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megatza's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am so sad this book did not work for me, because I want to love more Sapphics in historical romance. But this felt off on nearly every mark for a historical romance for me. Too much excessive drinking. Political talk that felt off-key with the rest of the book. The main characters, Beth and Gwen, felt *very* young... but jump from inexperienced kissers to experts in bed.
I rounded up for the sapphic vibes, but ultimately I wanted so much more out of this. I think it'll hit well for readers who aren't as familiar with historical romance.
It's out 1/9/24.
I rounded up for the sapphic vibes, but ultimately I wanted so much more out of this. I think it'll hit well for readers who aren't as familiar with historical romance.
It's out 1/9/24.
Genre: historical romance
London, 1857
Beth Demeroven and her mother Viscountess Cordelia Demervon, are desperate for Beth to find a husband, now that her father has died and the uncle who has inherited wants to cut them off. At a ball, Beth meets Gwen, daughter of the Earl of Havenfort. Gwen is in her fourth season, but seemingly not actively trying to find a husband. They realize that Beth’s mother and Gwen’s father knew each other years ago, and decide to try to set them up. They realize though, that maybe the people who belong to each other are Beth and Gwen themselves! Even as their own relationship is blossoming, Beth has agreed to marry a titled lord with wealth and land, in a decision that may separate her from Gwen permanently.
When I saw sapphic romance set in the Victorian era, I knew I had to read this book. I loved the setup - queer romance with a parent trap twist, but the execution didn’t work for me. The book is written in third person present tense, which ended up being less of a problem for me than I expected, once I was used to it. (I know tense and POV isn’t something all readers spend a lot of time thinking about, but I’m hyper focused on the concept of perspective and how it relates to storytelling).
I always believe that historical romance is an invitation to step into a fantasy world of the author’s choosing, and not always “historically accurate.” What didn’t work for me was the very modern tone the overall narrative utilizes while clinging to its political historical backdrop. Beth and Gwen felt more like 21st-century twenty-year-old women than 19th-century debutantes. There is an uncomfortable amount of excessive drinking and partying, and while I’m not always looking for “proper manners” out of my historical romance heroines, Beth and Gwen felt out of context as the daughters of peers. I think that younger readers, those who enjoy new adult/college romances, and readers newer to historical romance. I also think that many readers looking for explicit Sapphic historical romance will find this satisfying.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend is out 1/9/24.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
jess_justmaybeperfect's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I liked:
- The premise
- The exploration
- The friendships
- The politics
- The mother/daughter relationship*
- The father/daughter relationship**
- The secondary love story***
What I didn’t like
- The use of 3rd person present was distracting to me. I often had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to clarify whose POV I was in.
- * The resolution felt alllllllmost manipulative (no matter the very happy result)
- ** The substance abuse, encouraged by Dad and done by Dad and daughter, wasn’t well addressed.
- *** This was a very sweet parent trapish trope (and this is really almost a dual romance) but the epilogue sees them on a similar mission I’m not sure how I feel about.
- The relationship between Gwen and her family servants was obviously meant to show how compassionate Gwen’s family is but she did vomit all over herself and the stairs and just assumed those people she loves would clean up after her.
- The style jumps a lot between YA and adult romance. Beth and Gwen felt VERY young for the first 1/2 of the book and then suddenly are quite mature. It was distracting.
- The premise
- The exploration
- The friendships
- The politics
- The mother/daughter relationship*
- The father/daughter relationship**
- The secondary love story***
What I didn’t like
- The use of 3rd person present was distracting to me. I often had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to clarify whose POV I was in.
- * The resolution felt alllllllmost manipulative (no matter the very happy result)
- ** The substance abuse, encouraged by Dad and done by Dad and daughter, wasn’t well addressed.
- *** This was a very sweet parent trapish trope (and this is really almost a dual romance) but the epilogue sees them on a similar mission I’m not sure how I feel about.
- The relationship between Gwen and her family servants was obviously meant to show how compassionate Gwen’s family is but she did vomit all over herself and the stairs and just assumed those people she loves would clean up after her.
- The style jumps a lot between YA and adult romance. Beth and Gwen felt VERY young for the first 1/2 of the book and then suddenly are quite mature. It was distracting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
mel_muses's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to Avon for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
DON'T WANT YOU LIKE A BEST FRIEND is a historical romance full of yearning, mischievous scheming, bent expectations, and love. It met every expectation and hope I had for it, all while bringing the sincerity I crave.
