This one hit just as hard as the first one, and I mean that in the best way possible. I absolutely adored Bobby and James. Their love story was so sweet, and I was kicking my feet and giggling the entire time. These books feel like a warm hug, and I love them so much.

If anyone starts complaining about historical accuracy, in the words of Chappell Roan, “you’re no fun!”

I am all sorts of warm and fuzzy. This lovely second installment in the Mischief and Matchmaking series features a queer Victorian enemies to lovers storyline for the ages!

I really, really had a lot of fun with this! The enemies portion is slower paced, but I love the way Emma R. Alban was able to expand on the world that she created in Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend. It was so great to get to revisit Beth and Gwen and their family from the first book, learn more about Gwen’s cousin Bobby, and get introduced to James, the new Lord Demeroven.

I thought the love story in Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend was really cute and fun, but Bobby and James turn into a truly swoon worthy romance as they move through the book. I wish really could just live in those heightened moments. As important as the romance is, the relationships amongst the rest of the characters were really heartwarming. The family dynamic really is something special and it makes you yearn for more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I read this book as a stand alone without reading the first book in the series. I give this book 4 stars and 3.75 chili peppers for spice. I really liked this book. The first part of the book was a little bit of a struggle for me due to not knowing characters and the family dynamics, which I know were written about in detail in the first book. Once I got the character situation straitened out, I loved it. I loved the personalities of the two male main characters and also the dynamic of their relationship. I love that once they got together they couldn't keep their hands off each other and it was insta love. I also loved the ending of the book. Super glad I read this book because it was a fun read.

I was really excited about the premise of this book, adorable cover, huge lover of queer historical fiction... but I'm sorry to say that I was just incredibly bored. I read 50% of it, and every time I picked it up between 30-50% was honestly a struggle to get myself to do so. I didn't find the drama of the book compelling, there wasn't a ton of chemistry between the two MCs in my opinion, and things weren't moving fast enough. I didn't come in expecting an epic adventure or super high romance, but I didn't expect to be *bored*.

Their spatting isn't fun; I was often bored by the content of their spats, instead of finding it fun and banter-y. I'm not even sure why they are rivals/enemies at the beginning? The seem to just be completely inept at getting through a conversation without inadvertently offending the other. The extortionist, to the best of my understanding, is a slimy queer guy who has hooked up with both of them and is trying to expose both MCs as queer, so that's an unfun dose of the persecution of queer people I wasn't expecting. I hoped for fun meddling cousin antics but didn't find there to be much of that. Maybe there is later in the book, but I'm too bogged down by the gross villain to get there.

I think perhaps this isn't a bad book -- certainly lots of people seem to love it -- but I'm not sure the summary did a great job of preparing me for what the book actually is, and therefore left me expecting something else and disappointed.

Maybe someday I'll come back to give this book a second chance, but for now, life is too short to finish books I'm not enjoying.

You're The Problem It's You gives a queer twist to a familiar regency setting that felt very reminiscent to Bridgerton! It's a part of the Mischief and Matchmaking duet from Alban, and I did find it incredibly easy to read! There was a bit of a miscommunication towards the third act but I feel like it fixed itself towards the end very well, while adding in other societal norms (and twists) that I wouldn't have thought of for the era of time. The only thing I would say is that I'm not so sure about Bobby and James being enemies, it seemed any time they spoke it would be a brash discussion so going from that to lust was a bit of a 180 for me but once it was there you could tell that them being together did in theory make sense. I also will say having the antagonist being Riverson being SO deplorable was decadently done.

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the read overall. It was my first read from Emma R Alban. I liked the banter, and the epilogue was so cute! Creating family any way you can is such a beautiful message.

This is a Victorian enemies-to-lovers queer romance, but it’s also a story of found family and acceptance. This series is for everyone that wanted to get on the Bridgerton train but passed because it wasn’t gay enough.

James is the heir, and Bobby is the spare. Both want the life that the other has, and their jealousy often overshadows their simmering attraction. When an old flame returns and threatens to out both of them to their families and society, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their loved ones in order to save their reputations. All the while, their cousins, Beth and Gwen, are plotting a way to ensure everyone can have the life and happiness they all deserve.

The romance in this story is sweet and messy, but it’s the found family aspect that really makes this a wholesome story. Bobby and James are not a lone pair trying to carve out some happiness in a world that will never accept them. Certain family members and friends surround them to support their love instead of caving to societal norms and pressures.

I loved Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, and I love that the sequel has plenty of Beth and Gwen shenanigans. Romance sequels can be hit or miss when the original couple is still in the mix, but this just felt like a natural continuation of the overall story. Now that both books are published, I recommend reading them both in quick succession. I read the first one at the beginning of the year, and I had forgotten some key characters and plot points.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You're the Problem, It's You is book two in the Mischief & Matchmaking series by Emma R. Alban.
This charming enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance was such a solid story.
It’s always so interesting reading about historical queers. to see how they have to navigate their sexualities in that time period, how they keep themselves safe, how that love flickers like a bright light anyway, restless and powerful
A super fun and spicy sapphic regency romance that I absolutely adored!

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book really took me by surprise, and I really wanted to read the book because the first one was really enjoyable, and while I enjoyed the storyline of the first one more than this, I thought the characters were really well done and the writing was funny and enjoyable!

I loved this book! The first book in the series drew me in, and Bobby and James were an excellent follow up that did not disappoint. It was so great to have so much of Beth and Gwen and the other characters from the first book as well. I don’t normally love historical but this series has been a real treat for me!

