This starts off fun, then veers close to excellent territory with the very real assessment of the “marriage mart” and a very sweet and steamy romance. The ordeal of trying to make yourself attracted to the mediocre boy you’re supposed to marry is real, lol.

The pacing was a little uneven with the multiple storylines, and at times it teetered back and forth over when to be fluffy and anachronistic and when to grapple with the starker reality of misogyny, homophobia, etc, especially re: the real life Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857. But for the most part I like where it landed.

A fun, fluffy rom-com with the occasional sobering dose of reality—I’ll take it. Solid debut.

4.5 stars. This was so great! It does a great job of depicting how terrible “the season” could be for young girls during the Victorian era, while also remaining lighthearted overall. I was invested in both relationships (the MCs and their parents), and I will 100% be reading the second book in the series. And probably buying physical copies of both.

I’m a sucker for a Taylor Swift reference and friends-to-lovers trope and this book did not disappoint. Beth and Gwen’s relationship was sweet. And the cast of side characters and subplots were nicely integrated. This book gives you a bit of everything - angst, romance, and humor which made for a compelling read.

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

I really wanted to love this book for so many reasons... the Bridgerton vibes, the hype I'd seen online, and the Taylor Swift reference in the book's title. However, I am DNFing this book at 20%. I'm so sad with how much I was anticipating to enjoy this, but I find the book really dry. I do not connect with any of the characters - I think this would work better either *only* as a parent trap story, or *only* as a queer romance, but not both. It felt very repetitive and incredibly YA. I didn't feel any romantic tension between the 2 main girls.

Thanks anyway for the ARC. I hope others love this one!

I enjoyed this queer historical fiction novel. The characters were likeable and had me rooting for them

Overall somewhere between 3-3.5 stars for me. This book is a lovely debut, and Gwen and Beth were fun characters to read about. But unfortunately for me, it didn't feel like much was happening plot-wise to move the story along and keep me interested.

I could definitely see myself picking up more books by this author! However, this book just wasn't for me.

🦇 Don't Want You Like a Best Friend Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ She thinks about her a lot, of course. And the days are better when they get to be together. And when she's dressing for balls now she thinks more of what Beth might think of her gown than what any of the young men might. And holding Beth's hand today made her feel more than she's ever felt dancing with anyone...They're friends. Shouldn't she love her friend? ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite Bridgerton pairing? ❓

🦇 Anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, while Gwen is on her fourth season with no intention of finding a husband. Unknown to them both, their single parents seem to have a history. Getting them married could save all their problems. Only one hitch: they seem to hate each other. Can Beth and Gwen bring their parents together...all while ignoring the budding feelings they seem to have for each other?

💜 I'll admit it: the tagline "a swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance" and promise of a "lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap" caught my eye. Gwen is a firecracker from her introduction, while Beth is everything you would expect from a demure debut searching for a husband. There's an instant spark from the moment they meet; a subtle yet undeniable chemistry many of us have experienced after meeting our (platonic or romantic) soulmates. Every scene between them is full of energy. They're each other's ideal halves: Gwen is bold, energetic, and as charming as her father, while Beth is sweet, amiable, and reserved. They get into Parent-Trap-style shenanigans with one another while simultaneously bringing out the best in each other. We see Beth's character growth through her time with Gwen as much as we see Gwen grow after meeting Beth.

🦇 It's funny but before reading the plot, both the title and cover reminded me of The Fiancee Farce, which led me to expect something more modern. Despite the story's setting in the Regency period, the writing (everything from the prose and exposition to jokes and attitudes) seems more modern than expected. The only aspect that reminded me of any classic story (like Jane Austen) or recent Regency novel (like Bridgerton) was the pacing. The first 30% of the story drags without the type of messy antics or conflicts that would have driven the story forward. It felt like a modern story dressed up as a Regency period tale. The overlapping plots (the sapphic relationship, Beth searching for a husband, and the Parent-Trapping) aren't weaved together with cohesion that would have helped the pacing. Because of the uneven pacing, the transition from friends to more comes off as sudden instead of a natural progression. The dual third-person limited, present-tense POV was also a strange choice, which made the prose awkward at times.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Bridgerton, Parent Trap, and Victorian romances. There are also a few Swiftie references (for those of you who feel compelled to read a book for that sort of thing).

