This book was so good. I already know it's going to be on my list of best books I've read in 2024, and it's only Jan. 3rd.

Beth and Gwen are my new best friends. Their chemistry was instant. The journey from best friends to oh-my-god I want to kiss my best friend to star-crossed lovers to happily-ever-after was flawless. The story was so heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time. The tension had my heart pounding through most of the second half. Even though you can kind of guess how the story is going to end, the path of how they get there is unique enough that my eyes were glued to the page to find out what happens next and to not miss a detail (I finished the book at 5:15 in the morning).

I also fell in love with the side characters almost as much as Beth and Gwen (and that includes the hoop skirts - how did people wear those things?). I want them all to star in their own stories. And the way I squealed at the epilogue, I scared both my cats.

The spice was also well done. It's open door, but not too explicit. The first scene is spicy but the rest focus more on their joy of being able to steal moments together rather than on what went where. But you can feel the heat and desire they have for each other in the way they hold hands hidden within their skirts and look at each other across the room. I definitely discovered some new favorite micro tropes (I want someone to grab me by the waist and pull me in for a kiss please). I had all the feels.

I absolutely adored this book. It made me sob both happy and sad tears. While I don't always appreciate homophobia being used as a conflict, I think it was necessary for the times and the author did a great job of showing the support of both our heroines families which really made all the difference. I loved this and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I was desperate to get my hands on this book from when I first learned about it months ago, and I was lucky to get an eARC when NetGalley made it a Read Now option.

Beth has one season on the marriage mart to find a husband to secure her and her mother’s future after the death of her father left them with nothing. Gwen is in her fourth season and, supported by her wealthy father, is in no rush to find a match. When the two meet at the first ball of the season, they become fast friends. I was giddy, giggling, kicking my feet in excitement as Beth and Gwen’s relationship developed. Taking the title from Taylor Swift’s song “Dress” was a fitting choice as the line “our secret moments in a crowded room” perfectly encapsulates their relationship. When the endless conversations and hand holding that could be expected between two close female friends suddenly starts to make them feel all bubbly inside and somehow illicit…AHHH I was screaming in delight. I got incredibly emotional as they worked through comphet and I wanted to wrap them in a big old hug and reassure them that everything would be alright because this is a romance novel and they would find a happily ever after eventually. Still, there were hurdles not usually found in historical romance here, and I applaud Emma Alban for diving into the challenges facing queer lovers in the Victorian era while still maintaining a generally light-hearted tone expected of a romance novel like this.

I’m a big fan of secondary love stories in historical as well, and I was highly invested in Beth and Gwen’s attempt to set up their parents, who have a second-chance romance in this story. I would read an entire novel just about them.

My favorite part of this book was the cast of supportive side characters. Much of the conflict in this book is due to external circumstances, and obviously Beth and Gwen can’t live openly in love as they would wish during this time period, but both the queer and heterosexual side characters who helped them work through their feelings and support their relationship made this story for me. MVP award for me goes to Gwen’s dad for serving yearning DILF, rake, feminist politician, and incredibly supportive father all in one package.

My biggest hurdle with this book was that for much of the time, I was very aware that I was reading without feeling fully immersed in the story. As some other readers have mentioned, I think this was due to the writing style and use of third person present tense, which to me feels a bit awkward, especially in historical romance, and creates too much distance between the story and reader that kept me from feeling fully connected in each character’s POV. However, when I wasn’t reading, I found myself thinking about the characters and becoming desperate to return and see how they were doing.

Overall, I thought this was a delightfully fun debut novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the second one to jump back into the world with these characters!

Read this book if you enjoy:
- Girls kissing girls
- Friends to lovers
- Secondary love stories (related: DILFs, MILFs, and second chance romance)
- The mechanics of hoop skirts (seriously there was a lot of talk about the hoops)
- Victorian era shenanigans
- Wise queer elders
- Supportive friends and family
- A dash of political history
- Bucking societal expectations
- Rich people getting drunk in fancy outfits

I adored this sweet and swoony sapphic Victorian! I fell in love with every single character--Alban has a real gift for creating a large and lovable cast. So excited for Book 2!

This is breezy and cute, and if you like Bridgerton, but want something that feels targeted to a younger audience, you’ll love this. This was a fast, pacy read, with a good friends-to-lovers romance, including a little bit of pining that honestly had me really loving the first third of the book.

