[arc review]
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Looking for a Sign releases June 11, 2024

2.5

This is an extremely fast-paced romance novel that is heavy-handed on astrology and star signs — if you’re naturally into that type of thing, then I think you’d probably love this one! I, however, don’t really care for it so I found the premise to be a bit silly and hard to take seriously.

Gray is based in Louisiana and is looking for her soulmate. After a highly sought out consultation from an astrologer, it’s advised that in order for her to “understand life and the signs of the universe” she must spend time with someone from every sign.
With just 6 weeks until Gray’s birthday, this extremely short timeline to go on 12 dates made everything feel rushed and forced. To me, treating the experience of finding your soulmate like a math equation takes a lot of the enjoyment out of it.

I saw the ending coming from a mile away because why else would there have been so much detail about Gray’s work in PR with Principal Taylor in addition to the dating challenge?

It was clear that the narrative aimed to be inclusive with gender-fluid characters, they/them pronouns, etc., however, something about revealing the love interest as bisexual where a plot twist would normally be placed, after having the character present as straight for most of the book, felt condescending in a way.
The delivery of Gray’s reaction and the fact that she was completely gobsmacked that Veronica could be bisexual when she has a kid from a previous relationship with a man, just didn’t sit right with me.

There were also countless instances where Gray would refer to herself and others as “obviously” queer just based on certain pieces of clothing they wore…
<i>“No longer in her business suit, Stephanie instead had her blond hair in a tight topknot and was wearing baggy, trendy clothes more suited to a skater than a corporate event planner. In this look, Gray would have clocked Stephanie as queer much more easily.”</I>
Is that not feeding into stereotypes? I’ve always believed that there’s not one definitive “look” for being queer, and trying to clock somebody’s sexual identity based on one item of clothing (i.e. a “gay leather jacket”), comes with its own set of problems.

This was so cute, but also so deep!

I went in with little expectations and this was truly such a good time. Grays character development was so thoughtful and very lovely to read.

3.75, rounded to 4

A Sapphic astrology based rom com? Don’t mind if i do.

Meet Gray:
She’s just broken up with her long term girlfriend and moved to a new state for a fresh start. Determined to find love she embarks on an astrological mission to date every single sign before her birthday.

While the synopsis of this book is great I truly found myself having a hard time completing it. At times I felt like we could use a little more information on certain things and other times I found myself going “I just read 2 straight pages on narration and for what?”
That being said I did really love Gray! Her journey into discovering herself with each of these dates make for a really interesting read!

I loved the author's first book, "Queerly Beloved," so I was pretty confident that I would love this one too--and I was right! This was a really fun, light-hearted read.

A novel themed around astrology? Sign me up!!
Rating : 4/5 Stars
As a fellow Aries, Gray’s (the main character) decisions, sometimes very impulsive, felt very similar to my own decision making. I loved how self reflective she was as she navigated through her self-made assignment. I absolutely related to her emotions as she had some great moments, and some really not great moments too. Her ability to stay positive and focused really made me love her character!
There were so many fun little tidbits about the different astrology signs. I love reading about different people’s takes on the astrology signs and the author did such an awesome job with incorporating them flawlessly into conversations.
The setting in New Orleans was so immersive, with a lot of different locations that Gray went to on her dates. I have wanted to visit New Orleans for a long time, but this book has pushed it high up on my list of places I want to visit!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book!

This was a very fun and light read and perfect for a quick "in-between" book!! I enjoyed the descriptions in the book, especially of the city itself. I recommend to those looking for a sapphic light/romcom read!

