This book was a nice easy read and I enjoyed the storyline.

Gray feels like she is going through a quarter-life crisis. Gray had just recently broken up with her long time girlfriend and moved to New Orleans for a fresh start. Gray feels like due to her age she is in a rush to find someone and settle down. Gray goes to a psychic and hears that she needs to date a different person of each horoscope to figure out who her soulmate is.

The dates were fun to read and I kept longing to read about the next date and what Gray experienced with each sign. As someone who isn't big into horoscopes, it was nice to learn about the different personality types. Gray was annoying in certain aspects as some of her behaviors seemed childish. Overall, this was a nice quick read and had great LGBTQIA+ representation.

3/5 stars as I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't anything special. I do recommend if you are looking for a cute, short read.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Susie Dumond and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy pub day! This was an entertaining 3-star read. It requires some serious suspension of disbelief and ability to just let the astrology flow. The best part of this book was definitely the astrological dates, so it does live up to its premise in that regard. They are funny, cringe-y, relatable (ish), and feel like episodes of a tv show.

The 'actual' plot and relationship development was where this book struggled. The chaotic way Gray lives her life and makes choices is a lot. She is meant to be a hyper-competent PR person, which, sure. But she seems to PR her way out of everything and the multiple grand work apology gestures pushed this a bit too far for me. Also, without giving too much away, (view spoiler) is just not very consistent or believable as a character. That took a bit away from the read, even when it was pretty obvious where things were heading (to everyone except Gray, ofc).

Anyway, come for the chaos astrology dating and stay for the chaos astrology dating.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A slow, lighthearted Sapphic romance about serial dating and compatibility.

Fresh from a breakup after 10 years together, Gray has moved to New Orleans to get a fresh start on achieving the family of her dreams. With her best friend Cherry's encouragement, Gray seeks help from an astrologer which ends up with Cherry convincing Gray to date one person from each astrological sign before Gray's birthday. Meanwhile, Gray starts at a new job as a PR representative for a school whose principal (Victoria Taylor) is trying to guide the school towards more progressive and diverse policies.

The idea behind this is pretty neat. Gray goes on a date with someone from each sign to figure out her compatibility with people. But Gray operates on assumptions throughout the whole thing, and that was such a drawback. Even while discovering all the layers to Victoria, Gray still makes silly assumptions about Victoria and several of the people Gray meets. The romance is slow-burn and there's barely a hint of spice (both of which I'm good with). I liked Cherry and her son. I like that Victoria is a single mom working to support her vision for the school. The last chapter was cute.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

Extremely cute!

I loved the idea of looking for a life partner among all the zodiac signs.
From the start, it was almost clear who the love interest is going to be but I did wish that she showed more compassion toward Gray.

Nevertheless it was really enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of this book was so fun! I’m not super into astrology, so I liked learning more about the different signs and characteristics. I enjoyed reading each of the dates. Although I’m sad that my sign (Cancer) ended up being the Disney influencer. At least that date was memorable…

I loved the New Orleans setting! It’s one of my favorite places, so that will also give a book extra points from me. I also really liked the friendships that came out of some of the failed dates and her long time friendship with Cherry (and her family).

Overall, I liked but didn’t love this book. I thought the main character, Gray, was immature. Although, I think that’s probably accurate with her religious upbringing and then dating the same person for almost her entire 20s, but still…being almost 30 and still thinking there’s such a thing as perfect relationship/family seems a little naïve.

I also wish there had been an epilogue, but the bonuses at the end were a fun addition!

Title: Looking For a Sign by Susie Dumond
Publication Date- 06/11/24
Publisher- Random House
Overall Rating- 4.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

NGL this was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I enjoy reading about astrology, however I find that at times it can be somewhat superficial. In Looking for a Sign you meet a cast of various characters all with unique backgrounds. This is a queer romance so we get to see a lot of different types of relationships and interactions which I find very important. I enjoyed the humor but I wouldn’t say it was the strongest point of the book. The biggest theme that stood out to me was the personal development of the main character. We watch her grow and shape in a lot of different ways, by the end of the book she almost feels like a friend. The development of the main character and her relationships with people expand in a realistic way, that I really appreciated.

