I would like to re-read this novel after it has officially been published to see if it has been cleaned up. I really wanted to like it (LGBTQ Victorian England Historical Romance = heck yeah), but I constantly had to stop and scroll back and reread sections. The overall premise is great, but the inconsistencies made the story difficult to enjoy. If you aren’t a historian this novel would probably be easier to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the digital ARC.

Did you watch Bridgerton and think “this is great but it’d be better if it was gay?” If so, Where There’s Room for Us is for you.

Freya is on her third season and expected to marry by the end of it, with her father’s sights on a duke. But when Ivy moves with her brother Prescott, the new and very American Viscount next door, all of Freya’s life plans are thrown into chaos. Ivy and Freya bring out the best in one another as they become fast friends (and more 👀) but can Freya truly step out of the life that’s been planned for her?

Though I was at first hesitating given the present tense writing, I quickly fell head over heels for Freya, Ivy, and the unique queer-norm regency England Kiyoko has written. I was intrigued when I heard about the novel and how it would be a queer norm world, wondering what that would do to the structures of upper class regency life. Kiyoko manages to preserve the intricate politics of regency life while also creating space for queer couples to exist, something I found incredibly delightful.

I loved the characters in this story. Of course Freya and Ivy are darling, but each of Freya’s sisters has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, similarly with Prescott. The sisterhood depicted in this novel is so wholesome and even had a couple twists I didn’t expect that really brought nuance to the idea of family and community, especially when that intersects with queer family and community. The scene with Angelica and Freya 3/4 of the way through?? I was in TEARS!

I deeply appreciated that this was such a queer norm and wholesome story but still managed to convey a lot of depth around important topics, from the time period relevant—such a women’s rights—to the more modern day relatable—the ideas of self and how that may conflict with family.

All in all, a really lovely book perfect for the queer Bridgeton fans that really wanted Eloise and Penelope to kiss.

They didnt just fall in love with each other in this book, but they fell in love with themselves.
I want to say first and foremost, I loved this book so much. As somewhat of an anthropology/sociology nerd I spent a lot of this book admiring how it highlighted the juxtaposition of being a woman and being queer. I will put my little rant on how much I loved that at the end of this review, cause I know it probably isnt what most other readers are here for.

So, for other readers who are here for the romance, for the journey, for the drama, or for the era we all seem to love in English history... this book has all of that and it's sapphic! Therefore, ten times better in my opinion (but I am always happy for any sapphic content). I do think that this is not just a story about falling in love with someone, but a story about falling in love with yourself and realizing that there are people who make it easier to be that person.

I could literally give a 30 minute Ted talk on how appreciative I am that in a world where homosexual relationships are allowed but women are still treated as lesser members of society, Hayley wrote about queer women being treated terribly. And yes I know how awful that sounds, but it's a real issue. If you are a person who has two different 'identities' that are discriminated against, and we were to erase one of those discriminations from history, you would still be treated as a person with two different discriminated against identities.

OMG LOVE IT

I'm not a fan of romance books, but I admit this book was adorable! I read her first book and enjoyed it. Her second is even better!

If you're looking for a good romance, full of twists and turns, go for it.

Where There’s Room for Us was an enjoyable read with a fresh plot.

What I really enjoyed about this book were the characters and their relationships. Although it felt in the beginning like I would never be able to differentiate between Freya’s sisters, by the end of the book they, and their relationships with Freya, had been really well fleshed out. Each of the three lent something to the story and to Freya’s character, and they were just plain enjoyable to read.

Freya and Ivy’s relationship was absolutely perfect as well. They had such a compelling romance, and I felt that the pacing of their relationship was perfect. They had great chemistry and I loved both of them, together and separate. This book is worth reading for their relationship, and I feel it had exactly what I am always looking for in a romance.

What fell flat for me was the world building. The book was set in an alternate regency England, where same-sex marriage is legal and common. However, only men can inherit. I had a really difficult time wrapping my head around the combination of laws/social attitudes and the actuality of the time period. I love the idea of an idealized regency England, but I wish it had been an all or nothing situation, instead of picking which aspects of this time would fuel conflict and which would further the romance. I don’t think this is a deal breaker though, as I did really enjoy the book. It wasn’t necessarily poorly done either, just not to my preference.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you get the chance and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such an interesting concept for a historical romance book: that everyone in society is free to marry who they choose but that society still restricts women's rights. Overall, it was a decent book with an interesting plot. I thought the book ended a little quickly and that all the issues that had been building up over the book were resolved in a chapter, but otherwise it was nice.