✨ The Vibes ✨
🩷 Victorian Era Romance
🩷 Sapphic Romance
🩷 Forbidden Romance
🩷 Friends to Lovers
🩷 Dual POV

⚠️ Content Warnings: Domestic, Emotional, and Physical Abuse; Sexual Content; Sexism; Death of a Parent

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Set in the Victorian times of debutante balls and corsets, this book is a mesh of Bridgerton and the Parent Trap! Beth has only one season to find a husband, to save her and her mother from financial ruin. Gwen is in her fourth season and is adamantly avoiding finding her forever guy. When the two meet up at the season’s first ball, they decide to do something unexpected: set up their widowed parents instead! But as the season continues, the relationships become more complicated as the women navigate rising feelings and unknown history that may ruin everything.

The aspect I loved the most of this book was the depth of the characters. Beth and Gwen had such a natural dynamic between them and their friends to lovers moment flowed really well. In all honesty, I WAS more invested in their parents relationship and would LOVE a spin-off set in their scandalous first season.

However, this was a difficult book to really immerse myself into. There were so many Lords and Ladies to keep track of that even in the final chapters I had to stop and ponder who each person was. The third person narrative didn’t really help in this. I think the book would have shined with a first person narrative to fit in with the dual POV that made the book shine.

I also couldn’t look past the fact that Gwen and Beth would become stepsisters if their plan succeeded given the nature of their relationship. Especially after seeing the family dynamics we see in the epilogue, this aspect made me slightly uncomfortable if I thought on it too hard.

That being said you will like this book if you are looking for:

- Victorian Era Romance
- Dual POVs
- Friends to Lovers
- Forbidden Romance

Definitely worth checking it out when it releases in January! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a delightful read, and surprisingly exactly as advertised. Beth and Gwen are both on the marriage mart (Victorian times, not Regency, though without the mention of hoop skirts I'm not sure you can really tell the difference) and would both rather skip the whole affair. When they realize their respective single parents have romantic history, they decide to set them up together. Not only for their own happiness, but also because it would take the pressure off their own marriages. This book really doesn't take itself very seriously, so I can only describe what happens next as "shenanigans ensue."

This is a really fun strangers to friends to lovers as well, with the girls meeting and becoming friends throughout the book, which is honestly one of my favorite tropes. Unlike Bridgerton, it's not a full on romp. Things are pretty PG for most of the book - there's really only one steamy scene. Nevertheless it's a very enjoyable book and a solid debut novel.

My only complaint is that I felt we could've gone a bit deeper into the characters. I would've liked more on page banter, more emotional moments, and more back story into the characters- that really would've put this book from "solid debut" to "wowza" for me.

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban is the queer Bridgerton rom-com you never knew you needed.

Synopsis:
It’s Beth Demeroven’s first season, her only chance to find a husband to secure her and her mother’s future. Beth must find a proposal by the end of the season or risk homelessness, since her father left them nothing upon his untimely death. Gwen Havenfort, on the other hand, is entering her 4th season, with hopes of ending it without a match again. After all, she got a pony last year and hopes her father will provide a racehorse as a consolation this time around.

Gwen takes Beth under her wing at the first ball of the season and the young women become an inseparable duo, realizing that they mean more to one another than any man ever could. But the ton could never accept such a scandalous pairing. Realizing their parents missed their own opportunity at a love match, the girls hatch a plot to pair them off. That way, they’ll never have to go their separate ways. But we’ve all seen Parent Trap a time (or ten), and know things often go awry when meddling in the love lives of our parents.

My Thoughts:
What really drew me to this book was the description: Bridgerton x Parent Trap – count me in!

I adored the characters in this book. Both girls and their respective parents have such sweet and caring relationships that still feel real, and not over the top. I wish we got more interaction with the rest of the cast, like Gwen’s cousins and Meredith. That said, I am excited for the second book the author has set up that looks like it will involve them to a greater extent.

