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Looking for a Sign
A newly single queer woman moves to New Orleans and sets off on a mission to find her most compatible match by going on a date with someone of each astrological sign in this rom-com from the author of Queerly Beloved.
With her twenty-ninth birthday approaching, Gray is determined to meet someone, settle down, and build the loving, accepting family she’s always wanted—and didn’t grow up with. But having just moved to New Orleans for a new job working for a demanding boss, and with her last first date a decade in the past, Gray has no idea how to go about finding her future spouse.
When her best friend Cherry suggests Gray look for answers from Madame Nouvelle Lune, an astrologer, Gray’s skeptical. But she’s also desperate. So when Madame encourages her to look to the stars, she finds herself in Cherry’s kitchen, mapping out a plan: go on a date with someone of each sign before her birthday, when Saturn will make its first return to the same celestial alignment as her birth (a major turning point in every person’s life, she’s learned). As Gray moves through this quintessentially queer dating challenge while juggling her new job, she learns a lot about the Zodiac—and even more about her own needs, desires, and sense of adventure. Even when it begins to threaten everything she thinks she believes, Gray is determined to finish what she started while the planets are still on her side.
With her twenty-ninth birthday approaching, Gray is determined to meet someone, settle down, and build the loving, accepting family she’s always wanted—and didn’t grow up with. But having just moved to New Orleans for a new job working for a demanding boss, and with her last first date a decade in the past, Gray has no idea how to go about finding her future spouse.
When her best friend Cherry suggests Gray look for answers from Madame Nouvelle Lune, an astrologer, Gray’s skeptical. But she’s also desperate. So when Madame encourages her to look to the stars, she finds herself in Cherry’s kitchen, mapping out a plan: go on a date with someone of each sign before her birthday, when Saturn will make its first return to the same celestial alignment as her birth (a major turning point in every person’s life, she’s learned). As Gray moves through this quintessentially queer dating challenge while juggling her new job, she learns a lot about the Zodiac—and even more about her own needs, desires, and sense of adventure. Even when it begins to threaten everything she thinks she believes, Gray is determined to finish what she started while the planets are still on her side.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2024
70 people are currently reading
12581 people want to read
About the author
Susie Dumond
3 books259 followersSusie Dumond is a queer writer originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the author of Queerly Beloved, Looking for a Sign, and Bed and Breakup. Susie is also a senior contributor at Book Riot and a bookseller at Loyalty Bookstores. Susie lives in Washington, D.C., with her spouse, Mickey, and her cat, Maple. When she’s not writing or reading, you can find her baking cupcakes or belting karaoke at the nearest gay bar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 396 reviews
March 1, 2024
★3.5 stars, rounded down
✎𓂃 “To every starry-eyed wanderer who has texted a parent asking for your exact birth time: Keep looking up.”
☆Summary:
Ten-year relationship: over. A new job and a new home in a completely new state. Saturn’s returning. 29-year old Gray’s life is hitting an existential crisis, to say the least. She wants it all: the happy, loving wife, the crazy kids, the white picket fence, essentially the whole picture. The problem is, she hasn’t dated in over ten years and doesn’t know where to begin. Thanks to the help of her lifelong best friend Cherry, a famous astrologer, and the stars themselves, our determined Aries Gray takes on an astrology dating challenge to point her in the direction of “the one.” 12 dates, 12 signs, and only 6 weeks til Saturn returns on her 29th birthday. Surely, the stars will align and show her the answer…right??
☆What You’ll Find:
♈ Sapphic romcom
♈ All the astrology goodness (and some not-so-goodness)
♈ A passionate, yet naïve Aries FMC in a quarter life crisis
♈ Open and closed door smut
♈ Friends to lovers
♈ Kind of a 3rd act breakup?
♈ Third person, told from the FMC’s POV
♈ Happy ending, no epilogue, but super fun goodies at the end!
☆My Thoughts:
I am not the biggest astroslut out there, but omg this was so fun. Learning about each sign through a dating challenge?? I completely geeked out with the signs I’m most familiar with – Aries (obvi we are the best 💁🏻♀️💃🏻), Libra, and Capricorn–as I could see my irl bffs personalities play out in the best ways. I also selfishly loved seeing what signs the Aries FMC was most compatible with, as a single gal myself lol.
