“On Her Terms” by Amy Spalding features the POV of Clementine, who just broke up with her long-term boyfriend, Will. She is reintroduced to an acquaintance, Chloe outside of her first attempt at entering a queer bar. Chloe saves her from a few men harassing her. They come up with a fake dating scheme to appear more adult or settled in life with their friends and family.

Like the other books in the “Out in Hollywood” series, this can be read as a standalone novel. Though a few characters make appearances such as Ari and Nina from the first novel, “For Her Consideration” and Sadie from “At Her Service."

While I loved the previous two books in the series, this one felt like it was lacking something for me. Mostly, the chemistry between Clementine and Chloe felt off and not as romantic. I didn’t feel sparks. I barely felt like the two of them could be friends. I found myself thinking Clementine had more chemistry with Chloe’s friends than Chloe. I even felt more chemistry between Clementine and Sadie, yikes. Perhaps one of the obstacles to their chemistry was how often Clementine thought of and discussed Will, her ex. I get their relationship existed for the majority of her life, but by the end of the book, I was sick of her constant thoughts of comparing Chloe to him or thinking about how different her life was without him. Another aspect that bothered me was the way Clementine thought about fake dating. At one point, she even mentions disliking the trope when she’s reading novels. The inclusion of the trope in this book felt too meta and as though the author was trying to convince the reader that, yeah, maybe this book was a fake-dating trope, but it’s okay because it’s not like those other books!

One aspect of the book I did appreciate was again having a plus-sized MC and the positive body representation. I also appreciated the found family feeling of each woman’s friend groups, even though Clementine’s friends didn’t seem like the greatest people at first.

While the book honors the romantic endings of the previous two novels in the series, this one sits at the bottom of my list. Even with my critiques, the book was enjoyable. I will still recommend the series to fans of sapphic romance.

Well, no surprise here: Amy Spalding has done it again! When I first heard that Chloe from the first Out in Hollywood book was going to be one of the main characters in this one, I thought, "Chloe? The one who likes to punch people?" And yes! Her! In fact, she arrives threatening to beat up some gays who are street-harassing our heroine, Clementine.

If this is on your checklist, you really need this nook: Bisexual woman in her late 30s who's been in a relationship with a man her entire life, but doesn't want to get married and have kids and all that? Check! Didn't realize she was bi before she met this sweet guy, so she's never dated another woman? Check! Never had a queer friend group but desperately needs a found family? Check! Amy Spalding once again convincing you that it's never too late to follow your queer dreams, and also maybe pursue therapy? Check, check, check!

Sweet, sexy, and absolutely hilarious.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in February. I'm sure this was for someone but that someone isn't me. I cannot get invested in a love interest that starts out so casually antibi, and a lot was extremely repetitive.

4.75 stars rounded up

I adored this third installment of the Out in Hollywood series! Clementine is funny, flawed, and beautiful to read. I loved seeing the friend group again, and I'm so glad therapy was positively represented in this book. I love that Clementine is learning to embrace her queerness in her mid 30s, and she has great character growth not revolving around her body size or her queerness.

I didn't like how condescending Chloe seemed at times, but I mostly enjoyed the two together, and I love the ending.

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

So, I just finished On Her Terms, the third book in Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series, and I have to say, while it was good, it was my least favorite of the three. The main character, Clementine, was the highlight for me—she’s in her mid-30s, super confident, sexy, and unapologetically herself. Plus, she’s exploring her bisexuality, which you don’t see enough of in romance leads, so that was really refreshing.

But the story itself? It didn’t fully click for me. It’s a fake-dating trope, which I usually love, but I just couldn’t get into the love interest enough to care if they ended up together. And the spice? It doesn’t show up until—like 60% in—which made the first half less, stimulating. I do really like Spalding’s writing overall, but this one felt more “just fine” than amazing. I’d give it a solid three stars, mostly because Clementine deserved better!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for an advanced copy so that I can give my honest feedback and review.

(Posted on Goodreads)

Amy Spalding's writing is flawless. She paints pictures inside readers' heads instead of slamming down words on a page. I read the previous two books in this serious and enjoyed them quite a bit, but I just couldn't get my groove while reading this one. Something just didn't click and I didn't connect at all with the characters.

