#amy spalding

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads

No Boy Summer

YA contemporary

a girl and her sister who usually only bond over being boy-obsessed make a no-boy-pact over summer, while working in her aunt’s coffee shop in LA

but she meets a cute girl and starts sneaking around to date her, because it’s not technically breaking the rules..

while also making a new close friend group, and building a closer relationship with her sister

fat bi MC, butch LI

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: YA Sapphic Summer Romances

Cool for the Summer and Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin The Summer of Jordi Perez and No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson Hot Dog Girl and Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: At Her Service by Amy Spalding Rating: 4/5

This was so much better than the first book in the series. Max and Sadie have so much personality and chemistry and the You Point O storyline gives the story so much urgency. I also really enjoyed all the discussions about how we expect adulthood to be versus how it turns out. 

I would've liked a little more about Max's gender presentation though. My hopes got so high when I saw the US cover but apart from the fact that she wears button-downs and suits and doesn't feel she fits in anywhere, the book doesn't go into it. I just want some masculine-of-centre lesbian rep, stop teasing me putting it on covers when it's not backed up in the text 😭

I don't know that I'll keep up with the series but I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, level-headed F/F romance.

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (April 25th, 2023)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

The Other Side of Infinity by Joan F. Smith

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

Becoming A Queen by Dan Clay

No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding

When We Had Summer by Jennifer Castle

An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham

Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby

Robin & Her Misfits by Kelly Ann Jacobson

Vape by Cynthia Kadohata

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Happy reading!

[cinematitlecards]

"Crank" (2006) Directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor (Action/Crime/Thriller)

[sapphicbookoftheday]

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding

Today's sapphic book of the day is For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding!

Summary: "Since a crushing breakup three years ago, Nina Rice has written romance, friends, her dreams of scriptwriting for TV, and even LA proper out of her life. Instead, she’s safely out in the suburbs in her aunt’s condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts, and certain that’s plenty of writing—and plot—for her life. But a surprise meeting called by Ari Fox, a young actress on everyone’s radar, stirs up all kinds of feelings Nina thought she’d deleted for good . . .

Ari is sexy, out and proud, and a serious control freak, according to Nina’s boss. She has her own ideas about how Nina should handle her emails—and about getting to know her ghostwriter. When she tells Nina she should be writing again, Nina suddenly finds it less scary to revisit her abandoned life than seriously consider that Ari is flirting with her. Between reconnecting with her old crew and working on a new script, a relationship with a movie star seems like something she’ll definitely mess up—but what could be more worth the risk?

Amy Spalding’s For Her Consideration is full of heat and heart as Nina learns that her story just might include the kind of love that lasts."

[queer-books-bracket]

[wttnblog]

"I Kissed a Girl" Episode 9 and Reunion Recap & The Chart Updates

Just a few short weeks later, the UK dating show I Kissed a Girl has come to an end. Although the girlies only spent a short time in the Masseria, there was plenty of drama, and during the finale and reunion we talked through it all. I’m back to recap these last two episodes and share all of the latest drama. Episode 9 The finale started with a family visit, which was absolutely adorable.…

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

At Her Service by Amy Spalding

Out in Hollywood #2

Hollywood dreams fill the minds of many people including the main character of this book. BUT Hollywood doesn’t just dole out dream fulfillment to all who show up – it takes more than that – and the main characters of this book find out just what it will take for them to achieve their dreams.

What I liked: * Maxine “Max” Van Doren: intelligent, assistant to a talent agent, dreams of being successful, wants to have a loving committed relationship, underestimates herself often, attracted to Sadie, becomes involved in beta testing a self-actualization, a private type who becomes very exposed – grows a lot in more than one way during the story

* Sadie: bartender, bright, friendly, competent, attracted to Max, dreams of owning the bar she has been working in for years

* The way the app pushed Max toward actualizing her dreams and achieving her goals

* The supporting characters: Max’s roommate, the owner of the bar, Max’s boss and co-workers, and the people that came into her life through the app and how they helped Max

* The idea of the story, the location that I grew up in, and that there was a happy ending

* The fairytale feel of the story

* That I believe there is an audience who will love this book

What I didn’t like: * That I never really warmed up to the characters – had trouble relating to them and the lives they were living. Perhaps because this is geared to Young Adult readers rather than septuagenarians?

