Receive a e-ARC of 'You're the problem, it's you' via NetGalley, so have not read the first in this series by Emma Alban - but this was not a problem!

I did enjoy the gay romantic Victorian basis for the story, however found it a little hard going throughout the book. Personally I found the miscommunication elements a little irritating, and stalled the flow of the story.

I guessed at the ending/solution about a third if the way along, however this wasn't a major issue as I liked the life they all built together and how it gave a fully rounded ending.

I think it is a powerful element to the book that the love and support of family/community was well written.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review.

3.75 ⭐ (rounded up)

Much like its sister novel, I really enjoyed this book. From the beginning of the book, it was easy to root for Bobby and James with their chemistry and sexual tension. The build up of their relationship happened slowly and then all at once - I felt this could have been paced a bit better but I really enjoyed their dynamic once they had acknowledged their feelings. The heart of this book for me, was the familial love. Albie's, and later Meredith's care for Bobby was something special. The kinship between Beth and Bobby was lovely, especially since they didn't interact too much in the last book. It was a fun, mostly light-hearted read.

This was a pretty good historical romance! I enjoyed the last 50% much more than the first half, and I would definitely say that this was too long, but I adored James as a character, the romance was sweet and convincing, and I cried twice. Absolutely loved the ending, and wish more historical romances did this!

3.75 rounded up

This wasn't as good as the authors first book. It was fine but I struggled to stay invested in the relationship and the story. It feels like a book written by a straight woman about queer men.

Other people's milage may vary but I found there were too many modern and Americanisms. One or two is fine but it was near relentless.

I'm getting a little tired of Taylor Swift references in romances, I think publishers think this is appealing to a lot more people than it does. Ditto for the Leni Kaufman covers, everyone has the same face.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc.

I really wanted to live this, especially with the Taylor Swift reference as the title but it just wasn’t for me and around 25% mark I ended up DNFing as I couldn’t get on board with the story. It seemed to chop and change so much. I didn’t connect with the characters and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
I want to start out by saying i read the first book in this duology (series?) and I did enjoy it but found it slow at times. So when i saw this book (and fell in love with the cover) I was SO very excited to read it and I was really hoping the pace would be quicker with this one but sadly it seemed worse in this one. At times this book felt like it was a chore to get through. I was hoping for a LGBTQ+ version of Bridgerton but it just fell flat. Nothing happened for like half the book and it really just seemed like it was a load of unnecessary scenes. The miscommunication went on for ages and I got board of it. It’s with a heavy heart i say this book wasn't for me. But that’s not to say i hated it. There were parts of the book I enjoyed, I liked the lavender marriage plot at the end and I really liked seeing Beth and Gwen again!

While not my favourite, I think this is a fun duology and of course I always enjoy a good lavender marriage.Overall, I had a very fun time with this book,

Loved it! Perfection! I honestly can't stop raving about this book. So many of my friends are waiting for it going kn sale. Fantastic writing style also

I really enjoyed this read and it helped put faith back in myself in picking ARC reads. It was funny, quirky, adorable, a little bit frustrating (miscommunication trope - not a fave) and so heart-warming. I did predict where this book was going early on but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. Bobby and James are so cute!

Favourite quote:
“I should have said something ages ago, made it clear. I will love whoever you choose to love, and I will treat them like family just the same.”

You're The Probem, It's You is a delightfully queer Regency romance that was a breeze to read. I loved seeing the messy misunderstandings between Bobby and James as they were being pulled to each other. I always adore an uptight grumpy man and James was a perfect lead with so much substance under all those layers. Bobby, with his easygoing nature, was equally enjoyable. Loved seeing them get together, as well as everything that happened around them.

I laughed out loud more times than I could count and thoroughly enjoyed the delightful romantic escapades and hilarious mishaps. (Gwen is definitely a force to be reckoned with and I loved every bit of it her offering to punch a guy or two for Bobby!) Some days you really just need to read a good romance and this was definitely one of the ones I've enjoyed a lot!

This book is just the thing for Bridgerton lovers, if you imagined what Benedict’s story could be like, this is it.