Looking for a Sign is a fun romcom where our main character, Gray, is looking for love after having broken up with her girlfriend of ten years. She goes to an astrologist for help, and based on some advice from the astrologist, she and her best friend come up with an idea: she’ll date someone from every sign in the zodiac to see how compatible she is with each one and hopefully find her soulmate in the process.
I really liked Gray as a character! (Side note, it’s a bit weird to read a book where the main character has the same name as you 🤣.) Gray comes from a traumatic religious background and is no contact with her family, and unfortunately that’s also my background. There’s this scene towards the end where Gray mentions that maybe the reason why she put so much emphasis on the cosmos fixing her love life was because as a kid she was taught that God would fix all her problems if she believed hard enough, and boy that hit way to close to home. Gray goes through a ton of character development, and by the end it felt like she was getting somewhere. I also appreciated that she was almost 30, so many queer books and just books in general feature much younger women and it’s nice to read a book about older characters.
I found the concept of the 12 different dates really interesting and fun, although it was hard to root for any of the dates even when they went well because it was obvious from the start that none of these dates were going to be the love interests.
My only gripe is that Gray calls herself a lesbian, and yet went on a date with a trans man. Here’s the thing, it’s weird and disrespectful to call yourself a lesbian and then date a trans man. It feels like you’re saying that you don’t actually see them as a man, you know? Now of course trans men and trans masc people have a long history with the lesbian community and there are absolutely trans men who are comfortable dating lesbians as they still identify with the lesbian label, but it’s a very personalized thing. A lot of trans men feel very invalidated by a lesbian hitting on them. I feel like a lighthearted romcom that didn’t address any of these things was the wrong place to bring in the complexities of lesbianism and gender identity in, especially if none of those things are going to be addressed. It also felt invalidating to me as a lesbian reading about a lesbian mc who just goes on a date with a man? So casually? And on top of that, the whole book all Gray talks about wanting is a wife and kids. A *wife*.If she wants a wife so badly why is she going on a date with a man? Idk I’m very conflicted about that part.
Anyways I really enjoyed the romance, although the third act break up had to rear its head ☹️ luckily it was resolved pretty quickly. Also I felt as though the spice was oddly written? It felt like the author wasn’t fully comfortable writing spice. Many of the scenes felt rushed, like they were put there because the author felt like spice is expected so it has to be there.
3.5/5, a fun and lighthearted romcom.

Looking For a Sign follows newly single Grey as she dives headfirst into the queer dating scene of New Orleans. Grey isn’t just dating though, she has a challenge: date each of the zodiacs in hope of finding her perfect match before her Saturn return (29th birthday). Through ups and down of this journey she also discovers love is closer and more unpredictable than anyone could imagine, and you can always build your own family with the friends who truly love you.

This book was so original. The emphasis on meaning in the zodiac, not just making a joke, was refreshing. So often that turns into a character flaw that the MC follows their horoscope, but not here! Here we have a fleshing out of the zodiac into beautiful, vibrant characters for our MC to date and have some dynamic chemistry with. I truly enjoyed meeting each of Gray’s dates and seeing how they did (or didn’t) mesh.

I especially loved the focus on chosen family. In our society today so many people choose, or are forced to choose a chosen family as their primary support system. This is especially demonstrated with Gray’s biological family being so against her being gay that Gray is pushed to go no contact for her own safety and mental health. There is a growing trend culturally for younger generations to have a friend group that spends holidays together, celebrates life’s milestones, and acts as aunts and uncles to their children, after their bio families cross boundaries or don’t accept them for who they are. Seeing this start to trickle into books more and more is reflective of this growing reality in our world, and this book does it beautifully!

What a unique concept. I love that the MC went on 12 dates and there was spice so soon. There’s still one main romance but the book’s astrology concept allowed for breaking some “rules” of the romance genre.

I thought it wrapped it up well too. At the end the MC is reminded not to put too much faith in anything except yourself. It’s a great message said by the best friend that I highlighted.

A huge improvement from the debut novel, this story had significantly stronger characters and plot. I was way more invested in every page from cover to cover. I love queer stories and Susie Dumond’s books might just become some of my favourites.

I loved this read. It was quick, quirky, fun, and cozy. Albeit, I did find Gray a little too full of herself at times to border cringe, for my taste. Overall though I’d definitely recommend this unique LGBTQ+ read for a fast paced palate cleanser.

