**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC of this book. This is my honest review**

Solid 3.5 star read

Beth and Gwen aren't interested in marriage but must meet expectations of their station and find husbands, unless they can respark their widowed parents young romance and give them a second chance at happiness. In the course of their hijinks, they find sparks flying unexpectedly between themselves. Can they find a way to be happy amidst the pressures of their society and money troubles?

This sweet, dash of spicy, sapphic romance met my expectations of a parent trap inspired story. The present tense writing was a bit difficult to get into at first and sometimes pulled me out. I wouldn't say it was heavy on the regency vibes as some books I've read, but regency inspired. I did love that there was a side-romance within the plot of the girls parents and their second chance romance.

While reading nothing stood out as terribly annoying. Reflecting on the story after, its obvious both our heroines are young and a little naive. I didn't feel as connected to their romance as I did their parents. I appreciated the conflict and Beth's reflection on needing to find a husband/her lackluster feelings towards him.

There's a nice set up for a MM romance potential in the second book and a chance for our heroines to be more independent if it's successful.

If you're a diehard regency romance reader, this may not hit the spot for you. But it was a fun, regency inspired, sapphic romance that I would pick up from my library for sure.

Loved it! Finally a Regency romantic comedy starring a sapphic couple. This one was so sweet and made me realize what people see in Jane Austen’s books.

We have to talk. mostly about how I was supposed to read this at the beginning of January and pushed it off for months. For some reason I believed I wouldn't enjoy this and therefore pushed off reading it until I could get my hands on the audiobook. Imagine my regret when my sister picked it up from a random list of books I need to read and then I actually had a fun time. The plot isn't what I was expecting but I enjoyed it, and now I'm impatiently waiting for the sequel to come out.

P.S. I recommend the audiobook it was really well done and made the whole reading experience feel fun.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In attempts to get their parents into a romantic relationship, our two main characters fall for each other.

I DNF'd this book at 40%. As much as I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the personalities of the characters, it struggled to keep my attention. I really enjoyed the writing, but for some reason, I was not able to invest in the romance or the story. I think it may have been the fact that there wasn't enough tension between the two love interests. Additionally, the mystery element of why their parents did not speak to each other anymore did not last long. Although I did DNF it, I would still recommend who likes a slow burn sapphic romance.

This was such a delight! The sapphic parent trap historical romance I never knew I needed. The third act dragged a bit for me, but I loved the writing and both of the romances, so can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I thought this book was very fun! I always enjoy a funny historical romance, and this book was no exception. The characters were charming and I loved the Parent Trap vibes. Unfortunately I did find the romance between the mom and the dad a little more entertaining for most of the book as I just felt like they had more obvious chemistry happening on page and I didn't feel that as much with Gwen and Beth. The supporting characters in the book were also fantastic. I loved Albie and Meredith and Bobby so much. What great friends.

I'm glad I came across this and decided to give it a chance. It was lovely.

✨ Review ✨ Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

Thanks to Avon and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This one had a lot of potential - a f/f Parent Trap style regency rom com that breaks some regency rules - I was sold! But the execution didn't really do it for me. I didn't really feel a lot of romantic chemistry between the two main characters and I was more invested in them getting their parents together than in their own relationship. I felt a little bored by 1/3 in and I should have listened to my instincts and quit reading 😬

The ahistorical components didn't really bother me (think Lex Croucher Trouble/Reputation type of ahistorical regency writing), but the pacing and chemistry just didn't do it for me.

⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5)
Genre: f/f historical romance
Setting: London ton
Reminds me of: Lex Croucher's YA regency writing
Pub Date: 09 Jan 2024

Did I read this book because the title was a Taylor Swift lyric? Yes, I did. Was it worthy of said title? Yes, it was.

This book was utterly charming and original whist scratching all the classic historical romance itches

I have been wanting to dip my toe into historical fiction for awhile now. What better way than to start with a sapphic one?
I feel like queer historical fiction is having a moment right now, & I want to be apart of it.

The tension! I lived for the swoon worth tension between Beth & Gwen. I am a character driven reader, & I was easily invested in every single character.

I loved the social commentary about being gay in that time.

Thank you for the ARC!

I jumped into this book not knowing much about it besides that it is a funny romance between two Victorian debutantes. I was immediately swept by the vivid descriptions of satin dresses and luxury balls; however, the book touches upon some serious topics.

Beth and her mother are struggling financially due to her late father, who left them in debt and promised his estate to his brother. Beth's only chance to avoid living on the streets is to secure a marriage. She is willing to make that sacrifice to ensure a comfortable life for herself and her mother, who suffered enough at the hands of her abusive husband. However, duty and logic evaporate the moment Beth gets close to Gwen, a funny, bold young lady who seems to be enjoying her single life with her widowed father.

The book is written in the third person but with a dual point of view that allows readers to see the lives of both protagonists from their perspectives. I found both characters charming in their own ways. Gwen is mischievous and adventurous, and Beth is witty and scheming. They make a perfect match, first as friends and later as lovers.