I loved this book! I love the world and community that Amy has created in this series and it was a pleasure to spend more time there with these characters and their story. Amy's writing is smart and funny and real, and this book was another great read.

Loved this installment of this series! As ever, I don’t know LA well but these books are so specific to LA in a way that makes me feel like a part of the city.
I love the specificity of Clementine’s challenges with her friends and her (truly horrible) brother. And Chloe! I loved Chloe!
Highly recommend

GREG sucks. I love that we went back to the friendship group and we see how Nina and Ari are getting on more. I love how it's intertwined so well. The tropes were back Fake dating and one bed love. Did not love the miscommunication but overall enjoyed. I liked how Clementine was building new friendships as she let herself be more herself and explained to her people she felt she was losing so they end up back on the same page.

**SPOILERS** I really like the author but this was not for me. After reading book description it sounded like this would be dual pov. It was not and was read from Clementine’s view the entire time. The chemistry between characters was minimal to me. Around 65-70% they have sex with ZERO lead up. It was just like oop’s we’re bored. Then of course the third act break up follows immediately. The only reason this is getting 3 stars is because I like Chole’s friend group. Clementines friends seemed awful and she should have just left them behind.

On Her Terms is a delightfully humerous rom-com full of very real emotions. The story is told from the perspective of Clementine who identifies as bisexual but who has only ever been in one relationship with a guy. However, she knows that she is not interested in a conventional relationship, marriage or kids. So, when her boyfriend starts making noises about wanting just these things, she breaks things off with him in favour of seeking an alternate future.

Into this scene walks Chloe who is also definitely not interested in any conventional sort of relationship, in fact, she doesn’t believe that she is relationship material at all so she’s not interested. However, she is sick of standing out as the only single in her friendship group and decides that she needs a fake date to take to the upcoming celebrity wedding of two of the members of her friendship group. So, when she comes across Clem who is being harassed by a group of guys outside the local gay-friendly bar, she rescues her and they end up getting a drink together.

Before long, Clem finds herself sucked into a fake relationship proposed by Chloe to get Chloe through the upcoming wedding and Clem through the upcoming surprise anniversary party for her parents. Once those two events are over then they can go their separate ways. Well, at least that’s the plan. However, they end up finding themselves on a witty journey full of surprises and personal growth and suddenly the relationship is seeming to be quite as ‘fake’ as intended. Can the two women overcome their fears to realise that, just maybe, they are meant to be together long term.

And to say that this book as a non-conventional ending would be an understatement. The perfect non-conventional ending for a couple of MCs who were never interested in having conventional relationships to start with. I loved it!

I am grateful to Amy Spalding, the publisher and NetGally for the eARC copy of On Her Terms. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one and the fake dating tropes is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed the dialogue and found myself rooting for the characters. This whole series of books has been fun and enjoyable and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Red Alert: nobody does romcoms like Amy Spalding! I truly love the Out in Hollywood series, and I think this might be my favorite one yet! I was so happy that we were back with the whole friend group and got to spend a significant amount of time with them.

Both love interests in this book were so well-written that I think I actually fell in love with each of them a little bit. I was definitely rooting for them to find success and happiness.

This has been true in the other Out in Hollywood books as well, but this was such a validating read. Some of the characters’ (specifically Clementine’s) growth, development, and struggles are things that I have experienced. It’s always a positive to feel seen by reading similar situations on the pages of a book.

I hope the author keeps writing these books because I will forever keep reading them!!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

4.5 stars

Amy Spalding did it again! This was a sweet and spicy fake dating rom com set in her world of queer women in the film industry. Clementine perfectly embodies the confidence of having learned who you are by your mid-thirties while still having so much more to learn about yourself and who you'll become. I have to admit, there were times when Chloe really got on my nerves, but overall, I really liked this book and enjoyed getting to see characters from the other Out in Hollywood books.

On Her Terms will be out February 25, 2025

Perfectly cosy fake dating book.
I feel it’s a bit of a shame we only get stuck in one main’s first person POV, but it’s an ok place to be.
What I like best about this book is the friend group. So lovely, warm and welcoming. There’s some repetitiveness in this book, sometimes even from one line to the next, that almost feels like bad editing. It is isn’t bad enough for me to dislike it, just some missed opportunities for it to be better.
All in all perfectly cosy and I wouldn’t mind reading more about this friend group.

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.