Rosalie and catherine's mothers want them to marry Mr. Dean, but they soon realize they are attracted to each other, which is a problem.

Unfortunately this one was just really not for me. I was pretty bored the whole book, but people will be happy that there's another sapphic historical romance on shelves!

Emma R. Alban has done it again!
Like in Love with You has it all, from humor to intriguing characters and loads of tension that make the chase for the suitors' attention all the more interesting.

This story features so many different kinds of love, the most obvious one being romantic love, but platonic love and familial love are also given so much room to be explored and make you feel the value of each of these connections.

If the words "no third act break-up" don't make you jump to read this book, then "no lavender marriage to keep the relationship secret" might help convince you even more.
Instead of a painful misunderstanding turning the main character's relationship sour, you have the most heartfelt interactions of honesty and support. Especially the coming out and the following reactions felt so raw and real, I nearly started crying.

So, no matter if you have already read Emma R. Alban's other books or if this is your first, you can look forward to a story that will bring a breath of fresh air to the concept of sapphic Regency romances and the possibility of happy endings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

Much like Alban's other regency romances, Like In Love With You is a fun and funny romance with friendship and heart.

I was intrigued because of the “Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey” pitch. Imo, their parents were the rivals whereas Rosalie and Catherine were kinda just along for the ride? Anything rival-y was very lighthearted between our girls. Their mom’s though??? They wanted to ruin each other.

I don't even know what to say about this book. It's anachronistic as hell. Usually that puts me off so much that it's hard to claw my way back into enjoying a book, but that wasn't the case, here. Emma is less concerned with being historically accurate and more interested in leaning into vibes. And, weirdly, for me it worked.

The pacing on this one is interesting. On one hand, our main characters meet each other right away, and I love that! But later on, once feelings are realized, we don't get much time to enjoy it. Which makes sense given the premise of the whole book and the period in which it was set! But I was definitely craving a bit more alone time with them and less fading to black. Not even to fuck, necessarily! It just felt like they didn't have much time to be THEM, alone, on-screen. Even when they definitely were alone, if that makes sense?

Christopher is best boy. Almost every man in this book is boring cardboard and I imagine that's by design, but Christopher?? He stole whatever scene he was in. Just so HIMSELF. Assertive, funny, and supportive.

Everyone else was pretty good??? Everyone who mattered had a personality, at least.

I'd recommend this to people who have liked Emma R. Alban's other works but also maybe even if you didn't? If your main criticism was that you didn't like the ending of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend, then I think Like in Love with You could be more your speed in terms of endings. Also recommending to people who like a focus on character interactions more than plot. This really is kind of just a book full of scheming and going to various places to chat and do shenanigans. Like maybe it's a little slow but I wouldn't say it's much slower than other queer historical romances that I've read or researched.

3.75 stars rounded up.

For a regency romance draped in the finery, pomp, and circumstance of the courting season, Like in Love with You brings heart and sincerity to a game of social cloak and daggers, catty maneuvering, and old vendettas unforgotten. Both characters have their moments to shine in their delightful tug-of-war and bring their own unique baggage to the table.

While both headstrong and capable women, Rosalie and Catherine have distinct voices in their chapters. Combined, it is a delightful rivalry to lovers scenario— and I am relieved that they start as social rivals, and not antagonist enemies. There's a playful charm to their social chess match that highlights a mutual respect and fondness for one another that we desperately need more of in the genre. The social norms and structures feel like a natural challenge they are forced to navigate, and it is well balanced as it neither drags nor lets them immediately throw themselves at each other.

Overall, Alban strikes a delicious balance in this book suitable for any fan of historical romance, sapphic pining, or new adult stories of sexual realization. My complaints are few and far between, and if I had to give one, I wished for but a moment longer to sit in their blossomed romance and see the fruits of their love! Is the ending realistic for the time period? Certainly not. Is it one that warms the heart and sets it aflutter with hope? Yes! Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the book for review consideration via NetGalley and it is written with full honesty.

This was one of my most anticipated reads, and luckily I got an ARC!
A delightful Regency sapphic romance with all the drama I live for: slowburn, enemies to lovers, and mean gearls meets Jane Austen. The chemistry between the MCs sizzles and it had me laughing and swooning. If you love modern retellings with a sapphic twist, this one will not disappoint.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

2.75
This novel has all the ingredients to be right up my alley as a YA book, sapphic romance, and being set in a different time period. However, similar to "Don't Want You Like a Best Friend," this novel falls flat, and I couldn't identify one aspect that contributed to this. It may have been the blandness and lack of knowledge about the characters we receive, in addition to a lack of buildup and a feeling of inevitability that pervades the entire book, that led to this perception. This leaves the novel feeling monotonous and predictable.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4!

