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

funny informative lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend follows Gwen and Beth who meet at a ball during Beth's first season out. As the two meet up at various events, they find that their friendship might be more than they could even understand.
I really wanted to love this book but this fell kind of flat for me and I found myself getting annoyed with the characters while I was reading this. We as the reader knows that Beth is out for this season as a way to secure a good match to try to help her and her mother after her father has died and left them close to destitute. There's the looming threat of a family member taking over their home and Beth has to make a match. But despite her explaining that several times to Gwen, all she did was complain about how Beth was still playing the courting game with a male suitor. It annoyed me how Gwen didn't want to see why Beth needed to make this match. I also just found that Gwen didn't really care about anyone besides herself despite her claiming otherwise.
This book hinges a lot on the characters and their personalities. The personalities of these characters weren't my favorite as I found Beth too passive and Gwen too aggressive and selfish. I didn't really fully believe their relationship was developed well as well.
I would say if the premise of this book interest you, I would recommend picking it up. This book simply wasn't for me.
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