Whats a girl yo do when being freshly dumped and looking for her new perfect match but to go on dates with people based off of their astrological sign. Gray has just gotten out of a relationship with her long time partner and decides to move to New Orleans for a new job. Gray is determined to find her soulmate and finally get the family she's always wanted... the only problem is that going back to dating after being in a long time relationship isn't so easy. Gray visits an iconic astrologer with her best friend, and they come up with a plan: Gray will go on dates with people from each of the zodiac signs to see how compatible she is with them. While trying to find the perfect partner she is also dealing with a new job, the dating scene, and trying to find if the stars align for her. While this sounded like a cute read it just fell so completely flat for me. I love queer rom coms and this sounded like so much fun, however the execution of the actual book felt lackluster at best. I really didn't find myself all that invested in Gray's dates, and thats the whole point of the the story, to get to know Gray's fun rom com shenanigans. Instead of feeling like I was having a fun time I felt like the date that just couldn't escape the dinner table and was counting down the seconds until the bill could come. The romance interest for Gray didn't even really feel like a romance interest. Sadly this one was a miss from me, however if you want a sapphic rom com then give it a go, maybe you'll have better luck with it than I did.

Release Date: June 11, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me access to the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I overall enjoyed this book, I have to say I struggled with liking the main character at first. She eventually ended up growing on me, but it took me a minute. I also predicted who the love interest would end up being as soon as they were introduced. It was overall a little predictable to me, and the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. But I thought the premise of the book and the supporting characters were phenomenal. Overall it's a cute little queer romance.

I wasn't sure if I would like this one as someone who really doesn't care much at all for the zodiac, but I loved Queerly Beloved so I wanted to give this a chance and I'm always looking for good sapphic books!

And I did indeed really like this! There's obviously a lot of zodiac talk and some stereotyping of certain signs but not in a way that ever felt super negative. And I thought it was really interesting how we saw Gray date so many different people but could still feel that thread of a relationship from who she ends up with. I didn't ever feel like the main romance got overshadowed by the dates and just really liked the evolution of their relationship.

The third act breakup was honestly a bit annoying - I don't know that {name redacted for spoilery reasons} groveled nearly enough after their blow up fight where she said some pretty awful things.

But other than that, I really enjoyed it! Thank you to Dial Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Can astrology point the way to true love? That's what Gray is hoping. She's just out of a long relationship and she's moved to New Orleans where she's decided to go on dates with someone born under each astrological sign to see what works. That adds a fun twist to this sapphic rom com- I liked learned admittedly cliched tidbits about the sign. What I enjoyed even more were the dates, not just for the dates but also for the locale. I've never been to New Orleans so this adds to my motivation to visit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun, light read.

Thank you to PRH and PRH Audio for free copies of Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond. This one is a great read for Pride month and is much more than the astrology theme that is woven into the story. A few thoughts for this fun sapphic read

1. I loved how many diverse identities and themes on sexuality and gender are woven into the story without the book ever feeling overly complicated to follow and never at once feeling like it was "preaching" to a reader about identity. Instead Dumond weaves identities into Gray's romantic explorations in a way that honors all identities, places them nicely in the queer dating world in a way that felt real and natural and all ways of experiencing attraction are valuable and important to write about.

2. I thought the astrology structure, though at times a bit repetitive, was a great way to organize a romance that was also a lot about self exploration and growth. It was fun instead of cheesy or overly fluffy and I found it gave a nice ways to share Gray's story. I also learned a bit, I don't know much about stars and signs.

3. I liked that the story had romance themes but also really leaned into self exploration and also offered thoughtfully devleoped secondary characters, none of Gray's dates/matches felt like stereotypes and instead were interesting characters with a strong voice. I appreciated that Dumond made the effort to create each character with depth!

A recommended read for romance readers and for those seeking spaces to celebrate queer and inclusive identities in books!

A charming book that was a fairly quick read.

I think that the astrology idea could have easily pushed this into too much but it was the perfect amount of depth and fun rather than leaning too much either way. I generally don't pick up books where the entire plot is someone trying to fall in love (it gets a bit too self-indulgent for me), but there is more than enough other life moments and growth to keep this book from being just another romance. Although we meet so many people in this book, it never got overwhelming and they all felt fully developed and real. I also appreciate that many of the problems the MC had weren't just magically fixed - she had to work on them and herself to resolve them.

