention to how unattainable some of these products would be to a paying customer, and how the products only work if the customer puts in the effort. Too often, people are swindled by the promise of a life-changing product when, in reality, it's YOU doing the work, not the product.
I found some of the other characters a little one-dimensional, but it was still an enjoyable story and I loved the side arc about the importance of preserving historical queer spaces 🌈
I also loved this line from the author: "To anyone who's ever felt like a child cosplaying as an adult" (it's me, hi 😘)
Thank you to @onemorechapterhc for approving me to read this via Netgalley!
I received At Her Service by Amy Spalding for free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much for my advanced e-copy!
I really liked For Her Consideration so I was really looking forward to reading At Her Service! I like that both of these books give you a little taste of Hollywood, it's a really fun setting and I enjoyed seeing the sides that aren't always the most glamorous!
This was a fast paced and cute read that I absolutely flew through! I ended up reading it in one sitting and I really enjoyed seeing Max's growth as she became more self-confident and not only realised what she wants in life but also how to get it. I feel like I need the app in my life to be honest! I found a lot of her struggles very relatable, especially being a 26 year old who doesn't feel like an adult and has no idea how to get to the next stage of my career! Plus, I loved seeing some of the characters from the first book appear too, that was so fun!
I only now realized this was part of a series. It can definitely be read as a standalone as I had no idea this was a follow-up book.
This was a good contemporary romance book. It won't be making any top ratings lists for me but it wasn't bad, just nothing special really.
3.5🌟
A cute LGBTQ+ novel, based on a main character who really wants to make her goals and dreams come true. Paired with an influencer as a roommate who has a new opportunity, she is able to start taking the steps forwards and achieving the goals she wants.
A cute story, with plenty of romance, comedy and character development!
would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this awesome book
its a slow burner and sometimes feels like a therapy book but the actual storyline about max and her life is very interesting and compelling
max arrived in LA hoping to change her life around, coming out and making friends and meeting her forever partner, but she felt she sucked at it all
she has a massive crush on sadie the bar tender at her favourite bar and a job that was going nowhere right now
so after a crushing nightmare of a date with someone else she ended up agreeing to her flatmates and for 30 days her life could change...
it helped that her flat mate was an influencer and before long max did find that her life changed and with the help of the app giving her goals to maintain ...things were on the up
until....
have to say at times i felt like i was in therapy but the draw was max and sadie to see if they could work through the issues they encountered... interesting read and cant wait to see what else this author brings out
I would like to thank one more chapter for the arc of this book in exchange for a review. I really enjoyed this book the story was engaging and i could visualise the story while i was reading it. It took me a bit longer to read as i got an abcyss not long after i had started it and the whole left side of my face blew up so i couldn't read much but once that was going i managed to jump back into the book and it felt like i hadn't missed anything. I liked Sadie as a character and Billy and thought Sadie and Max made a great couple and Max was a great character plus Chelsey and Ava and the whole friendship with them.
This was an enjoyable book with great lgbqt representation. The author did a great job of making me feel as if Ibwere in LA, in the bar and with this group of friends. Disguised in the cloak of the story are some great life lessons and some points to ponder! Great job!
I absolutely loved the protagonist of the this sapphic women's fiction novel. Max is relatable and down-to-earth - and her youth manifests itself in lack of confidence and occasionally naivete, which is much more sympathetic than the flightiness and immaturity that can be so frustrating (at least for us stodgy old reader-folk) in a main character. Although I'm not particularly interested Hollywood or influencer culture - both big parts of the story's milieu - here they felt like organic parts of the characters' lives.
Although Max's romance with quirky bartender Sadie is sweet, it did not feel completely central to the book - and, especially in the beginning, it wasn't necessarily central to Max's life. Tastes may vary, but I liked that the main character was grounded enough to realize that there was more missing in her world than this particular woman. Instead, the story was about Max asserting herself and asking for more in every area of her life, owning her agency - and holding herself accountable for her mistakes.
This is all a bit mad! Max has a crush, possibly an obsession and goes all out to try and get her happy ending with a Hollywood star. The book goes between cuteness and uncertainty to Max being over the top and disassociated from reality. There is romance, and there is kindness although it is often hidden under the bizarreness of it all!
A wonderfully uplifting read… A lot of sparkle and mischief… The characters are fabulous… A very relaxing read!
Instantly wanted to read this after I read and loved For Her Consideration. Amy Spalding rights romance in such a lovely way. Such a cosy, easy read and very enjoyable!
Max Von Deron doesn’t feel comfortable in her life, like most 20 something year olds. So when her roommate Chelsey suggests trying a new self improvement app for her influencer fan base, Max agrees. She gets the courage to step up at work and ask that hot bartender Sadie out.
There’s not much to criticize about this book, besides me being uncomfortable with how supportive Max’s mom is. But that could totally be my upbringing tugging at my sleeve. It’s honestly really great for Max! The walks in nature Max and Sadie took were very sweet and felt personal. The characters were also very relatable to me as someone going through a young adult crisis lol.
This book says it’s perfect for Casey McQuiston fans and that’s a hell yes! The charm, the aesthetics, love it all!
This books has everything I want and rarely find in one place in a romcom: plus-size and queer rep, sapphic love, and influencers (what can I say, I’ve got a weird love for fiction books about influencers, mainly because it’s an industry that fascinates me). We all sorta know the drill when it comes to romcoms, but this one keeps it fresh, fun, and highly satisfying. Highly recommend for fans of Casey McQuiston and Lily Lindon!
Summary: 🫶🏼
Queer romance that's actually realistic? Sign me up!
I related to Max in so many ways that it made me think more about what I want to do in life.
I loved Max and Sadie's relationship and how it progressed throughout the book. Neither characters were perfect, and I loved it - very refreshing.
10/10 would recommend.