💚 You’re the Problem, It’s You 💚
- Emma R Alban

⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, a moment for the title 👏

We follow Bobby Mason, a second son frustrated with his lack of responsibility and purpose. When he is tasked with helping newcomer and heir of the Demeroven fortune, James, ease into London society, he sees this as his opportunity to prove himself and his capability. That is, if he and James can manage to get along…

I have to admit, I liked this significantly less than the first book in the duology, Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend. The miscommunication in the first half of the book reallyyyy irked me, being one of my least favourite tropes, and made the story feel like it really dragged.

The antagonist was quite caricatured, leaving the plot quite low-stakes. I always knew how it was going to end (we are quite literally told at the end of Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend) and this rather took the jeopardy out of the extortion and blackmail plotline.

However, the found family is amazing and I loved our little group. Alban deals with themes that are still so prevalent in our society today, such as toxic masculinity, abuse and sexuality, with such soft care.

Overall, I’d recommend to fans of found family, Regency era stories and LGBT romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC!
Publication date: August 15th

This was an incredibly fun, chaotic queer historical romance between a Viscount and a Lord in regency London. I will say, this is the second book in a duology and I didn’t read the first one… Even so, I was able to read this and enjoy it as a standalone, although I would say if you can read the first book ‘More than a best friend / Don’t want you like a best friend’ you should as there is a lot of crossover!

Bobby Mason is a second son - a spare heir as it were. He loves his older brother Albie, but is frustrated that he can’t do more to help him heal their family name after their terrible father left them in disrepute. In London for the season, he is annoyed when his cousin Gwen and her girlfriend Beth asks him to befriend the aloof, unfriendly but ever-so-gorgeous Viscount James Demeroven.

James has always had a huge crush on Bobby Mason, ever since they were boys at school. But with a hateful, overbearing stepfather and the weight of the world’s expectations on his shoulders, he can’t indulge in his wants… even though Bobby has made it clear he is more than interested.

I really liked James and Bobby and the worldbuilding; same-sex relations are illegal and so much of what happens in the books is coloured by the boys’ worldviews. Bobby is more open to love because his family is supportive and understanding, whereas James’ are absolutely not. There were some moments where I wanted to shake James for just running away from his problems!

The HEA in this was very sweet and a creative way to solve their marriage-issues (and very reminiscent of Alexis Hall’s ‘Something Fabulous’), plus their little family taking in the children from the orphanage was a sweet touch.

I thought the ‘villain’ in this was somewhat a bit of a plot hole… and perhaps unnecessary? He’s trying to blackmail men for being queer, yet surely he’d just be outing himself? Not convinced on that part… but overall a really fun story with a wonderful found family.

Trigger warning discussion: Just something to bear in mind - this book discusses pregnancy and complications in childbirth way more than I was expecting for an MM romance, so if you are someone who is triggered by discussions around high risk pregnancy, stillbirth or death of a mother in childbirth I’d potentially steer clear of this (although all the women who are pregnant in this book do successfully give birth to healthy children and are healthy themselves).

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

Taylor Swift inspired title? HOOKED! I haven’t read the book that comes before this so that definitely on my list! I loved the journey we went on with these characters though the miscommunication did get on my nerves a little :,)

If you’re a fan of Bridgerton, I definitely recommend this!

I found it hard to get into this book. I couldn't help but think it was because I didn't read the first book in the series. I love queer romance and historical fiction! I liked some of the characters but felt like I didn't really connect with them.

The story did, however flow nicely and I might try and read the first book in the series and try this again!

The enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance follow-up to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, in which a young lord and a second son clash, but find themselves thrust together again and again by their meddling cousins.

This one fell a little flat for me in comparison to Emma R, Alban's first novel in this series. It was fun and cute but I needed a little more in the middle for it to be a true enemies to lovers. It gave off more slightly dislike to lovers rather than enemies. It all happened very quickly.

However, the friendship group in this book was it's saving grace, I loved all the dynamics between the groups and really adored the cameos by Gwen and Beth.

The overall book I rated 3.5 stars.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy for review!

i wasn't planning on reading this so soon as it doesn't release until AUGUST, but it was sitting on my netgalley shelf... taunting me... so here we are

i really enjoyed these fun, joyful queer historical romps! this one follows bobby mason (who we met in the first book) and james demeroven, beth's cousin who has inherited the viscount title from her father. we also get to see LOTS of beth and gwen (yay!) as well as some wonderful scenes with bobby's brother albie and his wife meredith (who i ADORED btw).

these books really are just so fun to read, and i say that as someone who is not a huge fan of historical fiction generally. the characters have their own personalities, their own motivations and fears and desires, each POV has a strong voice and brings something new to the story. i loved seeing more of bobby in this one, showing who he is underneath the fun-loving exterior that we saw in the first book. i thought the chemistry between bobby and james was very believable, and it actually was very combative at the start so felt like a true 'adversaries to lovers'. their connection and slow enjoyment of each other as they worked together to bring down the dreadful raverson was such a delight to read.

i also just think we need more lavender marriages in books!!! i saw this one coming quite early on (after all it is literally the perfect scenario) but it still made me happy to see, and the epilogue was so cute. i love any book that has queer characters finding their joyful little families, so i was inevitably going to love this one. my one major gripe with this duology generally is that i REALLY struggle to keep track of who is related to who and how, and i know in "the olden days" marriages between cousins were commonplace but i still had to rationalise it a bit in my head (i think this book could benefit from a 'ton tree)

anyway! more queer high society bridgerton-esque books please and thank you!