Each date was unique in its own right, and after visiting New Orleans last year, it was so cool to see how well the author captured the NOLA vibes. Learned there’s a Tabasco Museum and I have been missing out!!! Gray might not be able to handle spice like me, but after completing the Hot Ones challenge like a CHAMP, I need to go asap!!!! 🌶️🔥
As someone with the same sign, I absolutely related to Gray in many ways: we’re bold, driven, competitive, fiery, passionate, we may make impulsive decisions, but we go all-in courageously. However, for a 29-year old, I found her to be extremely naïve. Gray, girl, independence is an important skill!
☆Would I Recommend:
For all my astro babes out there, yes! There isn’t an epilogue, but there are some fun tidbits at the end that I loved: an astrology newsletter from the famous astrologer Gray visits, a cute “the signs depicted as classic NOLA food & drinks” guide (ayooo I’m a Creole Bloody Mary and I’ve never felt more seen), and a couple recipes from the Aquarius Veronica 🍝🎂
A very special thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Netgalley, and the author for sharing this advanced copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. Quotes used in this review have been taken from an advanced reader copy, and as such are subject to change in its final version.
Looking For A Sign is expected to be published on June 11, 2024.
☆Quotes:
✎𓂃“In this house, we pay artists for their work.” AMEN!!!!! 👏🏼
✎𓂃“I’m usually in denial that Republican lesbians even exist, much less that I’ll find one liking my ballot box.”
✎𓂃“The zodiac can help us understand ourselves and others, figure out what focus and priorities might be shaping their perspectives… It can show us what energies are at play based on the planetary positions. But it ain’t a fortune-telling device. It can’t tell us what to do or what will happen. That’s all up to us, the decisions we make, our actions.”
✎𓂃“God, I’m such an idiot… I’m almost thirty. I should know nothing about life is that simple. Everything is messy and no one has the answers.” You said it, not me girl!!
✎𓂃“You’re brilliant and fierce and compassionate and fascinating, and I’d do anything to be even a footnote in your story.”
------------------
Pre-review:
Took two days off reading thanks to GR bringing me to REESA TEESA and now we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming 🤣
An astrological-themed sapphic romcom??? YES PLEASE! 💜
✎𓂃 “To every starry-eyed wanderer who has texted a parent asking for your exact birth time: Keep looking up.”
☆Summary:
Ten-year relationship: over. A new job and a new home in a completely new state. Saturn’s returning. 29-year old Gray’s life is hitting an existential crisis, to say the least. She wants it all: the happy, loving wife, the crazy kids, the white picket fence, essentially the whole picture. The problem is, she hasn’t dated in over ten years and doesn’t know where to begin. Thanks to the help of her lifelong best friend Cherry, a famous astrologer, and the stars themselves, our determined Aries Gray takes on an astrology dating challenge to point her in the direction of “the one.” 12 dates, 12 signs, and only 6 weeks til Saturn returns on her 29th birthday. Surely, the stars will align and show her the answer…right??
☆What You’ll Find:
♈ Sapphic romcom
♈ All the astrology goodness (and some not-so-goodness)
♈ A passionate, yet naïve Aries FMC in a quarter life crisis
♈ Open and closed door smut
♈ Friends to lovers
♈ Kind of a 3rd act breakup?
♈ Third person, told from the FMC’s POV
♈ Happy ending, no epilogue, but super fun goodies at the end!
☆My Thoughts:
I am not the biggest astroslut out there, but omg this was so fun. Learning about each sign through a dating challenge?? I completely geeked out with the signs I’m most familiar with – Aries (obvi we are the best 💁🏻♀️💃🏻), Libra, and Capricorn–as I could see my irl bffs personalities play out in the best ways. I also selfishly loved seeing what signs the Aries FMC was most compatible with, as a single gal myself lol.
Each date was unique in its own right, and after visiting New Orleans last year, it was so cool to see how well the author captured the NOLA vibes. Learned there’s a Tabasco Museum and I have been missing out!!! Gray might not be able to handle spice like me, but after completing the Hot Ones challenge like a CHAMP, I need to go asap!!!! 🌶️🔥
As someone with the same sign, I absolutely related to Gray in many ways: we’re bold, driven, competitive, fiery, passionate, we may make impulsive decisions, but we go all-in courageously. However, for a 29-year old, I found her to be extremely naïve. Gray, girl, independence is an important skill!
