Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

If you combined the Parent Trap and super historically inaccurate Bridgerton, then made it Queer, you’d have this book. I had fun listening to it but if you’re the type of reader who needs true historical settings, this won’t satisfy you. It’s also written in the present tense which isn’t my favorite style.

Beth and Gwen meet at a society event and become fast friends, though it takes them both quite a while to realize it’s more than simple friendship. They embark on a scheme to get their parents together, discovering that they had previously been somewhat involved and it ended badly when Beth’s mother needed to marry for security rather than love, which meant not marrying Gwen’s father. Beth catches the eye of a real white bread kind of guy- nice but bland, and no substance- and finds herself falling into the same path her mother took. There’s a subplot about an act that allows women to seek divorce in the court system rather than through the church, which Beth’s future father in law fights against strongly, leaving her facing an impossible future without Gwen and stuck with a truly odious man as her family if she is to live a secure life.

All in all, it was a sweet but forgettable sapphic romance with just a few nods to the Swifties.

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its_vendetta's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

AWWW!!! I loved it!! Such a good read! The plot was so well written and I was on the edge of my seat through the entire book. I loved the characters as well they were so interesting and even the side characters felt well thought out.
If you want an amazing historical romance filled with queer joy and amazing characters this book is for you. One of my favorite sapphic romances I've ever read and definitely my favorite historical romance!
I can't wait to read the sequel that is coming out in August!!

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snow0's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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midnightbelles's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was okay. I honestly think historical fiction/romance isn’t for me but story wise this was interesting (although their new family tree is wild). I was really into the first 1/3 of the book but once I got to the middle I got a little bored and sped through the rest of the chapters just to see how it ended. I loved the ending though and the epilogue made me really want to read the second book to see what happens between Beth and Gwen in the future.

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kshertz's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was so adorable and I love the whole idea of how they fell in love. I think it could’ve been more smutty but I was still happy with the amount of smut. I wanted to give it five stars but the whole idea of them trying to get their parents together but also be together I just couldn’t get past the whole …then you would be sisters situation and it felt a little bit incesty.

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abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

A near-perfect book for me, and an outstanding debut from Emma R. Alban.

I was enjoying listening to this book from the outset— great audio narrators, writing that’s the perfect mix of descriptive and quippy, and a Parent Trap style set-up ruse in a Regency setting made for a great but subtle draw.

It was about 60% of the way in when I was well and truly hooked, and this book took it to the next level. The heartbreak and tension in the story, with a few little surprises to round out the ending, really got me.

While I knew the romance had to have a happy ending, it was really hard to see how it all might work out for our heroines. It felt real and the issues of women’s rights in particular (as it pertained to the Marital Causes Act, and status / relationships in general) were an ever-present and moving concern. I loved how Gwen grew enough to ask others for help and tend to her relationships with her cousins, and Lady Demeroven’s arc was beautiful as well.

2024 really is the year of the sapphics!!! If you want to laugh, cry, fist pump, and clap your hands and squeal in your car, I’d highly recommend listening to Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend.

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amberlfaris's review

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emotional funny inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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starglitters's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

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