It also felt a bit lacking in what we got of Lady Demeroven and Lord Havenfort, since we see it through the POV of either Gwen or Beth. What we did get kept me eager for their next interaction or crumb of info about their past.

As for Gwen and Beth, they are lovable goofs fighting for what they want in a world where women are second class citizens. The culmination of their relationship, once they realized their feelings, felt rushed, but the slow-burn and chemistry before had me in tangles – a blush here, holding a hand there, hoop skirts always in the way and no idea how they felt until it all fell into place.

The book was somewhat predictable but not overly so, often leaving me smiling or giggling to myself at the shenanigans throughout. It also felt a bit slow in the middle but picked right back up at the end. It is a quick, cute read for anyone looking for a lighthearted, sapphic Victorian romance. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Bridgerton or doesn’t often read historical romance, like myself, and wants to dip a toe into the genre.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐, 2/5 🌶
Content Warnings: Physical, emotional, and domestic abuse, sexism, sexual content.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon HarperCollins for providing this e-ARC. All opinions within this review are my own.

I will be posting on GoodReads and StoryGraph 2 weeks before the publish date. I will post to Amazon on the publish date.

I received this digital ARC free from NetGalley, thank you. This is a great read, with a good plot, excellent romance, and well-developed characters. I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series!

Hear me out: Turn on the fairy lights, queue up “Dress” by Taylor Swift, and get yourself a good array of tea pastries - these are the prime conditions for reading this adorable and swoony sapphic romance.

I ate this entire book UP! When it was pitched as "Parent Trap" and "Bridgerton" I was admittedly skeptical, but oh boy this book DELIVERED.

The dynamic between the leads was fun and captivating - I adored that we got to watch these two from their very first meeting to falling in love. Gwen, bold and charismatic, was a perfect counterpart to Beth, timid and amiable. Together they were sometimes a bit of a disaster, real idiots to lovers representation, ya know? (Beth and Gwen had 3 braincells between them and 1 of those brain cells was mildly intoxicated at all times…but we love them anyways). But they always had the best intentions and through their, admittedly poorly organized mission to get their widowed parents together, they come to confront what matters most to them and what is worth fighting for.

I also must add that the whole cast of this book was really delightful and I am SO thrilled that there are hints to a future second book following Beth and Gwen's cousins!

This book was unexpectedly one of my top reads this year and I very much recommend it if you’ve ever watched "Bridgerton" and thought “man, I really wish there were sapphics here.” (Is that not a thought we’ve all had at some point? It can’t just be me.)

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC - I am leaving this review voluntarily!

Being that The Parent Trap was my favorite movie growing up, it's no surprise that I absolutely loved this book. From start to finish it was a fun read and I instantly grew to like the characters. When it comes to historical fiction I always look for accuracy in fashion and social customs so I loved that this author really knew what they were talking about but still managed to keep it entertaining for the reader. I liked that the story wasn't entirely predictable and still had some twists, will definitely be recommending this book when it releases!

What an amazing queer twist on the usual Victorian romance! I enjoyed this a lot, and the Parent Trap aspect was also enjoyable!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!

I am a lesbian, and a glad one at that-- that was, admittedly, the only reason why I'd requested the book. Sure, the title threw me off a little, but maybe that was the only modernism.

It wasn't. It felt as if it was a cosplay of the vaguely mentioned time period (implied throughout the political background, passing a specific Act) and the languages, thoughts, attitudes, and jokes seemed to be all very twenty-first century. There seemed to be little effort of making it feel like the era and it might as well have been window dressing or roleplaying.

I felt as if I was forcing myself through the book, unfortunately. I found myself more interested in the parents getting together than the girls themselves which is.... kinda feels like a betrayal, but we;'re lesbians, we all like to see parents doing well.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with this e-ARC! When I initially requested this book, I had no idea what I was diving into. The allure of a Parent Trap twist in the plot and a queer romance were the driving forces behind my interest. Apart from that, my knowledge about Regency history, ballgowns, and intricate etiquette was practically nonexistent.

