This book was such a wonderful read! I feel so fortunate that I get to experience books like this being published, featuring queerness and characters that are accepting of that. The relationships between Gwen and her father and Beth and her mother really drove this book home for me. There were so many beautiful moments that made me so emotional. The plot was fun and engaging and, of course, I adored Gwen and Beth's romance. Truly so sweet, I got to the end and wanted it to keep going!!

This is so cute and fun with a dash of spice. I really loved this book. I think both Beth and Gwen are exceptional characters. I love the time era the book is set in, I love bridgerton so this gave me some of those vibes. I also love the subtle fuck the patriarchy within the politics. The parent trap plotline was so good, though Beth and Gwen need to work on their matchmaking skills. I can't wait to see them matchmake Bobby and James.

I am not a huge fan of regency romances but I am always a fan of sapphic romance so of course I had to read this one. It was a really fun and just easy read. The two girls falling for each other as they try and parent trap their parents was very amusing. I liked the slow burn element as well. This was definitely a solid sapphic read!

Thank you Emma and Netgalley for letting me read this early. I loved The Parent Trap plot in this book on top of the Victorian era sapphic romance. I thought it did a good job of giving attention to both the relationship between Beth and Gwen as well as their parent’s relationship. I’m personally not a huge fan of 3rd person POV but overall I liked this one.

This book was everything! I absolutely love the hijinks Gwen and Beth come up with to get their parents together so they don't have to get married themselves. Not realizing they're both queer until it's too late, it left me feeling anxious and heartbroken for them, but I knew things would turn out alright in the end.

Mixing my love of historical romance, queer discovery stories, and badass ladies, this was an absolute joy of a book.

The cast of characters was great. Aside from the main duo, Albie was a stand-out to me. Same with Meredith. They were both so accepting of Gwen and Beth and probably realized they had a thing for each other before they did.

I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read the sequel! Highly recommend for fans of Evie Dunmore and Manda Collins.

4.5⭐️

The friends to lovers, Parent Trap, sapphic historical romance I didn’t know I needed. My gosh, the pining and feelings that Alban delivered hurt so good and I felt like my heart was in my throat and tears in my eyes for much of the second half. I absolutely adored this story!

Gwen and Beth’s love story was beautiful, tender, swoony, and simply perfect. I was rooting for these two from the beginning and desperately wanted them to get a happily ever after on their own terms, without having to bend to society’s rules. This story was so soft and while there was some drama, it was low stakes and there was no miscommunication or third act break up to muddy the story. Surrounding Gwen and Beth was a cast of the most delightfully charming side characters who you can’t help but fall in love with. AND!! The epilogue!! I am so excited for what comes next.

I love a dual POV, but if I had one critique, it would be how this is written in third person. I wouldn’t say it detracts in a major way from the story, however I think if it had been written in first person, it would have been perfection and cemented it as a full five stars.

Ultimately, I adored this sweet romance and fell in love with these characters!

I loved this book. This is not my usual genre, so it was different. Beth has to find a rich husband, or her family will be destitute. Gwen is on her fourth season and does not want to marry at all. They see the sparks between their parents and decide that the perfect solution is to get the parents together. In the meantime, they both realize they are having feelings as well. Slow burn and funny as the story progresses. I thought the girls took a long time to realize that they "liked" each other but the times did not always allow the option. Good book and i would read a sequel if there is one coming. Light and fun book for lazy day. This one made me smile.


I received a free copy for an unbiased review.

Just finished this super cute sapphic romance meets the Parent Trap. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it definitely reads more YA than adult (there is a bit of spice, so it's not actually YA) at least to me. Both Gwen and Beth are likable characters but come off younger than early twenties.

I did enjoy their attempts to bring their parents together. Both girls had such wonderful relationships with their parents. I was especially moved by Gwen and her father. There are also Gwen's cousins, which add a little humor to the mix.

The way the author shows how the girls start to feel like more than friends without even realizing it was so well done.

This was a fun read and gave me the warm fuzzies! I will definitely check out the sequel for more of the girls' matchmaking endeavors!

This book comes out on January 9th. I received an ARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I was really excited to get approved for this book, as Dress is my favorite Taylor Swift song of all time but this book fell.very flat for me. I wish I could get into it but couldnt' even finish it, it dragged on way too much.