☆Would I Recommend:
For all my astro babes out there, yes! There isn’t an epilogue, but there are some fun tidbits at the end that I loved: an astrology newsletter from the famous astrologer Gray visits, a cute “the signs depicted as classic NOLA food & drinks” guide (ayooo I’m a Creole Bloody Mary and I’ve never felt more seen), and a couple recipes from the Aquarius Veronica 🍝🎂
A very special thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Netgalley, and the author for sharing this advanced copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. Quotes used in this review have been taken from an advanced reader copy, and as such are subject to change in its final version.
Looking For A Sign is expected to be published on June 11, 2024.
☆Quotes:
✎𓂃“In this house, we pay artists for their work.” AMEN!!!!! 👏🏼
✎𓂃“I’m usually in denial that Republican lesbians even exist, much less that I’ll find one liking my ballot box.”
✎𓂃“The zodiac can help us understand ourselves and others, figure out what focus and priorities might be shaping their perspectives… It can show us what energies are at play based on the planetary positions. But it ain’t a fortune-telling device. It can’t tell us what to do or what will happen. That’s all up to us, the decisions we make, our actions.”
✎𓂃“God, I’m such an idiot… I’m almost thirty. I should know nothing about life is that simple. Everything is messy and no one has the answers.” You said it, not me girl!!
✎𓂃“You’re brilliant and fierce and compassionate and fascinating, and I’d do anything to be even a footnote in your story.”
------------------
Pre-review:
Took two days off reading thanks to GR bringing me to REESA TEESA and now we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming 🤣
An astrological-themed sapphic romcom??? YES PLEASE! 💜
October 26, 2024
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 act :/
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. lesbians subvert the patriarchy by not centering their worldviews around men. they are not attracted to men! 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.
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 act :/
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. lesbians subvert the patriarchy by not centering their worldviews around men. they are not attracted to men! 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.
June 30, 2024
DNF bc this was boring and then I hit the line “I think I can be a lesbian and date people of all genders” and rage quit. What the fuck is wrong with you people that you can’t leave lesbians the fuck alone and insist on pushing the harmful and toxic stereotype that we are actually into men? The MC even goes on a date with a trans man, which is offensive not only to lesbians but trans men. I am all for folks exploring their identity and gender, but I expect you to then respect my identity as a lesbian and not insist we want to fuck men. WORDS HAVE MEANING!!! LESBIANS DON’T DATE MEN!!! LEAVE LESBIANS ALONE AND GET FUCKED!!!
June 12, 2024
thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced digital arc.
this book is available now.
--
another dnf from me, sadly.
after the dissolution of a ten year relationship, gray is newly single at 29 and looking for love. her best friend suggests she see an astrologer, madame nouvelle lune, who advises gray that the stars might hold answers. the plan fully formulates: gray will go on a date with a person from every single star sign in an effort to find the one she's meant to settle down with.
set in new orleans, i get what the spirit this book was trying to invoke - campy, esoteric fun in the form of tourist-trappy palm readers, silliness like the pisces that gray finds that turns out to be a disney adult lugging her sister along with her on dates, etc. for whatever reason, i was checked out of this. it could be that i don't like romance. it could be that i don't like stories that include motherhood/kids/etc. of which this book had a bit (seriously, there's nothing that gives me secondhand embarrassment the way adults trying to write dialogue for toddlers does with the exception of audiobook narrators pitching a screech to try to SPEAK that dialogue).
i also fear i checked out pretty early in at gray's proclamation that she could be a lesbian and date people of all genders. j'excuse? especially mentioning trans men as part of this proclamation, it's giving transphobia. the ickiness being followed by her friend saying, "yeah, fuck gender essentialism," felt weird and judgey too.
anyway, not for me.
this book is available now.
