callmekt's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Outing
Minor: Vomit and Toxic relationship
The whole book is about a queer woman working in the wedding industry in a red state during a time where being queer wasn't as widely accepted. She also works at a bar and attends a lot of weddings (hence the alcohol).stephsbooktalk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
3.5
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Susie Dumond & Dial Press Trade Paperback for an advance copy of this!
This will be published on May 3rd, 2022.
Taken place in the mid 2010s in Tulsa, OK where being part of the LGBTQIA+ is frown upon and Amy a baker has to remain closeted at her employer. She works at the local bakery called the Daily Bread where she goes by Amelia. While working one day a new customer comes in and turns her world upside down. She meets Charley and they hit it off immediately. After getting fired from her baking job due to the homophobic owners finding out her secret, Amy is left in a tailspin trying to figure out her next move. During her cousin's wedding, one of the guests asked Amy to be a fill in bridesmaid at her wedding. The light bulb went off on what her next job should be. Amy became a bridesmaid superwoman catering to the needs of brides on their day.
It felt that things were being thrown in for the sake of throwing in.
Examples:
Underage teen sneaking into a bar? check
Equality rally? check
Sex toys? check
Amy Amy Amy, I am also conflicted in how I feel about her. I absolutely loved her heart & loved how she gave 10000% into everything she does. I loved her hustle and she never gave up. I also was surprised at how fast Amy fell for Charley. They did not spend that much time together before she was head over heels. I think I am so used to main characters being more perfect & Amy was far from perfect.
I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about Charley. I'll be honest throughout most of this book, I did not like Charley. I understood where she was coming from at the end but being mysterious and wishy washy just wasn't my jam.
I did love the other relationships throughout this book. I love how close to her friends and how they have become her chosen family. I love how close to her mom she was. I also resonated with her fight with her friend. That felt the most realy in this book. I felt their pain.
I would still recommend this book as I enjoyed the different representation. Plus it really made me hungry for cupcakes and pretty much any baked goods.
For those wondering the steam is level is almost at a closed door level.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Good intentions don't excuse bad behavior. But letting that anger fester doesn't fix anything; it just poisons you."
Also just out of pure irony that I had two books in a row that referenced "My Best Friend's Wedding." No complaints from me as its one of the greatest rom coms.
This will be published on May 3rd, 2022.
Taken place in the mid 2010s in Tulsa, OK where being part of the LGBTQIA+ is frown upon and Amy a baker has to remain closeted at her employer. She works at the local bakery called the Daily Bread where she goes by Amelia. While working one day a new customer comes in and turns her world upside down. She meets Charley and they hit it off immediately. After getting fired from her baking job due to the homophobic owners finding out her secret, Amy is left in a tailspin trying to figure out her next move. During her cousin's wedding, one of the guests asked Amy to be a fill in bridesmaid at her wedding. The light bulb went off on what her next job should be. Amy became a bridesmaid superwoman catering to the needs of brides on their day.
It felt that things were being thrown in for the sake of throwing in.
Examples:
Underage teen sneaking into a bar? check
Equality rally? check
Sex toys? check
Amy Amy Amy, I am also conflicted in how I feel about her. I absolutely loved her heart & loved how she gave 10000% into everything she does. I loved her hustle and she never gave up. I also was surprised at how fast Amy fell for Charley. They did not spend that much time together before she was head over heels. I think I am so used to main characters being more perfect & Amy was far from perfect.
I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about Charley. I'll be honest throughout most of this book, I did not like Charley. I understood where she was coming from at the end but being mysterious and wishy washy just wasn't my jam.
I did love the other relationships throughout this book. I love how close to her friends and how they have become her chosen family. I love how close to her mom she was. I also resonated with her fight with her friend. That felt the most realy in this book. I felt their pain.
I would still recommend this book as I enjoyed the different representation. Plus it really made me hungry for cupcakes and pretty much any baked goods.
For those wondering the steam is level is almost at a closed door level.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Good intentions don't excuse bad behavior. But letting that anger fester doesn't fix anything; it just poisons you."