However, with romance, I prefer when the conflict is more internal, coming from the characters and their fears and desires. Here the conflict was basically external. That ultimately means that resolving the conflict so they could be a couple didn’t really depend on them, even if the book tries to make it seem like they can matchmake their parents into creating a smokescreen for their relationship. Even the grand gesture was frankly made by the protagonist’s mother, not either of the main love interests.

It felt to me, in the end, like the parents’ romance was more central to the story than the girls.

Ok, ok, ok. Did I see the Taylor Swift lyric title and see that it was a sapphic regency romance with Bridgerton meets Parent Trap vibes and immediately add to cart? Absolutely. BUT, this book is soooo much more. I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, laughing, and sometimes tearing up at this book. It has me in the FEELS.

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend follows Miss Beth Demeroven as she to debut and find a wealthy husband before her and her mother have to live on the streets. Whilst being cornered by an unlikely candidate, she is rescued by Lady Gwen, a debutante who seems to have no real desire to find a match herself, and her father, the Earl of Havenfort. The ladies become fast friends and quickly discover that their parents were once affiliated and may still share a spark. They devise a plan to get out of having to seek marriages for themselves by setting up their parents to fall in love. While working though this plan, they quickly discover that they may have feelings for each other as well.

I fully expected a slow burn friends to lovers plot and was not prepared for how quickly these two ladies bonded and that first kiss was so well done. Beth and Gwen absolutely complement each other’s personalities and Gwen is always pushing Beth just a little out of her comfort zone. I loved the two of them together and was still left wanting more.

One of my favorite things about this book was that you not only got to see Gwen and Beth fall in love, but you also got to see what was happening with the parents through the lens of the children. It was so cute to see how their parents went from pure disdain to lovesick.

While this book has many heartfelt, sweet tension filled moments, what Beth and Gwen go through is absolutely heartbreaking. Society dictates what is proper and two ladies in love was not something that could be shared publicly. Gwen’s father is an absolute gem and I was so glad she had him for support (even when they were drowning sorrows together) while they were going through everything.

This book is filled with so much quick wit (especially from Gwen) that it keeps you thoroughly entertained, but the entire cast of characters we have in this are charming and unique. And the GROWTH all of these characters go through, whether it’s Gwen’s cousin or Beth’s mom. This book truly felt like you were on the sidelines of the ton.

I was so happy to have an ARC of this book and to see their HEA. And even more, to see what may be coming in the next book in the epilogue and I CAN’T WAIT for more.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This book is out on January 9 and I definitely recommend it if you want some Bridgerton level pining, secret rendezvous, and a heartwarming story about two women finding love despite being trapped in their society.

A sapphic historial fiction, yes please.

This book is a cute story of two women that meet, create a friendship then realize they actually have feelings for each other. I did like the parent trap part of the book. Both Beth and Gwen plotting to get their parents together.

It was a cute book, will say TW for Lesbophobia and physical abuse.

I got an e-are of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun, fast romance read that I think will be a fast favorite for a lot of the historical romance lovers out there! I’m a sucker for a little Bridgerton level pining, especially when it’s sapphic. There was a tiny bit of a lull in pacing, but I stayed invested in the characters and it was worthwhile!
Read if you like:
•Parent Trap
•Regency Romance
•Sapphic Stories
•Friends to Lovers
•Sweet 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 Spice

Oh boy, this book was like The Parent Trap crashing headfirst into Historical Romance – a love child I didn't know I needed! Now, I'm seriously craving ten more of these Parent Trap-style romances because the drama and fun are just too good to pass up. Two relationships for the price of one? Heck, throw in a bonus connection and a teaser, and you've got yourself a party – that's four relationships to adore!

Gwen and Beth? Adorable messes, majorly obsessed with each other, and let me tell you, I was here for it. Even with a title like 'Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend,' their friends-to-lovers journey was a real treat. Seeing their story unfold on the page (not in some distant past) made me connect with them on a whole new level. And can we talk about their Hot™️ parents? I'm seriously shipping them so hard; a novella of just their sizzling romance is practically a must (I can only imagine the bedroom chemistry)!

Now, my only real gripe has nothing to do with the characters or the plot – both of which were top-notch. It's all about the writing style. Third-person present tense just doesn't sit right with me. It feels clunky, unnatural, and a bit too distant. I spent the whole time mentally converting every other word to past tense. It kinda worked, but man, I really wish it was written differently.

The drama in the second half, with Beth being engaged and all, was a bit much, but hey, it hurt so good. Gwen and her dad being a mess – messy characters are my jam, but I have to admit, I was a bit of a mess too. The grovel and reconciliation at the end, though? Pure sweetness.

