This author's books are really adorable, but not exactly for me. I still recommend them a lot at work, though!

This sapphic historical romance is giving Bridgerton with a queer twist. Set in an alt-history version of 19th-century France where queer relationships are accepted, it’s got secret letters, longing glances, and a whole lot of yearning. The vibes are immaculate, and the romance is sweet with just the right amount of slow-burn tension.

Beth has just one season to find a suitable husband or her family will be left with nothing. On the contrary, this is Gwen's fourth season and she is so tired of trying to find a man to marry. The two become fast friends and realize that there are old feelings between their parents. Together, they brainstorm a scheme to set them up, but quickly discover that their parents aren't the only ones with chemistry.

This is my first time reading in the historical romance genre and I'm just not sure that I'm a regency/Victorian romance girlie. Despite that, I found this book to be lighthearted and fun and I especially liked the Parent Trap-esque hijinks. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but just did not love it as much as I'd hoped. However, I think fans of historical romance would really love it!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Emma Alban’s Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend is an captivating sapphic historical romance that radiates with yearning, rebellion, and tender joy. With a Jane Austen like flair and a modern emotional core, Alban crafts a love story that feels both timeless and refreshingly queer.

Set in a world of corsets, debutante balls, and whispered secrets, the novel follows two young women caught between societal expectations and the undeniable pull of their feelings for each other. The slow-burn romance is gorgeously executed—charged with tension, tenderness, and the exquisite ache of wanting something you’ve been told you can’t have. Every stolen glance and quiet confession is layered with meaning, and the payoff is both swoonworthy and deeply satisfying.

A sapphic story in a Victorian story is so refreshing to read, especially in the time of Bridgerton (I know this will be compared to that a lot). I had fun with this story and loved the FMC's interacted and flirted with each other.

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Well-developed, somewhat slowburn, with an excellent secondary romance. This is a great, light read for readers who enjoy sapphic historical romance.

The audiobook that got me through the drive to Wisconsin (and part - all?- of the way back)! If you're looking for historically accurate romance, this isn't it, but I wasn't and it was fun to listen to. There are some parts of how it's written that I didn't love, but overall it was fun to listen to, I was rooting for the MCs, and it was cute. I had a good enough time that I ended up following up immediately with the sequel too.

3.5/5

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5/5 stars. What a cute, sapphic Victorian era story! I loved Beth and Gwen’s relationship and their shenanigans as they try to set their parents up. I also loved the “cliffhanger” ending alluding to the possibility of lavender marriages in the next one! I’m so looking forward to reading the next.

I also loved listening along to the audio and recommend it, because it’s nice to hear Gwen and Beth’s POVs in different voices.

Cute, I loved it. Please give me more historical Sapphic romances. This book is described as a queer Bridgerton meets Parent Trap, which is a perfect description. As someone who loves a little angst in their romance I couldn't get enough of this coupling.

I think this is a really important regency era novel. It is super unique in that it is a sapphic romance. It perfectly illustrates learning about your sexuality as you are growing up. The book itself has a relatively good plot. The two girls have a clear initiative to get their parents together and the highjinks that ensue are hysterical. I really enjoyed this one, it certainly fills a void in many regency era novels

I had high hopes for this as! A sapphic historical? Taylor Swift inspired title? Sign me up. Sadly the writing was not for me and I had to DNF

I hope this review doesn’t come off as totally rude, but I’ve been trying to get through this books for months with little success. The writing seems so slow and the development even more so. If you are someone who likes a slow developing plot, maybe this would be your thing.
With that being said, the romance between the two main characters felt oddly rushed in comparison to the plot. I don’t think they really got to sit with each other and fall in love so much as they kissed once then decided they were in love. This might have been because of the writing style, third person present tense, which makes it harder to for me connect with the characters. I was a spectator in a story where it really should have capitalized on emotions more.

I’ve decided to DNF it with 20% left. I skimmed some of the remaining book and read the ending to see if maybe something would have happened to make me change my mind, but no, it didn’t. This was disappointing.

Historical fiction sapphic love story with Taylor Swift inspired title… literally what else could you want??

It’s always fun to see queer historical novels because the adherence to the accuracy of the political climate really adds tension to the story. I found this book did some really fun things to not make the whole historic angle of it too angsty.

Started off as enjoyable enough. I enjoy a good queer historical romance, so this should have been a home run for me. Sadly, I can't get behind a romance between step-sisters. Family is family is family, and we can't just move the goal post whenever it suits us.

But even before that situation officially solidified itself—because there was a chance that it wasn’t gonna go that way—it wasn’t even a good romance. The pacing was all wrong. The beginning is very slow-burn, lots of yearning, but the second they have their big queer realizations, they go from zero to sixty in a flash. The relationship is also weighed down by a disproportionate amount of angst that never properly gets addressed. And the dynamic between the characters just didn’t make me feel anything—which, in the end, was for the best. And again, just to be clear: even if the romance had actually been good, that would not cancel out the end result.

The description for this book calls it the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap and honestly, that's a perfect description. I really adored all the characters in this book but I really loved all the quirky side characters. And there was so much wit and banter! This is one of those books that's just a delight to read. I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun, flirty, HEA romance.

AH! Finally, historical romance for the gays! I love, love, love this book. If you're looking for Bridgerton vibes but make it queer and turn up the yearning, this is definitely the book for you!

When I first heard about this sapphic period romance novel with a Taylor Swift song lyric for a title, I said "SIGN ME UP!"

This was a fun one. The concept isn't really that unrealistic. They decided to Parent Trap their parents before they got together, but then it became a way for them to be together under one roof without being suspicious.

As much as I enjoyed this one, there were some things that took me out of it. Some of the language used was too modern. And at one point Beth gives her mother a thumbs up, which wasn't a thing in the 1850s. Still, what's not to love about lesbians figuring out how to make out with big hoop skirts and corsets?

If you're a fan of the Apple TV+ show Dickinson, this book will be right up your alley.

And the epilogue perfectly sets up the second book, "You're the Problem, It's You."

A fun and cute historical romance

That said, while it was a pleasant read at the time, I found that it didn’t fully grab my attention. I could easily put it down and, by the time I picked it up again, I’d kind of forgotten about it—hence why this review is coming a little later than expected. It’s one of those books that’s nice while you’re reading it, but doesn’t necessarily linger with you afterward. I started this book back in June while on vacation , and forgot about it until recently and picked it back up again.

The characters were likable, and their chemistry was sweet, but overall, the plot didn’t feel particularly unique or gripping. It’s not a book that will leave you thinking about it, but it was a cute, fun read, but not one that completely hooked me.

This story was so sweet and beautiful, I absolutely loved it! The girls were so believable and likable and flawed but in a really human way. I enjoyed this sweet story so much, the setting and politics around it brought the drama without weighing it down and it went down like a warm cup of tea. Highly recommend.