The story kicked off at a leisurely pace, marked by an unusual past-present tense dynamic that left me a bit perplexed. However, my fascination with the LGBTQ plot involving Gwen and Beth remained steadfast. Around the 25% mark, the narrative took a compelling turn. Romance blossomed, a touch of smut was introduced, and the complexities of genealogy and family connections became clearer.

As the plot thickened, the engaging banter and storyline held me captive, often keeping me awake past 2 am. I found myself yearning for more of the witty exchanges. Surprisingly, I developed a preference for Beth over Gwen. Despite the slow start, the book proved unputdownable.

What truly captivated me was the underlying conflict, so much so that I almost overlooked its resonance with contemporary LGBTQ rights issues. The author skillfully delved into challenging subjects, particularly family dynamics. This book is a must-read, even for those not typically drawn to Regency romances.

I will probably say more on my bookstagram post.

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

There’s a tweet circulating the internet that says something along the lines of how sometimes shows use gay characters to get people to watch them, because otherwise the show would be too boring to watch. The author of the tweet calls this form of gaybaiting, “gayboring.” That was how I felt about this book. There were certainly angsty lesbians in it, but I wouldn’t say there was much else. The setting was hard to keep track of, because some scenes lasted for ages and some lasted barely a page before we were at a different party at some other wealthy nobleman’s home. And, it’s possible that I’m just American and this isn’t a valid criticism, but all of the English slang seemed very overdone and distracting. I will say, if you’re looking for lesbian Spice, this book definitely has it— it’s one of the few things it does have. I just… I had high hopes this book would have more story in it than just sad lesbians pining for each other and intermittently trying to get their parents together.

the beginning of this book was a little slow and honestly a little hard for me to get into but that might have been bc I was reading only like 2 or 3 minutes at a time but once their relationship really started to develop and toe the line from friends to lovers I was hooked and by then I was able to read for hour long periods so it worked out great. I love that you see them meet on page and you can see their transition from strangers to friends to lovers. the epilogue? 10/10 and I really wish the arc had a teaser in the teaser section and not just a header because I wanted to stay longer in that world. I think the writing style flowed well and I can't wait for it to come out so I can get a physical copy.
favorite quote:
are you being stalked by a disgruntled, diseased chicken?

This was a really cute sapphic historical romance! Although I did feel this book was entirely too long, it should have been about 100 pages less. I feel like there were two separate stories written: Beth and Gwen’s romance, and the “parent trap” aspect of them getting their parents together. The focus was constantly being pulled between the other, and I did feel like this took away from the story as a whole. That said, I am glad to have read it! I would recommend if you want to read a sapphic historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall this was a fun book but it felt like it was trying to do a lot of things and I’m not sure it did them all well.

First, the good: the main sapphic couple was very sweet, the romance was built up at a good speed & it was very easy to root for them to be together. Both POV characters were enjoyable while being different enough that most of the time, I could tell which POV was which. There were a few times it got muddled but on the whole, I liked the relationship. There is open door spice and it is written in a comfortable, positive way.

The costumes: well described and true to the appropriate time period for the most part. I can tell the author did some research on what was stylish at this time.

The less great: the parent trap situation. It was a little awkward because you have a whole extra romance happening, with a history and character arcs, but no POVs in that relationship. Instead everything is filtered through their daughters, which has a slight ick factor. The scene where both couples (again, daughters and their PARENTS) are sitting around feeding each other oysters in suggestive ways was…. weird. The parent trap is inherently cutesy and making it a romantic premise with the goal of two step sisters being able to date each other was just on the edge of being fine vs being slightly weird at times. The epilogue makes it seem like the whole setup will end up being unnecessary/temporary anyway so I guess that’s less ick (sort of) but also kinda deflates some of the tension.

The political background plot: this very much tied the story to a particular time and I think maybe that was a bit of a mistake. The way it is written—the morality, the sensibility—is more Regency than Victorian. That’s where the bridgerton comp comes in. But it’s not set in the Regency Era and this plot constantly reminds me of that fact. It also felt a little over the top and heavy handed.

Definitely a unique and interesting book and I’ll look forward to what this author puts out next.