--
another dnf from me, sadly.
after the dissolution of a ten year relationship, gray is newly single at 29 and looking for love. her best friend suggests she see an astrologer, madame nouvelle lune, who advises gray that the stars might hold answers. the plan fully formulates: gray will go on a date with a person from every single star sign in an effort to find the one she's meant to settle down with.
set in new orleans, i get what the spirit this book was trying to invoke - campy, esoteric fun in the form of tourist-trappy palm readers, silliness like the pisces that gray finds that turns out to be a disney adult lugging her sister along with her on dates, etc. for whatever reason, i was checked out of this. it could be that i don't like romance. it could be that i don't like stories that include motherhood/kids/etc. of which this book had a bit (seriously, there's nothing that gives me secondhand embarrassment the way adults trying to write dialogue for toddlers does with the exception of audiobook narrators pitching a screech to try to SPEAK that dialogue).
i also fear i checked out pretty early in at gray's proclamation that she could be a lesbian and date people of all genders. j'excuse? especially mentioning trans men as part of this proclamation, it's giving transphobia. the ickiness being followed by her friend saying, "yeah, fuck gender essentialism," felt weird and judgey too.
anyway, not for me.
July 5, 2024
had to dnf this the moment i read "i think i can be a lesbian and date people of any gender" 🤢
July 10, 2024
A solid meh. I listened to this book at 2.25 speed bc I didn't want to DNF it. Cute concept but I don't think it was well executed.
February 19, 2024
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
Genre:
Sapphic romcom
.
Tropes:
Enemies to friends, friends to lovers, found family
.
Main Concepts:
Gray is having a mid life crisis and a whole lot of other crisis. On a mission to completely change her life, Gray moves to New Orleans with her best friend and begins an experiment she dubs as the astrology challenge. 6 weeks until her 29th birthday, Gray sets up to go on a date with one of each of the astrological signs to see which sign is her true match. Lots of twists and turns and love found in unexpected places.
.
Spice level:
2/5 does have spice, just not super detailed or anything wild
.
Overall thoughts:
This book is amazing. I was first attracted by the cover, because I am a moon and star girly but the author blurb just sold it for me.
This book is perfect for those that feel lost in the world, are healing from traumatic/toxic parents, and need help with realizing that life is not perfect and looks are deceiving. Not everything is as it is seen and we should stop trying to find that something perfect and comparing our lives to those around us. Our MC, Gray, feels lost in the world, after a decade long relationship break. She sets out on the crazy mission using astrology to guide her way and comes to some very real realization along the way.
I am honestly absolutely blown away from this book and enjoyed all the astrology tied in. Everything was written so smoothly and well. All of the dates were very interesting and kept me excited to see more.
I could tell for awhile though who Gray was going to end up with. Their connection, friendship and communication was just unparalleled when it came to the other dates/signs.
I also really really love that some of the sign dates actually became friends with Gray. The banter and friendship that was started with those 6 signs is just really sweet.
10/10 recommended everyone to pick up this book.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ebook.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
Genre:
Sapphic romcom
.
Tropes:
Enemies to friends, friends to lovers, found family
.
Main Concepts:
Gray is having a mid life crisis and a whole lot of other crisis. On a mission to completely change her life, Gray moves to New Orleans with her best friend and begins an experiment she dubs as the astrology challenge. 6 weeks until her 29th birthday, Gray sets up to go on a date with one of each of the astrological signs to see which sign is her true match. Lots of twists and turns and love found in unexpected places.
.
Spice level:
2/5 does have spice, just not super detailed or anything wild
.
Overall thoughts:
This book is amazing. I was first attracted by the cover, because I am a moon and star girly but the author blurb just sold it for me.
This book is perfect for those that feel lost in the world, are healing from traumatic/toxic parents, and need help with realizing that life is not perfect and looks are deceiving. Not everything is as it is seen and we should stop trying to find that something perfect and comparing our lives to those around us. Our MC, Gray, feels lost in the world, after a decade long relationship break. She sets out on the crazy mission using astrology to guide her way and comes to some very real realization along the way.
I am honestly absolutely blown away from this book and enjoyed all the astrology tied in. Everything was written so smoothly and well. All of the dates were very interesting and kept me excited to see more.
I could tell for awhile though who Gray was going to end up with. Their connection, friendship and communication was just unparalleled when it came to the other dates/signs.
I also really really love that some of the sign dates actually became friends with Gray. The banter and friendship that was started with those 6 signs is just really sweet.
10/10 recommended everyone to pick up this book.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ebook.
June 17, 2024
I thought the astrology concept in this book was super fun. Unfortunately the main character gray was just so unlikable the way she treated her best friend almost had me DNF the book.