This one just wasn't for me. I loved the first book in this historical queer romance series but this M/M sequel just did not work for me. I couldn't get into it at all and did not love the audiobook narrators. A miss for me but it's perhaps a me thing or wrong book wrong mood thing. Don't let my negative opinion deter you. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book and felt like it was the perfect follow up to “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend”. I loved that we got to see more of Gwen and Beth, and also that everyone gets a happy ending.
This book touches on topics of slight abuse, and also talks about the struggles of accepting yourself.
I loved James and Bobby so much and felt like they were perfect for each other. I love that we got the rivals to lovers trope, which is one of my favorites.
This is another example of Bridgerton but make it gay, which is starting to become a new favorite type of story for me!
This book has a good amount of spice in it, but it’s very easy to skip over areas with spice if you are not someone who likes to read it!
I highly recommend this book to people who love Bridgerton, and anyone who likes the first book!

This is a pretty straightforward enemies-to-lovers plot. I didn't read the first book in the series, so I missed some of the back story which involves an evil stepfather, some duke stuff where the step-mother and sister get kicked out of the house, a couple of in-progress romances, and family relationships.

James and Bobby are pretty appealing on their own, although I did think the "to-lovers" part of the "enemies-to-lovers" plot came out of nowhere. I'm not a super stickler for historical accuracy, but there were several times that the language was very anachronistic. I mean, the title is a riff on a TSwift song for a historical romance, so I guess that shouldn't be a shock to me.

I liked the conclusion. I love a good, logical conclusion, and this hit the mark.

31/2 stars rounded to 4.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley. Opinions my own.

This may not be the most historically accurate work I've read set in the Victorian era, but I still generally enjoyed it. The alternating chapters show the perspectives of both Bobby and James so we see how they each change over the course of the book, yet I was a bit surprised how quickly their feelings for one another changed. I'm a fan of slow burn and enemies to lovers tropes, but the miscommunication between the two goes on a bit too much for my taste. Although I liked the first book in this series much more, I'm sure many others will love this one.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this at 33%. Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyage for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This seemed like a super fun, Victorian-era queer romance. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the first book in the series, and while I think these can be read as interconnected standalones, I had a hard time getting a grasp on who was who and fully immersing myself in the story. However, if Victorian-era-themed books are your thing, I would definitely recommend checking this one out! I plan to read the first book and may revisit this one afterward.

E-Arc kindly provided via NetGalley.

I was so glad to return to this universe and spend more time with familiar faces and meet new ones. I enjoyed the ride and was glad Beth and Gwen’s scheme came to fruition. I do wish we had gotten a bit more time with the boys as friends like we did Beth and Gwen but it still felt natural. I was cheering for Bobby and proud of James.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6148986953

I liked this book just a little bit better than the first one. The story started a little bit slowly, but once it hit the halfway mark, I was was hooked. I really felt for James and wanted him to find happiness. I like seeing Beth and Gwen as their story continued. The cherry on the top, however, was the absolutely perfect ending.

We get a full cast of boisterous meddlesome characters here, plus a bit of blackmail. Bobby is the younger brother of a viscount, new on the social scene, and trying to find a useful purpose in life. James is an actual viscount who is struggling under his cruel and overbearing stepfather and trying to learn the ropes of his newfound position. It’s a somewhat complicated family tree here, with Gwen and Beth being stepsisters/lovers who matchmade their parents in Book 1 of the series. Bobby is Gwen’s cousin, and James is Beth’s cousin. They keep getting thrown together in social events and through James’ work in parliament with Gwen’s father and Bobby’s brother. While Bobby and James think the other person is handsome, they have very different personalities and do not think highly of the other. But when you throw them together often enough, there are enough sparks to ignite a physical relationship. However, they have to deal with a previous common dalliance who’s threatening their family, plus James’ overall skittishness and cowardice. It’s interesting to see how they each overcome their own issues, and learn to team up with others to problem-solve.

4.5 stars

I love a queer historical romance and Emma R Alban has now written 2 great ones. This book was a fun enemies-to-lovers story with blackmailing and revenge plots and so much sneaking around. I loved seeing both POVs and really feeling Demerovan's anxiety throughout. I do feel like the jump from enemies-to-lovers was a tad sudden but knowing how long Demerovan fancied Mason, it made sense at least on his end. I thought more of the plot would be the fake courting of the girls and I think that could have been fun to see more of. Either way, I had a good time and really enjoyed all of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Scandal, second sons, and secret crushes abound in this surprisingly spicy, enemies to lovers Victorian romance from Emma R. Alban. Spending the season among the Ton always promises a bit of drama, but for James Demeroven and Bobby Mason, this season could be more trying than most.

The sequel to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend picks up right after Beth & Gwen’s sapphic, stepsisters romance, launching into a new season with no shortage of family drama, lofty expectations, or personal insecurity.

The premise is a pretty classic historical storyline - a newly-minted lord struggling under the weight of duty and responsibility of a title he doesn’t want, and a second son wondering how to make his mark in a world that’s not made for him. James is that wary lord - sweet, naive, and a bit of an unintentional jerk, even if his boyhood crush is a little endearing.

Bobby’s the spare, and he’s got the carefree attitude to go with it. But he’s also struggling to feel important and relevant, and I related to his uncertainty about finding his place in a world that doesn’t necessarily value his presence in it.

Overall, this is a pretty great read, although I might have enjoyed it more had it not been for its slower start and the tiresome miscommunication and walking away. For two guys who really can’t stand each other, being thrown together time and again ramps up the tension, making their gradual evolution from enemies to reluctant friends to lovers worth the wait.

Along with James & Bobby’s budding romance, I was all in on their conflict with the deplorable Raverson. I love a story where the MCs unite against a common enemy, and Raverson is just that - the perfect villain, someone you love to hate. I only wish their battle could have brought them together a little sooner.