This is a sweet gay historical romance that I really enjoyed. The characters are great and the plot is fun. The worldbuilding is solid and I really like the author's writing style.

I didn't find this one quite as strong as the author's previous novel and it didn't feel quite as deep or well-rounded. I felt like Bobby and James weren't quite as well developed as Gwen & Beth were and I didn't feel quite as attached to either of them. I also didn't love the ending, it just felt kind of eh. The enemies to lovers element of this story was wrapped up incredibly quickly but I didn't hate it.

Overall I really liked this, it was a cute, fluffy easy read with a lot of heart.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

I read 25% and I am moving on now as the book hasn't drawn me in. The writing is decent enough, but the protagonists' personalities aren't detailed or engaging and there are so, so many secondary and tertiary characters who are referred to by varying names (first name vs lord whatever) and none of them are given detailed enough descriptions to be memorable. So, I can't keep track of who is who and given the plot of the novel hasn't started yet, there's nothing keeping me invested. This could be partly because I came in at the second book in a series. Maybe I'd be less adrift if I'd read the first, but I haven't.

I also strongly felt he lack of visual description. There's very little as far as what characters look like and even less description of places. Also, too much telling and not enough showing. For example: we're told several times that Beth and Gwen are madly in love, but this is something that should be clear without being told. I want to be swept away by emotion when I read romance and this didn't make me feel anything.

A very enjoyable read with a good pace and a little bit of spice.

The characters are well written, and relatable though at some points I did wish that James would just let himself be a friend to Bobby when Bobby was obviously trying to extend the hand of friendship. And when they did start to work together… oh boy…


The story was entertaining and incredibly easy to read. A really nice LGTBQ+ book set in the regency era.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'You're the Problem, It's You' by Emma R. Alban.

This is my second Emma R. Alban historical romance and sadly, it's still not hitting me. I did connect to 'You're the Problem, It's You' much much more and in comparison to the first novel, I did enjoy this one. But I honestly cannot fall in love with this book and the writing style doesn't grip me, again this is perfect for a newbie to the Historical Romance genre or someone who loves Queer romances but not convoluted historical business.

This is a lovely historical romance story which has the characters going from enemies to lovers rather quick, the characters have banter and the romance aspect, it’s a well written story but is lacking on the historical side

After absolutely adoring the romantic romp that was Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, and after the little teaser for the next couple at the end, I was super excited to dive into You’re the Problem, It’s You, and needless to say I wasn’t disappointed! I love Emma Alban’s take on regency romance and it was so great to be back with the beloved cast of characters again.

Bobby and James were such fun characters to spend time with. After the original animosity between them mostly fuelled by misunderstanding and missed expectations, they quickly fell into a camaraderie that lead to the slow burn romance of my dreams. I really loved how James’ anxiety was portrayed, especially regarding his dealings with Stepfather and his worries over social situations. He was incredibly endearing and really pulled at my heart strings, and I was definitely rooting for his happy ending! Bobby, while happy go lucky and extroverted as his core, proved to be the emotionally intelligent and careful partner I knew be would be. I loved seeing these two fall in love and the family support they both enjoyed. And who doesn’t love a tactical lavender marriage!

Overall, this will definitely appeal to fans of Bridgerton (but queer!), Cat Sebastian, and KJ Charles. Can’t wait to see what they write next!

This is a delightful historical romance that isn’t set in the Regency for once! James is an anxious disaster who doesn’t know how to act around his long-time crush, Bobby is trying to draw him into society as a favour for mutual connections while frustrated that such an attractive man can be such a dick. The whole cast is wonderful, and the found family vibes gave me war fuzzy feelings. It’s not for you if you’re looking for much historical authenticity in the language, it has lots of contemporary-sounding dialogue, behaviour etc, but if you don’t mind that I think it’s great for fans of historical and contemporary romances alike.

The various ways people are related to each other gets a bit much to keep track of, and I remained slightly confused about the actual details of a dramatic family history that lends some tension to the story. I haven’t read the first book in the series, and I’m assuming that was when said dramatic family history actually happened? But without that I was lightly baffled in places.

4.5 stars

Ok this was so fun.

