Lady Like is a delightful read! Anyone looking for the feel of Bridgerton should pick this up. The romance is well written and very endearing, and the inter-character dynamics really shine. Both the main characters and the side characters are vibrant and engaging, and they made me laugh and tugged at my heartstrings. The banter in the dialogue is so funny and the prose is quick and entertaining with witty turns of phrase I really enjoyed. It's a funny and heartwarming story that does a charming job of combining historical elements with a positive outlook that is really nice to see.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing me an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

ARC from Net Galley!

"Lady Like" was a fun, flirty, romantic, and hilarious ride and I enjoyed ever second of it!

The story is driven through the perspectives of Harriet "Harry" and Emily - both who by chance are in need of a husband and in need of one fast. Emily because she would rather do anything than marry the person her parents set up a contract with and Harry because she just found prince regent is her father - and she needs to find herself a respectable father to claim her place (and the money!). They both set their sights on the same Duke and start out as rivals. Through an unlikely partnership, the two grow to enjoy each other's company and love blossoms.

This was both hilarious and adorable and the plots pacing was just right. Our characters go through many fun adventures set within a backdrop of the regency-esque London. The characters relationships were tangible and were tested and grew throughout the novel. This kind of dynamic what I enjoyed from the Montague siblings series. I absolutely loved that the characters identity and orientation were not center stage to all of their trials and tribulations. Instead, Harry and Emily navigate the struggles of falling in love and coming to their own just like anyone else. Reading more information on the author's decision to write these methods in her work was a wonderful follow up after finishing the story. There also was information on researched topics and historical stories that were used when writing the novel.

I'll miss reading the banter between these two!

4.5 stars!

"Emily Sargent," Harry says, and she almost doesn't recognize the timber of her own voice. "I don't know what to do now that I've met you."

Lady Like is the kind of book that wraps itself around your heart and doesn’t let go. It’s witty, sharp, and deeply emotional — the kind of story that makes you laugh, ache, and reflect, often all in the same sentence. Mackenzi Lee has delivered something honest and unapologetically tender in this tale of two women navigating identity, class, and love in a time that wasn’t built to hold them.

At first, the story starts with a quiet simmer — the opening chapters took a little while to pull me in — but the moment Harry and Emily meet, everything shifts. Their dynamic is electric and complicated and so real. Watching them fall for each other felt like eavesdropping on something sacred: a slow unfolding of affection marked by fear, anger, joy, and overwhelming vulnerability. Their love isn’t effortless, but it is intentional, and that makes it all the more beautiful.

What struck me most was how being queer in this historical moment was not painted as a tragic impossibility. Instead, Lee shows us what it means to carve out a life that works for you — even when the world refuses to understand. That resilience is what made me tear up more than once. It’s what made me proud to be queer, to see parts of myself in Harry and Emily, and to feel understood.

This is a book I finished and instantly missed. The characters linger like old friends, and the story leaves you changed.

Fans of Bridgerton looking for a queer spin on historical romance — with just as much tension, elegance, and aching tenderness — will find a new favorite in Lady Like. I cannot wait to buy a hard copy as soon as it hits shelves!

Lady Like was such a delight to read! I adore Emily and Harry so much. I loved the concept of two women going after the same Duke, but falling in love with each other instead. It was a fresh take from other Regency romances I’ve read before.

The development of Emily and Harry’s relationship felt natural and I adored their banter. Despite being from different worlds, the two are more compatible than they seem. Violet was also wonderful and I enjoyed seeing how much unconditional love and support she had for Emily.

If you’re a fan of Bridgerton and in the market for a sweet, sapphic romance, then this is the perfect book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group | Dial Press Trade Paperback for an ARC of Lady Like in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lady Like is a fun romp through Regency England, visiting many of the usual Regency romance tropes with a few twists thrown in for good measure.

When it comes to Mackenzi Lee, she's an amazing, automatic-read author for me. If she wrote it, I will immediately read it.

That said....

This book just wasn't it for me, and it pains me to say that. The plot never really hooked me and I struggled to connect with the characters. For much of the book, I found the main character--Harry--to be, well... a fairly unlikeable lady, which is ironic given the title of the book.

Was this my favorite of Lee's books? No. Did I actively dislike it? Also no. Would I recommend it to others? Sure, why not? Just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't hit the mark for others. And without giving any spoilers, it does have a satisfying ending.

Overall, it's a three for me, but I hope others find it, enjoy it, and discover the magic of Lee's other books as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Like is a romp of a story about two women after the same Duke, their intentions are clear, one needs protection, the other to claim her inheritance, but what if those intentions change?