I liked this, I thought it was cute and sweet but a little bit slow in places. I loved all of the side characters and would love to see more from them in the future.

I think there was a lot of character growth from Freya, finding yourself can be scary and I think she did a lovely job. As for our other man character I found that she didn't learn as much but maybe to think more about how she affects the people around her.

I enjoyed this novel a lot. It was an interesting alternate universe to experience, which is always something I enjoy. You get your regency era drama, yet without any of the homophobia (well kinda?) that usually is a bother for these sorts of stories; it was wonderful bit of variety to the genre. I loved the different details of the community they lived in; the travelling-floating-queer-community was a very fun touch. This novel was well written, the characters were well developed (mostly) and enjoyable.

I liked the romance, which of course was the bulk of the novel. It was a bit instalove-ish and somewhat felt like it was barreling down the relationship-development-train-tracks (it’s a phrase I swear, you just haven’t heard it), but I didn’t mind because it was heartwarming and there was enough other plot going on that the romance itself didn’t need to be too complicated. I liked these two together.

I am giving this novel a low-5-stars, rounding it up. I think it earned it (the 5 that is), although it wasn’t perfect. The ending was incredibly rushed and felt underwhelming to me, which was a disappointment. Some of the plot points didn’t quite make sense or work perfectly, but not bad enough to really harm the overall experience. I think overall there were some pacing issues too, throughout the novel, but particularly at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

I don't know how to put in words how loved this book made me feel. I don't know to put into words how warm and trusting this book is because if I think too much about how soft this book is, I might just start crying. What a masterpiece.

When I got the email that I was approved for an e-arc of this I cheered. (Out loud, in a restaurant, heads turned.)

This is Hayley Kiyoko’s second book, and her writing style continues to mature at an impressive speed. I enjoyed this even more than I enjoyed Girls, Girls, Girls. I love a good period piece and this one firmly sits in the YA, sapphic cosy romance section. Sometimes in life you need something that's just good, sweet, fun and this book delivers.

If I had to find something to critique, it would be the third act break-up (because I don't love those) and the rush to the finish (also a romance trope that's not my favorite.) I'd also like to explore more of the political policy conflict story. (This is my petition to continue the series. I need more Dani antics! Maybe a Marigold & Ros pre-quel...)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for an eARC of this novel!

I will always devour anything that Hayley Kiyoko puts out. Every song, album and book! It’s not every day that your favorite artist comes out with a budding second novel that is a Lesbian version of Bridgerton. Hayley's first book was a wonderful story that was based off her hit song Girls Like Girls. I enjoyed the novel very much but one can tell it was written by someone who was new to writing. With this novel she brings an supremely excelled writing style and character development. She has came into her own as a writer and showcases she knows how to write a dang good story.

This was such a sweet romance story. I loved seeing this world where queer couples could be together and get married, because so often we see stories where discrimination is the central conflict, so this is just very refreshing and nice. I also do appreciate that the author acknowledges the realistic struggles that they would still face through gender inequality. The romance was great, Ivy and Freya were adorable. I will say though that the story did get a bit stagnant for a while, but that may just be due to my personal preferences of lots of drama in stories. This is a great story for people who love a simple cute romance!!

I think this book probably works better if you don't know much about Hayley and Becca, because I could not stop focusing on how much this is clearly just a Jane Austen-esq AU of their relationship. Otherwise my only real complaint is that the end of the book was super rushed - I don't think using time jumps to solve relationship hurdles is a satisfying way to complete an arc.

I loved this book. Hayley’s first book was good but this book was great. Very impressive for a sophomore book.

The characters were well developed and the story was enjoyable to read. I liked the time period that she’s writing about. And there was a nice balance between the past with some modern language sprinkled in.

A great novel by Hayley Kiyoko. Definitely worth the read.

