Being in my sapphic era, this book was PERFECT. I’m notorious for gravitating towards gothic romances, but this one really knocked it out the park. Ghosts, spooky manor, and don’t forget the pups! The setting and imagery was amazing. The relationship between Georgina and Cat was beautiful. Historical romances can be difficult for me sometimes but this one was such an easy read. Loved it!

My first sapphic book! Super cute, fun to read and likeable characters. Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC via NetGalley!

Normally, I hate a miscommunication trope, but I found this one to be entertaining and a fun start to the book (to me!). It was fun to see them puzzle out the "what is going on" around that miscommunication. I really enjoy the two MC's separately as well as their dynamic together - I was totally rooting for them!

The writing is playful but I did want a bit more from it. I also wanted more time at the haunted mansion but it felt like they were not there for very long + the mystery felt like it fizzled out, which is a bummer. Overall, a fun read - 3 Stars is neutral!

4.5/5

Ladies in Hating was a delightful, queer regency romance that had me swooning and fanning myself many times. Despite a bit of a rough start, this book caught its stride and grabbed my attention with its witty dialogue and stylized prose. The pacing was quick, yet it knew when to slow down at the more genuine, intimate moments of romance and self-discovery. And let me tell you that romance was romancing!

I was initially worried that the two main characters were too similar in their strong-willed attitudes, but over time, their actions and intentions, ways they handled situations, etc. differentiated them well from each other. They developed into three-dimensional characters with believable flaws that I grew fond of and rooted for.

My main gripe with the beginning of the book was that there was certain plot-related information that I believe would have been more effective if revealed later. The "hatred" would have been more convincing, and the readers could have followed in the characters' emotional journeys without knowing too much and having more sympathy for their histories.

Overall, this book ended up being such a pleasant surprise! I would recommend it for those who are fans of books that have a blend of genuine romance and steamy scenes.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I had so much fun with this! Sapphic women writing Gothic novels?? Say less. Naturally I was obsessed ASAP!

Georgiana and Cat are both witty, intelligent, snarky, dramatic, and lowkey obsessed with each other.
Bacon the dog? The true star. He was the emotional support character we all needed.

The ending was perfect and I was so happy for Georgiana! I already preordered the physical copy because I need this on my shelf forever. If you love sapphic historical romance, you NEED this!

🩷 What You Can Expect
• Rivals to lovers
• Secret past crushes
• Sapphic Gothic writers
• Spooky manor
• Forced proximity
• Witty Banter
• Complicated family


🗓 Pub Date: September 23, 2025
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I generally shy away from period pieces but the synopsis of this book drew me in. I found the relationship development between Cat and Georgiana to be so sharp and charming. Rivals to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and Vasti delivered this perfectly through her use of witty dialogue and making me kick my feet as the ice thawed between them. Looking forward to reading more of her work.

3.75 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice 1.5/5 🌶️

A period FF, enemies to lovers Romance with several mysteries, a haunted mansion and a whole bunch of will they/won't they tension?

Yes please!

Georgina is one of the best selling, gothic authors for a decade and she has a problem - a new gothic author has hit the literary scene and somehow, their books have striking similarities that can't be explained by mere coincidence.

Since both authors write under a pen name (though, it is public knowledge who Georgina is) Georgina goes on the hunt to discover the identity of the other author, only to find out that it is someone from her past.

Cat is the new hit gothic author who's novels have capitated the Ton. The daughter of a butler, she is trying to support herself, her younger brother Jem and their cousin Pauline when the daughter of the Lord who fired her father discovers her pen name and threatens her livelyhood.

Can Cat and Georgina set aside their differences to discover how their books seem to keep resembling each other's?

Well, no.

At first they can't.

But then a run down estate, bats, ghosts, screams in the night, and mystery thrust them together into close proximity and the gothic setting and company is too much temptation to resist

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley and was not paid or coerced into writing a review.

I have wanted to like all of Alexandra Vasti’s full length novels and while I somewhat enjoyed parts of this one, it fell into the same pitfalls I found with the previous two: oddly disjointed plot that doesn’t flow well, an interesting promise of a plot point that falls through (this time it was the ghostly manor), and characters that don’t feel like they have any real depth. I was really hopeful that I would love this one. It’s sapphics! Rival gothic writers! Years of secret pining disguised as dislike! But unfortunately, I felt bored and confused while reading. Which really feels like an accomplishment, tbh.

Ladies in Hating features Georgina and Cat, both gothic novelists. When Georgiana realizes that her novels are very similar to Cat’s, she confronts her only to learn that the pen name hides her teenage crush. Georgiana and Cat have some forced proximity in a creepy old manor, and also get to solve a mystery or two, all while falling in love!

I really love Alexandra Vasti’s novels and this, the third instalment in the series was just as good as the first two. The pacing was maybe a little slow, but honestly I just love the communication and humour once the story got rolling.

Cat is a fabulous heroine, so ready to give all her heart to Georgiana - I loved all her sweet words and pet names. Georgiana was understandably hesitant, but I enjoyed how much she grew in this book!

Overall, a fun story and a really sweet (and spicy!) romance. No need to have read the others, this one can definitely be done as a standalone.

I'm such an Alexandra Vasti stan!! Lady Georgiana Cleeve and Catriona Lacey share a frustrating past and (not so) secret Gothic novelist present. When both women end up at the run down, probably haunted, and properly eerie Renwick Hall to research their next book, they end up paying a bit more attention to each other. Sexy, charming, smart, and full of love, this third installment of the Belvoir's Library trilogy gives the hint of a gothic novel without scaring too much. It had me looking up words, jumping at sudden noises, and cheering on another Vasti couple.

