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

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

49 reviews

zeus_strider's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.75

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blewballoon's review

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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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zydecovivo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

TikTok recommended me this book. As a whole, the story is enjoyable. It’s sweet. Neither Gwen nor Beth considers love with a woman as an option towards the beginning of the book, which I think is a common experience for many LGBTQ people. It isn’t until Gwen witnesses a flourishing WLW relationship that she realizes her feelings. That being said, I found their pairing less engaging than their parents. I almost want a prequel of their previous relationship, even if that would be considered a more conventional historical romance. I also found myself getting deja vu. Quite a few lines, especially when describing Gwen and Beth’s feelings and eventual love, I have definitely read in other LGBTQ historical romances, despite only having read a few. This is not necessarily bad, but I think anyone who regularly reads this genre should prepare themselves for a lack of surprises. That being said, I was excited by the setup for the second book in this series and plan to read it.

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meg_'s review against another edition

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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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sariereads's review

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emotional funny 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? No

3.75

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grace_b_3's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

1.5

If you are looking for a sapphic historical romance, I'd recommend The Perks of Loving a Wallflower and The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics over this.

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend does not utilize the historical setting very well at all. I overall found the writing to be very poor, but some of the side characters were mildly charming and fun.

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