I was so happy to get approved of this book! I really enjoyed Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend when I read it earlier this year. Queer regency for the win!

This was a HEA for Bobby and James, but also for Gwen and Beth—there’s more of a conclusion. I don’t want to give spoilers, but 🥹

This had great anxiety rep with my anxious boy, James. I just wanted to give him a freaken hug.

This was a fun opposites attract romance that I highly recommend picking up when it comes out on Tuesday!

In You’re the Problem, It’s You, the companion novel to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, Bobby Mason and James Demeroven are a mix of rivals and reluctant allies. Bobby, always second best and eager to prove himself, can’t stand the new Viscount James, who, despite his own struggles, appears infuriatingly perfect. Their clashes are frequent and fiery, but neither can deny the magnetic pull between them. Forced together by their matchmaking cousins and an extortion plot threatening their families, Bobby and James must navigate their growing attraction while trying not to drive each other mad—or into each other’s arms. Will they manage to save their reputations and find love along the way?

Ironically enough, I am in fact, the problem here. What do I mean by that? Well…If you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope, I advise you to not read this review and immediately pick up You’re the Problem, It’s You because it will certainly appeal to you and make your utter dreams come true.

If, however, you abhor no trope as much as this one…then you may find yourself sitting in the same boat with this book as I did. Please take this review with a grain of salt because I am known to DNF books with the miscommunication trope and truly, the only reason I somehow made it through this was because I loved the author’s debut so much and was holding out for the happily ever after, which I did get and which satisfyingly ties everything from the first book and where we left the characters there together.

I love a good misunderstanding that leads to some antagonism and both James and Bobby had that going for them in the beginning. They certainly don’t understand the other and basically tumble from one blunder into the next as they say things they don’t mean (well, initially) or opt for brash responses in a “I will hurt you before you hurt me, you fool” type of way. While this was fun in the first few initial meetings, it absolutely made me want to tear my hair out when it just continued that way for most of the story. It took up until 46% of the novel for them to have their first honest conversation—only to then immediately fall back into the same old pattern. Again, this comes down to personal preference because I’m sure many people love the back and forth, the will-they-won’t-they vibes, but for me to enjoy this I need to see some character and relationship growth, some grudging respect developing and here this just took way too long and prevented me from feeling connected to either of the men. While they do have very extensive inner monologue sections that give you insights into their feelings and actions, I would have wished for more connection and openness between the both of them so we saw what really connected Bobby and James beyond their mutual pining and attraction.

Now, this is not to say that this is a bad book. Alban knows how to create an atmospheric setting and offer characters that tug at your heartstrings, especially because of their flaws and the growth they do portray in large parts throughout the novel. Both James’ and Bobby’s vulnerability in the latter parts of the novel make their hard-earned happily ever after feel worthwhile and reminds you that love can conquer all. And while I think the focus on the previous couple’s relationship was a bit too present and took away some of the tension in the actual main characters and their romance*s arc, I still loved seeing what they were up to and closely connected their happily ever after was to Bobby and James’s.

While the overarching plot was quite intriguing and the history bits made for food for thought, some of the secondary characters, especially the two “villains” of the story did feel one-dimensional. There was no real character arc to them, they were very much just downright evil in a caricature-y way and even when they faced their righteous end, there isn’t much to be said for catharsis since it is pretty much swept under the rug instead of how it makes the characters feel. I would have wished for a bit more depth and exploration of their reasonings behind their actions and less of a “twirling their evil moustache while cackling evilly” routine. This, though, may also come down to the fact that I did find myself comparing this novel to its predecessor in terms of character development, so I was definitely at fault here.

This just goes to show that not every book will be for every reader and while I certainly will be a bit more on the lookout when it comes to miscommunication tropes being mentioned in the synopsis, I still know that Emma R. Alban is one of the freshest, engaging voices in historical romance fiction and is sure to be here to stay. So, if you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope, enjoy historical fiction that feels both timeless and atmospheric and enjoy will-they-won’t-they vibes, You’re the Problem, It’s You is for you!

In the sequel to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, Beth and Gwen team up to marriage trap each other’s cousins (not related) so they can live a queer happily ever after in a world that will never accept them as they are. Except, James and Bobby really don’t like each other - they can’t be in the same place for more than five minutes without devolving into an argument, insulting one another, and storming off. The tension is palpable!

Sexual tension that is. Because James’s childhood crush on Bobby Mason and Bobby’s weakness for beautiful men crash together one evening in a hot, messy kiss, leaving them both reeling. But where Bobby is an eternal optimist, willing to fight for their relationship (budding and fragile as it is), James has been beat down by life, carrying the weight of an unwanted title on his shoulders, with the horrible voice of his abusive stepfather in his head. And to top it all off, James’s first lover and Bobby’s recent sexapade is blackmailing them! Really they can’t catch a break.