Thanks to Alexandra Vasti, her publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review!
Where do I begin! I loved this book so much, the yearning, the plot, the ghosts, everything! This was such an enjoyable read and definitely a five star in my opinion! I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys sapphic books!

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
Ebook copy and the third installment in the series

So I struggled with getting into this book and staying interested. I found it quite flat and boring! I was really excited about the premise of a sapphic love story about two writers. I thought that sounded interesting but quickly I realized that the miscommunication trope in the beginning is major ick vibes. Also, I do not like regency love stories because it’s just so unrealistic to me. The two FMC characters were cute and I liked the witty banter, but sadly that’s about all I enjoyed.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In my sapphic romance era and this one just spoke to me! 2 rival gothic female novelists who have secretly been in love with each other for like a decade? SAY NO MORE. It was giving idiots to lovers but I say this in the best way possible. The banter. Oh, the banter. Highly recommend this one when it publishes in September.

4/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️

Thanks to the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ladies in Hating, the third book in Alexandra Vasti’s Belvoir’s Library series, blends gothic charm, witty banter, and enemies-to-lovers romance. Lady Georgiana Cleeve is determined to unmask the author borrowing from her work, only to discover her rival is none other than former crush Cat Lacey. Their rivalry takes an unexpected turn when they find themselves researching their next novels at the same eerie mansion.

The romance develops quickly, balancing humor and well-paced tension with a touch of spice. The gothic atmosphere adds richness, but the heart of the story lies in Georgiana and Cat’s dynamic.
Overall, Ladies in Hating is an entertaining read with strong pacing, clever dialogue, and an engaging romance. A great addition to the series for fans and newcomers alike.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Alexandra Vasti has done it again with Ladies in Hating. I was obsessed with this story from start to finish. I loved the yearning, the gothic setting, and whole queerness of it all. 10/10 would read again!

I only discovered Alexandra Vasti this year, but she has solidly become one of my favorite romance authors! I adored the first two in this series, and the conclusion doesn't disappoint (except for the fact that it is a conclusion--I want more in this world, especially Iris's story!). I loved how beautifully this dealt with queer history and the nods to real gothic novels. Whatever Vasti writes next, I'm here for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Ladies in Hating
By Alexandra Vasti
Format: e-ARC
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I’ve been waiting for Georgiana’s story arc since the beginning of the Belvoir’s Library series. From the onset, she seemed the most interesting and complex character. Plus there’s Bacon, the very best boy.

Yet, in execution, I felt Ladies in Hating fell a bit flat. On paper, everything about this book was for me: rival gothic novelists, a haunted mansion, smart ladies. I was ready to be wooed and wowed.

I initially had a hard time getting into the book. Likely, that was because it begins with the dreaded miscommunication trope, of which I despair. Lord. If they would just speak to each other, 90% of the plot would’ve been resolved in five minutes. Gratefully, that didn’t last too awfully long; however, neither did the time at the gothic, haunted mansion. That was a major selling point of the book, but a surprisingly small amount of the story actually took place there.

Things didn’t really pick up for me until about halfway through. Once the two FMCs got over their rivalry with and dislike of each other, the book was pleasant. But by then, the entire novel-writing plot of the book fell to the wayside.

I really liked the connection between Georgiana and Cat. Their love for and devotion to each other felt genuine and unwavering in a way you don’t always see in romance novels.

Although this book has been the weakest of the series for me, I still really enjoyed it. I was going to say I’m excited to continue the series, but according to the author acknowledgements at the end, Belvoir’s Library is a trilogy?! Do we not get Iris Duggleby’s story, too?! She’s one of the friend group! Outrage! At any rate, I’ll be anxious to see what else the author has in store!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

#LadiesInHating #AlexandraVasti #YouHadMeAtHEA

This was a fun, gothic read about two novelists with an entwined past who end up writing too-similar books and the meddling ghost and adorable dog who work to bring them together in a very spooky and very run-down castle. Lovely, sapphic historical romance!

This was nice but kind of missed the mark.
I think Vasti faltered by trying to do too many things and not really succeeding at any of them.
The initial premise, that two authors were continually writing the same book, was interesting, but it soon became clear that was not the mystery, and was reasoned away in a fairly absurd manor.
When we got into the actual mystery, it splintered off in a number of incoherent tangents and was supremely convoluted and rushed. As, unfortunately, were the character's relationship & personal evolutions. Sure, this was a love story between Cat & Georgiana but it felt at turns both rushed and stunted throughout. The fact that everyone they met not only condoned but championed their relationship was charming but wholly unrealistic. I never got a clear sense of the haunted house, or if it was indeed haunted (that scene at the end with the yawing black mouth that only some could see was very confusing).
Upon reading the afterward, I gather that Vasti did a lot of research which I'm sure was fascinating but I think that may have been her downfall. She had too many ideas and wasn't able to edit them down into a cohesive whole.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book in exchange for review

Vasti is one of my favorite authors in this genre and I was thrilled at her announcement that her next book would feature WLW heroines. I loved the story and elements of the supernatural, the characters felt well-rounded and complex, and their individual family dynamics were very moving. I like that the story managed to incorporate angst-y elements without the sole source of that angst being homophobia, which can ruin the escapist element I like in my romances. This was worked into the story in a way that still felt realistic without making me feel a dourness that isn't found in hetero romances. Can't wait to see what she does next!

wow! a must read. the author did such a good job showing the love and care these two characters (lady georgina and lady cat) and for each other. I felt the love between these two and think it is a romance worth reading and swoon overing!

the only thing i wish there was more of, was the leaning into the gothic, more time at the abby but nonetheless! lovely book, highly highly highly recommend!