Wasn’t connecting to the writing style. It didn’t catch my attention and i DNF’d the book because of that

Looking for a Sign was such a refreshing read! The concept of the book was unique and fun with the slow burn simmering in the background was magical. The dates in the book were fun and definitely true to the characteristics/mannerisms to the sign she was on the date with. It made me feel introspective of my relationships with different signs and how to approach them or understand them better.

This read was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Pub date: June 11, 2024

Read if you like:
-rom-coms
-found family
-dislikers to friends to lovers
-New Orleans
-astrology & zodiac signs
-dating apps & challenges
-flirty banter

Rep:
-lesbian
-pansexual
-nonbinary
-trans
-bisexual
-two moms for parents

After liking Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond, I knew I had to request this ARC. And the blurb really drew me in- single queer woman, New Orleans, astrology, and going on dates with each zodiac sign to find her most compatible match after a break up? SIGN. ME. UP. You can tell that Susie did her research on astrology. And I can’t go without saying that my hometown, New Orleans, was the perfect setting for this story. And I loved how all of the dates involved something special about the city like music, beignets, Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, king cakes, the French Quarter, the food, ghost tours, etc. 10/10 for the New Orleans vibes 👏🏻

Overall, this was just okay for me. I really wanted to love it more. It wasn’t bad and I finished it in one sitting. It was a very unique concept and was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I loved the last chapter when all of the zodiac sign dates came together, but I really wish there was more to the ending. So, I definitely say to give it a try if you like any of the things listed above.

Thank you to Susie Dumond, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest voluntary review!

#LookingForASign #NetGalley

It was the cover and the title that got me. After I read the synopsis I was so excited to read this book. I like the way it starts off but after a bit of info dumping I was a became a bit hesitant. The way our MC comes up with the idea makes it come across as a viral challenge instead of something serious. Once the dates are underway they feel rushed and superficial. I could never tell who Gray was or wasn’t connecting with because all the dates felt very similar except for the extreme cases. The only reason I guessed who she would pick was because this person kept showing up so it was obvious. I didn’t actually notice any more chemistry between them when compared to the other dates. I was also confused because at the end Gray decides to relax one of her rules for this new love interest even though that was a huge issue with her previous ex! Like, what? Overall, I’d say the story lacked the chemistry I would expect to see between two people newly dating and the story of dating every sign wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and Susie Dumond for the digital ARC! This book releases June 11, 2024.

Synopsis: Gray, after breaking up with her long-term girlfriend, moves to New Orleans for a new start. At the recommendation of a famous astrologer and her best friend (Cherry), Gray begins the quest of serial dating people from every star sign with the goal of accomplishing this before her next birthday. This story follows Gray as she navigates love, a new job and city, and tries to find her destiny.

Brief Review Summary:
- Overall Rating: 2.5 /5 (rounded down)
- Spice Rating: 2/5
- Sapphic Rating: 3/5

Review: Despite the absolutely fascinating premise of this book, I found myself really struggling to complete this book. I am normally someone who can finish two books in a day, but this one just killed my reading streak. The style of the book seems to be suffering solely due to the amount of characters in it. While it is very clear that Gray will be moving through a large cast of "love interests", it was hard to really engage with any of them. I understand the choice to have the dates all fall into the known archetypes (and stereotypes) of their star signs, but it began to feel taxing and like the love interests were shells of their astrology. Even the main love interest, who had a considerable amount of space in the book devoted to her felt tertiary to the narrative. It cannot be easy to try and navigate so many characters in only 300ish pages. I think if this book was given more time to breathe, particularly in the back half, the development of Gray and the love interest's relationship would have been more satisfying.

I am not the biggest "astroslut" out there. I'm one of those lesbians who check the horoscope when the vibes are off and that's about it. However, I did dedicate a lot of middle and high school to learning to be an astroslut. This is purely why this book intrigued me. You have a main character who doesn't really believe in this stuff, but at the encouragement of her best friend and the famous astrologer push her into these relationships. Ultimately, there is a lesson to be learned with this in the book, but I felt like it just made everything very superficial. As previously stated, I think shoving the love interests into their astrological shoe box does harm the book overall.