It was difficult to read James’s inner monologue of self-doubt and hatred, causing him to rebuff Bobby when all he wanted to do was melt in his arms. The angst was almost too much for me, reading Bobby’s heartbreak after each rejection HURT, but his tentative, never dying hope was so sweet, almost unbearable. Yet, the triumph I felt when James finally found his backbone, his reason to be brave and stand up to his stepfather, made up for all the heartbreak he put me, I mean Bobby, through.

This romance was fun, full of banter, teasing flirtation, and ridiculous schemes. Bobby and James are so delightful together - their connection genuinely jumps off the page and they’re so hot together! And while the villain is a bit of a caricature and the resolution quite dramatic, I actually loved it for how it matched the ridiculousness of Beth and Gwen.

♚ big huge thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager/avon books for allowing me to read an electronic advanced readers copy of this in exchange for an honest review. ♚

o. m. g. unless you missed me absolutely swooning over "don't want you like a bestfriend" by emma r. alban in january, you might be familiar with my newfound proclivity for queer period piece romances. maybe it's the bridgerton hype bus blaring it's horn or maybe it's just the fact that i need more queer romances in general, but this book quite literally hit every box for me.

we have bobby mason -- a spare who desperately wants to find his place in the world -- and james demeroven -- a newly appointed viscount who is struggling to fill the shoes placed before him. enemies to lovers, despise at first sight, forced proximity, unwilling allies, yadda yadda yadda.

it's a certified grade A romance, but even besides the absolute stomach flipping cuteness and fluff of this book, there were seriously emotional moments. book 1 (gwen and beth's story) was very light on the period "appropriate" h*m*phobia but book 2 really took it by the horns and by god -- by the third act break up i was sweating to see these two characters have a happy ending. i absolutely, above all else, adored how this book treated representation and acceptance. bisexual representation was done wonderfully. acceptance within families and yourself was done wonderfully. anxiety and panic attack representation was done (say it with me) wonderfully.

truly a wonderful book that i highly and vehemently recommend to all.

I wanted to love this; the set up and the charm of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend were so promising, but I had such a hard time seeing and feeling the chemistry between Bobby and James in You're the Problem, It's You. I felt like I was waiting for them to have a moment where things got deeper, where their relationship really picked up, but their non-physical intimacy never quite got there for me. I wanted to know both characters a little more - I had the sense that balancing all of the characters from the first book with this new set didn't leave a lot of terrain for development of these two main characters. There was a lot going on that didn't feel like it was advancing the main plot. In spite of that, the book wasn't without charm and I appreciated the tone and antics that mirrored DWYLABF.

3.5 stars rounded up for wonderfully happy endings. I don't think its a spoiler to say that it was pretty obvious how this book was going to end if you've read the first in this series, but that didn't detract from the fun too much.

It took a little while to get into the story and connect with the main characters, who are such silly bois that you do want to knock their heads together a bit. This book was also overlong and a bit repetitive, and could have used some stronger editing.

But on the whole, it maintains the charm of the first book and makes for a satisfying read. My favorite part was the truly loving makeshift family formed with all its bickering and competitiveness and snark. The vibes were good!

Thanks to netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second in Emma R. Alban’s Mischief and Matchmaking series, this is a delightful and hopeful enemies to lovers queer Victorian romance. Newly appointed Lord James Demeroven and second heir Bobby Mason keep getting thrown together at season events, as their families are now linked by marriage, especially by their cousins, Beth and Gwyn, from book one. Bobby finds James too standoffish and stiff, and is not impressed. James had a private crush on Bobby at Oxford, but has issues with confidence and trust. Behind the animosity and harsh words, something else is lingering, if they dare to let it break free.

Filled with found family, laughter, love, and a true villain, You’re the Problem, it’s You was a wonderful read and I truly enjoyed it. The audiobook was superbly done; Chris Devon and Will Watt were stars in their roles! I loved listening to it and then reading the physical pages depending on where I was in my day. I recommend this one to romance readers who are looking for a funny, sweet, and spicy historical romance that is hopeful towards the future. I Received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This book was just as good as the first one, and I loved seeing the return of the characters from the first book! I loved the anxiety rep and the way the main characters interacted was adorable. I also adore how the author doesn’t shy away from the realities of the time regarding queer people, but the characters still manage to have hope and find their happy endings regardless. The banter was great and the spice was utter perfection. Emma Alban is quickly becoming a favorite romance author for me. Highly recommend this one!