Friends, this is a romance not to be missed!

It’s such a fun book, with so many surprising moments that will have readers laughing out loud, holding their breath, or gasping for air, hoping Harry and Emily find their happily ever after.

Love is love and this Sapphic adult debut novel is a romance not to be missed.

Preorder Lady Like asap!

I pre-ordered this book before I received my ARC because I assumed I would love this new book from Mackenzi Lee and I was right. I absolutely loved this book! I love her Gentleman’s Guide books so I was excited for her new adult book.

It was fun, romantic and had amazing two heroines. I love the contrast between Harry and Emily. Both have different lives and personalities but they are just so good together. There are so many moments where Harry and Emily just let everything out. They say what they mean and don’t hold back. It is so freeing and amazing to see women stand up for themselves and say what they are truly feeling. Of course some lovely, romantic and adorable moments that had me grinning from ear to ear. Their lives are not perfect and I felt so bad for the things they went through or are going through. They had their ups and downs but were totally in it together. The ending was just what I needed. Amazing sapphic read and highly recommend!

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I'll read anything Mackenzi Lee writes. This one was a little messy plotwise, but it still gave the same heartwarming humour I expect from her.

I found this delightfully charming, with a premise that hooked me from the first moment I read it. However, as is the case with most Mackenzi Lee books I've read, it drags on at points and seems to give you a lot of information that seems largely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.

For instance Harry's duel with the Duke is something often discussed in the novel but it largely serves little point other than to tie up a random small mystery of 'who nearly killed Harry at the derby'. Not to say that the book wasn't great, but it felt a bit jumbled at times with all of the small threads you needed to follow.

I found Harry as a character wasn't fully developed and that the author seemed to favour Emily's story and her side of things. Again, not a terrible thing, but it leaves the reader to feel less than stellar emotions towards one of its own leading ladies. This also lead me to thinking that a lot of the build-up to the grand romance was lacking and felt even awkward at times. Which is not something I would like to feel about my romance novel.

For what it lacked in character development and cohesive story-telling was more than made up in its secondary characters. I really enjoyed Violet throughout the novel and I do wish we got to see more of Collin, even to help develop Harry as a character more.

I was super excited for this--queer historical fiction, by an author whose novels I'd read before--but sadly I feel like it just...fell flat. It started out great, and I liked the dynamics between the two main characters. But once they got together, I feel like all the tension and momentum of the story was just gone. It's always important for a romance to maintain tension before the characters get together, but to also still keep the story moving forward *once* the characters get together, and I didn't think this novel did the second part very well. I also found the more plotty bits at the end of the novel a bit convoluted; they detracted from the overall story, I found. Overall, I feel like this novel could've been so much better than it was, which is a bit of a disappointment. Not bad, but not as good as I wanted it to be.

Lady Like was a pleasant romp but missed the mark on convincing romantic tension for me.

Harry was charming and well-rounded; Emily was feisty and wholesome. Most of the men were appalling and traditionalists. The cast was tight, which made this a fun read and gave ample opportunity to build folks out and weave a whoddunnit web.

The book was a very enjoyable read, but I never got sucked into the Harry/Emily romance myself. They are each fun individual characters but it didn't feel like they had any biting wit or tension between them, merely brief moments of physical desire. I missed the snark and sharp pacing of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue; I missed wanting them to be together, although I don't think they were poorly suited to one another. I absolutely appreciated how starkly this book lays out the prisons marriages could trap women in and the harm they wanted to escape.

This joins the canon of "Don't Want You Like A Best Friend" and other Regency romances that are sweet, well-written, and end in a way that still allows the heroines to be together with a little untraditional help.

I really loved Mackenzie Lee’s Gentlemen’s Guide series, so I was pretty excited when I got her adult sapphic historical romance. It was overall a good read, but I did not like Harry at first and thought the pacing was off in the beginning. It also read a little more like a YA than an adult novel to me. It did pick up and I did like it in the end.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Harriet “Harry” Lockhart has never planned to marry. She plays men on stage and prefers romantic and sexual relationships with the fairer sex - both of which make her an outcast in Regency England. When her previously unknown father comes forward and promises her an inheritance if she marries, Harry must choose between being herself - something she can barely afford to do - and a life where she wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. Meanwhile, Emily Sergeant is refined and poised, secretly running away from a dark past and in desperate need of a suitable husband. When the two women set their sights on the same duke, they find themselves falling in love… but not with him.