I think this is a perfect pride month read as well as for anyone who is looking for a sapphic read - this one is fairly full of fluff but there are a few moments of depth to keep from getting too sweet.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Looking for a Sign follows newly single Gray as she embarks on a quest to date one person from each astrological sign in an attempt to find her soulmate.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical of the astrology element of this read. That kind of thing can often come off as incredibly cheesy, and I was worried that might ruin my suspension of disbelief. While it definitely did have a bit of cheese, I ended up finding this book quite charming. Gray, like all flawed romantic leads, is a bit of a nuisance, but I did enjoy her journey over the course of this book. Getting to see so many individual dates was a fun time, and I do think this book stuck the landing (perhaps with a slight wobble) with her overall arc.

I'm not sure this will be everyone's cup of tea -- it's got limited spice, and it approaches some conversations on queerness from an incredibly privileged white lens -- but I do think it's a pretty solid and cute read that will satisfy many romance readers.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Gray Young has always known that she wants to find her dream wife and raise a big, loud family. When Gray finds that her partner isn’t interested in that, she ends her decade long relationship and moves to New Orleans to start over. At the insistence of her best friend Cherry, she visits a renowned local psychic who tells her she’s entering her Saturn return, a major turning point and a time of change, which can lead her to her soulmate. She encourages Gray to explore the zodiac and find her perfect sign. Gray and Cherry come up with an idea — a zodiac dating challenge. Gray will date one of each sign to see how she vibes with them and hopefully find out what sign she’s destined to be with. With her 29th birthday and Saturn return looming, Gray tries to balance her dating quest with a new job and a tough new boss. As she moves through the zodiac and her birthday closes in, Gray learns about the signs but also about herself, what her future really holds, and that love is always where you least expect to find it.

Looking for a Sign is a fun rom-com that, obviously, very heavily centers on astrology. If you’re not well versed in astrology the author really walks you through each sign, which can be a little heavy-handed and repetitive at times. The author works to represent a wide spectrum of identities in Gray’s twelve dates, and does so pretty successfully. The character’s feel well flushed out, even the dates we only see briefly. She also does a great job exploring Gray’s religious trauma and how that informs her choices as an adult. Things felt a little stereotypical and clunky at times, but overall this was a really fun read that I was invested in finishing.

If you love queer romcoms, astrology, and/or the south, this one’s for you!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review!</i>

happy pride month! this sapphic book was filled with such a fun concept for astrology lovers everywhere!

the story follows Gray, who decides to go on a date with each member of the zodiac, trying to find her soulmate. this book was very inclusive and had great representation. i loved the bond between Gray and her best friend since childhood, Cherry. this story was funny and lighthearted at certain points, but also really addressed big, emotional topics members of the lgbtqia+ community experience, such as coming out to their family and acceptance to be who they are. i felt that this book was not strictly romance, but also about self-discovery and friendship.

i enjoyed the romance in this story and the way that Gray discovered herself. there were some really funny moments where the author kind of played at the stereotypes each zodiac sign has and it was entertaining to see the way each date went.

River was so precious! loved him as a lil side character and Veronica and Karys were cute additions as well. :)

i really enjoyed this story!!

After ending a ten-year relationship, relocating to New Orleans, and starting a new job, Gray is ready to meet her soulmate - but she has no idea how. After a visit to an astrologer, she decides to date one person from each astrological sign (mostly, but not all, women) in the six weeks before her twenty-ninth birthday. Over the course of those twelve dates, she learns about romantic etiquette, her new city, and the type of partner she's looking for - but will she meet The One before her birthday marks the life-defining Saturn Return?

There was so much to love about this story. The idea of dating one person from each sign was really cute, and each date was memorable and interesting to read about. I loved watching Gray's life in New Orleans come together as she became more comfortable in her job and got to know more people through her dating adventures. I also enjoyed the subplot of Gray's relationship with her best friend, Cherry, as it was challenged by their different life trajectories.

The one thing I didn't like was Gray's single-minded focus on the date-the-zodiac project. It's undertaken as a lark, but Gray gets weirdly serious about it for reasons that seem to have something to do with her religious upbringing as well as the sense that she's "falling behind". I wasn't expecting that, and I found it a frustrating development in the otherwise level-headed protagonist.

