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

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I am so sad this book did not work for me, because I want to love more Sapphics in historical romance. But this felt off on nearly every mark for a historical romance for me. Too much excessive drinking. Political talk that felt off-key with the rest of the book. The main characters, Beth and Gwen, felt *very* young... but jump from inexperienced kissers to experts in bed.

I rounded up for the sapphic vibes, but ultimately I wanted so much more out of this. I think it'll hit well for readers who aren't as familiar with historical romance.

It's out 1/9/24.


 
Genre: historical romance 
London, 1857

Beth Demeroven and her mother Viscountess Cordelia Demervon, are desperate for Beth to find a husband, now that her father has died and the uncle who has inherited wants to cut them off. At a ball, Beth meets Gwen, daughter of the Earl of Havenfort. Gwen is in her fourth season, but seemingly not actively trying to find a husband. They realize that Beth’s mother and Gwen’s father knew each other years ago, and decide to try to set them up. They realize though, that maybe the people who belong to each other are Beth and Gwen themselves! Even as their own relationship is blossoming, Beth has agreed to marry a titled lord with wealth and land, in a decision that may separate her from Gwen permanently. 

When I saw sapphic romance set in the Victorian era, I knew I had to read this book. I loved the setup - queer romance with a parent trap twist, but the execution didn’t work for me. The book is written in third person present tense, which ended up being less of a problem for me than I expected, once I was used to it. (I know tense and POV isn’t something all readers spend a lot of time thinking about, but I’m hyper focused on the concept of perspective and how it relates to storytelling). 

I always believe that historical romance is an invitation to step into a fantasy world of the author’s choosing, and not always “historically accurate.” What didn’t work for me was the very modern tone the overall narrative utilizes while clinging to its political historical backdrop. Beth and Gwen felt more like 21st-century twenty-year-old women than 19th-century debutantes. There is an uncomfortable amount of excessive drinking and partying, and while I’m not always looking for “proper manners” out of my historical romance heroines, Beth and Gwen felt out of context as the daughters of peers. I think that younger readers, those who enjoy new adult/college romances, and readers newer to historical romance.  I also think that many readers looking for explicit Sapphic historical romance will find this satisfying. 

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend is out 1/9/24. 

 
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