September 6, 2024
A queer romance about a newly single woman who moves to New Orleans and on the advice of a physic medium attempts to date someone from each of the 12 zodiac signs in order to find her best match. While the premise for this book was unique, I didn't feel like the romance between anyone got a chance to develop to any significant extent. This felt more like a journey of self-discovery filled with a cast of quirky and likeable secondary characters. Okay on audio but just not a fav for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
July 27, 2024
This is your basic, easy reading lesbian romance, but with some pacing issues that are obviously due to having to write and dissect 12 dates so the "third act breakup" happens at the 90% mark and ends up being rushed.
That said, Dumond could have avoided a slew of 1 star reviews from some very angry lesbians if she'd avoided stepping on the rake of including trans men in her definition of "lesbian". Now, I am not the definitive authority on the definition of the word "lesbian" and you might believe that lesbians with this particular hangup are chronically online, but this isn't actually about that, it's about understanding your audience.
Lesbians will buy almost anything with lesbian representation and as such, they're going to make up an outsized portion of your readership. Can lesbians date trans people who use he/him pronouns? Absolutely. There are literally two stripes in the flag dedicated to gender non-conformity and complicated relationships to womanhood. The thing is that as language develops around this, trans men who identify as men generally aren't going to also be identifying as lesbians, while trans masc people are. And yes, these nuances are important because even the loosest definition of lesbianism excludes men. And lesbians are notoriously protective of their label because it's been used by straight women to avoid men, bi women who think there's something wrong with being bi, and porn categories while simultaneously being used as an insult, as the 1973 song "Nobody Likes a Dyke" points out. It felt very much like a baby white feminist mistake where inclusion is forced at the cost of intersectionality.
And as some of the 1 star reviewers point out, trans men who identify as men also identifying as lesbians invalidates the "maleness" of trans men who want nothing to do with womanhood. Terms are important and more care should have been taken to avoid this.
And if you don't care about labels and believe people shouldn't take them so seriously, that's your prerogative, just know that a very significant portion of the sapphic reading demographic does and you'll continue to accumulate 1 star reviews.
I've also compiled a list of people who will be offended by this book, though they probably won't make up as large a portion of the intended audience, so brace yourself if you fall into one of these categories.
- Virgos
- Republicans
- People who don't like other people who think you can "look" gay or straight.
- Scorpios (but they should be used to being the villains)
Lastly, it's refreshing to see an author tackle the absolute shittiness that comes with growing up in an evangelical home without downplaying it for the sake of sparing the feelings of lesbians who still have ties to the church. I too had to attend conversion therapy and was ultimately kicked out at 16 and cannot think of a single thing that evangelical Christianity provided for me that wasn't a) completely harmful or b) couldn't be obtained through any or no belief system at all. An extra star was added just for that.
Tl;dr, an easy reading romance with some missteps that will alienate a large part of the intended audience and some pacing issues, but talented writing nonetheless. I look forward to reading more of Dumond and hope some more precision around labels.
That said, Dumond could have avoided a slew of 1 star reviews from some very angry lesbians if she'd avoided stepping on the rake of including trans men in her definition of "lesbian". Now, I am not the definitive authority on the definition of the word "lesbian" and you might believe that lesbians with this particular hangup are chronically online, but this isn't actually about that, it's about understanding your audience.
Lesbians will buy almost anything with lesbian representation and as such, they're going to make up an outsized portion of your readership. Can lesbians date trans people who use he/him pronouns? Absolutely. There are literally two stripes in the flag dedicated to gender non-conformity and complicated relationships to womanhood. The thing is that as language develops around this, trans men who identify as men generally aren't going to also be identifying as lesbians, while trans masc people are. And yes, these nuances are important because even the loosest definition of lesbianism excludes men. And lesbians are notoriously protective of their label because it's been used by straight women to avoid men, bi women who think there's something wrong with being bi, and porn categories while simultaneously being used as an insult, as the 1973 song "Nobody Likes a Dyke" points out. It felt very much like a baby white feminist mistake where inclusion is forced at the cost of intersectionality.
And as some of the 1 star reviewers point out, trans men who identify as men also identifying as lesbians invalidates the "maleness" of trans men who want nothing to do with womanhood. Terms are important and more care should have been taken to avoid this.