Also just out of pure irony that I had two books in a row that referenced "My Best Friend's Wedding." No complaints from me as its one of the greatest rom coms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
Moderate: Outing and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer
applejacksbooks's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.
TW: Homophobia, lesbophobia, outing, Toxic relationships, sexual content, religious bigotry.
So here's the good news with this book. It takes place in a time period when a lot of gays were on the edge of their seats about whether or not gay marriage would be legalized (the story takes place in 2013) and I think (based on my memories of the time) it portrays that time period well. Being out and proud about it was becoming more and more prevalent at the time and I think that this story portrays that well, especially since it takes place in Oklahoma, which is generally super conservative (thanks bible belt). Do I wish that there was less homophobia? Yes, but I also understand why it's in the book. It adds nuance to the story that in the post-2015 we sometimes forget about. I also really enjoyed Amy's business venture with being a bridesmaid. I think throughout the story she really took the lemons life gave her and ran with it and that was very much appreciated.
Now here's what I didn't like. I didn't like the love interest at all. After that first meeting (which was adorbs as heck), Charley's characterization fell flat to me. I think that could have been remedied by having dual POVs or seeing more of their (Amy and Charley's) conversations on the page together. I think that if this is going to be marketed as a romance, there should be significantly more romance in it. It felts like there was like 10% of the book focused on the relationship between Amy and Charley and it should have been more.
TW: Homophobia, lesbophobia, outing, Toxic relationships, sexual content, religious bigotry.
So here's the good news with this book. It takes place in a time period when a lot of gays were on the edge of their seats about whether or not gay marriage would be legalized (the story takes place in 2013) and I think (based on my memories of the time) it portrays that time period well. Being out and proud about it was becoming more and more prevalent at the time and I think that this story portrays that well, especially since it takes place in Oklahoma, which is generally super conservative (thanks bible belt). Do I wish that there was less homophobia? Yes, but I also understand why it's in the book. It adds nuance to the story that in the post-2015 we sometimes forget about. I also really enjoyed Amy's business venture with being a bridesmaid. I think throughout the story she really took the lemons life gave her and ran with it and that was very much appreciated.
Now here's what I didn't like. I didn't like the love interest at all. After that first meeting (which was adorbs as heck), Charley's characterization fell flat to me. I think that could have been remedied by having dual POVs or seeing more of their (Amy and Charley's) conversations on the page together. I think that if this is going to be marketed as a romance, there should be significantly more romance in it. It felts like there was like 10% of the book focused on the relationship between Amy and Charley and it should have been more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Cancer, and Infidelity
caseythereader's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to The Dial Press for the free advance copy of this book.
- QUEERLY BELOVED is a joy. It's a romcom with a delightfully screwball premise that also digs deep into some really hard, complicated feelings around queerness, assimilation, found family and more.
- I didn't live in the Midwest, but I remember having so many of these exact conversations and arguments in the pre-marriage equality days. It's cathartic to see so much of these tangled thoughts hashed out here.
- I love Amy and Charley. They're wonderful complements to each other, and it's fantastic to see a sapphic pairing that isn't two femmes.
- It's also lovely to see a queer story set somewhere that isn't traditionally thought of as gay-friendly, and showing that there is still vibrant queer life there, and not everyone is desperate to escape to a bigger city.
- QUEERLY BELOVED is a joy. It's a romcom with a delightfully screwball premise that also digs deep into some really hard, complicated feelings around queerness, assimilation, found family and more.
- I didn't live in the Midwest, but I remember having so many of these exact conversations and arguments in the pre-marriage equality days. It's cathartic to see so much of these tangled thoughts hashed out here.
- I love Amy and Charley. They're wonderful complements to each other, and it's fantastic to see a sapphic pairing that isn't two femmes.
- It's also lovely to see a queer story set somewhere that isn't traditionally thought of as gay-friendly, and showing that there is still vibrant queer life there, and not everyone is desperate to escape to a bigger city.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cancer, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cursing, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia
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