If you’re looking for a silly and fun queer romance, with good character development, found family and realistic characters you don’t want to miss this one.

i have mixed feelings about this one because i loooove the premise and the astrology/zodiac theme, but the romance was kind of average

what i liked:
- the romance is slow, sweet, and sincere
- the unconditional love and found family between friends
- new orleans dating adventures are so fun!
- all the fun goodies at the end! so cute and much preferred over an epilogue when veronica and grays story was perfectly wrapped up as is
- felt like

what i disliked:
- the dates ended up feeling like side quests and not really a bigger piece of the story
- similarly, the different side plots just felt too disjointede from gray’s central story - they all come to a head at the end but it felt too late to be impactful
- felt like veronica and gray lacked chemistry throughout the story (i could tell where it was going from the start, and the ending was still satisfying)

would recommend if you’re looking for a sweet, fluffy read!

thank you netgalley and random house for a copy of this arc!

i really did not enjoy this book and was unable to finish it. i don't like the way the lgnt stereotypes play out throughout this book and it was disappointing bc i was looking forward to this.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but right off the bat, seeing the MC say she identifies as a lesbian but will date "any gender" except cis men turned me off from enjoying it. Lesbians do date nonbinary people, but they don't date men, regardless of whether they're trans or not, Othering trans men like this felt extremely transphobic. I would've loved the book if Gray had just been bisexual instead of a lesbian.

Thank you to Dial Press for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

After a breakup, Gray wonders what it will take to settle down and start a family. So her best friend Cherry recommends she see Madame Nouvelle Lune, an astrologer. And after their consultation, Gray determines to date one person from each sign of the Zodiac to determine who she is compatible with and help her on a quest to a soul mate. And she only has a few weeks to pull this off before her 29th birthday.

I really enjoyed the way in which this romance brought in astrology and signs. And I found I learned from it, as I haven't really followed astrology much. But for me, I loved even more a part that wasn't clear from the synopsis -- Books!

Through her work, Gray fights against banned books and for education and inclusion. There were some absolutely beautiful book quotes with art descriptions. I want them for my walls and would snap up accompanying art in a heartbeat.

I found the many possible love interests fascinating and easier to keep track of than I had worried they would be. And I really enjoyed Gray's relationship with Cherry and with Cherry's toddler son.

This was such a great read for Pride month, and I recommend it for any time of the year.

i am never going to turn a queer book away but this one just fell a bit flat to me. overall it was a fun queer beach read!

Gray's entire life is being thrown upside down and there may be a cosmic reason why. She's left her partner of ten years and moved from Tulsa to New Orleans, where she finds herself living in a spare room above her best friend Cherry, her husband Robbie, and baby River's garage and working a totally new PR job for a local private school.

To help Gray make sense of what's happening to her, Cherry suggests she see a famous but very private astrologer named Madame Nouvelle Lune. Gray learns that she's at the tail end of her Saturn return--a cosmic transit that happens approximately every 29 years that signals big changes and life lessons.

Desperate for a love and family of her own, and maybe (definitely) misconstruing her astrologer's advice, Gray sets off to go on a date with each sign before her 29th birthday, certain that her destiny is written in the stars. But Gray soon learns that nothing as lovely and complicated as love is predestined, and who she's been looking for may have just been there this whole time.

I can forgive a lot of things about this book: I can forgive the fact they used sun signs as a basis for compatability rather than Venus signs/other relevant placements. I can forgive the fact that the dates with each sign were a formulaic. I can even forgive the fact that who Gray ends up with is highly predictable.

But I cannot forgive the fact that Gray and her love interest have zero chemistry and pursuing a relationship with Gray seems completely out of character for practical/ethical reasons on the LI's behalf, which is what bumps what would be a sweet 4 star read for me down to 3. If romance is your jam, though, give it a try. Just because it's not for me doesn't mean it may not be for you.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

3.5 stars!

A book for all those folks who say they like zodiac signs for the memes, who meet a friend who takes the zodiac very seriously and sends them down a rabbit hole! This book felt so fun for me specifically, as an April Aries woman who recently had my Saturn return, just like Gray!!

28-year old Gray is re-evaluating her life in the wake of a breakup and subsequent move to a new city. She had been with only her girlfriend for the last 10 years, and now has no clue who or what she is meant for- enter astrologer Madame Nouvelle Lune. Through a slight misinterpretation of advice, Gray decides to embark, with the helpful advice (truly helpful for those who don't know the zodiac stereotypes!!) of her best friend Cherry, to go on a date with someone of every sign to see who she is most compatible with!! (Hint- I knew it wasn't going to be the Cancer or the Capricorn)

This was a cute little exploration of the zodiac signs- with a bit of a real romance story and a story of self-discovery mixed in. With the emphasis on the zodiac aspect, I feel like that took center stage and we didn't get to feel the real romance take as strong of a precedent as I would have liked. HOWEVER, the zodiac side of it was really fun and I would love this as like a netflix dating show!!

