Yay! I love Victorian romance novels and the whole concept of life for debutantes is just so good, but this sapphic love story made all my dreams come true! Bringing in the parent trap angle was so much fun, so it just had something for everyone. It was swoony, fun and something I never knew I needed in my life!

To keep this short and simple. The vibes were vibing, but I was more invested in the parents than the main couple. The insta-love was too strong with this one.

I liked the Parent Trap-like romance premise of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend between Gwen and Beth and their very unaware parents. It's fun and sometimes funny but I will admit that at times it felt like the book lost focus on the main love story, leaving it feeling less developed.

I would've loved to have seen a bit more development between Gwen and Beth and why they were attracted to each other. Their romance felt really rushed, particularly when their first kiss occurs and I was wondering where the build up was. I think it could've been due to the emphasis on the parents' story - it overshadows the main romance and weakens the connection we should feel between the main characters.

Even with its issues, the book is a brave attempt at doing something different with historical romances. Don't Want You Like a Best Friend mixes themes in a way that's not commonly seen, aiming to offer more complex discussions about love and family. Overall, a good debut and I'll be keen to see how their matchmaking attempts continue in book two.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this book was F U N !
Readers looking for a wlw Bridgerton-esque read will delight in this story. Gwen and Beth start as fast, excited friends and drift effortlessly into a great love. They have to find a way to save Beth and her mother from incoming poverty and the reason she is required to make a match... how do they do it? Setting Gwen's bachelor father and Beth's widowed mother in a second chance romance parent trap. They're so bad at it, but recieve help along the way from friends and family.
I can't wait to see this universe continue! Even from the little tease of James and Bobby in the epilogue, I was enraptured!
4 stars.

I loved this book so much. I enjoy shows like Bridgerton but I do spend a lot of time wishing that I had the era and fashions but sapphic and More Than A Best Friend absolutely delivered on that.

Gwen has spent the last few seasons doing anything she can to avoid a marriage, preferring to spend her time with her friends and father. Beth needs to find a marriage as soon as possible or her and her mother will be left with nothing. Their friendship soon develops into something more and they're looking for anything that will keep them together. Will their single parents with a past offer up that opportunity?

This book is funny and moving. I am shocked that this is Emma R Alban's first book and I will definitely be reading the sequel and recommending this book to everyone I can.

3 stars!

What a lovely romance. The combination of friends to lovers and a background second (and then third) chance romance really ticked a lot of boxes for me. The background characters and subplots were all very sweet and I'm excited to read the next book in the series. It was unfortunately lacking a bit of "oomph" and I'd have liked there to be a little more character development for both of the MC's separately and for their connection to be a bit more fleshed out. All in all though it absolutely does what it says on the tin. This book is a charming and easy to read sapphic romance with likeable characters and fun tropes.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

More than a Best Friend is a captivating Victorian romance that explores love beyond societal norms. Set in 1857, debutante Beth and spirited Gwen engage readers in a tale of unconventional matches and societal defiance. The author's debut queer romance is a refreshing addition to Victorian literature, offering a nuanced exploration of love that transcends traditional expectations. A must-read for those seeking a heartfelt portrayal of affection beyond convention. Actually more 4.5 stars than 4.

I immediately DNFed this within a few pages upon accidentally finding a Tweet that revealed how the book ends: with the main couple being step sisters. Immediate no for incest.

I usually take tons of notes when I’m reading review books but with More Than a Best Friend, I was so engrossed in the story that I barely wrote anything down!
Knowing this was a sapphic Victorian romance book was more than enough for me to add this to my TBR. But there are in fact two romances in this books, Beth’s and Gwen’s and that of their parents. Both romances are friends to lovers with a bonus second chance romance and seriously adorable parent trap vibes for Gwen’s father Lord Havenfort and Beth’s mother Lady Demeroven.
I adored the parent-child relationships of these characters, and how loving and supportive they were of each other. Their double date had me grinning from ear to ear! And Lady Demeroven calling her daughter Beth the love of her life saw me shed more than a few tears.
The romance was so sweet and heartwarming while still addressing the very real issues women faced during a time where marriage was an arrangement based on security and heteronormativity was enforced.
I’m so excited for the next book in the Mischief & Matchmaking series, You’re the Problem It’s You, for more queer Victorian romance with appearances from new and beloved characters.

This book was really good but there was a section in the middle that was really depressing. Obviously life was hard for gay people at this time, but reading the realities of it, really hurt. I’m afraid that it spoilt my enjoyment of the book a bit.

Until that point though, I really enjoyed seeing the romance play out. I really liked the two characters, but especially Gwen and her whole family. I loved how they were just skirting with scandal the whole time because of how much they really didn’t fit into society.

On the whole, apart from being a tad depressing, it was a really refreshing take on the regency period and I’d love to see more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book, as I am a huge fan of historical romance, particularly LGBT romances, and I do not often see sapphic/wlw romances so this was a lovely change. I loved the main characters from the start, and whilst I got frustrated at their love troubles, I felt this was due to the fantastic writing of the author, really making the reader feel for these characters. I loved the ending and can’t wait to read more by this author. An excellent read!

okay but this book was just utter perfection and i am just so utterly in love. everything about it, from start to finish, was perfectly done. the friendships, the love, the humour, the angst and the EMOTIONS. everything was just so so good

In this novel set in the Victorian Gwen and Beth meet at the debutante ball and emaidlitly becomes best friends. Beth is a debutante seeking a wealthy husband to avoid financial ruin. Instead of subjecting Beth to a loveless match, Gwen suggests pairing their respective parents, despite the apparent animosity between them.