The premise is fun. Gray Young has moved to New Orleans after a break up with her long term girlfriend. She is living in an apartment garage of lifelong best-friend Cherryand is starting a new PR manager job at an expensive private school. Consulting an astrologer it sets her off a challenge to someone in each astrological sign looking for magical compatibility. She is ready to settle down and start her own family.

The book is marketed as romance but to me it is more general (women’s) fiction because so much time is spent on the dates that aren’t moving the romance further. Some of the dates are fun with good friends vibes, another is downright funny. For someone who has been monogamous for a decade she gets her groove on with a few dates too. Her best friend Cherry is great as cheerleader and sounding board. The overall tone is light and fun. And I like that Gray is very good at her job and New Orleans being the setting.

You can tell early on who the eventual love interest will be and I like that storyline as well. And Gray does learn some from her dating. But it all comes to a head very quickly and then finishes. At the 90 percent point Gray is still wanting her fantasy future and that isn’t what her love interest wants. So while I really want them together I’m not sure I believed in their potential HEA. It really could have used more conversations at the end or an epilogue. The ending dropped my rating.

I enjoyed Susie Dumond’s previous book, ‘Queery Beloved’ (May 2022) and will look forward to what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review. (3.5 Stars)

This had so many fun astrology elements that I loved, and the dynamic between Gray & Veronica was so lovely. I struggled with watching Gray be with so many other people that weren’t Veronica but the slow burn was for sure worth it. Definitely a good one for lovers of hate at first sight, enemies to friend to lovers, the straight friend who’s not actually straight etc.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I previously tried Susie Dumond’s debut, but struggled to get into it. But I was willing to try her work again, and Looking for a Sign was a lot easier to get into! While I’m not the biggest astrology buff, I like the concept of it, and I loved how the book got really into it without making it too intimidating for those who don’t know it. And the premise is so fun, going out with someone from each sign to see how you click with them.
Gray as a character is fairly relatable. She’s 29, and still trying to get her life together. The way it also ties into the concept of the Saturn Return (a concept I didn’t know about until I listened to Ariana Grande’s new album) is fairly cool, and goes against the notion that women have to have everything figured out by their mid-to-late twenties.
The book also has a great sense of both found-family and community. Throughout the book, Gray’s strongest bond is with her best friends, Cherry and Robbie, and those bonds outshined any of the prospective romantic prospects in my opinion. But I’m also glad that the book did not try to push for a “friends to lovers” angle, as platonic bonds are just as important.
I liked all the romantic misadventures, my “favorite” mishap being the lesbian Republican, if only for the conversation it inspired among the group about the irony of it all. The format of Gray going out with numerous people meant that the endgame love interest ended up getting the short shrift, and while I didn’t mind them together, I didn’t overwhelmingly love any one person for her over any other.
While it didn’t quite fulfill my expectations in the romance department, I can’t hold that against it too much, given that the premise made that likely. While I would recommend it to genre romance readers, I’d caution them that while there’s the broad genre specifications of the genre (romance conceptually as a central driver of the story + a happy ending), but with the caveat that the love interest doesn’t play as big a role in that.

"Looking for a Sign" is the fun summer rom-com you need if you have a casual interest in astrology, enjoy queer romance, and books with a strong sense of place-- in this case, the city of New Orleans.

I had so much fun reading this book! Gray is a great narrator, and her quest to find a "written in the stars" love match by going on a date with someone of each zodiac sign was a blast. Gray's friendship with Cherry was so lovely and relatable, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story too. For me, a good romantic comedy needs to have well-rounded characters, genuinely humorous moments throughout, and strong relationships of both the romantic and the platonic variety. This book had all that in spades. The setting of New Orleans was a lively backdrop for Gray's dating challenge, and I learned about several real-life places I'd like to visit next time I go. I found the romance to be believable, as well as Gray's character arc over the course of the story. And, I was pleased to see that the astrology part is much more the "just for fun" than the "you must be a hardcore believer" variety.

I am happy to recommend this book to anyone looking for a delightful summer rom-com! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fresh out of a longterm relationship, Gray is approaching her Saturn return and panicking that she's running out of time to settle down and have the perfect life she dreams of. After a visit to an astrologer, Gray and her best friend Cherry come up with a plan: date one person from every zodiac sign, in order, and find her soulmate, or at the very least the basic parameters she's looking for, before her 29th birthday, which is just a few weeks away. What follows next is a fun, often ridiculous adventure as Gray meets people through a dating app and goes on dates, from ill-fated to phenomenal and everything in between.

