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

I wish I could have loved this as much as I hoped I would, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it! I’ve never seen Bridgerton before but I do like a regency romance. It was entertaining, funny, lighthearted and wholesome and I had a good time reading it.

However, the characters didn’t feel strong enough for me, I wanted them to be more solid and for us to get to know them more. I also thought it was a bit formulaic, and their attraction to each other was mostly physical, which is fine, but not what I’m looking for in a romance.

I really liked the way it ended, though, so I’m probably going to read book two.

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had high hopes, and really enjoyed this! At first I felt like maybe it skewed a little too young. It read as more YA than I remember the Bridgerton books being, but I either got used to it or it matured as the story went on. I really enjoyed how the parents story intertwined with the girls, and once I realized how it had to resolve I was glad to see it finally happen. The audiobook narrators were excellent. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series for sure.

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saukittome's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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meg_'s review

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This was fine to me, but I didn't love it, even though I wanted to! The overarching plot of the book was cute, but I didn't feel the chemistry between our two main characters as much as I wanted to and I wish there was more time for the love to develop between the two of them. It felt like it went from friends to lovers without any time for the actual romantic feelings to blossom, which left me feeling a little disappointed. The chemistry between their parents on the other hand was super apparent and made me want to read a book about their love story! Overall, I think the book was a tad too long and the relationship building was a little too glossed over but I did find it to be a fun quick read.

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letopotato's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Whew. That was the first time I've shed a few tears because of a book in a few years. ~~Apparently I have a thing for regency/historical romance now. And lesbians.~~

I usually don't read romance, but I've tiptoed around this one long enough. I only bought this book because of my above-mentioned guilty pleasure and because of the intriguing interwoven plot. And the lesbians, of course.

There's no suspense as to how the book ends, obviously. It's a romance, they're meant to get together. But for the first time, the how, the when and the why has actually kept me on the edge of my seat – I needed to know how Beth & Gwen would manage it! At some points I was almost convinced they wouldn't, this being the 1850s and them being very lesbian and all that.

I can't say how historically accurate this book is – probably not very? Many characters were rather supportive of the main couple, which works great for the story but otherwise is...very unlikely. It didn't matter much to me, because it's still a cute feelgood story. Not very realistic or in-depth, but it hasn't destroyed my suspension of disbelief.

If you want to be invested in the fate of two loveable girls and their shenanigans on how to get their cool as fuck parents together, reading this is the best choice you'll ever make.

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_caramel_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

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madlysoph's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was a delightful read! It was so much fun despite the unfortunate realities imposed upon the characters due to the time period. While it does have more serious moments and plot points, at the heart of it this book is a fun sapphic historical romance. Them ending up as stepsisters

and with a shared half-sibling on the way

does feel a bit weird, but the author both makes it work and makes it charming. This whole book is delightfully charming, the characters are bright and witty and made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion while reading. I absolutely adored Qwen and Beth, their friendship was delightful to watch blossom, and their romance even more so. The immediate obsession they have with one another is so indicative of first love (and being in one's early 20s) and is achingly sweet. Their parents are both fully fleshed-out people independent of their children and are positively adorable together. Both of them are full of heartache which they are beginning to mend with one another by the end of the book. After all we learn about Beth's mother specifically and her marriage, seeing her happy and free at the end of the book is so lovely. The marriage act subplot was clever and tied into the greater story very nicely. The third-act crisis was handled wonderfully and added to the story rather than detracted from it. I loved the extended cast of friends and family that forms by the end of the book, which sets up the sequel rather nicely, which I am highly anticipating and am at the top of the holds list for! The only "detractor" for this book was that the author tended to kind of skim over/forget about the timeline, randomly throwing in that it had been a month or a few months that had passed rather than showing it, aside from that the writing was great and I had a fun time! This is a great read and I highly recommend it.

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