Clearly, with the 5 star rating, I thoroughly enjoyed YOU’RE THE PROBLEM, IT’S YOU. I ended up falling head over heels for James and Bobby. And Gwen and Beth (because I didn’t read DWYLABF 🤭). And the entire crew that’s featured in this wonderful queer historical romance.

Historical romances usually take me a little longer to read because they’re paced so differently and essentially have a completely different set of rules. I struggle with that sometimes, especially all of the social rules. I would neverrrrrr survive in any other time than the twenty-first century. So, parts of the book were hard to read just because I had to wrap my head around why a character would react a certain way.

But, wow, experiencing the slow burn of Bobby and James was absolutely divine. From James having a schoolyard crush, to being enemies (kinda?), to friends, to lovers. It was gorgeous. Every moment felt so zoomed in that the rest of the world was blocked out. That’s beautiful. Their chemistry was out of this world. I get why James was so scared but UGH, so much time WASTED.

I think they made up for it, though.

I truly loved everything about this. It’s such a cozy, heartwarming story. I’ll be thinking about Bobby and James for a long time coming. I’m so happy I read this!

Fans of Emma R. Alban's previous historical romance work, Don't Want You Like a Best Friend, will rejoice at the novel's companion/sequel, You're the Problem, It's You. Entertainingly apt title aside, the second book in the Mischief & Matchmaking series continues right around where book one left off. You're the Problem follows the tumultuous relationship between second son Bobby Mason, left adrift now that his brother is married and buried in work, and Viscount James Demeroven, who is newly come into his inheritance but decidedly powerless at home. This is feels somewhere in between an enemies-to-lovers and rivals-to-lovers plotline, and is decidedly slow burn (particularly in the first third of the book, after which the pace picks up speedily).

Alban write rose-colored honeymoon phases very well. Readers who enjoy idyllic pastoral romance fluff with moderate spice and almost fantastically (compared to history) happy endings will likely enjoy this book--in many ways it fells like what a typical cishet bodice ripper (or college-era fix-it fanfiction) romance is like, just queer. The comforting positivity of found family that also fortunately happens to be bio family may be a plus, as well, and TikTok trends like the resurgence of lavender marriages also feel reflected in this novel.

However, this book does require some patience: it takes 100-150 pages for the plot and characters to get going. Some of that space could have been used to describe and show the process of character development better, so that certain turning point decisions (ex. James deciding to be more active in Parliament) didn't feel so abrupt. Also, much of the conflicts in this book hinge on (incorrect) assumptions, bringing to mind the idiom about the word "assume." Please, please just talk to each other like grown adults. The miscommunication trope is hard to do well and is often used as a crutch, as is the case here; it would have worked better in a shorter book. Finally, the lines between bio/legal family and romantic ties do feel a little blurred in this book, given all the canon ships. Are they cousins or not or....? Don't think too hard about it. Overall, a fluff romance that gets fun once it gets going, but don't take a magnifying glass to it.

Readers who enjoy Alban's work may also like authors such as K.J. Charles and Cat Sebastian. Other titles of interest include Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall and A Vile Season by David Ferraro.

You're the Problem, It's You by Emma R. Alban is the second series in the Mischief & Matchmaking series. Also named after a Taylor Swift song, which is arguably the best and only redeeming quality of this book.

I’m going to be honest. I did not realize this was the second book in a series when I requested an arc for this. That being said, I did not struggle too much with understanding the plot in this book despite not having read the first book. It follows a different couple and has an entirely new storyline. However, the characters from the first book are in this one as well and it does build on some things that occurred in the first book. It is definitely meant to be read as a series, but that fact did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the characters and the storyline. It had a somewhat believable happy ending (though I would still say it was pretty idealized considering the time the story took place), but that doesn’t really bother me. I would say if you enjoy queer romance with relatively low stakes this would be the perfect read for you!

The pacing was too slow to hold my interest and the main relationship went from 0-60, just not for me.

I have very much enjoyed Emma Alban's books. This one was a lot of fun and very sweet and enjoyable. I first discovered her at a romance bookstore in my area and then a friend recommended her as a good author of romance books with emotional depth. I am happy I could read an early copy of this one.

Emma has done it again!
I love the historical, cozy, & hella queer vibes. I highly recommend reading book 1 first. I am a sucker for anything found family & this has me tearing up towards the end.

If you like queer joy & angry kisses, please please please check this out.

Thank you to the author, the publishers & to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i love a good regency romance, and this one did not disappoint, especially with the dual narration!

I love love love a queer historical romance and this one is perfect for anyone who loves them as well!

I was so excited to read about these characters after reading the first book. I loved reading the story and revisiting Gwen and Beth. I think this book handled the conversation of what it was like to be queer before it was socially acceptable. I loved that all 4 characters got a happy ending!

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.