Thank you so much to Susie Dumond and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited about this book mainly because of the astrology aspect, which did not disappoint! I loved learning about the different zodiac signs especially when related to finding a romantic partner. The main character Gray, was true to her sign Aries: typically impulsive, which was a main frustration point because she hardly ever thought anything through before making a decision. I really wanted to root for Gray and feel like she had her moments of intellect, determination, and kindness, but her flaws unfortunately overshadowed the good in my opinion. She proved to be very naive and immature when it came to love and being on her own. I think she could have developed more as a character if the plot wasn’t so focused on the rushed zodiac sign date challenge. After just getting out of a 10 year relationship, Gray should have taken a year or even two to figure out who is and what she wants outside of her old relationship. These things take time, and having Gray immediately rush into dating, did not help her cause.

Because there were so many dates and people to keep track of, it was hard to feel connected to any of them, even Veronica, because of the sense of distance and limited time. Some of the dates Gray went on seemed to have more chemistry at times than even her main love interest. The first date had some of the most spice out of them all, and things kind of just fizzled out after that. Veronica was very off putting from the beginning, and it was very hard to make that change and have her be the one we are supposedly rooting for. Yes she does eventually warm up, but it’s like just as we get to like her, the book ends. There was simply not enough time for her to grow and for us the reader to like her enough, especially with the kind of attitude and personality that she started off with.

But some of my favorite aspects of the book come from the side characters. Cherry is such a great best friend and everything you would want as an unwavering support system. Her and Robbie’s relationship was real, hilarious at times, and a great example of the family that Gray is striving for. River is SO unbelievably adorable, especially how he calls Gray, Aunt Gay. Veronica’s daughter Karys is also so sweet and kind, and has a great head on her shoulders.

The author addressed some important topics such as race, gender, sexual identity, and stereotypes which was appreciated. That being said though, it came off as too much, too soon, and as a result, the book as a whole became underdeveloped, rushed, and could have benefited with less is more. For a quick, fun, and astrological learning experience, I don’t regret the read, just would have liked everything to develop a little more, to truly recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy for review!

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of queer romance and I think they are some of the best books. I’ve read in recent years.. Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond is like a starter queer romance. I didn’t love all of the characters, especially the main love interest and I’m not a huge astronomy girly so I wasn’t really into that.
Positives- it was a fun and original book. I really liked the friendships and the structure of this book.

Thank you #Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I didn’t care for the main character at all, nor did I care to stick around and see if she had any character growth. Additionally, based on other reviews I read, this book does not seem to align with my values and therefore I won’t be reading more of it.

I thought this was a really fun book with extremely likeable characters. I appreciated the diversity of the characters and the LGBTQ representation. I loved following the main character on her quest for love, and dealing with other life hurdles along the way. The book lost me a bit towards the end, as it seemed like the main character underwent drastic changes with little catalyst. I also wasn't a huge fan of the endgame romance, and didn't see them as very compatible. Altogether a fun book, but it lost steam for me towards the end.

As an astrology crazy person myself, I loved this book and the premise of it. Much like Dumond's debut, a lot of the plot had to do with Gray having a journey of self-discovery and reflection and realizing why she did or reacted the way she did in certain situations. Reading about the highs and lows of all the dates were hilarious and also inspiring. I would recommend this for any astrology and Sapphic lover, even if Saturn isn't headed back to the spot it was when they were born.

*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

YES! This was such a fun book. The premise has me interested from the get-go, and I stayed engaged because of the characters, hilarious situations, and Gray's determined quest to find love. I really liked how each date was presented as an over-the-top caricature of their zodiac sign. It walked the border between believable and stereotypical so perfectly, and as a result had me cringing, laughing, awe-ing, and generally just fully feeling all of the emotions the author was trying to convey.

Gray's character development was really wonderful as well, she definitely grew as a person throughout the book which is exactly what I wanted to see from her. As she dates each zodiac sign from youngest to oldest, you can actually see her grow and mature as well. While this is a romance book, it doesn't necessarily progress in the way we usually see romance books progress too, so it felt fresh and new.

Overall, I think was a really great read and I highly recommend it!

I’m not a huge astrology girlie, but this was a fun book!

I liked the NOLA setting, and I did like the characters, although I could not really connect with the characters.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of romance and astrology.