DNF - unfortunately I didn’t really care about these characters and I also dislike when there’s a villain in romance (unless they become the love interest aka enemies to lovers)

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend is one of my all-time faves, so I had high hopes for this one—and it totally delivered! Bobby and James have such a fun, fiery dynamic. Their enemies-to-lovers journey was filled with tension, banter, and just the right amount of angst. I also loved seeing more of Gwen and Beth’s meddling—it added so much charm and humor.

The historical backdrop and the challenges faced by queer couples in that era might not work for everyone, but I appreciated how the story stayed grounded while still giving Bobby and James and Gwen and Beth their own unique, satisfying happy ending. If you loved the first book or enjoy queer historical romance, this is a must-read!

gay book always win I do not care what people say the book was hoot and si cute and I love it. it deserves all the love

3 stars

I would like to preface that when I originally got this ARC, I did read the copy provided to me by NetGalley. However, I did also listen to the audiobook as soon as it came out and re-read my digital ARC copy while listening along. So this review is based upon both the NetGalley ARC copy and the released, published audiobook copy.

I didn't love this one, but I didn't hate it neither - at least, I didn't hate the entire book, but the tropes are not my favorites at all. Outside of what worked for me and what did not, this installment was very forgettable for me.

What saved this book for me was the overall plot of securing happiness for the boys and the girls from book 1, the family dynamics, and friends which ultimately helped me finish this book to the end.

“You’re the Problem, It’s You” is a romance between two men living in 1850s England. Bobby and James don’t get along initially, but they eventually realize their fighting is covering an intense attraction to each other. I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve from being at odds to being in love. Once Bobby and James give in to their attraction to each other, there are plenty of steamy scenes to enjoy. The alternating viewpoints really allowed you to understand how both men feel. This is a follow-up to “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend”. We get to see a lot of Beth and Gwen from that book, which was fun. I liked this story and rate it four and a half stars.

I think part of the problem with this one is that the audiobook was...not good. The accent that one of the narrators put on was not only distracting but also difficult to understand. I found myself having a lot of trouble focusing but also realizing it didn't matter that much as everything was fairly easily resolved. I liked this, but I didn't absolutely love it like I thought I might. More of a 3.5/5.

Was so excited to read this after getting an arc of the first one. The build up and tease from the end of the first book to now !!! The relationship between the characters and the writing was much better this time around.

I absolutely adored Don't Want You Like a Best Friend, so of course I had to pick this one up as well. While I didn't enjoy it as much, I did still like it a lot. My only gripe was that it felt a little insta-love for rivals-to-lovers.

I found this book dreadfully charming. A nice slowish burn regency era romance with a fair bit of haters to lovers. There was a lot of angst to get to their happy ending and I enjoyed every moment. All my eagerness for them to get past the hating each other phrase was immediately forgotten when I got to see the payoff of the slower start to James and Bobby’s relationship. It was also absolutely wonderful that Beth and Gwen are such main characters in this book as well. After loving them in their book before this one it was such a treat to see more of them. And the way their love stories intertwined in this one worked very well for me. Just a wonderfully fun read.

In the sequel to "Dont Want You Like a Best Friend", we follow James (a newly titled viscount) and Bobby (a second son struggling to find his purpose in life). It claims to be enemies to lovers, but personally I feel like they weren't actually enemies, they just kept misunderstanding each other. Eventually, they come across a common enemy and start to work together, quickly falling in love. This was harder for me to like than the first one because I dislike miscommunication (which was basically the whole first third of the book) and third act break ups. Similar to the first book, this feels more like a modern novel in a historical setting rather than a proper historical romance (which isn't a factor for me, but I know its important for others). Overall I thought it was a fun read once we got past the miscommunication and I think I'd read it again. The ending was absolutely precious.
I rated it a 2.5 on the spice scale.

This was good & fun!! I liked the vibe of this read & the characters felt so honest. The overall story was slower & more vague than i usually love.

This was so cute!

Interestingly, both of the leading men have already comes to terms with their sexualities before falling for each other, in contrast with the previous book in the series (Don't Want You Like a Best Friend), which includes more of a self-discovery narrative.

James is a peer, but can't seem to get out from under the shadow of his overbearing stepfather, who grasps for any bit of power and influence he can.

Bobby is a second son, and actually has one of the few compelling second-son narratives I've read in a while.

I see gambling as a metaphor throughout this story; they characters engage in betting and discuss its merits frequently. Being in a gay relationship is very risky at this time, and each character has to come to terms with how to make a meaningful relationship work.

I loved these two together, although they jumped from rivals to lovers just a bit too quickly for me. Overall, a fun read. I recommend reading the first one in the series for maximum effect.

I did not like this as much as Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend but I still enjoyed it. The first part was a little slow but it does pick up.