The book's first half felt stagnant, even though it set up the story for the second half. I would have preferred the book to be a bit more fast-paced throughout, just like the last third of it. The author did a great job vividly describing attires, estates, rooms, and scenery. I could easily visualize everything that was happening.

I felt very moved in some parts of the story. It is easy to resonate with characters torn between their genuine feelings, societal expectations and obligations. Since the story is set in Victorian England, it is understandable that marriage or even a liaison between two unmarried women was impossible.

Very often in queer books, the main focus of the story is on the main protagonists, which results in side characters being undeveloped or just carbon copies of stereotypical parent figures or maids. Therefore, it is usually a deal breaker for me when an author fails to flesh out secondary characters. Thankfully, Emma Alban did a great job writing Gwen and Beth's parents and their maids. I developed a particular fondness towards Gwen's father, who seemed to be a progressive and liberal lord, unlike others in the story. The idea to matchmake their parents was ingenious, and I was rooting for them even more than for Beth and Gwen (but only because I knew that they would somehow get together at the end).

I really enjoyed this book. I love the idea of trying to be a matchmaker and instead being to one to fall in love. I really loved the characters, main and side. I don’t read many historical romance novels but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I will definitely read the sequel.

I received an advanced copy of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban from the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: It’s 1857, and Beth is anxious as she has one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing a blushing bride to be makes Beth’s skin irk and her only comfort is her new friend Gwen. Gwen knows that she’s not finding a husband, it is the fourth season she’s been out, and she likes having fun. So when these two see their parents have history, they try to get them together, but there’s a big problem: their parents hate each other. In the midst of their schemes, maybe Beth and Gwen are finding friends to one another.

What I Loved: This book was such a fun book! I loved the premise of a Parent Trap based romance and I really enjoyed it. I totally bought into the romance between Beth and Gwen and loved seeing the relationship grow between these two. Their friendship was fun and I loved seeing the schemes they come up with to unite their parents. I loved the side characters in this book too, Gwen’s family’s maids and her cousins!

What I Didn’t Like: I could not stand Beth’s mother. I get the motivation but I also just could not stand here.

Who Should Read It: People who love historical romance and the parent trap and are dreaming of their venn diagram.

Summary: Two friends try to match their parents, but end up falling for one another.

I normally do not like historical romance, but I really enjoyed this one. I liked the dual POV and the way the queer characters navigated the time they were in. I thought the parent relationship was an added bonus too!

I loved the idea and premise of this book, but I just could not get into it. The plot seemed to move extremely slowly and I wasn't buying the connection and chemistry from the main characters. I really wanted to like this book but the writing just didn't work for me.

This was such a cute book. I enjoyed the regency romance with queer characters and the added layer on navigating that in the world/time they lived in when women relied so heavily on men to be taken care of financially. The dual POV was great and I liked the little nod to the parent trap. Really enjoyed and I am excited about the next book in the series!

I'm always drawn to historical romances with diversity because due to the time periods, that can be lacking. Whether it be sexuality, gender identity, race, etc., we know these identities existed in the past but don't show up nearly often enough in novels. This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the parents' relationship and that was the one I was honestly more invested in. That could be due to my age or just the type of challenges in that relationship that I tend to like more. I would definitely recommend this romance to others and look forward to seeing Emma R. Alban's writing and stories grow with experience.

I really, really wanted to love this one, but it felt just too close to YA for me as an adult reader. The two MCs felt VERY young. I loved the concept here but the execution skewed a bit too YA for me. For these reasons, I did not finish it, unfortunately.

10/10 I love a sapphic romance. and one set in regency era? YES PLEASEEEE. This author put crack in this book. That’s the only thing I can say

This was such a cute sapphic historical romance with a Parent Trap scheme!⁣
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Beth is a debutante who has just a few months to find herself a husband, or else she and her mother would be out on the streets. And she meets Gwen, who is on her fourth season and they quickly become friends. When they discover that Beth's mom and Gwen's dad have some history, they devise a scheme to bring them together😆 but their parents don't seem to get along with each other at first. And while Beth and Gwen grow closer, a viscount also starts courting Beth and he seems like the perfect match on paper. Will Beth and Gwen be able to bring their parents together while figuring out their relationship too?⁣
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I loved Beth and Gwen in this one! They had an instant connection and they were so comfortable with each other while bringing out the other's mischievous side too! There's a bit of a push-pull thing going on because of their circumstances but I loved watching them figure things out. Gwen also has an amazing relationship with her dad! And the parents' love story was an added bonus and I'd have loved seeing more of it😆 I did want a grovel from Beth's mom at the end though 😂⁣
What kept me from fully enjoying this one was the third person present tense writing 🙆‍♀️ I'm fine with both first person and third person povs but when it comes to past/present tense, I'm definitely gonna pick the first. It took me a long time to immerse myself because of this and I also found certain parts of the story a bit more on the contemporary side at times. But, I still enjoyed reading this one and the next book sounds very promising too especially with another round of matchmaking hijinks 😆

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3