An ARC was provided by St Martin’s Press - Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a big romance reader but I enjoyed this a lot. It very much gave bridgerton but sapphic and I ate it up

First and foremost, thank you to Hayley Kiyoko and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

To be completely honest, this was a confusing book for me to rate-- and I really needed to be understanding of the YA nature of the book. Kiyoko offers a lovely, sapphic, YA romance set in a time where you hardly see it represented. She gives us a "What if?" situation, something so dear to me. I enjoyed this one more than her last, and I had a genuinely good time reading the book.

The characters were great; Freya, her sisters, and Ivy were all fun to read, which is incredibly important to me. The settings were light and playful, and the book is just a good time. That said, the ending, just like for Kiyoko's last book, is abrupt. It just feels like the main conflict, leading to a third-act breakup, was not explored in the way it ought to have been. In the span of 50 pages or, like, seven chapters, the pacing seems off and whilst that seems like enough time to properly have communication, the 40th chapter is set two months later, and the 42nd chapter jumps another year into the future. And the political subplot was just vague towards the end even if it was a large part of the main conflict of the novel; I think it would have been a better and more through experience if the story had addressed what all it brought up!

That said, I long for more period pieces that create "What if?" situations in literature; for fans of Bridgerton indeed. Where There's Room For Us is a fun YA romance novel with a context that is unfamiliar to me and genuinely an enjoyable read.

A great book that tells the tale of two ladies falling in love in a more queer accepting Victorian era world. The story does a good job showing how even in an “accepting” world people can struggle coming out to themselves and others, as well as showing how women are constantly put at a disadvantage to males, and how even “accepting” people can have stigmatized views. Overall a very well told story, I just noticed some parts I wish were more fleshed out.

I was very impressed by this book. The characters and their relationships with one another are so well fleshed out, I felt as if I was a part of the Tallon sisters myself.

As well, I loved that the book explored the importance of living for oneself. Freya made such great changes throughout the story towards finding herself and it was wonderful to witness her blossom.

As far as the love story between Ivy and Freya, it was well done (though a little insta-lovey). There was a significant amount of pining and some sneaking around, making their romance sweet and enjoyable to read.

However, the love between Freya and her sisters was, in my opinion, even more impactful than Ivy and Freya's story. You get to know each of the sisters and their hopes, dreams, fears, etc, and you see how deeply they care for and support one another. It made me long to have sisters of my own.

The other supporting characters such as Prescott, Nadine, TK, etc were also nicely written and welcome additions to the story.

One thing I noted in reading this book was that there were a few storylines that felt unresolved. For instance the vote, visiting Ivy's mother, Claire and Portia, etc. There seems to be a lot of ways the world of this book can still evolve beyond Freya and Ivy's tale, and I would personally love to read any further stories set there. Regardless however, this book as it stands is full of charm and a delight to read. 4.8/5 stars rounded up.

I was really between a 3 and a 4 for this one, but ultimately it deserves the round up. This is Hayley Kiyoko’s second book, and personally I enjoyed this book more than her first. I’m not usually a period piece girlie, but I think Kiyoko set up a really cool AU and I loved exploring it and seeing the similarities of our world inside of it. There are some areas of the book that I felt fell short, but ultimately it is a well put together book and I did really like it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5. I had to double check that this was a YA and while there is no spice, I didn’t feel like I was reading a YA historical romance and I loved that.

I absolutely loved the storyline and I’m not sure if it is loosely based on the author and her girlfriend’s story( Hayley was originally set up with her Gf’s sister and her gf had never dated a girl). I loved Freya and Ivy together and loved seeing the sisterhood of the Tallon sisters. This is the first novel by Hayley Kiyoko that I’ve read and I hope she writes more!

Where There Is Room For Us is beautifully written and I loved how poetry was woven into the storyline.

The only thing I found myself questioning is how fast things were wrapped up. The “conflict” that instigated the third act break up, shouldn’t have been that big of an issue. I don’t like that ultimately someone else telling Freya the same thing Ivy told her, is what got Freya to believe and forgive Ivy. I either think there should’ve been more to them getting back with each other or have the “conflict” solved chapters before it actually was. I do also feel like we don’t get a resolution with Freya’s dad. We hear a little about his letters with Prescott but that’s all that we get. I would’ve liked a little more of how their relationship was mended or not mended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me ti read the ARC!