4.5/5

Pros: As I remember Hayley Kiyoko from the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, I get a chance to check out Where There's Room for Us. I like the setting as I love reading Victorian era books. Most of the characters are lovely (Dani is cherry and cool!). I like the plot and writing is easy for me to read.

Cons: I would say that the ending is rushed and I wish I could see one part resolved (I would not specify the part as I don't want to give away spoilers).

Verdict: The book is wonderful! I spite of a few issues, I enjoyed Where There's Room for Us!

I have received a free copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own. Thank you!

This is an engaging YA historical fiction romance that I can see teens still relating to today. The main and supporting characters were well-developed and had their own personalities and struggles. There are definitely layers to this novel, with more to be found each time it is read. Will be recommending to the YA readers in my life who also appreciate historical fiction.

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where There’s Room for Us by Hayley Kiyoko is a sapphic Bridgerton-meets-Pride and Prejudice—but in a Victorian England Era where love is free to flourish. Bold poet Ivy and elegant Freya have instant chemistry. Their romance is brimming with wit, warmth, and genuine tenderness. The representation is joyful, the side characters shine, and the world feels like a refreshing rewrite of history. The book is very full of charm and inclusivity while also dealing with societal issues and family conflict.

The pacing stumbles a bit toward the end and the closed door romance is what led to losing a star.

A hopeful YA read you won’t want to put down.

I enjoyed this book. I really liked the main character Freya’s character growth throughout the book. She learns to fight for what she wants and not just accept what others want of her. Even though the novel is set in the 1880’s a lot of the issues the characters face are still relevant today.
Thank you to netgalley for this arc

Although “insta‑love” between Ivy and Freya occasionally feels swift, the heartfelt connection, family dynamics, and hopeful queer representation make it a deeply moving and unforgettable YA romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

I was a little unsure about this book at the start. It seemed a bit slow and too predictable. Things started getting interesting after a few chapters, though.

Greta dreams of a life beyond the carefully scripted one she was born into and Ivy dreams of finding actual love instead of being used again. The two happen to “meet” (they actually just locked eyes at this point in the book) and a spark is ignited. Then the fire begins to grow.

This book is a mix of a sweet romance, historical fiction, and a semi-alternate history (the thoughts and actions of the characters don’t really fit with the time period of the story). The result is a story about the surprising ways love finds us and the way it sometimes can’t be denied. As a questioning adolescent, I would have love to read this book. As an adult secure in their sexuality, I appreciate this book as the happily ever after queer love story we need more of. I hope this book finds its way to every reader who needs it.

Inspired by Little Women and Pride & Prejudice, if you’re looking for a fix before the next season of Bridgerton then you need to read this! I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader copy and I’m so excited about it!

This was such a sweet romance. Set in an AU of the 1880s this novel follows the lives of two women who fall into each other’s lives unexpectedly. Ivy is an outspoken poet from America with a reputation and Freya is the daughter of nobility expected to marry a man and have a son to carry on her father’s legacy. Ivy travels with her brother, who has just inherited an estate and gained the title of viscount, in hopes of helping him find a wife, but little does she know how much she’ll find. After meeting Ivy, Freya starts to realize how much she’s yet to learn about herself.

I loved the characters, loved the setting and the vibes. I absolutely flew through this and couldn’t get enough. It felt like a first crush and also like watching two friends who you wanted to shake and say “now kiss!” The only reason this lost a star for me is the pacing and dialogue. The dialogue felt a little modern and the pacing jumped a bit. I still loved the story overall, and I would read more from Hayley.

Nice change of pace - a cozy mystery featuring lesbian sleuths.

This is a quick read, with strong plot lines and strong, multi layered female characters

This book was fun! i appreciate that it was a reimagining of a different time in history with a more inclusive spin. i always want to hear more queer stories from own voices, and i think this book existing will be helpful for YA readers to see themselves and their loved ones reflected!

4/5 ⭐️ I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of historical time pieces. This being said, I really found myself enjoying this story from front to back. The characters were extremely likable, witty, fun and overall engaging. Although this was quite different from Kiyoko’s last book, the second I saw this was coming out, I knew I needed to read it. I was NOT disappointed. The romance is well paced and adorable. Overall a definite recommend! THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THE ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

1880s Victorian England. Ivy, a poet, falls for Freya, a woman trapped in a marriage of convenience. Their early banter is sweet and engaging, though the modern tone of the dialogue often clashes with the time period and would occasionally pull me out. Still, Ivy and Freya are an endearing couple, and their story opens space for thoughtful reflections on gender and class. A solid recommendation for Bridgerton fans craving a queer twist, even if the historical immersion isn't quite seamless.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy! All opinions are my own.

Where There’s Room For Us is a story set in a queernormative 1880s Victorian England. Ivy is a poet who has moved to England with her brother after he inherited an estate, and Freya is set to marry a man in order to protect her family’s status.

Ivy and Freya’s banter is really cute, and I love their initial relationship. It’s very sweet and relatable.
Though, I think that a lot of the dialogue is a bit modern, and it often took me out of the story. I kept forgetting that this was the 1880s with the way they talked and interacted. If this was a modern story, I think I would love the banter as is, but in the time period, it definitely took me out of the intended setting.

My other critique is the ending. It felt very rushed, and the time skips really did not help to wrap everything up nicely. It was hard to connect with Freya and Ivy again after all of the skipping around. A bit of time and development between those skips would have helped to connect the end in a more cohesive way.

Otherwise, I loved the story, and I think Freya and Ivy are a cute couple. I like the way this book handles the marriage laws and the talks of women’s right to inherit, especially in talks of WLW vs MLM relationships. Many current topics about rights and certain privileges have been brought up and generated some good discussions, which I think will be relatable for many modern audiences. These topics are also something I have always wished were discussed in historical books, so it is nice to see that in this book.

