Name: Cloudface's review of Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond
Item: Queerly Beloved
Rating: 3
Author: Cloudface

Susie Dumond

A people-pleasing bridesmaid-for-hire meets her polar opposite in this delightfully heartwarming debut. Will she find her happily ever after? At her day job in a Christian bakery and with her conservative family, Amy plays the role of a straight, church-going young woman—exactly what’s expected in mid-2010s Tulsa, Oklahoma, the “Buckle of the Bible Belt.” But at night, she tends bar at the only place in town that truly feels like home: Ruby Red’s, a lovably grungy queer bar with a group of regulars who have become her chosen family. Amy’s spent a lifetime learning how to walk this fine line, placing others before herself so effortlessly that she doesn’t even realize she’s lost touch with her own needs and desires. Still, everything seems more than fine, especially when Amy falls into a whirlwind romance with Charley, a charming newcomer to Tulsa. But then Amy is suddenly outed and subsequently fired from her bakery job. When a new friend begs her to fill in for one of the bridesmaids at her wedding—and offers to pay Amy more than she makes in a single night at Ruby Red’s—she can’t afford to turn it down. As her relationship with Charley heats up, this one-off opportunity turns into a full-time business, thanks to Amy’s baking talents, crafting skills, and expert ability to become whatever other people need her to be. Between weddings, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and dress fittings, Amy’s in her element, her years of watching rom-coms and Say Yes to the Dress finally paying off. But at what cost? Gay marriage is not legal, yet she’s playing the role of a straight girl, working hard to facilitate strangers’ special days even while she’s secretly dreaming of her own potential wedding day with Charley. When Amy’s precarious balancing act strains her relationships to a breaking point, she must decide what it looks like to be true to herself—and if she has the courage to try.

A Novel

Queerly Beloved

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Cloudface

I think this book should have been marketed as fiction instead of the rom-com cover because the romance is really in the background of this story. Charlie was a super boring love interest and we don’t learn very much about her throughout the book. Amy was an interesting main character and I really liked her development, I just wish the supporting cast were a little more fleshed out.

sydney

First off I love everything about this book, it just made me feel so at home. I just love a good queer found family, I want them all to be my friends. My main criticism is that I wouldn't consider this a romance book. It is more about Amy's journey of truly discovering who she is and how to confidently be herself. I enjoyed the romance between Amy and Charley but it is not the main focus. 

I received an arc through netgalley.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

Reviews

Join the club

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond