I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the month than sharing one of the last queer romances that I read and loved: The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley.

This Regency romance follows Tommy Wynchester, a veritable master of disguise, and Miss Philippa York, the bluestocking she can’t stop thinking about. When Philippa needs help righting a grave wrong, Tommy vows to do whatever it takes to help her and begins a scheme to take down the villain. This was my first Ridley and it definitely won’t be my last—I loved the warmth and hilarity of the Wynchester family, Tommy's pining for Philippa, and Philippa's growth as she learned to stand up for herself.

Tommy really swept me off my feet from the start. She's rakish and charming and a skilled master of disguise. I particularly loved the sections that explored her thoughts on gender and how clothing was more than just a useful disguise for missions, it had become a way she could express her identity.

I also loved that Ridley gave both characters moments when they needed to stand up to the other with Philippa demanding to be included in Tommy's grand schemes and not left behind as a bystander, and Tommy refusing to compromise who she was, even for the person she loved. Also a fun behind-the-scenes nugget: The couple on the cover are a couple in real life!

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower was a wholesome, cute, and steamy Sapphic historical that I recommend to everyone! Tommy and Philippa are so freaking cute together and I loved that their communication with each other was top tier. Also, I loved that they both cared for each other but refused to change who they are inside for the other person. They learned that they shouldn’t hold their own true self back even when it comes to the people they love.

I can definitely see why people are raving about this book, but the tone of the storytelling is a little too cavalier for my personal tastes.

I generally love Erica Ridley books but this one did drag a bit for me. I love that it's historical FF and the writing is very nice (sort of reminiscent of Jane Austen). A pleasant read.

4.5

Steam 5
Characters 5
Plot 5
Setting 4

Ridley doesn’t disappoint. I was hesitant, but trusted Ridley to execute a great story. I have fallen in love with these siblings.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC.

DNF at 40%

The premise and the cover intrigued me, but unfortunately I just didn't click with the writing. The plot doesn't feel believable, and the characters are very one-dimensional. I get why people love this book, I just wasn't invested.

This was the 2nd book that I read from Erica Ridley and it was really good. This is the 2nd story in the series and it is a well written lgbtq historical romance book.

This book was okay, but I got bored really quickly. I think this is because the main plot of the book held no interest to me, so the romance between Tommy and Phillippa would have been the main interest for me except it fell short.

The conversation between them was supposed to be fun and a secret language between the two, and I get that it's supposed to be cute, but it felt boring and forced. The only time I got intrigued was during the non-verbal parts of their interaction. The way Tommy looked at Phillippa and her romance to it was very good writing, but then they'll talk and break the spell.

So for me, the non-verbal forms of communication and Phillippa's mom were the most fun thing for me in this book, but it wasn't enough to keep my attention throughout the book.

Queer regency? Sign me up ALWAYS! I loved this book, the beginning was immaculate and had me hooked. I laughed, I sobbed a little, and overall I enjoyed my time reading this gorgeous book. Now publish more queer regency novels so I can be gay and read regency!

I have to admit something: this is my first time reading a sapphic regency/Victorian romance (Edit: I just remembered that I have read a few Sarah Waters books and A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian). I have the entire Feminine Pursuits series by Olivia Waite sitting on my shelf but haven’t read them yet. So I’m new to the genre. Well, The Perks of Loving a Wallflower converted me and has inspired me to read more historical romance!

I haven’t read the first book in the series, but that didn’t matter because the novel included enough clues to the first book’s plot that I didn’t feel lost. Ridley created a world that I was eager to dive into. The characters of Tommy and Philippa were vibrant. As someone who grew up a little shy and a lot bookish, Philippa was very relatable to me. I loved her reading circle and all the ladies in it. It made me want to immediately organize my own reading circle!

On the other hand, Tommy was the perfect love interest. She was feisty and knew perfectly who she was. She unapologetically loves women and isn’t ashamed of it despite living in a time when people didn’t talk about those things. I was endeared by her family who love her for who she is. Though she might not have had the language yet, Tommy reads as nonbinary, stating that she sometimes feels like a man and sometimes feels like a woman.