And if you don't care about labels and believe people shouldn't take them so seriously, that's your prerogative, just know that a very significant portion of the sapphic reading demographic does and you'll continue to accumulate 1 star reviews.
I've also compiled a list of people who will be offended by this book, though they probably won't make up as large a portion of the intended audience, so brace yourself if you fall into one of these categories.
- Virgos
- Republicans
- People who don't like other people who think you can "look" gay or straight.
- Scorpios (but they should be used to being the villains)
Lastly, it's refreshing to see an author tackle the absolute shittiness that comes with growing up in an evangelical home without downplaying it for the sake of sparing the feelings of lesbians who still have ties to the church. I too had to attend conversion therapy and was ultimately kicked out at 16 and cannot think of a single thing that evangelical Christianity provided for me that wasn't a) completely harmful or b) couldn't be obtained through any or no belief system at all. An extra star was added just for that.
Tl;dr, an easy reading romance with some missteps that will alienate a large part of the intended audience and some pacing issues, but talented writing nonetheless. I look forward to reading more of Dumond and hope some more precision around labels.
May 24, 2025
Audiobook 🎧
June 25, 2025
dnf@ 53%
It's at the point where a lot of this astrology/zodiac signs fanaticism is beginning to sound like religious psychology and I'm not here for it. Our main character loves to stereotype every single person she meets and it's sooooo frustrating especially on the topic of queerness. It's obvious that she's the typical butch, alternative lesbian who thinks that not being society's norm for women is equal to having a personality. She bases people's queerness based off appearances which is crazy to me because why are you as a white queer person judging or setting a standard for how other queer people, especially black women because the book is set in New Orleans so there's a fair number here, should present themselves?? I'm not going to go in depth about how white queers often adapt black or brown people's culture as a way to subvert from what they consider basic in order to other themselves from white cishets but I will say that this book is clearly written by an author who did not care to deconstruct their whiteness and their belief in harmful queer stereotypes. I'm done.
It's at the point where a lot of this astrology/zodiac signs fanaticism is beginning to sound like religious psychology and I'm not here for it. Our main character loves to stereotype every single person she meets and it's sooooo frustrating especially on the topic of queerness. It's obvious that she's the typical butch, alternative lesbian who thinks that not being society's norm for women is equal to having a personality. She bases people's queerness based off appearances which is crazy to me because why are you as a white queer person judging or setting a standard for how other queer people, especially black women because the book is set in New Orleans so there's a fair number here, should present themselves?? I'm not going to go in depth about how white queers often adapt black or brown people's culture as a way to subvert from what they consider basic in order to other themselves from white cishets but I will say that this book is clearly written by an author who did not care to deconstruct their whiteness and their belief in harmful queer stereotypes. I'm done.
April 30, 2024
This book was a really rough start for me, I couldn’t really get into it until around 25%. The first quarter took me 3 months to read, the rest took me half a day! Once I got into it, I was really into it.
I wasn’t really into the idea of a sign being narrowed down to one person, but the individual dates were so fun to read. I really loved all the characters in the book (though I did have some side eye for Gray when she was hating on Disney, but I got past it).
I would have loved a little bit more, like an epilogue. But the ending was cute in its own right. I really ended up enjoying this book a lot!
I received a free ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!
I wasn’t really into the idea of a sign being narrowed down to one person, but the individual dates were so fun to read. I really loved all the characters in the book (though I did have some side eye for Gray when she was hating on Disney, but I got past it).
I would have loved a little bit more, like an epilogue. But the ending was cute in its own right. I really ended up enjoying this book a lot!
I received a free ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!
June 30, 2024
The definition of lesbian is someone who loves girls, and nonbinary/gender non conforming peoples. Trans men are men regardless of appearance. I’m not trying to gatekeep lesbianism but definitions of words are important in a world where labels matter. I liked the tarot aspect of the story and the challenge of finding people from each zodiac. I saw the main couple of this book coupling up way before they did.
PS-Thank you Net Galley and Susie Dumond for this arc.
PS-Thank you Net Galley and Susie Dumond for this arc.
June 13, 2024
I read an early version of this book and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to read the finished book!!
January 28, 2025
Read this for book club! It was delightfully fun!
