Huge thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy, it was much appreciated!

I absolutely loved the cover and thought the premise of You're the Problem, It's You would right up my alley, but unfortunately I didn't really end up liking this one. The pacing of the romance was glacial and was not a fan of the enemies to lovers thing over a miscommunication that could have easily been cleared up. Overall was cute just not my jam

I started this book almost immediately after finishing Bridgerton and I think that was the wrong choice for me. I was looking for the same swooning that the show has, but with queer representation. I also haven't read the first book, and I think I would have understood better where this story picks up.

Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this one. I felt that the romance was so slow and not that enjoyable. Again, it could be that I started with this book without having read the first one, or that I just wasn't in the right head space for it. The writing style wasn't my favorite either. I am not really sure what about it I didn't like, just didn't vibe with it. I'll probably try to read the first book first and then come back to this one.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

"You're the Problem, It's You" by Emma R. Alban is a charming enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance that left me feeling happy, though not quite as ecstatic as her previous work, "Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend." Bobby and James have an undeniable chemistry that made their constant clashes entertaining, but at times, the tension felt a bit forced. Still, the meddling cousins and the unexpected extortion plot added a fun twist to the story. I enjoyed the witty banter and the gradual development of their relationship, but it didn’t quite hit the same emotional highs for me as her earlier book. Overall, it’s a delightful read that made me smile, perfect for fans of slow-burn romances and historical settings. 💕🏰📖

I might have enjoyed this slightly more had I read the first book first but regardless, this was an absolutely adorable, super sweet, cheerful and romantic little romp, just exactly what it says on the tin. The couple was believable, romance was well developed, and it was just all around a lovely little book. Highly recommend for lovers of historical queer romance.

While I did get very much into the relationship between Bobby and James and truly enjoyed their ending, I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed the book as a whole. In the one hand, I saw a lot of the major plot points coming a hundred pages away, but on the other hand, there was so much that was just…filler or superfluous about the other characters that I kept getting bored with it. In addition, I somehow felt that we didn’t have enough background on the beginnings of some of this conflict. It seems like it wants to be a standalone companion novel and yet I felt like I was missing a step every other page throughout the first half of the book.

First, I love this title. It caught my attention right away and the summary peaked my interest as well. There were parts of this book that I really enjoy. The couple dynamics were interesting, there was some character growth, and I honestly just enjoyed the main cast of characters. I would definitely say this is purely a romance book, there was a small plot outside of the couple getting together, but one that seemed to solve itself a bit to easily for my general taste. I honestly would have preferred that plot just either not be there or that is was given a bit more attention. I also struggled with whole "we're in the past and only heteronormative relationships are okay" portion. I know that it's what happened, but it's just generally not my cup of tea and I found myself skimming through certain sections to avoid it.

Overall, enjoyable characters and a decent read.

This was a lovely follow up to the first book of the series. I enjoyed seeing queer love celebrated even in times where it was hard to do so. Bobby and James stole my heart just like Gwen and Beth did in the first book, their love was so beautifully written. I loved loved loved the family they created, can’t recommend this book enough.

I really enjoyed Don't Want You Like a Best Friend, and this was a great follow-up. I think that this excelled in all the same ways. The characters felt realistic, even if that meant that their flaws felt realistic as well. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I would read another book in the series if a third book came out.
I do think that there are plot points of this that rely on information from Don't Want You Like a Best Friend. While it would be possible to read and enjoy it as a standalone, there would definitely be parts that were confusing without the knowledge from the first book. I always like seeing characters again from earlier books in romance series, like Beth and Gwen, but they had a larger role than I expected in this book.
Rating: 4.5/5, rounded to 4 on Goodreads

I'm not sure how to find the words for how much I loved this book but here goes. I was excited about the premise because in this day and age, yes, we love queer love in historical romances. Now, I did read the first book of this series but didn't finish it because I was a little squeamish about the main couple ending up as stepsisters... I still felt parts of that in this book because the main couple are cousin-in-laws ?? but I warmed up to it really fast. Especially, when in the end, everyone came to the exact conclusion I pulled within a couple of pages. (and don't get me started on the epilogue, I squealed so much, I almost cried.) One thing, I want to say is that I definitely don't think this counts as enemies to lovers. The term 'enemies' in a non-fantasy/sci-fi setting usually isn't fitting at all and even then I'm not sure I would call James and Bobby rivals. They just simply don't agree on a couple of things and misunderstand each other. Nevertheless, I very quickly got attached to all of the characters and read this book a lot faster than planned. I also could've done with an entire book about them 'conning the ton' but that's neither here nor there!