The only real critique I have is that it got a bit repetitive and lulled a little in the middle. Nonetheless, this was an incredibly enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see these characters again in the sequel!

In a beautifully romantic book that I called to a friend “bridgerton for gay people” Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend was a gorgeous swoon- worthy with Dress like vibes!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
As a massive Swiftie and lover of queer (especially sapphic) romance, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend seemed to call my name from the moment I saw it. It also has a fun premise that mixed some fun tropes, and while it could easily have gone wrong in some places, it thankfully went mostly right.
I love both Beth and Gwen, especially how well-drawn their respective relationships with their parents are. Gwen and her dad are delightfully unconventional, while Beth and her mother are on the edge of poverty, with the Season being the one chance she has to secure a good match to prevent this. As a result, Beth navigates the struggle of picking a suitor, even though she’s not fully invested in it, while her bond with Gwen grows into something more than friendship. Emma R. Alban does a fairly good job of grappling with the period-accurate homophobia in the background, while providing the leads with a believable way to their HEA…with more to come foreshadowed at the end, bleeding over into how they’ll meddle again in the next book, this time as supporting players.
While subplots can be hard to pull off, sometimes being undercooked, and sometimes overwhelming the main romance arc, I did like the way the romantic subplot between the parents was handled. The meddling between Beth and Gwen was still a major driving force, so it fed into their own romance, and given how much the parental relationships are emphasized in tandem with the romantic ones, I truly cared whether the two parents got together, not just for the girls’ sake, but so these two lonely people could find their second chance at love.
The story is a little slow-paced, and some of the story felt a little repetitive, what with there not being a ton going on. But the book overall is mostly fun, sweet vibes with characters I enjoyed following, and that’s what kept my interest, even in the somewhat laggy moments.
This book is absolutely adorable, and I can’t wait for the next book, with an equally Swift-inspired punny title. If you love sapphic historical romance, Taylor Swift, and/or The Parent Trap, I’d recommend checking this out!

*Received as a free ARC*
Oh my goooooood. I loved this so much. Beth and Gwen are absolute icons. I'm a sucker for historical queers and I was not failed here. Their struggle felt true to the period, yet hopeful. I've already requested the next book in the series and though this was a debut novel, I foresee myself being an avid fan of Alban in the future. Absolutely would recommend.

Okay, I've been so excited to review this book! I received an ARC copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I was SO EXCITED. This book is everything I didn't know I needed right now. I really, really loved this book. It had such a different vibe from what I've been reading lately and I wasn't ready for it to end. I laughed out loud, I got a little misty at times and my heart was full to bursting with Gwen and Beth. I adored so much about this book, from the cousins to the parent's second chance romance journey, to the angst from Beth's needing to secure a marriage before the end of the season - just everything about it.

Gwen is so clever and feisty. Beth is utterly lovely. The two ladies together are just wonderful. From the garden kisses to the steamy discovery of love between the two- this was just such a great read for me.

I thought the parent trap concept would hit me weirdly- but it was a wonderful thread to this story's tapestry. It added a wonderful layer of complication and another love story to root for. I'm not ready to leave this world behind and the epilogue opened a door to a follow up which I couldn't be more delighted to hear.

(ALSO - I listened to the Bridgerton soundtrack / Vitamin String Quartet / Taylor Swift instrumental on repeat while reading this and it just made it even more perfect)

ALSO ALSO - This cover is PURE Genuis and perfection and I'm obsessed with it.
Thank you to Netgalley, Goodreads, Emma R. Alban, Avon, and Harper Voyager for an advance reader's copy of this book!

A Bridgerton meets Parent Trap esque sapphic rom com set against the Victorian era. The season has started and Beth needs to find a husband to keep her family afloat. At the first soirée she meets Gwen, on her fourth season, and instead of finding a mate she finds a friend. Together they scheme to rekindle their parents love and just might fall for each other along the way. A promising premise but I learned that historical fiction, even if the gay variety, is not necessarily for me. I am soft DNF’ing at 50% as I don’t feel the drive to continue through the lulls in the book. There is an audience out there for this book, especially if you love Victorian romance with an air of forbidden love. The audience, is not me, however. I hope to come back to this book later when I feel in the mood for something historical. I would give this 3 stars especially since I know there are people who will love it.