Did I like this book? Sort of

Would I read more by this author? Maybe

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

BLURB

Fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, and Meryl Wilsner will fall for this sweetly sexy, gloriously relatable sapphic rom-com about self-improvement, chasing your dreams, and writing your own Hollywood love story – from the acclaimed author of For Her Consideration. Max Van Doren has a wish list, and a great career and a girlfriend are at the top. But despite being pretty good at her job as an assistant to one of Hollywood’s fastest rising talent agents, she has no idea how to move up the ladder. And when it comes to her love life, she’s stuck in perpetual lust for an adorably perfect bartender named Sadie. Her goals are clear—and Max has everything but the self-confidence to go for them. Even her mother seems to assume she’ll be crawling home to her childhood bedroom at some point . . . When Max’s roommate, Chelsey—an irritatingly gorgeous and self-assured influencer in plus-size and queer spaces—offers to sponsor her for a new self-actualization app, Max gives in. If she can’t run her own life, maybe an algorithm guiding her choices will help? Suddenly Max is scoring big everywhere, and her dreams are achingly close to coming true. But when one of Chelsey’s posts reveals Sadie’s part in the app’s campaign, Max is poised for heartbreak on all fronts. Tired of the sponcon life with its fake friends and endless selfies, Max realizes that to have true influence, she’ll have to find the courage to make her own, totally authentic way in the world . . . Fresh, feel-good, and endlessly relatable, here is a glorious love story for the digital age and beyond.

[judeinthestars]

New sapphic book review: At Her Service (Out in Hollywood #2) by Amy Spalding

[libraryleopard]

Adult romance novel

After a bad break-up three years ago crushed her dreams of romance, Hollywood agent assistant Nina has kept her head down…until a surprise connection with a, Ari, an up-and-coming actress, stirs up feelings she thought she'd gotten rid of for good

Found families, finding your self-worth, and embracing the future

Fat lesbian main character; lesbian main character; various queer side characters; F/F romance

[lgbtqreads]

Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romance of 2023

Love love, at least in bookish form? Here’s a list to keep you in brand-new queer romance novels all year long… Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (January 3rd) Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine. Celine…

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding Rating: 3/5

Another book I picked up for the butch lesbian rep (which was once again minimal but, y'know, it's always baby steps for queer rep in mainstream publishing). I liked the banter and the romance but I found all the interpersonal drama a bit draining, and Spalding's exposition-heavy style grated on me a bit. But a fun, light-hearted book for anyone who likes novels about love, art and a good cup of coffee.

[goodbooksandgoodwine]

5 Young Adult Books To Read This Summer

I guess it is young adult summer over here! Honestly though I have been tearing through books this year. The following five books are ones I picked up from the library and eagerly read. Three of the five books below feature a sapphic romance. I also realize this list is heavily white with one exception and really have to work on that aspect of diversifying my reading — it is always an ongoing…

[neowitcher]

3 Favourite Books and Films | Winter 2023 Releases

Some seasons, there’s just not enough media intriguing me, so here are three instead of the usual five favourites that released sometime this past winter.

1. For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Since a crushing breakup three years ago, Nina Rice has written romance, friends, her dreams of scriptwriting for TV, and even L.A. proper out of her life. Instead, she’s safely out in the suburbs in her aunt’s condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts, and certain that’s plenty of writing—and plot—for her life. But a surprise meeting called by Ari Fox, a young actress on everyone’s radar, stirs up all kinds of feelings Nina thought she’d deleted for good… (Storygraph)

Never hurts to start the year off right with a full package enjoyable sapphic romance. Drenched in queer culture, film business and plus-sized representation, Amy Spalding brings a sweet story with interesting, fun, and very relatable, leads and side characters. Never stressing you out with over-the-top drama, it is the perfect romance to binge if you’d like to feel something, with just the slightest bit of spice to add to that. Full review can be found here.

