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A review by jabberbabywocky
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the whole story hinges on your feelings about the main characters' plan. their plan to get together is to have their single parents marry each other; they then live together as stepsisters, happily ever after and financially secure, if not with a little scandal among the ton. if you're okay with that, it's a good enough story that i think shares the drama between the girls pretty well.
i rate it pretty low on the 'character complexity' scale though, because in terms of an arc and a solid change happening within either gwen or beth, there isn't much of one. it's more like they were finally able to be themselves -- which is a decent arc, but perhaps not the deep dive into historical lesbians that i would have wanted. then again, that's probably not what this book set out to do, so i respect that.
on the 'historical scale', it was very bridgerton lolol. and i do love bridgerton so this wasn't an issue for me, but what really took me out of the story a little was their first love scene, and idk they just seemed too ??? knowledgeable ??? again, personal preference, but given how they're both very new to sex and to women, everything was just a little too beautiful and perfect for me lol.
storywise, it really does hinge on how much you like the plot. there's a decent amount of 'darkness before the dawn' moments, and a sideplot about the marriage act (i haven't looked into whether this was a real thing or not), and moments where women get to stand up for their rights. these moments were fine. not earth-shattering. then again, probably not the purpose of the book.
so, okay. the purpose of the book.
i came into this book wanting to see how the author would write historical, young lesbians. and maybe i just don't know enough about this era, but it was ultimately just a so-so story for me. i appreciate the ride it took me on, but it didn't wow me or make me feel the heart flutters that other romances might. perhaps the stakes of the "we need to get our parents together" wasn't high enough for me, there was a part of me that wanted them to find another chance, to take another risk, even if it feels more impossible.
the ups and downs of their attempts to be together is solid enough to follow, butby the time the third act comes in where they both realise that they should have just shared their struggles with their friends...like yes, i get that, but it also felt like it belittled all their agony. of course the message of "you need to ask for help from friends" is a good one, but even gwen and beth were like "don't we feel stupid?" when suddenly meredith and albie and everyone was doing a much better job of getting them together than they ever did. again, i think this would have served a higher stakes plot better.
if you want a lighthearted read, this is a good one. it's got the right amount of corny romance and bridgerton-esque drama. however, if you wanted to see a story of how love can triumph in a historical period like this (if you like gentleman jack, for instance), this may not be your cup of tea.
that being said, by the end of the book, i was surprised to find myself invested enough to want to read the sequel. seeing how bobby and james get together, just to read more about the world the author created as well, would be interesting.
i rate it pretty low on the 'character complexity' scale though, because in terms of an arc and a solid change happening within either gwen or beth, there isn't much of one. it's more like they were finally able to be themselves -- which is a decent arc, but perhaps not the deep dive into historical lesbians that i would have wanted. then again, that's probably not what this book set out to do, so i respect that.
on the 'historical scale', it was very bridgerton lolol. and i do love bridgerton so this wasn't an issue for me, but what really took me out of the story a little was their first love scene, and idk they just seemed too ??? knowledgeable ??? again, personal preference, but given how they're both very new to sex and to women, everything was just a little too beautiful and perfect for me lol.
storywise, it really does hinge on how much you like the plot. there's a decent amount of 'darkness before the dawn' moments, and a sideplot about the marriage act (i haven't looked into whether this was a real thing or not), and moments where women get to stand up for their rights. these moments were fine. not earth-shattering. then again, probably not the purpose of the book.
so, okay. the purpose of the book.
i came into this book wanting to see how the author would write historical, young lesbians. and maybe i just don't know enough about this era, but it was ultimately just a so-so story for me. i appreciate the ride it took me on, but it didn't wow me or make me feel the heart flutters that other romances might. perhaps the stakes of the "we need to get our parents together" wasn't high enough for me, there was a part of me that wanted them to find another chance, to take another risk, even if it feels more impossible.
the ups and downs of their attempts to be together is solid enough to follow, but
if you want a lighthearted read, this is a good one. it's got the right amount of corny romance and bridgerton-esque drama. however, if you wanted to see a story of how love can triumph in a historical period like this (if you like gentleman jack, for instance), this may not be your cup of tea.
that being said, by the end of the book, i was surprised to find myself invested enough to want to read the sequel. seeing how bobby and james get together, just to read more about the world the author created as well, would be interesting.