I really enjoyed the writing with this one and felt there was lots of chemistry between Bobby and James.

The villain was cheesy but didn’t feel out of place in a setting such as the Ton.

It’s fluffy and a good summer read and for those who like period dramas this is the perfect mix of period setting and modern writing.

Thank you to Penguin and Emma R Alban for the ARC of this one!

Unfortunately didn't really enjoy this or think much of it. I was expecting a LGBTQ+ version of Bridgerton and I loved the cover but it just fell so flat. Nothing happened for so so long, it felt like a lot of unnecessary scenes and information being dumped into chapters. It's said to be enemies to lovers but there wasn't that, if anything there was miscommunication and that was that. Sadly this book wasn't for me.

You're The Problem, It's You is the second book the Mischief & Matchmaking series. Having not read the first book made the first 30%, with its world building and reintroducing the characters, hard to understand but other than that it can be read as a standalone.

I loved the characters, the regency era vibe and the forbidden gay romance! It made for a sweet and fun read, which is exactly what someone needs after reading or watching Bridgerton.

Summary: Bobby and James, opposites in every way, must team up to thwart an extortionist targeting their families despite mutual animosity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

‘You're the Problem, It's You’ is a queer enemies-to-lovers Victorian romance and sequel to ‘More than a Best Friend’ that follows the cousins of its predecessors main couple. The story revolves around Bobby Mason, a second son, and James Demeroven, a recently inaugurated lord. From old school acquaintances to newly found rivals, Bobby’s and James’ interactions consist of tense conversations and undeniable attraction to one another as they soon discover there’s a fine line between love and hate. I appreciated the focus on character development in this story, as both Bobby and James went through major character growth in order to be together and create their happy ending. In ‘You’re the Problem, It’s You’, Alban continues to emphasise the importance of family, both by choice and birth, and their portrayal of found family remains to be my favourite part of this duology. Similarly to the first instalment, the setting of the story coincides with background political movements that are woven seamlessly into the main plotline and ensure the supporting characters remain present throughout. What stopped me from rating this higher is the use miscommunication trope and an overly exaggerated villain to cause conflict. However, I would still highly recommend ‘You’re the Problem, It’s You’ to readers wanting a cosy, queer historical romance containing a skilful blend of light-heartedness and tension.

In the world of primogeniture, the secondborn seldom finds it easy to carve a role. The second son, Bobby, understands that better than most. He might find some when helping the new viscount, James Demeroven.

You're The Problem, It's You is the second instalment in a series, and I must admit, I dove into it without reading the first book. This decision did have an impact on my reading experience, as I found it challenging to fully immerse myself in the 'world' despite the author's skilful writing and well-developed characters.

All in all, it's a pleasant read, but I think the first one would be best. I'll certainly be doing so. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC.

I am only 3 pages in but I was talking to my friend about it and they told me how in the first book the two main characters are step sisters that get together and the incest has absolutely given me the biggest ick that I'll absolutely never pick up a book by this author

This was pretty cute and sweet and was a fun queer Regency read. Individually I liked both of the MCs but I didn't quite buy the chemistry and connection between them. I didn't love it as much as I did the previous book and the ending didn't work for me at all. It just sat weirdly with me but the bulk of the book was good and it was very well written.

Thank you to NetGallley and Penguin General UK for the advance reader copy,

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the regency era queer romance and feel like this book was better than expected.

I didn’t realise this was a sequel and reading the first book may have made it easier to get into this one and the characters as there was backstory that was continued in this book.

The overall story and plot are well written and the main characters have their own issues they have to deal with,

Overall this is a 3.5 star review rounded up to 4.

The cover and title of this book really drew me in! Overall I really enjoyed the book, but did find it a little hard to get in to. I hadn’t realised this was the second book in a series and think if I had read the first book it would have helped with the additional characters and settings.
The story was sweet, the characters had depth and I loved the happy ending for both James and Bobby and Gwen and Beth.
I’ve not read many historical romances but definitely will be adding more to my TBR starting with book 1.
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.