July 8, 2024
This was a fun and light read. A tad unrealistic, but that’s to be expected in a fluffy romance read. 3.5 for Cancer slander 😆
August 13, 2024
I cannot continue reading this
September 13, 2024
As a bi astrology lover I feel like this book was practically made for me! It was an adorable, easy to read sapphic romance. 💜
February 28, 2024
(3.5 rounding to 4)
firstly i want to thank goodreads and Susie Dumond for an ARC copy, i was so excited to see that i won the giveaway and couldn't wait to start reading!
this was super cute! i already love queer romance and i felt that the idea of the dating the zodiacs was super fun and creative. i know only a handful about zodiac things, so it was fun getting to learn tidbits about the signs and how astrology can play with your life. i felt that the spice was tasteful (and again... fun! that's just what this book was). i found myself laughing at gray's dates as much as i was rooting for her. who she ended up with in the end was quite obvious to me in the beginning so it was fun trying to guess her sign. and as a pisces, EXTREMELY grateful we ended up not being skipped! i loved that the pisces description felt entirely true to who i am too LOL. each of the dates were all so unique and i had so much fun reading about them, their outcomes, and how sometimes dates can turn into friendships. also, cherry, robbie, and river HAVE MY HEART! ALL THREE OF THEM!
i thought the representation of queerness was really awesome; i liked how much gray explored with her dating experience both with sexuality, gender, and race! in addition to the romance and friendships that gray made with the zodiacs, i thought the relationship she had with cherry and robbie was extremely important and heartwarming... and honestly reminded me a lot of my personal life. <3 found family
if you are looking for a super fun sapphic romance, pick this one up when it releases 6/11/24!!!!
firstly i want to thank goodreads and Susie Dumond for an ARC copy, i was so excited to see that i won the giveaway and couldn't wait to start reading!
this was super cute! i already love queer romance and i felt that the idea of the dating the zodiacs was super fun and creative. i know only a handful about zodiac things, so it was fun getting to learn tidbits about the signs and how astrology can play with your life. i felt that the spice was tasteful (and again... fun! that's just what this book was). i found myself laughing at gray's dates as much as i was rooting for her. who she ended up with in the end was quite obvious to me in the beginning so it was fun trying to guess her sign. and as a pisces, EXTREMELY grateful we ended up not being skipped! i loved that the pisces description felt entirely true to who i am too LOL. each of the dates were all so unique and i had so much fun reading about them, their outcomes, and how sometimes dates can turn into friendships. also, cherry, robbie, and river HAVE MY HEART! ALL THREE OF THEM!
i thought the representation of queerness was really awesome; i liked how much gray explored with her dating experience both with sexuality, gender, and race! in addition to the romance and friendships that gray made with the zodiacs, i thought the relationship she had with cherry and robbie was extremely important and heartwarming... and honestly reminded me a lot of my personal life. <3 found family
if you are looking for a super fun sapphic romance, pick this one up when it releases 6/11/24!!!!
Read
July 12, 2024Look. I really wanted to like this. And I did enjoy the storyline of all the different dates with all the star signs (even if the cancer was very insulting! Justice for cancers). Things were looking up!
But the main character was pretty annoying throughout. She mentions her desire to have a wife and kids IMMEDIATELY like every other page, in a way that felt honestly very straight to me. Not that lesbians can’t want those things too, but her urgency to have kids RIGHT NOW felt so strange, especially since there’s so much more that goes into family building for queer couples and families. And I just didn’t believe in the main love interest. I felt like the author just told me they were into each other and on page there was just no chemistry.
Overall I wanted to like it, but by the end I was just glad I finished it.
But the main character was pretty annoying throughout. She mentions her desire to have a wife and kids IMMEDIATELY like every other page, in a way that felt honestly very straight to me. Not that lesbians can’t want those things too, but her urgency to have kids RIGHT NOW felt so strange, especially since there’s so much more that goes into family building for queer couples and families. And I just didn’t believe in the main love interest. I felt like the author just told me they were into each other and on page there was just no chemistry.
Overall I wanted to like it, but by the end I was just glad I finished it.