2. Babylon (2022) dir. Damien Chazelle ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood. (Letterboxd)

With the mixed reviews this had been getting, I had almost decided not to watch it, what with it being three hours long and all. Maybe if I’d remembered this is by the director of Whiplash (2016), I would have known not to be concerned. Despite the story being a bit all over, I was intrigued and the soundtrack had me more excited than I’d been in a while. It left me absolutely speechless by the end and the long watch was absolutely worth it! Incredible acting performances, especially by Diego Calva. Just wow, what a ride!

3. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022) dir. Joel Crawford ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. (Letterboxd)

Finally, moving away from Hollywood territory, there’s the childhood nostalgia mixed with incredible animation. Puss in Boots used to be one of my favourite characters and seeing him back on screen after all these years made me really happy. The story flew by and I was really captivated by the action sequences and the creative animation styles. Some shots actually managed to haunt me a little, which was a pleasant surprise. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon family watch!

[wahlpaper]

The Summer of Jordi Perez Review

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding

CW: Parents Not Believing Their Child, Emotionally Bad Experience with a Cop, Fat-phobia, Fat-shaming, Queerphobia, Heteronormativity, Self-esteem Issues, Capitalism, Bad Parents, Unpaid Internship, Diet Talk

5/5

It's official! This is the 84th book that I have read this year, breaking my record of 83 in 2021! It was a very good choice of book to do that with. The Summer of Jordi Perez is a cute queer teen romance with a fat main character! Author, Amy Spalding, is plus sized herself, giving the book an "Own Voices" element. I, the reviewer, am also fat. Further down I will talk about my personal relationship to the book and its themes.

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and The Best Burger in Los Angeles) is about Abby Ives, a gay teen fashion blogger experiencing her first big crush. When she starts her summer internship, she's blindsided with the news that she'll be sharing it with her classmate, Jordi Perez. What's even worse is that they'll be competing for a job set to start in the fall. Instead of hating each other though, they fall for each other. Unfortunately, first relationships are hard to navigate and neither girl is as sure of themselves as they seem. They'll have to be patient if they want things to work.

This book is cute, sweet, and just the right amount of serious. Abby has had small crushes before Jordi, but over the course of the book she experiences a lot of "firsts" for crushing and then "firsts" for dating. She obsesses over Jordi, second guesses every interaction, gushes to a friend, and more. While the relationship between Abby and Jordi is cute to experience, the characters also deal with important matters. They both have parents that don't see the best in them. Abby's mom is disappointed in her weight and her lesbianism. Jordi's parents don't trust her to behave. They deal with self-esteem, heteronormativity, capitalism, mistakes, and more. I appreciate everything Spalding takes the time to tackle in The Summer of Jordi Perez.

I only disliked one part of the book, the subtitle. "And The Best Burger in Los Angeles" refers to the subplot between Abby and her new friend, a jock named Jax. However, I'm not sure it needed to be included in the title. Jax needs to rate burgers to help out with his father's new app idea. He wants to do it with Abby. It is a sweet subplot, but the burgers quickly become something they do off-page. The subtitle raises their importance, but the book ends the quest in an anticlimactic way. I don't mind how it ended, but the title would be better off without the subtitle.

As I mentioned above, Abby is a fat girl. She loves fashion and blogging about it, but she doesn't like to share photos of herself in the clothes she suggests. Over the past few months I have started working with my therapist on body image issues and my relationship with food. My journey isn't precisely the same as Abby's, but I feel we are both at the middle point of our journey and have had the same negative influences. I have spent the last week taking at least one selfie a day so that I can be more comfortable in pictures. Jordi is a photographer, so Abby is forced to face a similar challenge. We both have different things that we’re more comfortable with already and different things we need to grow towards in the future. Spalding really captures the struggle of knowing it's okay to be fat in theory, but failing to apply that to oneself.

The Summer of Jordi Perez worked its way into my life at the right time. The fat girl trying to navigate dating is exactly the kind of representation I needed. I hope that this book will speak to others as well. A little bit of fat neutrality and a little bit of fat positivity, piled on top of "Healthy At Every Size" is the perfect recipe. I highly recommend Spalding's book to all!