Of course I’m going to read another queer historical romance with a Taylor Swift inspired title! This is the sequel to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend. We meet the main characters, Bobby and James, in that book. First, I love interconnected series like this! Second, this was a great follow up.

Bobby is a second born son and James is a new Viscount. Even though they are wildly different, James had a crush on Bobby when they were at Oxford. They’re forced to work together when another of their Oxford peers ends up threatening them.

Bobby and James are fantastic characters and I was rooting for them to work things out through the entire book. I absolutely loved the ending and how it also tied up the storyline from the first book. What’s better than a historical lavender marriage?

thank you so much to netgalley and avon for the arc of you’re not the problem it’s me. this was such a delightful sequel to don’t want you like a best friend. i loved james and bobby so much- they were bother very compelling mcs and i enjoyed how each of them grew in the novel both as individuals and together. i am such a sucker for a good regency era romance and this book absolutely gave me my fill- but one thing that is distinctly different in this novel versus other regency era books is how progressive it is! i love how the book addresses many modern issues in that era- i loved how all of our characters fought for what was right for the betterment of society and how we see those benefits in real time with the story! the romance between james and bobby was raw, heartfelt and honest. it tugged at my heartstrings so many times and i really loved their development together! this is probably one of my all time favourite regency era romances! i cannot recommend it enough!

This book was on track to be better than the first in the series but lost me at the third act conflict. I enjoyed these characters and felt like their romance could have been executed well, but the enemies to lovers development just wasn’t there. I think the main issue is that the becoming friends portion happened very quickly and it was only a short time before they got together. I thought the way in which James changed his mind about Bobby was really interesting, but I think that should have occurred during the friends phase not when they’d already hooked up. I also think that this author just doesn’t hit on the escapist element that makes queer historical romance fun for me. The realities of homophobia in society just feel so overbearing because they’re always key to the main conflict. I think queer historicals are more compelling when the issue is an internal one and homophobia is not the main conflict. Then the book requires character growth for the plot to conclude. There were internal conflicts in this book but they relied on societal homophobia and not overcoming a character flaw.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Emma R. Alban, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

You literally cannot tell me anything bad about this book or its predecessor, Don't Want You Like a Best Friend!!!!! I am honestly so genuinely shocked seeing both of these books in the 3 star rating average range on popular review sites because I ate both of these UP!!! Are they realistic? Are they historically accurate? Not exactly at all parts! But is this okay because they are so fun and queer-affirming and lovely? YES!! I usually am more of a fan of true historically accurate works, but I totally associate this with the Bridgerton tv show in the sense that both of them take artistic liberty to tell a story with modern elements in a historical setting and do so in a brilliant way! I will say that I am partial to Gwen and Beth's story being a lesbian myself, but I absolutely adored how they set up Bobby and James' story at the end of the first book because it helped to continue their story in their book seamlessly. I found both men to be compelling characters that I felt a real connection between. I also enjoyed how Alban added great anxiety representation through James and such strong sense of self and identity in both of them. My biggest note is for some reason, I found this one a bit harder to track with all the different characters and names (especially in the switching back and forth between first and last names), which made it hard to keep my interest at times. However, as cheesy as the ending was, I absolutely ADORED the happy ending all the characters got and did ultimately find myself engaged to see how everyone's story was going to unfold. I do hope that Alban writes at some point another book set in this world where we can follow up on our lovely couples, but I also just hope Alban writes more books soon in general because I adore her writing style and storytelling! If you enjoy the Bridgerton show, historical Regency fiction, and especially if you are queer, these are perfect reads filled with a lot of heart and love.

E-ARC generously provided by Avon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

If you enjoyed the first book "Don't Want You Like a Best Friend" you will love the second book in the Mischief and Matchmaking duet.

We pick up right where we left off in the first book, and I really enjoyed that all the same characters were still very present throughout James and Bobby's story. The enemies to lovers and banter was done really well. This book excels in the found family that is established in the first book. If you love that trope in your romance books, do NOT skip this one because it is beautifully done.

4.5/5 You’re the Problem, It’s You is the second book in the Mischief and Matchmaking series. This was a new to me author and I was able to read this as a standalone. I now want to go back and read book one though. There does seem to be some jokes between the characters and a story about the MC from book one that are mentioned but James is not privy to this information either, so it worked well that I learned things as he did.

This was an enjoyable read and I had a hard time putting it down. I thought the storyline of Bobby showing James around was going to go one way in the beginning but liked that it quickly turned into an enemies to lovers. It wasn’t something I was expecting and enjoyed the dynamic it created for them. I loved each of their character arcs and how each had to take leaps of faith to secure their happiness. James has anxiety about being found out for who he is and anything that has to do with his stepfather. I liked how this played into his character but it wasn’t mentioned again once he decided to take his life back from his stepfather. It’s a lighthearted story though and doesn’t linger long on scenes with tension.