After enjoying Mackenzi Lee’s young adult series, I was excited to read her adult debut and doubly so when I learned it was sapphic. There just aren’t enough sapphic historical romances out there! Unfortunately, I didn’t end up enjoying this as much as I hoped. The book is long enough to develop and set up the romance between Harry and Emily but it barely does. While I found the scenes of them once they’re together sweet and even swoon-worthy, they didn’t feel truly earned. It was hard to believe that they were in love enough to put their lives on the line when we didn’t actually get that many scenes developing their relationship.

I enjoyed Emily as a character and her journey to be her true self but Harry annoyed me at times. I think, again, it comes down to there not being enough time dedicated to developing her as a character and her arc.

I would have loved to see Alexander get a true comeuppance. Tweed got his but Alexander got away scot-free - which is maybe realistic for the time period but was annoying. He was truly awful.

Mackenzi Lee's Montague Siblings trilogy was so funny but here I thought the sense of humor was lacking and even awkward at times.

I appreciated the notes in the back. It’s clear that Lee did a lot of research into the Regency era and romantic relationships between women that took place at that time. I look forward to seeing what she writes next and I hope to enjoy it more!

I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I was absolutely delighted. Harry is the best kind of fmc. She does not care one whit about what anyone thinks and I so appreciate that. And Emily is a sweetheart. I'm impressed how the author made everything work out. Good job!!
Thank you to The Dial Press for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

This was very sweet! Full of heart and clever writing and queer joy and very little real conflict, which is exactly what the book set out to be.

As a big fan of Lee’s “Montague Siblings” trilogy, I was very excited to get the chance to read an ARC of her adult debut. I enjoyed it a lot. It had very little conflict, and was more of a contained slice of life story, which isn’t always something I enjoy. But for anyone looking for something cozy and sapphic then this is going to be a 5/5 for sure.

Thank you for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book a lot. Mackenzi Lee is a very talented author. The characters were well developed and the plot was interesting and humorous. The ending sequence dragged a bit, but overall I would recommend this book.

I was given this book in exchanged for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Ahhh I loved Harry and Emily <3 I really enjoyed all the fun historical details in here and also appreciated the author's note giving historical justification for the big happy ending. For me a nice blend of realistic details without too much homophobia - after all if het historical novels can have infinite dukes etc without too much nitpicking, why can't the ladies have a little win?? AS A TREAT.

The regency era was when the Prince Regent was in charge while his father, George III was going quietly mad. His father didn’t like who he had married, and forced him to marry someone he hated so much that when his father finally died, he barred her from coming to his coronation. The Prince Regent, who would become George IV, also happens to be the father of the main character of this story, though she doesn’t know this, seeing as she and her brother are both bastards. Their mother was a whore, in the very real sense of the world.

Harry, the main character, is quite content to do her own thing, hanging out with the other lesbians, whom she calls sapphists, in her Shakespear company, where the women play all the parts.

Emily is about to be married off to a horrible man, and decides to run off to live with her cousin, and look for a rich duke to marry instead.

Harry is also in the hunt for a rich husband, because her father, the king to be, has told her she can live in the lap of luxury, if she just stays respectable, and marries before the coronation.

That is the set up. Harry and Emilly both think they are after the same duke, and end up falling in love with each other.

I liked how realistic this was. It showed that the author had done a lot of research on the era, and knew what could and couldn’t be common or uncommon. And, I also liked that I had no idea what was going to happen. Who would each of them marry? And how would they go about it?

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 9th of September 2025.

What a cute romance book! This one was fun, witty, sapphic, humorous and beautiful! This book made me feel lighthearted and happy. I loved the characters in the story, especially Harry. I could really feel the love and connection between the female characters, which made me feel emotional. It’s so funny that they go after the same duke, only to end up with each other! They should have became enemies, but started to love each other instead. I really enjoyed the twist this book had! I found this book to be thought provoking, captivating and had a well rounded theme. Be sure to check out the content warnings! I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Mackenzi Lee and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is set to be published on September 9, 2025!

This was the most beautiful love story I have read recently! Each step Harry and Emily took to become closer was so much fun! The way they went from hating each other, to becoming friends and then falling for each other was bewitching to see unfold. I love every character in this book, especially Violet, who was the real MVP with helping Emily and having that really important conversation that was able to help Emily understand that she did nothing wrong, and has nothing to feel guilty about.

This book does touch into some deeper topics, SA being one of them, so make sure you are aware of that before reading, but it's dealt with so well. This is my favorite sapphic read of this year! Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this arc.