This was so cute! I love a silly little lesbian romance.

My one gripe is the advertisement of it being “mean girls”-esque and that plot point felt very short lived, and none of the characters ever fully lived up to the mean girls troupes.

Overall a fun and easy read that left me feeling happy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me have an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Emma's previous work and VERY VERY much enjoyed this one as well. She has such clever turns of phrases and her plots are always super fun.

Regina and Cady Heron fanfic readers, NOW IS OUR TIME. This is the book you've been waiting for.

For fans of Bridgerton (duh), Dickinson on Apple TV, rivals to lovers, sapphic slow burns, and regency era shenanigans.

I'll be making all my friends read this when it comes out! *Multigenerational* enemies to lovers romance adds a great additional flavor. Not to mention: plenty of tension...WITHOUT a third-act breakup. A very fun and enjoyable book to read: great idea, great execution.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was just fun! I am unsure of what else to say other than it was fun and funny. I had a blast and cannot wait to just read more.

I have read all of Emma R. Alban’s books and loved them. This one did not break that streak! The Mean Girls reference in the description caught my eye as well and I could not put this book down.

Emma Alban made a fan out of me with her previous sapphic period piece romance, "Don't Want You Like a Best Friend". Her unapologetic happy ending for two young ladies in love during a time period most inhospitable brings me so much joy, and it's the same for "Like in Love with You". Who doesn't enjoy reading two people filled with so much doubt pine for each other. I'll eat it up every time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it but it felt like a drag to me. The beginning was very slow and it started getting good about 60% in. I did have to force myself to continue simply because of how much I adore the authors other sapphic novel. I feel as if we knew more about the other characters than we did the main ones. It was a cute read.

If you are looking for a 100% accurate depiction of bucolic early 1800s high society life, this is not it. But if you are looking for a tremendous romance that uses that setting to tell a story of the pain that secrets cause and the elation of finding and living your true love with your chosen family by your side, this is the book for you. Emma R. Alban, as always, does a great job of using the setting to tell a timeless story, the exaggerated propriety of the ton serving as a great allegory to the pressures we feel on ourselves in the modern day. This is a great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone. Period.

🪞 Bookish Thoughts
Mean Girls 🤝 Bridgerton? Yes please! This time Regina ends up with Cady 😏

The witty banter, the yearning, the forbidden love, the rivals to lovers tension, the gossip, the antics, the ballrooms… I loved all of it. Rosalie and Catherine foreverrrr.

I adored both families. Christopher gets best brother award, and I loved how they worked together to mend the rivalry between their mothers. The antics to chase off boring Mr. Dean had me cackling, especially the lake scene 🤣

This book made me ugly cry, which only made me love it more. It left me grateful for how far we have come and a little sad for how far we still have to go. The writing was beautiful.

Emma Alban is officially an autobuy author for me. I didn’t think I could love a sapphic historical romance as much as Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, but Like in Love With You was just as good. Solid 5 stars!

💛 What to Expect
• Rivals to lovers
• Sapphic slow burn
• Regency setting
• Enemies’ daughters
• Family feud
______

📖 Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📅 Pub Date: January 13, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

4/5 stars
A delightful and charming sapphic regency romance!
I have read all of Alban’s queer historical romances so far and this one is definitely my favorite. Catherine and Rosalie’s romance was very entertaining; beginning with a big misunderstanding and rivalry then evolving into an intimate and sweet relationship. Their romance also felt like it was paced really well, naturally developing and growing as the story went on. The characters were lovable, felt well developed, and had me rooting for their happily-ever-after. Like in Love with You is a lovely sapphic historical romance that I will definitely be recommending to my queer book loving friends!
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ it took my a while to get into the book. Honestly the biggest reason it’s a 3.5 and not a 3 is the chemistry between Catherine and Rosalie, as well as Rosalie’s relationship with her brother, Christopher and her friend Amalie. I loved how supportive they were.

I feel like the middle of the book was so good and it had potential to be even better and explore more of their relationship and life after. I feel like the ending was so abrupt and didn’t really tie up loose ends very well. I would’ve liked to see more of the after, like I said.

Okay, so, I actually liked this book, and it was pretty good at showing how hard it was for gay women back in the day. Catherine and Rosalie are cool characters, but the whole mean thing? Nah, not really seeing it – it's, like, barely anything like it. There were a few times when it felt like the author didn't really do their homework on how stuff like titles worked in old-timey England, and sometimes they used words that just didn't fit. Like, no one back then would be "dissing" anyone, ya know? It was still a fun read, but those historical mistakes kinda ruined the vibe a bit.