DWYLABF follows two debutantes in Victorian London, Beth and Gwen. Beth, whose father recently passed, has only this season to marry into wealth or be turned out to the street. Gwen, however, has done this before; this is her fourth season and she has no intention of marrying any of the eligible men. When Beth and Gwen an uncover romantic history between their widowed parents, the two decide to set them up... only to fall in love with each other.
I absolutely loved them: Beth, with all her sweetness, wit and quick perception. Gwen, for all her mischief and impulsivity and the deepness of her feelings. Both, in how they came alive in each other.
There's also Beth's mother, the recent widow of an abusive husband who carries with her poise and elegance, even when she's ripping up a man's argument. Gwen's father, who so clearly loves his daughter and who would do anything for her happiness, who instilled in her the righteousness and determination their society was determined to squash. These parent-child relationships felt real and comforting to read.
Each scheme Gwen concocted amused me to no end and the yearning in both perspectives are unmatched. The hand-holding hidden between their skirts! The casual intimacy of their whispered conversations! The pining I felt every time they laid their eyes on each other! Absolutely impeccable.
Even so, there were a fair amount of serious elements. The political backdrop and controversy of the Matrimonial Causes Act created the perfect setting to discuss domestic abuse and women's rights in marriage. Without dominating the narrative, the MCA distinguished the setting from other Victorian romances and made the story tangible.
I am captivated with this debut and the beginning of the Mischief & Matchmaking series. I can't want to see what's waiting in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
nerdybookqueen's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I got an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for fair and honest feedback.
A queer romance set against a backdrop of the parent trap and the politics of protecting women from abuse, named after a Taylor Swift song? This book was amazing, I adored these characters, and I can't wait to buy it.
This book follows Gwen and Beth, two sapphic women in the mid-1800s, in the midst of Beth's first season and Gwen's...fourth, if I recall correctly. It is through their friendship that they discover tthe past romance between Gwen's father and Beth's mother, both single. And of course, the only logical conclusion is for them to attempt a parent-trap style scheme and get their parents together.
And of course, while they do this, they fall in love. And it is sweet and messy and chaotic. And of course, there are the perils of the time period, and being queer during that era. To add to the mess, there is Beth's suitor, which they think will become a safe beard for their relationship, allowing them to stay together as "friends."
Alas, surprise, the suitor's father is fighting against a law supported by Gwen's father, one that would give women the right to divorce their husband's for abuse (something Beth's mother suffered from at the hands of her father). As such, both women are forbidden from seeing Gwen and her father. How they solve it? That's the rest of the story.
This book was such a wonderful, sweet romance between these two girls, and getting to watch their parents fall back together from afar was also so nice. Additionally, Gwen's family staff features to older sapphic women, and it is so, so nice to see elder LGBT women, both in general and for the time period. I adore Gwen and Beth, and I think other readers will too. And the ending? Fantastic, in more ways than one, and more than I expected.
A queer romance set against a backdrop of the parent trap and the politics of protecting women from abuse, named after a Taylor Swift song? This book was amazing, I adored these characters, and I can't wait to buy it.
This book follows Gwen and Beth, two sapphic women in the mid-1800s, in the midst of Beth's first season and Gwen's...fourth, if I recall correctly. It is through their friendship that they discover tthe past romance between Gwen's father and Beth's mother, both single. And of course, the only logical conclusion is for them to attempt a parent-trap style scheme and get their parents together.
And of course, while they do this, they fall in love. And it is sweet and messy and chaotic. And of course, there are the perils of the time period, and being queer during that era. To add to the mess, there is Beth's suitor, which they think will become a safe beard for their relationship, allowing them to stay together as "friends."
Alas, surprise, the suitor's father is fighting against a law supported by Gwen's father, one that would give women the right to divorce their husband's for abuse (something Beth's mother suffered from at the hands of her father). As such, both women are forbidden from seeing Gwen and her father. How they solve it? That's the rest of the story.
This book was such a wonderful, sweet romance between these two girls, and getting to watch their parents fall back together from afar was also so nice. Additionally, Gwen's family staff features to older sapphic women, and it is so, so nice to see elder LGBT women, both in general and for the time period. I adore Gwen and Beth, and I think other readers will too. And the ending? Fantastic, in more ways than one, and more than I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
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