Philippa and Tommy connect with each other right away as friends before they become lovers. The slow burn between them didn’t leave me frustrated like it has in some books. The progression between them felt very natural and left me wanting more.

This book grabbed my interest from the moment I started reading it. The characters were colorful and quirky, but also smart, strong and creative. The story was well-developed and had drama along with humor and romance. This was a very good story and I highly recommend it!

Tommy reads as nonbinary to me and Philippa reads as demisexual, which was pretty cool. This was cute but I think a bit on the long side-- the Northrup plot felt kind of excessive on top of the drama about Philippa needing to marry well. Also Philippa's parents are abusive and I didn't like how that was never addressed. Her mother punishes her by cutting off access to friends and her books? Her father ignores her completely? The Wynchesters seem fun, though, and I'll probably read the other books in the series.

Also, on a publishing note, who in the world are the people on this cover? Tommy spends most of the book in menswear and has short hair while Philippa is described as not only wearing lace all the time but if I recall she was also described as relatively plump. The cover is beautiful but I wish it represented the characters better.

I give myself an A for effort on this one. I just couldn’t get onto it and that’s nothing against ER, I’m just a mood reader and it wasn’t working for me. Will def try again in the future!

Bridgerton & Tessa Dare were my introduction to historical romance and this book left me feeling like I have so much more to explore in the genre. It was sweet, spicy, fun, and just such a lovely read. The author does a great job writing within a series that allows each book to standalone while also tying in beloved characters. All around, it was a great time and a really enjoyable book.

I just love these Erica Ridley books I love this series of hers that is so full of complex and diverse characters in a historical romance setting. That that is some thing that is just so so rare in publishing and in a historical romance genre in particular so whenever I have the option to read them I always scoop them up and give them a try. I think Erica Ridley is doing this series a lot of justice and it is very feminist very diverse and very both fun and emotionally impactful.

Fun, funny, sexy, and scintilatting. I loved the mixture of historical elements, gender-bending, detective mysteries, and more all wrapped up in a fun sapphic romance bow.

Thomasina "Tommy" Wynchester was one of my favorite characters in the first Wild Wynchester book so it's great to see her get her own story. Like the first book, there are a lot of hijinks as Miss Philippa York enlists the Wynchesters in helping her get justice for a stolen idea. And Tommy gets to indulge in her crush by pretending to be a suitor for Philippa as the Baron Vanderbean.

This was my first f/f romance and so I didn't really know what to expect. So it was really lovely to find a beautiful love story about finding yourself and love in the process. I loved Tommy from the first book and her disguises really made the story but never got a sense of who she was until this book. And Philippa also transforms over the course of her relationship with Tommy. Honestly, this book sort of confirmed my thoughts on what a romantic relationship with two strong women would be like. Well done!

This is a sickeningly sweet sapphic romance. I very much enjoyed the audiobook (Moira Quirk). Apparently this book is the second one in a series. I have not read the first one, but this book does a good job of filling in the blanks and imo it's not necessary to read it. My favorite part was that Tommy
created a persona to be around Philippa to pine from nearby. Tommy's costumes and fake characters were endlessly entertaining. My only complaint is that Philippa's family storyline was a bit too redundant and went on too long. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

It’s fun and sweet and hot and all I can do is have gigantic heart eyes now that I've finished it. This series is just so joyful to read!

Welcome friends, to my favorite historical fiction book of last year, and maybe one of my all-time favorite romance books. The Perks of Loving a Wallflower refreshes the historical romance genre to something that is available and reachable for people of all walks of life.
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With intensely relatable characters and experiences, and a fun loving family at the core of it, the Wild Wynchesters series by Erica Ridley is certainly a classic in the making.
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The original thing that first drew me to this book was the forefront sapphic relationship. This is something that is rarely found in historical fiction and it was surprising to see it in such a typical romance novel format if that makes sense. I was so excited to pick it up, and my expectations were meant and exceeded. I have now read this book twice and both times have been absolutely incredible.
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I cannot urge you to pick this book up enough. This story will appeal to fans of Bridgerton, and readers who love queer relationships in historical fiction.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.