However, complications arise as Beth attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount. Now, Gwen grapples with the idea of losing her friend to another, while Beth discovers unexpected feelings that challenge her initial quest for a secure marriage.

In the world of matchmaking, the unexpected twist is falling in love with your best friend along the way.

This is a fun read that I would recommend to anyone who likes puffy dresses and parent trap-esc scheme. The characters were loveable and with some humor. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

*4.25 Stars*

I had a great time reading this one. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, the main ones and their parents and the parents together, other side characters too honestly. It was a fun time in old dresses. I liked the plot, it was fun. I saw some of it coming but I didn't mind. I really fell into the story and kept looking forward to reading more. I can't wait to read book 2 even the main characters will be men. I wanna see more of these families.
I'll definitely be looking out for more books by Emma R. Alban, even in other universes.

So I have quite a few thoughts about this one but ultimately it was a fun read, but I must begin with the fact the cover and title are impeccable.

But onto the plot, I must admit I wasn't very hooked until about 40 per cent when the relationship began because the lead-up was SO subtle, neither of the girls seemed to be aware of their feelings and then the next chapter they were fucking. Now I don't necessarily hate that because I think in a historical romance there's room to say that they didn't realise their feelings were romantic because A. they had never felt those feelings for anyone before and B. it never occurred to them they COULD feel romantic feelings for a woman. However, I think there still could have been a litttttle bit more build-up so it didn't feel quite so abrupt. I also - for some reason - was under the impression that this was a YA novel, which originally made me give it more grace at the beginning, but then I got to the sex scene.

The whole parent trap plot was also a bit ehh, namely because I don't really understand why they both just readily abandoned the plot when Beth got engaged. Now that they were running out of time I don't understand why they didn't just... get their parents together and tell them the plan?? Now that there was no time left to be sneaky, just TELL them?? It was pretty clear the parents understood what kind of relationship the girls had early on so?? Just go to them and tell them the plan, considering how quickly they ended up being on board with it at the end it just seemed dumb. Like drama for the sake of drama.

I will admit it does squeak me out a bit that they end up step sisters but I think we need to remember how little opinions women, let alone queer women had. I do think perhaps a less directly related pairing could have happened like idk a cousin and a sibling instead of parents but I think this plot can be given a little bit of grace because of the time. This was a good and safe solution for all involved.

The treatment of queer people in this book was also kinda unusual because it wasn't a queer utopia (we learn from one of the maids that Gwen's mother would have sent her to the asylum if she'd been alive to find out about her relationship with Beth) but like everyone else in both girls lives are startlingly okay with them being queer, she learns the maids who raised her are a sapphic 'married' couple, Gwen's father, Beth's mother and their friends and extended family don't even blink an eye at the relationship and actively help them - which makes it seem weird that then they have to hide from society because if everyone they know happened to be super woke then being queer can't be as big a deal as it was historically. I don't necessarily think this was good or bad but it was just kinda weird.

Overall, while it had its issues this was an enjoyable read, the second half got a lot more interesting and I did like Beth and Gwen together. However, more than anything I think this book just felt a bit cathartic. Looking back on queer history and real couples who had to navigate their queerness centuries ago is always an extremely hard and emotional thing to do. We have such a deep legacy of trauma on our shoulders that sometimes you can feel the weight of the lives of every queer person who came before us. Years of isolation, confusion, and loneliness, doomed to unhappy and violent marriages where they had no autonomy and then do die never knowing that they weren't wrong or broken and never get to see the world we have now - which while far from perfect - has come quite a long way.

So for me, this book spoke to a past I wish existed, and I hope that in some small way that at least some of queer people who came before us got to experience even a little bit of the kind of love Beth and Gwen had.

Thank you to Netgally and Penguin General UK for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank netgalley and Penguin for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to get to this book, and it lived up to expectations. I can't wait to read the next book.

This is the first queer novel I have read which is based in the victorian era and I loved it. It is a very predictable story however I was really happy for that and it made it such an easy but enjoyable read.

The only way I could describe this to people is a sapphic regency romance crossed with the patient trap and this isn't a combination you knew you wanted until you started reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This YA historical fiction with a sapphic romance is essentially The Parent Trap meets Bridgerton, and it's so stinking cute. Two teen girls, neither of whom wants to get married, devise a plan to set up their parents, who share a mysterious past. Through their shenanigans, they fall in love, and this is truly the most fun to read, adorable romance.

Based on where the story was headed, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the ending, but I LOVED it. It's got me super curious about the sequel!

4.5 stars

I honestly cannot remember the last book that made me swoon as much as More Than A Best Friend did. This was such a sweet and gripping story that just had me on tender hooks, needing to know what happened next with Beth and Gwen. ⁣
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Our main characters are amazing and I quickly found myself loving them and rooting for them. I loved their ploys to get their parents together and found myself so invested in the storyline. I loved how realistic these characters were and the lengths they went to for love and family. I also really liked the side characters in this one and cannot wait to read the next book in this series! I need to see them all have happily ever afters! ⁣
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If you're a fan of historical romance then you need to pick up this book! It's fun, romantic and has you playing Taylor Swift on repeat. Seriously, go pick this one up! ⁣
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun Victorian lgbtq story, with plenty of loveable characters, great pacing and swoon-worthy dialogue. This was very fun start to finish