I absolutely adored don’t want you like a best friend and before I even finished it I was requesting this book on NetGalley

A different relationship dynamic here with it being enemies to lovers but it was so good.

James was absolutely insufferable for most of this book but honestly I didn’t care or could blame him for it poor guy goes through it.

And Bobby who was such a sweetheart I loved him.

I also loved seeing more of Gwen and Beth of course. And the inclusion of albie bobbys brother.

There was a bit more smut in this book then the first, which honestly wasn’t great at all. I don’t mind smut in books but this just wasn’t written very well at all I wish it was more similar to how it was written in the first book. But i could easily skip those scenes and there were very few.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review

If you like Bridgerton or generally that time, this is a must read. It’s a lovely story with characters that you just want to join in their lifes. This story focuses on so many important topics and overcomes them in ways that shows how important it is to trust your family. You’ll easily have a hard time picking your favourite character because all of them except some of course, are just so loveable. I really enjoyed this book though I have to admit there were some parts that were a bit slower. But all in overall, I absolutely recommend this book.

This was a very anticipated book for me after loving Don't Want You Like a Best Friend. James and Bobby's story was another enjoyable romance with the charm of a regency love story and the joy of finding your own space of queer acceptance. I really grew to like James as a character which is quite impressive considering what a shadow he cast in the first book, inheriting the Demeroven title and seemingly casting out Beth and her mother. He was a charming young man with a great character arc of learning to trust others and stand up to the bullies in his life - namely his stepfather and Raverson. I really liked how he clearly had panic attacks but that they were described in an era-appropriate way.

Towards the end I felt the story got a little rushed but I think when the focus is romance and there's some big subplots going on to do with blackmail and so forth that's not unlikely to happen. I think the same sort of vibe happened in book 1 with the failed wedding and the setting up of Dashiell and Cordelia.

Asides from that, I also liked the insights into parliamentary life from James perspective as well as the insight into how different things were for homosexual men than women - they had secret social spaces but simultaneously it's a greater cost for men to be discovered than women. It's nice to see those details brought in. I also liked the adoption of the orphans at the end and how that was a subtle background theme from the girls volunteering at the foundling hospital and Frederic being born.

Ultimately, this is just a fun series about queer people being lucky in finding love and support, and being able to navigate an unwelcoming society. It's somewhat predictable but that's not a flaw because it's nice to think maybe some people in at historical point had this kind of life.

This is a very cute romance, the historical part is a bit lacking tho but i didn't mind. They went from ennemies to lovers pretty fast but their banter was great

I really wanted to love this book.

I definitely found the 'historical' aspect to be lacking. Throughout, it feels like the author almost forgot what era is was set in, especially when it came to the characters. I was mostly just frustrated with the grasp of the setting. It was often difficult to tell when it was actually set. I've seen it advertised as regency AND victorian but it doesn't really keep up with either.

However, apart from that, it's nice, it's cute, it's easy to read. It wasn’t quite enemies to lovers and more ‘I don’t like you oh wait maybe I do’ as it all felt very quick, but it IS nice.

The found family aspect is wonderful, and the use of certain clubs as accepting spaces during the time that homosexuality was a crime was good, but it also felt like it kind of ignored the fact that it was a crime (bar it being used as blackmail). Everyone seemed a little bit Too accepting.

It’s definitely not accurate historical fiction,
but it’s snappy, easy, cute and worth a read.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have such a complex relationship with these books - which seems a bit overdramatic for how easy and gentle they are. With Alban's first book I actually found it growing on me after the review, and thought I'd perhaps been a bit harsh and unfair based on my own expectations. I still gave it 3 stars, but found the 'historical' aspect lacking. Therefore, I prepped myself with this book and went it accepting that it isn't historical fiction, despite the setting.

Somehow, I still found myself a little bit frustrated with this loose grasp of the setting. Is it Regency? Is it Victorian? Is it some general mishmash? I've seen the books advertised as both eras but it doesn't quite sit in either. There are a few little anachronisms that I caught.

BUT ignoring all of that, my comment about the first book - "it's a fluffy little proftierole of a book" - stands for this too. It's nice, it's cute, it's easy to read. I wish we'd had a bit more of the enemies side of things before we got to the lovers as it all felt a bit quick, but it's nice. There's a found family which is always my favourite, and we dip into the world of clubs a little and see the accepting spaces there were when homosexuality was a crime.

Maybe this isn't the book for you if you like tried and true historical fiction, but it's a sweet Bridgerton-esque romantic romp, and it's worth reading if you're into that.

✨3 stars✨

I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounded really interesting! However, the execution just wasn’t there for me. I found it really difficult to connect with the characters and they all felt quite flat and 2-Dimensional rather than being fully formed characters. Therefore, I found myself skimming parts because I was bored.

I just don’t think this book was for me sadly as it was just fine, okay, but not memorable or likely to stick with me past writing this review!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.