I think that fans of Bridgerton would love this book, especially those looking for a sapphic twist!

Ivy swaps her New York life in the 1880’s for Victorian England. There she meets Freya. Freya’s life has been planned out for her but Ivy changes it all.

I really liked that there was a lot of sapphic representation and obviously this is semi more fictional because in Victorian England in the 1880’s women were not allowed to love other women. But this is not a fully reimagined Victorian England ( keep reading for content warnings ) there is still a fight for equal rights and queer rights & there’s some homophobia in the family.

As a queer person I loved seeing the live story between Ivy and Freya and I liked to see the story from one who knows their sexuality and from one who is just learning.

The writing style is very true to a historical fiction and is very poetic, considering one of the FMC is a famous poet. The characters are developed and I loved to really go through their emotions while reading.

Perfect for fans of Hayley’s previous book and sapphic young adult romances.

*Possible Spoilers*

I enjoyed "Where There’s Room for Us." Hayley Kiyoko has gotten much more comfortable with writing in book form. I was afraid that this book would have the same plot holes and character flaws that her first one did, and was pleasantly surprised to see her growth.

Freya and Ivy have an honest relationship. While they make mistakes and test each other’s moral boundaries, they try to learn from the experiences and grow to make (some) room for each other (pun intended). I think that’s honest. I do wish that their initial friendship was a little slower paced, though. They went from clashing with each other, to being besties really fast. Seeing a little more build up, with the transition from fighting to platonic fun would’ve helped sell me on their friendship.

Their relationship isn’t necessarily my favorite (in fact I low-key preferred the boy girl relationship to their relationship, which is definitely a rarity for me), but I think the personal growth was fairly well done. Both women had to figure out how to not just try to thrive together, but to thrive as separate human beings too. I liked that. To me, their relationship doesn’t completely seem the happiest. There is some underlying manipulative behavior and jealousy that raises a few flags for me. I could see them having another wave of distrust in one another, and actually doing irreparable damage. Neither of them seem the keenest on sharing important information with each other, but maybe that was just for the plot’s sake. I liked the arc of their personal growth more than the growth of their romantic relationship.

The setting of the novel was fun. I had a hard time believing that the characters were in old-timey Britain, but it was still enjoyable to traipse around town with the characters. I can definitely tell that Kiyoko is not British, she sort of writes 1880s England like a present day America, just with a few stereotypical British slang terms, and sort of old-timey sounding phrasing.

I actually quite like the idea of reimaging late 19th century England to be full of openly queer people. I think that it’s an interesting concept. I feel like there wasn’t much research done to create a semi-historically accurate backdrop for the novel, or if there was, it didn’t come through to me. I would have loved to see a more subtle play with the history of sexism and queerphobia, in relation to Kiyoko’s queer-friendly England. While some queerphobia and sexism is obvious, a lot of it is ingrained into our societies, layer by layer, generation, by generation. A little more nuanced exploration of how queerphobia works its way into the nooks and crannies of society would have strengthened Kiyoko’s social justice agenda. I felt a little beat over the head with the obvious feminism.

In closing, I enjoyed the general premise of the book. The characters were generally fun to hang out with metaphorically, and I liked the growth of the individual main characters. Despite some weaknesses, this book exceeded my original expectations. If you enjoy historical romances, with a little scandal, a fair amount of romance, and a little humor from side characters, this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been a long time fan of Hayley Kiyoko and Becca Tilley, and was excited to read Hayley’s new book when I learned it was inspired by her own love story. Congrats to the new fiancées!

This story takes place in an alternate reality in the late 1800’s where same-sex relationships are legal and possible, though not always popular or looked well upon. Ivy is a writer whose poems are deemed salacious by the Prime Minister and Freya, the daughter of a Lord, has had a traditional life already mapped out for her. Everything changes when Freya takes the place of her sister on a date with Ivy.

This book is perfect for young adult readers looking for a sapphic Bridgerton-esque closed-door romance. I admire the author’s desire to create hopeful stories that represent the LGBTQ+ community.

The story was a bit too much insta love for me, but I also know that Hayley’s own love story was an instant connection. At times, some of the writing didn’t quite fit the time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the e-arc in exchange for this honest review.

This surprised me in a good way. I went in thinking it might be too historical fiction for me and bore me, but it was actually heartfelt, tender, and super readable. The characters felt real, and while some of the dialogue and emotional beats were a little on the nose at times, it didn’t take away from how much I cared about the story.

It touches on identity, queer love, grief, and figuring out where you belong—but in a way that didn’t feel preachy or overly polished. There’s a rawness to it that worked. If you’re a fan of Hayley Kiyoko already, I think you’ll feel even more connected to this. If you’re not, you might find yourself becoming one by the end.

It’s not perfect, but it is earnest and honest, and that counts for a lot.

This book was sweet and the romance was cute but the writing felt like it was lacking something. At times it felt rushed and plot points weren’t finished. I loved the relationship between Freya and Ivy but I still wish it had more.

Unfortunately, this didn't work for me and I'm a sucker for historical fiction, like, I really really love it, but this novel just wasn't IT.

That said, I would recommend it anyway because my experience with it doesn't represent what other readers could experience!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this YA historical romance.
This takes place in a Victorian England where people are free to marry and love who they want, but the demands of inheritance and society still demand heirs. Unfortunately this book was just written too YA for me to enjoy and while I do appreciate a LGBT positive book especially for a YA crowd, I wasn’t able to enjoy this one due to the writing style.