No one fake dates and then accidentally falls in love like us gays.

Clementine is a budding baby gay when she meets the wise and experienced Chloe at a bar. The two exchange numbers, which leads Chloe to propose a fake dating scheme. She'll help Clementine--a bisexual who is coming off a 20-year relationship with a man and therefore is new to the gay dating world--learn the ropes about dating in the lesbian community. Meanwhile, Clementine will be Chloe's date at a series of events leading up to (and at) her friends' wedding, so all her partnered friends leave her alone.

Of course, while fake dating, Chloe and Clementine spend lots of time together and feelings develop. Unfortunately, neither is known for their communication skills, and they don't do the best job of expressing these thoughts to one another. Complicating things is that Chloe's friend group includes Clem's boss, Phoebe. (If you've read any of Spalding's Out of Hollywood series, you'll recognize characters from other books, including Nina, Ari, and Sadie.)

The strength here is Clem and Chloe's slowly growing chemistry and their witty banter. It's a wonderfully realistic exploration of not just queer relationships, but queer friendships as well. Chloe's friend group is one any gay could relate to, and the book stresses how important these friendships are to those who need a found family. Chloe's focus on her issues with her own (straight) friends was harder: not that they were straight, at all, but the emphasis on not wanting to get married, have kids, and the fact that she was growing apart from her friends was covered ad nauseam. At first, it was nice to see a book exploring these issues--the whole idea is that neither Chloe nor Clem want the "typical" relationship experience. But Clem's repetition of this fact was a bit much.

Spalding does an excellent job looking at the nuances of coming out later in life and treats Clem's bisexuality quite well. She also touches on topics such as plus size relationships and difficult families. Clem's brother is absolutely awful, but the way Chloe handles him: oh my gosh, I would have fallen in love with her, too.

So, yes, there's a lot going on here, but it's all handled deftly. With the exception of Clem's storyline getting rather repetitive, this is a really cute romance, full of diverse characters, friendships, and a sweet romance.

I really liked Clementine as a main character. I enjoyed her perspective as someone embracing their sexuality later in life and trying to navigate dating women (dating in general) after being with one person for almost two decades. I liked her growth and the way her character developed. And I liked the way the story resolved.

The one thing I didn’t like: Greg. Her brother was such an asshole who was constantly rude and lacked social skills. And everyone blew it off as like “Oh, that’s just Greg.” He got called out in the end but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted it to be a stronger call out that truly put him in his place.

Amy Spalding’s writing style is awesome. I love the characters she writes about in her stories! I instantly over Nina and Ari in ‘For her consideration’ so it was going to be hard to beat them in the character comparisons, but Chloe and Clem are right up there with them! A great addition to the out of Hollywood series :)

Thoroughly enjoyed it! Amy Spalding writes such a fun, engaging novel. The characters are relatable, and I loved Clementine's development throughout. The plot was engaging and well-written. Can't wait for Amy's next book!

On Her Terms is a delightful and funny romp through the fake girlfriend trope. Treating the trope with fresh eyes, Spalding manages both an insightful coming out story and a clever take on the idea of fake girlfriends falling in love.

Clementine is newly single after splitting up from her long term boyfriend. She’s always known she liked women, but is new to the lesbian scene and bewildered by the different social mores. When a beautiful, confident lesbian propositions her to be fake partners to deal with the expectations of various friends and family, it seems like a gift to get her through her awkward early days of dating once again.

Chloe is confident, outgoing and a party favourite, who clearly states her preference to fly solo. But when she spots the voluptuous woman in a lesbian bar, one she’s admired at her friend’s work parties, an opportunity arrises to solve several problems with one pretty woman.

This is book three of the Out in Hollywood series, following For Her Consideration and At Her Service. I haven’t read the previous two books, and honestly, didn’t even know it was part of a series until I did some research to write this review. It certainly didn’t require me to have read the others prior to reading this one.

Spalding’s dialogue is snappy and reveals the characters so well I felt I knew them by the end of the book. There are a number of supporting characters, but Spalding introduces them so well that I had no trouble remembering who they were. Their distinct voices could be heard clearly in their interactions and dialogue. No mean feat.

What really delighted about this book was the insight Spalding brought to a character coming out later in life, and from reading the author’s blurb at the front of the book, this was an intention from the start. It rang true for me and was also a lovely trip down memory lane.

I highly recommend this book. A joy to read.

ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review.

You had me at fake dating and then topped it off with just one bed! I loved this story of 30 something women coming to terms with life, love, work and family. Clementine has made a big change in her life without really telling anyone what is going on with her. Chloe also doesn’t like to let anyone know about any actual emotions. A great cast of friends and one horrible brother, cute cats and dogs made this a great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this DRC.
#OnHerTerms #NetGalley

I hate to say it, but I really disliked this book. It seems as though every book in this series was worse than the last. The main couple of the book had 0 chemistry, and our narrator, Clementine, was so negative and annoying. If I had a dollar for every time she mentioned her ex boyfriend, l'd be rich. Her love interest, Chloe, was so incredibly condescending about Clementine being a "baby gay". If someone called me that, l'a actually spit in their face. The only reason I didn't give it 1-star is because I didn't totally dislike the supporting characters, and because there was Diet Coke worship (rightfully so).
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

As a fan of Amy Spalding’s writing, I adore this one. My favorite in this series will always be the first, I’m afraid, Nina and Ari live rent free in my head, but I like Clem and Chloe a lot. They are cute and I quite like the themes of this novel. The coming out later in life and the fake dating are well executed and I LOVE that their relationship goal is not marry and have children (it’s nothing wrong in wanting to marry and have children, but it’s refreshing to see other prospectives!).