This was fine for what it was. I knew going into the book that it wasn't going to be a favourite and yet read it anyway so that's on me lol. People who actually are fans of friends to lovers will probably like this book.

A debutante desperate to snag a wealthy husband least her mother and her end up destitute finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't be, a fellow debutante... who's father also has a complicated history with her mother. Beth is anxious to find a husband in her last season, she needs the money to make sure her mother and her can still keep their house. Yet when she meets Gwen, a charming and beautiful debutante who has no intention of finding a husband, Beth finds herself falling for the first time in her life. To make matters a bit more complicated, what started off as friendship and hopes to get Beth's widowed mother to marry Gwen's father, a romance that had happened in their past, Beth and Gwen find themselves falling for each other. Beth and Gwen want to fix the twenty year old heartbreak between their parents yet also deal with their own complicated situation when a handsome suitor offers for Beth's hand....and Beth will be forced to choose between financial stability in a loveless marriage, or living a scandalous life but with the girl who has her heart. This was a really cute parent trap/ forbidden romance book. Beth and Gwen are both dealing with difficult situations, particularly Beth. They love each other but in a time where such a relationship would be hard to have they have to find a way to be together and find out how to make their parents happy. This was a really cute historical sapphic romance and I did love how Beth and Gwen schemed to be together and constantly fought for one another.

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager/NetGalley for a copy of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend in exchange for an honest review. 

Want You Like a Book Friend

Victorian and Regency-era romance is all the rage these days. And when those are romances are queer, all the better, I say. Emma R. Alban's oddly-titled Don't Want You Like a Best Friend is Jane Austen meets Alexis Hall in all the best ways. I hadn't done a deep read of the synopsis before picking up the book, but where things are headed is evident within the first two chapters. That doesn't matter. So please don't put it down like I almost did. 

The journey is the critical part of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend, and I was delighted by how the plot played out. Even better, the four main characters -- Gwen and her father, Beth and her mother -- are a hoot. This novel is told in the alternating third-person POVs of Gwen and Beth. Their voices and characters are unique, and the chemistry makes sense. 

That's not to say Don't Want You Like a Best Friend is all sunshine and rainbows. There is a history of sadness in Gwen's and Beth's lives. Not only do their childhoods contain real trauma, but they live in a society where they are hardly more than property. Alban doesn't shy away from that. Alban also balances queerphobia and acceptance in a way that feels hopeful yet appropriate to the time period. 

Should You Read It?

If you like reading about balls, promenades, courtship and all that, absolutely. Also, Don't Want You Like a Best Friend is a romance between two people plotting to become stepsisters. That might be triggering for some. For what it's worth, because of the specific context, it didn't really bother me.

If you're looking for a slightly spicy Victorian romance about second chances and "forbidden" love, Don't Want You Like a Best Friend fits the bill. 

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend comes out on January 09, 2024. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚👗👭

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend is a sapphic historical romance novel that is a cross between Bridgerton and The Parent Trap. I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fun read and I loved getting to know all the characters.

Beth and Gwen decide the best way to avoid having to find a marriage match during this season is to get their parents together after discovering that their parents have history together. While spending a lot of time together scheming, Beth and Gwen end up falling for each other. The book didn’t shy away from the realities of them falling in love during this period in history but also made the reader hopeful for everything to work out. Beth and Gwen’s relationship felt very real and they had amazing chemistry.

This book is romantic, funny, and heartwarming and I cannot wait to follow the characters in the sequel!

Flabbergasted, but in the best of ways, by the wonderful Emma R. Alban's debut work. I can't begun to understand how she manged to write a story that hit all the notes perfectly. This is a genuine delight. I smiled, I laughed, I got hot, and I cried. I cared about every single character. I'm going to read this again and again. I eagerly await the sequel. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

One of the few 5 star reviews I've given in 2023. Go buy a copy now!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This books is so cute! First I was attracted by the wonderful cover and the title and the fact it was advertising as a queer Parent Trap. I love parent trap, so I was intrigued. Than I read it and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the characters and with the story.
It’s a really cute story about two girls who decided to cospirate. They have to marry a wealthy husband to save their family but they don’t want to. So they decided that Beth’s mother and Gwen’s father have to marry instead.
While they parent trap their parents, they fall in love. It’s a really cute lgbt+ story, full of queer joy. And yes, technically is the 1857 so they can’t be togheter, but this is a romance, this is a story, so there is a wonderful happy ending.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was so fun and so sweet, and also had the perfect amount of depth and history. I loved this cast of characters and their growth as individuals and as friends/couples/found family to one another. The queer love throughout the story was integrated and explored so beautifully - and I have next to no chill when it comes to waiting for James and Bobby’s story.