I had to wait for the library hold on Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend, even though the stories are stand alone I wanted to read that!

I loved this story immediately, miscommunication tropes can be a bit much but this was perfect!

I also loved the Taylor reference in the title! Such a great queer story, can’t wait to see more of what this author puts out!

I don't know man. I know the previous book suffered from the insta love but I felt it with this one. It felt worse cause James and Bobby had an enemies-to-lovers situation that bugged me (they weren't technically enemies but there was a miscommunication thing which I hated). I guess I didn't care about the two characters unfortunately which led to a very meh story.

Also thought James and the one villain dude were the same characters cause their last names were so similar.

beautiful cover
slightly better than the one before it
once again, too modern i don’t know why but like when i’m reading a book like this i’m not expecting the wording to be millennial ? if that makes sense
anyway lovedddd the anger part like that’s THE foreplay
thank you netgalley and publisher for an opportunity to read and review this
review is my own!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Beim Lesen des historischen Liebesromans habe ich mich durch das gesamte Buch hindurch etwas schwer getan, in einen guten Lesefluss zu kommen. Das lag primär daran, dass beide Helden auf mich etwas schwer zu greifen waren und ich mich auch mit dem historischen Setting nicht immer leicht getan habe.

Die Geschichte war an sich frisch und außergewöhnlich. Es gibt eine interessante Mischung aus humorvollen Szenen, aber auch ernstere Themen werden angesprochen. Dabei wirkte der Humor auf mich teils, aber nicht immer komplett überzeugend.

In der zweiten Hälfte des Romans habe ich einige Szenen vermisst, in denen die beiden Helden ganz in Ruhe und ohne Drama im Hintergrund Zeit für sich hatten. Gefühlt war immer etwas los, was die Liebesgeschichte etwas überschattet hat. Darauf aufbauend bin ich mit der Liebesgeschichte zwischen den beiden Helden nicht so ganz warm geworden.

Rückblickend hat die interessante und frische Geschichte meinen Geschmack leider nur teils getroffen. Ich konnte mir die Hauptcharaktere nicht immer als echte Personen vorstellen konnte und habe zudem mit den Umständern der Zeit gehadert. Ich weiß schon, warum ich eher selten zu historical romances greife.

🖤🖤🖤 1/4

Für wen?

Wer historische Liebesromane mag, in denen viel los ist und sich zwei eher gegensätzliche Männer ineinander verlieben, für den könnte das Buch eine schöne Sache sein.

A Modern Twist on Historical Romance

As someone who generally shies away from historical fiction due to the often confusing hierarchies and plethora of titles, Emma Alban’s series has truly been a delightful surprise. I first dipped my toes into this world with the audiobook of “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend,” but quickly realized that these books are best savored through a good old-fashioned reading. The audiobook serves wonderfully as a supplemental experience, enriching the novel’s charm.

I ended up reading both books back to back, and it made a world of difference, especially since the second book picks up almost immediately where the first one ends. Alban’s approach to historical romance is refreshingly modern, giving her stories a new adult vibe of inclusivity during a period in time that is all about exclusivity.

Emma Alban does a fantastic job of making her characters feel alive and engaging. Bobby Mason, always the overlooked second son, and James Demeroven, the newly minted but deeply insecure Viscount, are both incredibly compelling. Their dynamic is fiery and intense, with their constant clashing and undeniable chemistry making for a page-turning read.

The meddling cousins, Beth and Gwen, add a delightful touch of humor and mischief, ensuring that Bobby and James are continually thrown together in the most entertaining ways. The added twist of an extortionist targeting their families ups the stakes and keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace.

You know you have a great novel in your hands when you find yourself shaking the book in frustration or excitement because of the characters’ actions. Emma Alban’s “The Enemies-to-Lovers Queer Victorian Romance Follow-Up” is a perfect example of this. It’s a story that demands to be read, enjoyed, and revisited. For fans of historical romance with a modern twist, this duology is not to be missed.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley, and Emma R. Alban for this eARC!

This queer Victorian romance is a follow up to Alban's "Don't Want You Like A Best Friend," and as such includes many of the same characters. If you enjoyed them last time, get excited to jump back into their world! The story follows Bobby Mason and James Demeroven, two Victorian gentlemen who have everything they could want on the surface, but a lot of disappointment underneath. Not the least of which is their inability to live as themselves in a restrictive, largely homophobic society. Can the two put aside their differences to protect their families from an extortionist? And maybe even fall in love along the way?