At times, Gray struck me as a bit immature and annoying, which honestly kind of worked for me--she grew up evangelical and has only had one, very longterm, relationship--it absolutely makes sense that she would feel out of her depth and kind of desperately cling to a path that seems to promise an answer. Overall, even when I was annoyed with her, I really liked her, and the whole case of characters was great. I did get a little lost sometimes trying to remember her previous dates when they were referred to just by name or zodiac sign, and wished there was a detail about the date included to help me remember, but overall that wasn't a big deal.

I really liked Looking for a Sign and look forward to more from Susie Dumond.

First let me say Thank You to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for a free copy of #LookingForASign by #SusieDumond in exchange for a spoiler-free review! What a way to start Pride Month with a bang!

Looking for a Sign is the perfect romance novel to read by the pool this summer. It’s got all of the makings of an excellent, queer, romance novel:

✅ Sapphic Love Stories
✅ Found Family
✅ Inclusive and Diverse cast of characters
✅ Friends to Lovers

What more could you ask for? Step into the world of New Orleans, and journey with Gray as she searches for her true love, and makes her way through the zodiacs to do it!

As a casual astrology fan, I found the premise of Looking for a Sign interesting but some of the execution fell flat for me.
It was a slow start as I did not initially connect with the writing style. Once I was past the exposition, the story picked up pace and I found many of the characters and dates quite fun! However, the relationship endgame felt very obvious to me from early on and I found the resulting obstacles and conflict frustrating.
A few qualms: We can debate labels all day, but the choice to have the main character, Gray, identify as a lesbian rather than bi or pan was odd to me. I didn't appreciate how Gray casually invalidated other folks' queerness because they did not fit into the box of what looked queer to her (the conservative appearance of some of her dates, her surprise at her eventual love interest being queer). Also, as a Capricorn myself, I did not love the portrayal of Earth signs and cliche judgments made about them in comparison to the other signs.
Despite those issues, this was a fun, light read, especially for astrology fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

1/5 stars

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i rated this 2 stars at first to be nice then decided i don't have to placate the feelings of a white person so 1 star it is! i have many thoughts on this book and none of them are good. its so clear this was written by a white person who loves to pull the "im oppressed" card just for being queer :/ it was apparent through gray and her approach to just about everything, i am so tired of white girls pulling the "im oppressed too im queer!" card 😐 tired boring LOSER.

also u can tell when white queer ppl stay in their little white queer bubbles because they think there's a "right" way to look or act to be perceived as queer when white queer people have stolen all of what's perceived as "queer culture" from black and brown people. direct quote from the story: "she wouldn't have guess it from the woman's conservative pantsuit or long blond hair, but gray was definitely getting queer vibes.." we need to abolish that there is a certain way u have to dress to look queer 😐 also GRAY DID IT TO VERONICA??? acting shocked like . you of all people should know queer people exist everywhere and anyone can be queer????? she touts herself as this progressive queer woman but still jumps to assume people's sexualities and perpetuates stereotypes on how queer people should look :/

and if you think it can't get worse the idea of bi and pan lesbians was pushed and encouraged in this story. gray says: "i think i can be a lesbian and still date people of all genders" SORRY. but no you can't! bisexual/pansexual lesbians do not exist. please stop co-opting lesbianism thanks!!

anyways i wouldn't recommend this and yeah it was quick to get through but not worth it at all. it just made me angry :/

Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond is a captivating tale that delves into the themes of found family, taking risks in love, and navigating the challenges of one's Saturn return. Readers will be drawn into Gray's journey as she navigates the highs and lows of searching for true love amidst the enchanting backdrop of New Orleans. Whether you are a believer in astrology or not, this book will surely reignite your faith in the power of love.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I liked Gray and Cherry and enjoyed reading the dates for the most part. Unfortunately, the time between dates was a little too boring for me. It was easy to tell early on where the book was headed so I was less invested in the dates as they went on. I also needed more of the relationship building with the love interest because that was lacking for me. I think the idea was unique but the execution just didn’t seem to be there.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this book, but I wouldn’t not recommend it.