We all know why I picked this book. It’s the perfect sapphic title for a Regency romance. I sing it every time I see it. Was it the ideal sapphic Regency romance? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I have liked a little more from it? Also, yes. 

 

DON’T WANT YOU LIKE A BEST FRIEND by Emma R. Alban is by no means a bad book; it’s just not the book I hoped for. While I wanted more pining and secret trysts between two best friends in 1857, what I actually got was more scheming and plotting, aka “parent-trapping” their parents together. 

 

I liked it, but I felt it was like 25% secret love and 75% parent-trapping. It’s just not the book I expected. It’s fun and cute but definitely not spicy enough, lol. I did laugh a lot, which is always a plus for me when I read. I think that had a lot to do with the audiobook narration by Mary Jane Wells and Morag Sims, which I enjoyed and kept me interested in the book. Especially when I thought the book was going to be over and it kept going giving us a reason to listen to book two, YOU’RE THE PROBLEM, IT’S YOU. You just read DON’T WANT YOU LIKE A BEST FRIEND and stop. It’s unnecessary to move on, but it is fun as I started it right away and already like this one better! I may reread the first book at some point, knowing what to expect now, to see if my thoughts change. 

 

If you go in knowing what to expect, it will be a good experience.