Alban had me at the T. Swift reference in the title and she delivered with a beautiful love story on multiple fronts.

Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wasn't sure about the writing style at first, but I was quickly drawn in. Beth and Gwyn are so flipping cute together. Neither one of them really knew what they were getting themselves into and I loved it. The added bonus of them trying to parent trap their parents was pretty funny. I am very excited for the next book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book surprised me in the best ways possible! For the first part of the book I was just happily going along, enjoying a well-written story and getting to know both Gwen and Beth. The prose was immersive and the environment lush, and after a couple chapters I felt like I was actually in the 1850s London along with them.

What really blew me away however, was the chemistry between the two mc’s. For some reason I had expected more of a slow burn, slowly realizing they like each other pining, and this was not that. I have absolutely zero complaints because as soon as these two ladies kissed (probably one of the best first kisses I’ve read recently) you could feel the tension and desire between them. What followed next was an achingly beautiful tale of forbidden desire in a much different time and ultimately the (hard fought) happy ending I craved.

Was this book perfect? No. The writing style of third person present tense is not often used and takes a little time to get into, but once I did I feel it actually helped immerse me in the story. The middle parts dragged at times, and once or twice I yelled at all of the characters to just talk to each other!! But in the end the flaws didn’t matter, the overall impression this book left me with and the emotional depth it invoked all lead me to rank it as one of my best of the year and I have already pre-ordered its sequel, You’re the Problem, it’s You.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a regency romance with sizzling chemistry and a forbidden love story full of angst and a touch of parental matchmaking schemes!

I received an ARC of this ebook from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

Absolutely a new favorite historical romance.

This book is described as a queer Bridgerton meets Parent Trap and that is pretty much all you need to know! I do believe it is impossible not to love it.

Beth and Gwen are two debutantes seeking/not-so-seeking husbands this season. They realize that if they get Beth's mom to fall in love with Gwen's dad, they might be able to delay or permanently put off their own need for a husband! But they also fall head over hoop skirts for each other 🥰🥵🥰

• The pining and angst was heavenly. Heavenly I tell you! These characters went 👏 through it 👏 and so does the reader, but it is so worth every bit of pain. I just loved it. Pining all over the place. Pining from the side story romances, too! Just so much glorious pining! 🤣
• The pacing was perfect. I am a slow burn lover and this book did it splendidly! They have a connection from the start, but I absolutely love how the desire sort of sneaks up on Gwen and Beth.
• Open door, but moderate level of detail. Written in the kind of way where even hand holding and stolen kisses makes you feel a certain type of way.
• It's more than one romance. Probably my favorite "more than one romance" ever. Each of the love stories depicted in this book are top tier. You will see!
• The father-daughter and mother-daughter dynamics are different but both so special in their own ways. I loved reading about the parents just as much as I loved reading about Beth and Gwen!
•The most wonderful housekeeper side characters! Stop it right now?! And also never stop, authors, never stop.
• The gosh darn hoop skirts. I loved 'em.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (In case you couldn't tell!)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon for this eARC

I had so much fun reading this book! It completely delivers on a sweet, banter-and-shenanigans-filled romance I hoped it would. I read most of the book at work, and it still had me smiling and giggling throughout.

I loved both Beth and Gwen, and I believed their romance from the beginning, as well as their friendship. I understood immediately why they liked each other, which I think is particularly important in a friends-to-lovers romance like this.

Beth and Gwen's relationship was not the only important one in this book, of course. Considering the setup of this book hinges on a parent-trap plot, it's particularly important to manage the balance between making me care about and believe the parents' romance as well without them taking the spotlight away from the romance I actually came here for. I thought this book did a fantastic job of that. It even made me care about a background romance, and the epilogue provided a wonderful preview of the next book's romance, which I am very much looking forward to. I really loved the characters here.

I will note readers looking for historical accuracy may find themselves frustrated. The language in particular tends a bit more casual than I would have expected. However, I personally did not find myself bothered by it at all. It clearly felt intentional, and anyway, a strong sense of verisimilitude was not my main concern when I picked up a parent-trap-inspired sapphic romcom with a Taylor Swift lyric in the title. I came here simply to be delighted, and I got more than my money's worth of that.

Thank you to Avon for the ARC!