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A review by mspilesofpaper
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (also known as "More Than A Best Friend", which already annoys me so much) is a sapphic romance set in Regency England (rather fictional though) that is the first instalment in the series. It's supposed to be Parent Trap ft. Bridgerton with Taylor Swift vibes/references. Despite being a historical romance, it is very modern in terms of vocabulary and feels more like a contemporary romance in a historical dress. It's only set in the Regency time for the ✨drama✨. While the two main characters are adults (20 and 21 if I'm not mistaken) the entire novel feels incredibly young and they might have been adults only to include sex scenes.
Unfortunately, I found it rather lacklustre and the girls' relationship lacks development. Their "Oh, I'm in love with her" is very instant after a couple of hangouts during the season's parties. If it weren't for Gwen's father, they would still think that they are just friends. There's no pining, no yearning prior "Oh I love her" because they just jump from A to B in their relationship. If you use the friends-to-lovers trope, you need to include more pining after your characters become friends. I don't even know why the two girls became friends to begin with! It doesn't help that they try to set up their parents as a couple, which makes them stepsisters, and they are so eager for it because "we can continue to love each other under their protection". Yes, you aren't related by blood but ... it's too close to step-family porn for my comfort. 😶
I think the author should have just set it as a contemporary romance in a modern setting. Maybe let the girls meet at a summer camp where they realise that they a) live close together and b) their parents have a history with each other. They could have become best of friends while trying to set their parents up (and horribly failing!) until they realise "Oh I love her". The main obstacle to them becoming a couple could have been the potential issue of picking different universities or so. Or if you truly want the setting to be Regency, then Beth should have married her beau. He would have been accepting of the girls' relationship, his father would have kicked the bucket so he would become truly the Earl. Book 2 would have been him finding love with another of the male side characters then who would marry Gwen for the sake of appearances and everyone lives happily ever after. The entire parent trap thing could have been avoided or the girls could have tried matchmaking for their parents with someone else. Basically, anything would have been better than this because as it stands, I'm not curious about the second instalment anymore.
Unfortunately, I found it rather lacklustre and the girls' relationship lacks development. Their "Oh, I'm in love with her" is very instant after a couple of hangouts during the season's parties. If it weren't for Gwen's father, they would still think that they are just friends. There's no pining, no yearning prior "Oh I love her" because they just jump from A to B in their relationship. If you use the friends-to-lovers trope, you need to include more pining after your characters become friends. I don't even know why the two girls became friends to begin with! It doesn't help that they try to set up their parents as a couple, which makes them stepsisters, and they are so eager for it because "we can continue to love each other under their protection". Yes, you aren't related by blood but ... it's too close to step-family porn for my comfort. 😶
I think the author should have just set it as a contemporary romance in a modern setting. Maybe let the girls meet at a summer camp where they realise that they a) live close together and b) their parents have a history with each other. They could have become best of friends while trying to set their parents up (and horribly failing!) until they realise "Oh I love her". The main obstacle to them becoming a couple could have been the potential issue of picking different universities or so. Or if you truly want the setting to be Regency, then Beth should have married her beau. He would have been accepting of the girls' relationship, his father would have kicked the bucket so he would become truly the Earl. Book 2 would have been him finding love with another of the male side characters then who would marry Gwen for the sake of appearances and everyone lives happily ever after. The entire parent trap thing could have been avoided or the girls could have tried matchmaking for their parents with someone else. Basically, anything would have been better than this because as it stands, I'm not curious about the second instalment anymore.