Thank you Netgalley and the published for the arc.

The third book in the Out in Hollywood series is a sapphic romance. The found family element is strong in this one, and it’s one of my favorite tropes! Also fake dating, coming out to family/friends, and brunch. Wait, is brunch a trope? It should be!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for On Her Terms to come out February 25, 2025.

No es necesario haber leído los libros anteriores.

Este libro no era para mí; lamentablemente, no conecté ni con Clementine ni con Chloe, y tampoco logré conectar con la historia. Aunque tiene buenos elementos y, en general, es entretenido, simplemente no fue para mi.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On Her Terms is a very cute Sapphic romance!

The MC was very relatable and she struggles with not being "queer enough", I feel like that's such a common thing for people who come out later in life and to see it represented was very nice. I also found very refreshing to read a romance book where marriage and kids are not the end goal of the relationship. I need more of this!!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest feedback. I have never read a book by this author before and it was great!!! Enjoyed the writing style this author used.

Another great book from this author! I love the writing style it’s like your reading one POV but because of the detail you feel like your getting the others POV too.

It was the right amount of funny, cute and spicy. The characters are lovable and it makes me want a friend group like that so much.

Overall a great book with a fake dating plot

After Clementine breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, she ends up fake-dating Chloe to prove to her friends and family that she’s happy. The first half of the book lagged and I found it difficult to care about any of the characters. The book suffers from “Twitter brain” constantly adding caveats to statements or questions to make sure that nobody can take comments the wrong way. Characters, but especially Clementine, were constantly worried about being misunderstood or offensive. There were speeches that felt robotic and better suited to online discourse than a conversation between two friends or co-workers. Parts of the writing felt lazy, leaning into the first person narration to get away with metaphors that didn’t make sense or went nowhere: “this ridiculous fake-dating scenario was nothing, as I’d obviously hoped, like the queer training wheels I needed to ride a gay bike or however I should finish that metaphor. This was like the LGBTour de France” and “In meme terms, I contained two wolves, and…”. The focus on “public” vs. “private” queerness was interesting. Clementine’s desire to be “approved” as queer by other queer people was the driving force throughout most of the novel. I thought the book made sense to be so tightly tied to her POV and the “reveal” of Chloe’s intentions and the explanations of her behaviour made a lot of previous moments add up. The second half was more interesting. The characters felt settled into who they were and the tension building up between Chloe and Clementine was believable. “On Her Terms” fits neatly into the maybe too online queer romance novels that seem to be very popular at the moment and I think lots of people will enjoy reading it, but unfortunately, it’s not for me.

Clem just broke up with the boyfriend she has had half of her life since she was not interested in getting married and have children. Instead, she is now wanting to explore her bisexuality that she never has acted on in the past being with the same guy since she was 18. She goes to a gay bar and starts talking to gay Chloe that asks her to take part in a fake relationship and return she as a baby gay will get some tips. The fake dating is soon perhaps not so fake though…

Nice and sweet story and I loved the pet names, the kitten called Small Jesse Pinkman, and the dog called Fernando after the ABBA song. Fantastic friend group where you recognize a few of them from the earlier books in the Out in Hollywood book series.

Amy Spalding does it again!

*On Her Terms* is the latest novel in her collection of connected queer love stories set in Hollywood. This third book features a familiar cast, and I really love that the stories can be read together or as standalone novels.

*On Her Terms* is a fake dating/second chances romp. Though it is a slow burn, the chemistry between the characters truly heats up! This novel shows that it’s never too late to pursue what you want, and be seen. It features bi-visibility and is fat-positive.

I highly recommend this read. Fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Meryl Wilsner will appreciate this spicy romantic comedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. I plan to purchase a copy when it is released and can’t wait to see what else Spalding does.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

OH MY GOODNESS Amy Spalding has done it again!!!! Y'all. This book. It's like Amy looked into my soul and then wrote a romantic comedy. I ADORED this installment of the "Out in Hollywood" series.

This title is for sure for those folks who came out late in life and who are feeling unsure about how to categorize their queerness. It's for the folks who are feeling like their path in life is taking them in opposite directions from their friends, which is scary. It's for those folks who have group texts that never stop. It's for the bi-folks for SURE.

I laughed. I teared up. I posted to my social media about how creepy it was that Amy somehow knew every feeling I had despite never having met me!!! Read this one, y'all. Seriously.

For someone who loves a fake dating trope and likes to read about characters who are already fully in the working life, this is the perfect book!
This was a very cute and exciting read. The characters are very relatable and I was hooked from the start. I enjoyed the slightly meta aspect of the characters commenting on fake-dating tropes in other books and movies (while being unaware that they are in a book themselves), which made it even easier to immerse. There is a good level of spice and enough twist and turns that make it fun to keep reading.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

I absolutely loved this book. I think this is the best Out In Hollywood story yet - definitely the one I laughed the hardest at (no spoilers but Greg, the brother character is soooo damn funny) - and can't wait to read more. This story is so good if you're into friends-who-are-family, found family, and chosen family stories. Also, Spalding's wit has never been more on fire than it is here; her cultural references and love of pop culture shines through but not in an annoying way. So while I was laughing my butt off reading it, I'm also got a ton of deep character emotions, funny pop references, and great outfits. If you're one of her regular readers, you know that's one of her trademarks. I'd give this one 10 stars if I could, it just made me so happy when I needed it. One last note: the character Chloe is really a handful but Spalding gives her just enough heart to stick with her. So, don't give up on her! hahaha There's a good payoff.