I know you folks like a bit of spice in your books. This is probably about a 2 out of 5 in this category. The scenes felt rushed and were lacking a bit of pizazz. They eventually began to feel repetitious.

Where I really struggled with this book was the tone. This is probably the most common complaint of mine if you look at my other reviews: I hate the overuse of millenial / zillenial humor in sapphic romances. I get it. I really do. We are a funny group of people, but the jokes and "witty" comments the characters make don't translate well on the page. I'm sure that, if given an audiobook adaptation, it'll translate much better there. I wish the writing was a bit more diverse. I found myself struggling to understand the motivations of Gray and particularly Cherry's desire to get Gray a date. She just got out of a long term relationship, let the girl breathe. Now, in defence, of Cherry a lot of actions that Gray took were incredibly selfish, but I'll let y'all discover those on your own!

Overall, this book just really fell flat and there were some lines in the book that really made me consider DNFing. I think, when it comes to handling diverse identities, there needs to be some sensitivity to the unity behind labels.

Gray has gone through a lot of changes. She’s has a new job, moved to a new city, and broke up with her girlfriend of the last ten years. A chance meeting with an infamous astrologer and warning Gray of the return of Saturn: the plant of the big life lessons. But what gray hears is its the perfect chance to find her soulmate and start living the life she always wanted. So what does she do but decide that before her birthday she will date one person from every sun sign to use the return of Saturn to find her soulmate. Let the games begin.

This was a really fun idea, some dates going better than others of course. All her sun sign dates were different in way of people and execution, but pretty quickly it felt like wasting time as the chemistry never seemed there. But the woman she does finally click with happens too late in the book and feels forced because the book is running out of time.

Overall I enjoyed the book. Our main character Gray is the fiery Aries who is impulsive and outgoing. I loved Gray and how open she is, and a close second is her partner in crime best friend Cherry, and Cherry’s adorable family. The inclusion of Cherry complete with adorable toddler and supportive husband was a great addition, and was always a good reminder for the life Gray is looking for. And while we didn’t get a lot of time with each date, they were fun and funny, including the ones that didn’t go well. All the characters were well written and unique, a great feat with there being so many. Kudos Susie Dumond

If you are down for a big idea romance give Looking for a Sign a try.

This book was a fun, light read. I appreciated the casual queerness of it and how queerness was centered and celebrated throughout the story. I also really loved how vivid the setting was. The author made great use of the New Orleans location - it was clearly a place they loved and as someone who’s never been but always wanted to, I felt entirely engrossed in the city and its atmosphere.

Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond was a really fun and funny read! I loved the love this talked about and I absolutely devoured the Astrological aspect of it. Gray is having a mid life crisis and I couldn’t feel more connected to a character! This was loving, hilarious, joyeuse and cute!! I love a sapphic love story and this was the perfect fit. The idea and plot of the story is unique but familiar which makes for a great read. I loved how much representation this held and where it led us too. I also enjoyed all of the side characters and their development. Gray explored a lot of new things that are important to do in one’s life. As well as romance and friendship, her relationship with zodiacs were very entertaining!!!

I didn't think I liked this book at first. I couldn't really get behind the characters' reasoning for the 12 astrology dates, and after the first few dates I didn't see how any of them could possibly pan out when there seemed to be too much awkwardness. Even the dates Gray went on where she slept with them, I still didn't think there was much chemistry. However, when I finally put the pieces together on who the real love interest was, I enjoyed this book a lot more. I loved the way their relationship developed, from not initially getting along, to becoming friends, and then realizing a deeper connection. I have to say I think the astrology dates, although a fun idea, were probably my least favorite thing about this book. I wanted to see more of Gray and her love interest interacting, and read more of Cherry, River, Karys, etc without the pressure and the forced date scenes constantly getting in the way. I did enjoy reading some of the dates, however, such as the one with the Disfluencer and the Scorpio date. As well, I liked that Gray was able to form connections with a few of the signs that came in handy later on. Overall, this book is a nice easy read for someone looking for something lighthearted to pass the time. 3.8/5 stars, rounded up to 4.