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