Taylor Swift songs I associate with this book: Dress (for obvious reasons), gold rush, delicate, Cruel Summer

A cute sapphic regency romance with a big setup for the sequel! Gwen meets Beth and basically immediately falls for her in a "post your QRT on twitter about how you didn't know you, a woman, were in love with your best friend" sort of manner meanwhile everyone around her is like "dude how obvious are you... go get the girl." The levels of support were surprising and I should re-think that as positive instead of my jumpscared Millennial initial outlook. An enjoyable read overall and I liked how ""masculine"" Gwen was (aka drinking and betting oh no!) while still being a beautiful woman in large hoops. Did we mention the amount of hoops and skirts? Because this book definitely mentioned the amount of skirts and the width of the hoops nearly constantly.

I'm rating this as 4* because I did enjoy myself, it was a nice light read, but there are some things that stood out to me:
a) I was much more invested in the parents getting together than Gwen and Beth. Maybe because we knew it was going to be HEA but we didn't know re: the parents? And the resolution to the engagement was good! Love the way that was done!
b) We have Gwen at several moments saying how smart and funny and clever Beth is but we never actually see Beth being smart or funny... really at all. Maybe it would have made her and Gwen too similar? She's portrayed both in her POV chapters and Gwen's POV chapters as wide-eyed and new, often blushing, unsure of so much but doing her best to get through and get the match she and her mother want for her to save them from destitution!
c) Honestly I wish the title was different. I get it's to draw in the attention of Swifties but it feels much too modern for something so solidly Regency. I wonder if that's why the UK title is different?

I'm interested to read the sequel because I DO love someone absolutely pining (I think this was Gwen too but since we only got POV chapters from the girls it was impossible to have the same sort of outward looking at someone pining as she does with James) and looking forward to more Schemes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a fun book! Besides being an f/f romance, this book has a Parent Trap vibe as the two love interests try to get their parents back together for a second chance at love.

It's also set during the Victorian era. While I love a good Regency, I was thrilled to move ahead a couple decades to a time which is equally fascinating. While Queen V was mentioned, I wish she and Albert had been more of a presence.

But overall, this was such a fun read and it looks like it might be a series. More Swift lyric titles? More retellings? I am excited for what comes next.. Highly recommend!

Beth is embarking upon her first, and only, season. She must find a husband of means or she and her mother will be left homeless. Gwen is being dragged into her fourth season, not really interested in making a match. When the two girls meet at a ball, they become instant friends. They also realize their parents were involved before they each married other people and decide to hatch a plot to get the two of them together. When Gwen and Beth's friendship deepens into something more, they are even more determined to get their parents married so they can avoid Beth's marriage to the perfectly nice, but equally boring, Lord Montson.

The plot was fun and the characters were likable, but the second half of the book seemed to drag a bit. Recommended for fans of sapphic regency romance, with a Parent Trap twist.

Sometimes historical romances feel adequately historical. This is not one of those times! It wasn’t a huge bother, but if you’re someone who gets up in arms about accurate vocabulary, it might be something to note. Overall it was sweet, and I loved the parent trap scheme. I would classify this as an enjoyable, if slightly forgettable, entry in queer hist-rom canon.

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend follows Gwen who is in her fourth season of being a debutante who has no intention of finding a husband ever. This season things change when she meets Beth who is in her first season of being a debutante. They soon hit it off. Beth also is not ready to get married. So the two hatch a plan to set up their parents who used to be lovers. The more time Beth and Gwen spend together, they son start falling for each other. Beth also gets a marriage proposal and that threatens to ruin everything. Will the two be able to be together and get their parents together?

This book was a little out of my comfort zone. But I did think it was a cute YA book. I did think it dragged on a bit in some places. And I felt like there was so unnecessary drama. But I thought the over all story was really good. I also loved the relationship between Gwen and Beth. If you are looking for a cute YA romance I would suggest this.

Thank you so much Emma R Alban, Avon books, and Netgalley for this ARC.