This was a very fun book, with a sweet plot and a bit of spice, plus plenty of drama. For me, it felt a bit slow, but I do think that's fitting with the Victorian era it depicts. I think it will probably resonate more with avid romance readers.

DNF at 60%

I really tried to like this book since the premise and cover were SO good. Unfortunately this book was not for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style and wished there was just a bit more to it. The plot didn’t feel like a whole storyline and perhaps if a third book comes out in the series it’ll continue on, but for me it fell flat. I did enjoy James character but I think the setting wasn’t right for his character.
I think my main issue was that I wanted these characters to be able to love each other. The author decided to keep an accurate Victorian Period which means that queer relationships were not accepted publicly. But I feel like that didn’t make this necessarily feel like a romance novel. It would’ve been cool if maybe she did a twist on the Victorian period and made the idea of queer relationships being public just a normal thing instead of the characters being in hiding. I do think that one change would’ve made me like the book a lot more, but I do give her props for making it historically accurate. I just like when my characters get to be themselves everywhere and not just in private. It’s a me problem, not this books problem.
Other than that, it just wasn’t for me. I think I was expecting something different going into this story and when it didn’t deliver I felt meh towards it.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Avon Romance for allowing me an arc of this book and the chance to review it.

Torn between 2 and 2.5 stars but let me preface by saying I loved this author's debut novel. This one fell flat for me. I'm not going to write a novel on everything I disliked but I will give a short list:

Characters seemed 2 dimensional and oftentimes just unbelievable
I overlooked some of the modern language use in the first book but it really bothered me in this one.
The plot is relatively the same
I had to talk myself into reading it/finishing it

Now for some of the things I enjoyed:

Some great introspective lines
Funny moments
Relatively cute romance
Diversity in a time that lacked diversity

My favorite quote:
"Home isn't somewhere he belongs. And he wants to belong somewhere." 🥺
The above quote really encapsulated the heart of this story. It's about finding your place, in a way that is true and authentic. James and Bobby's journey was so sweet and relatable, there were multiple times where I had to drag my eyes away and just breathe through the emotion. It is hard enough to be queer NOW. I can't even imagine how hard it was 170 years ago. Alban is a new author, and her books will be ones I am going to look for moving forward. 💖 Highly recommend!

You're the Problem picks up where the final scene of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend leaves off, but from the perspective of Bobby Mason, a side character from the first story that is also gay. At the beginning of the story, he’s feeling disconnected from his brother and sister-in-law due to his brother taking over the family title and sister-in-law facing a difficult pregnancy in the country. Beth’s cousin, James, has also come to town after inheriting the viscount title from her father. Beth and Gwen start scheming to set up Bobby and James after seeing the looks between the two at the first ball of the season, but things don’t go quite as planned when their very different personalities, backgrounds, and values collide.

When compared to the first book, I did enjoy this one more. There was more relationship buildup and a lot more spice. I also felt like the stakes were higher with the final solution being less obvious (from the character's perspective). However, it was very difficult for me to sympathize with James’s actions and frankly horrible personality for 80% of the story. I think being around Bobby’s family throughout the first book helped me sympathize with him more, even when I thought he was being stupid. James was just downright mean at times. This story also suffers from a similar issue as the first. The romantic feelings appear at the flip of a switch. Besides the sudden change, I enjoyed James's character growth and the relationship building for the polycule, not just the main couple of this story. The ending was very cute and sweet and just what I wanted for our 4 LGBTQ characters.

A good follow up to Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend, and a good Victorian era romance. I really enjoyed the relationship between Bobby and James for the most part, but I did find that it got frustrating at times. I actually love miscommunication in books because it causes tension and tension moves the story along, but at some point it becomes repetitive, and that happened here. It got to the point I felt it was keeping me from seeing them ever truly bond, which was a bit of a bummer. This also impacted my opinion on the pacing of the book. I felt it started slow, then was going ok, and then got choppy as it went back and forth over and over again. Overall, I did enjoy this but I had some large opinions. I’d still recommend it and I’m really happy to see that we have books with this kind of representation. I also found the intimacy was done well and the rep was handled well. I’m still going to purchase a physical copy for my personal collection and I’m interested in reading further work from this author, so overall I would rate this 3.5 stars.