Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

Queerly Beloved

A Novel

Susie Dumond

‘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. Her expertly-balanced double life works just fine, especially when she hits it off with Charley, a charming newcomer to Tulsa–until she’s 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? She’s still playing the role of a straight girl, working hard to facilitate strangers’ special days all while gay marriage still isn’t legal. Eventually, the new double life she’s created becomes intolerable. The only bright spot is her whirlwind romance with Charley. But 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’–

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