"You're the Problem, It's You" is a delightful book! I did not realize it was the second book in a series but it was easily readable as a standalone. The characters are engaging from their first mention on page and the story is paced very well. This is a very entertaining historical queer romance, with themes of personal growth, being true to oneself, found family, societal expectations and more.

The two MCs bump heads initially and there is definitely a grumpy/sunshine vibe but it's more than that for both of them. They are both struggling with who they are, where they fit in, how to be who the are inside and how to fit themselves into the expectations of those around them and society at large. Once they allow themselves to be vulnerable (and more honest) with each other the story truly gets going. There is some angst and some spice but at its core this is a romance and a story about finding yourself and finding your place.

the secondary characters were excellent! I am going to find the first book and read about Gwen and Beth. But almost every side character--from Uncle Dashiell and Aunt Cordelia, to Albie and Meredith. Meredith's mom--they all had important roles to play and were vital to the story line, as well as being interesting in and of themselves.

There is such a warmth to the family dynamics and I loved that. The solution to the story was sweet as well.

Quite happy with this book and will definitely search out more by this author.

"You’re the Problem, It’s You" by Emma R. Alban is a sharp and insightful examination of self-awareness and personal growth. The witty prose and relatable characters make for an engaging read, as the protagonist navigates the complexities of relationships and self-discovery. Alban’s humor adds a lightness to serious themes, creating a balance that keeps readers invested in the journey. The exploration of accountability and the challenges of change is both refreshing and thought-provoking. Overall, this novel is a captivating reminder that understanding ourselves is often the first step toward meaningful connections with others.

Emma Alban can do no wrong. The build up to the relationship is superb. Seeing a victorian era queer couple get their happy ending always brings me so much joy. I love to see a lavender marriage.

I was able to read an ebook arc of this thanks to NetGalley. A fun romance. Great read. Would read more by this author.

Queer historical romance and a lovely sequel to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend. The characters were well-developed and it was so great to see the continuation of Beth and Gwen’s story as well. Very much enjoyed this one!

thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for this eARC!

i really loved this book! i love these characters so much and i’m glad i got to read more of them. i had a lot less trepidation going into this book than i did starting “don’t want you like a best friend” because i had already been introduced to the world and how the queer romance would play out in this period. i think the contrast is interesting, and i like the way she points it out in the book (like the characters kind of draw attention to it), between queer men and queer women in the 1800s. for example, queer women, in the first book, are essentially unheard of, compared to the clubs we see that exist for queer men in this book. that kind of historical crap is cool to me.

beyond that, i did like the plot of this book. i will say, i like it slightly less than the first book; it was just a tad less organized i think. it still was very good though and i liked the similarities to the first book and how it kept with the idea of “mischief & matchmaking” (as the series is named).

it was very cute and i definitely would recommend it to fans of the 1800s that don’t want to read bridgerton (or other similar books) in fear of straight romance.

Still working on a consistent guide for my reviewsssss, but for now I’m just gonna pour my thoughts out lmao.

Right out the gate, I’m gonna give this one a 2.5/5-star rating and round it up to 3 for NetGalley.

This one wasn’t bad at all. It was a nice Historical Romance and I’m assuming fans of Bridgerton would eat it uppp. (Coming from someone who's never watched or read Bridgerton so don’t come after me if my assumptions are wrong,,,, ) Alas, I’m pretty picky about my Historical reads and even pickier about my Romances.

I briefly skimmed the Reviews after finishing it and I noticed a majority of the low ratings were for people who wanted the Enemies-to-Lovers trope and this book didn’t deliver. But… Why isn’t anyone mentioning the fact that Gwen and Beth are literally Stepsisters? That we’re really keeping these relationships in the family? I really didn’t like that. Like, at all. And no one was concerned that their ending solution was to just marry their cousins (in-law) so that they can all be a big family. Yes, I understand that neither of them were marrying their blood cousins, but it still rubbed me the wrong way a bit. Definitely not into the Step-sibling trope… or getting with anyone within your family tree, for that matter.

Though I was here for the boys and their relationship, I finished this read loving the background couples so much morrrreeee! Uncle Dashiell and Aunt Cordelia were so stinkin’ cute and we didn’t even get that much of them! And Albie and Meredith were perfect as well. WHAT A POWERHOUSE COUPLE THEY ARE! All of their cute little ‘hand on the baby belly’ scenes had me swooning. They’re too cute! Guess I just have a soft spot for expecting parents. But BOY let me tell you I don’t know what I would have done if either of the new mommies died during childbirth. Let’s not put Uncle Dashiell through that again, my heart can’t take it. I didn’t read the first book so this was my introduction into the characters. Finding out about Dashiell and then watching him go through Cordelia’s birth was ughhhhh! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! For that reason, I’m glad the ending let us know that Meredith made it through her own birth with her baby. I wouldn’t have survived having to wait until a sequel to find out if she was okay! Mini-Albie for the win!

My thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the Digital ARC. This book is ALREADY OUT!!! Go check it out for yourself and see what you think!