May 22, 2024
this was really fun! i definitely feel like the premise requires a little suspension of disbelief, but overall i had a blast reading this. if you, like me, are into astrology, i think you’ll like this one. the characters all often feel like the stereotypes of their signs, but in a fun way, if that makes sense? i did feel that the endgame couple lacked some of the chemistry the main character had with other people she dated, but i still was satisfied by the ending.
definitely pick this up if you’re interested in a super gay romance that’s just a whole lot of fun!
thank you to the publisher for sending a digital ARC my way via Netgalley!
definitely pick this up if you’re interested in a super gay romance that’s just a whole lot of fun!
thank you to the publisher for sending a digital ARC my way via Netgalley!
May 31, 2024
I really enjoyed this one. The idea of finding your perfect match based on astrology is intriguing and it was fun to watch Gray go out with people from all twelve signs. I really liked the author's voice and founding myself chuckling often! Some of the dating scenarios were outrageous and yet realistic at the same time. A really fun read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
August 19, 2024
needed this palette cleanser after that horrible book. it was cute. i’m not too sure how i feel about the main love interest like i knew where this was heading and she wasn’t my fav outcome but still good. also not a fan of the 3rd act breakup its so annoying to me
February 15, 2025
Cheesy and a bit predictable but cute!
March 28, 2025
Very cutie premise and lots of fun characters!
August 11, 2024
suspiciously good - i may have read this in one morning. idk if any of this feels accurate outside of sagittarius being really into hot sauce and a gemini date being exceedingly fun but my jaw dropped like three times
November 22, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up)
After ending a long-term relationship with her girlfriend, Gray is on a mission to date around the zodiac to find her perfect match. She goes on a series of dates and hits it off with a few, while others don't go so well.
Overall, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout this book. Gray goes on dates with all kinds of people, from bisexual to trans. I loved all of the effort that the author put into this book to make this book inclusive. This plot was also so unique and I would say that the only downside was how predictable it was. But, I absolutely had a wonderful time reading this book and will be recommending it to all my friends!
Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
I talk about this book in a NetGalley: Romance Edition reading vlog. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/9-vNrD_j7EE?si=jd1FZ...
After ending a long-term relationship with her girlfriend, Gray is on a mission to date around the zodiac to find her perfect match. She goes on a series of dates and hits it off with a few, while others don't go so well.
Overall, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout this book. Gray goes on dates with all kinds of people, from bisexual to trans. I loved all of the effort that the author put into this book to make this book inclusive. This plot was also so unique and I would say that the only downside was how predictable it was. But, I absolutely had a wonderful time reading this book and will be recommending it to all my friends!
Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
I talk about this book in a NetGalley: Romance Edition reading vlog. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/9-vNrD_j7EE?si=jd1FZ...
February 1, 2025
Extremely cute and entertaining read. A little bit of a predictable ending but 🥰
dnf
June 22, 2024DNF @ 34%.
y’all i wanted to like this so badly. a steamy sapphic contemporary romance with an astrological subplot sounds DELICIOUS, and while the astrology concepts were well done (in the third of it that i read, at least), the story itself felt like being beaten over the head with the telling stick, without an ounce of showing to be had.
the writing style just wasn’t for me, personally — it reads a bit like a school report, dry and lacking the creative flourish that makes me emotionally invest in a story. but the concept was very cute, and if you’re an astrology person and don’t mind a skewed balance between telling versus showing, this could be a win for you! the cast of characters in this so far (and i only lasted from aries through leo) are fun and dynamic, with a lot of potential — much like the story itself — and perhaps it comes together in the end but i’m not willing to stick it out to see.
i might try to circle back to this eventually (maybe via audiobook?) but for now i’m cutting my losses.
y’all i wanted to like this so badly. a steamy sapphic contemporary romance with an astrological subplot sounds DELICIOUS, and while the astrology concepts were well done (in the third of it that i read, at least), the story itself felt like being beaten over the head with the telling stick, without an ounce of showing to be had.
the writing style just wasn’t for me, personally — it reads a bit like a school report, dry and lacking the creative flourish that makes me emotionally invest in a story. but the concept was very cute, and if you’re an astrology person and don’t mind a skewed balance between telling versus showing, this could be a win for you! the cast of characters in this so far (and i only lasted from aries through leo) are fun and dynamic, with a lot of potential — much like the story itself — and perhaps it comes together in the end but i’m not willing to stick it out to see.
i might try to circle back to this eventually (maybe via audiobook?) but for now i’m cutting my losses.
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