The side characters are endearing and supportive of one another but I had trouble keeping them all straight sometimes. In the end though, James and Bobby were thoughtful and kind and had me rooting for them from beginning to end.

There is one long encounter plus a few other intimate scenes that are either alluded to or not as descriptive as the first encounter.

I received an advance ebook via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I did love its message of how people were able to live true and authentic lives during a time when people could be thrown in prison for who they loved. Their journey to finding that path and being able to watch James find his people and a way to be comfortable with who he is. Half of the book was just a bit rough to get through. Though James as a character can be rough at times. Overall, this is a decent book. It has a lovely message it just was not one of my favorite LGBTQ books for the year.
Thank you to Avon and Harper and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

4 stars
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A queer romance set during the regency era, James and Bobby have all the world against their love but that doesn’t stop them. Following Beth and Gwen was fun, but James and Bobby really hold my heart after this one.

The start of this book was definitely a bit slow. I didn’t see the connection between the characters, based on their tense first meetings and competing ideas. But once we got into the story and really got to know them, I really was rooting for them. There was definitely a lot of miscommunication that could have been avoided, but I liked the tension and build up it added to the romance. This one was definitely a touch steamy, but had a lot of closed door romance as well that really made for a good balance. I liked the blackmail storyline and how it played out. I loved seeing Gwen and Beth again, and the addition of Albie and Meredith was a fun, too. Our characters really develop through the book. They both come off as so immature at the start, but I like the true selves they become in the end. The overall ending was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed it despite that.

I really love a queer regency romance and this one hit all the good points.

Sweet and funny, this follow up to Don‘t Want You Like a Best Friend was a delightful read. While I may have preferred the first one to this one due to all of the unnecessary angst (just have a conversation!), I especially enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book remain in the mix and seeing everyone‘s happy conclusion. Releases August 27th, make sure you pick this one up!

Enjoyed reading a continuation of Gwen and Beth's story within this new romance story. Great to see the perspective of the couple that the two ladies are "trapping" this time around. I had been very curious to see more of Gwen and Beth's parents in the first book, so had a fun time seeing the love story from James and Bobby's POVs. Always love an enemies-to-lovers romance story. James and Bobby were very good at arguing with each other, their turn towards uncomfortable ally to lovers seemed a bit abrupt for me. But since we do know from their perspectives that they do like each other, it just seemed like they needed one honest conversation to make the switch a little more believable. James' anxiety allowed me to do a lot of handwaving, though, about how other characters are perceiving him and interacting. So glad he found a wonderful family to be a part of.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for letting me read an e-ARC of You’re the Problem, It’s You by Emma R. Alban!

Bobby Mason is the second-born son in his family and with that comes a lack of responsibility for family and political affairs and never being able to measure up to his older brother. He takes it in stride, though, by acting like nothing ever bothers him and trying to find ways to make his voice and opinions count for something. James Demeroven, however, is the newest Viscount of his estate and, for all intents and purposes, appears to have an extremely easy life. He is involved in political decisions, listens to his stepfather about what a disappointment he’ll always be, and he simply tries to fly under the radar at all times. Naturally, these two hate each other, even though there is a simmering attraction just below the surface.

When a night out for both men includes a stop by a discreet social gathering in a safe space for men who are attracted to other men, they’re both unwittingly roped into a future stag night for one of the engaged attendees. This whirlwind of a night just might shift each man’s perspective of the other, though their situations are, understandably, complicated. Their situation only grows more complicated as a simple crush quickly develops into something more after their cousins, Gwen and Beth, continue to come up with reasons for their families to spend more quality time together - both in public and private.

While I personally enjoyed Gwen and Beth’s story a little more, Bobby and James have a wonderful story of their own that will make readers laugh and cry and rage as the enemies-to-lovers and miscommunication tropes are ABOUND in this installment. I found the ending predictable and, even though I wasn’t a big fan of this choice, I understand that the time period in which it’s set would’ve made it impossible for each queer couple to legally be together. These characters are making the best of impossible situations and I do love that for them.

I loved this one even better than the first. James and Bobby were so frustratingly frustrating, so tender with their friends, so damaged by their fathers and childhoods, and when they finally came together, it was such a relief. They really deserved every happy ending, every sweet thing. It was such a fun book, with the same romps and outings as the first, with new characters folded into the old. I loved seeing Beth and Gwen again, and seeing their story continue to develop alongside the boys’. Any historical romance fan will enjoy this, especially if they adored the girls’ story!