#emma alban

[ace-artemis-fanartist]

Beth and Gwen from Don't Want You Like a Best Friend.

[trulylostgirl]

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

Emma R. Alban

[zucchinibread777books]

More Than a Best Friend Book Review

More Than a Best Friend (Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend) by Emma Alban Book Review

Summary:

When Beth enters her first season, she finds that the only friend she can make is the slightly infamous Gwen, who is already a few seasons in with no sign of a match. After learning that their (recently single) parents have history with each other, they become determined to set up their own match. Little did they know that they would find their own love in the process.

The good:

I thought that this was a super cute lesbian romance! It was just the right length for this kind of story and I’ll definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out.

I really appreciate that this wasn’t some sort of enemies to lovers arc. I’ve had to avoid a lot of lesbian romances recently because they all seem to start with one character who is just absolutely horrible but is excused because of some trauma they’ll reveal later. Those romances always make it seem like the two characters would be the most toxic relationship and I just can’t stand them. There’s also usually emphasis on one of them being closeted. Despite this being a period piece, there wasn’t a lot of focus on them coming to terms with liking someone of the same gender. Gwen and Beth were a cute match from the start and I found myself rooting for them immediately. Rather than drama between the two of them, it was mostly outside issues that prevented them from being together.

Even with those outside influences, there wasn’t really any homophobia against the main characters. In fact, there was no direct homophobia against them, just mentions of how society would view them. It’s a nice break for people who are tired of homophobia being such a main theme in queer stories.

I also really loved that there was an older lesbian couple in this story too. It’s so nice to see different generations of queer characters and have them give advice and talk to one another. Gwen especially had such a great support system and I was so glad they weren’t entirely alone as they went through their issues.

The Bad:

If you are looking for something historically accurate, this definitely isn’t for you. There were a lot of times I noticed certain phrasing and lingo that was so modern it took me out of it a bit. Not necessarily modern slang, but definitely not language that would be used in the time period it is set in. And as much as I loved the lack of homophobia, the amount of characters who knew and accepted their relationship was definitely not realistic.

Adding on to that, the sex scenes. They were very unrealistic for the time period, especially because of how entirely public they were. Even in the comfort of their own homes, they should have worried a lot more about being caught. I also just personally wish they weren’t so integral to the story. I understand smut is really big in the publishing world right now thanks to things like booktok, but once the characters had sex it felt like that was their only motivation for anything. The constant mention of each others fingers having been inside them really took me out of the story.

I’m always iffy on relationships like the one in this book too. Where parents get together and their respective kids also get together. Step siblings being a couple just feels odd to me. It felt right for the situation they were placed in but still.

This is also a personal pet peeve but I’m really not a fan of main characters having similar names. Beth and Gwen were very easy to confuse, being the same length and the only vowel being e. They were interchangeable in my brain for a while. Mason and Montson were even worse. If it weren’t for context clues, I would’ve assumed I misread and they were the same person.

Overall:

I thought this was really good, especially for a debut novel. It definitely took influence from a lot of popular stories, including Parent Trap and Bridgerton, but put its own spin on them. (It also reminded me a little of the comic High Class Homos) I enjoyed reading it a lot and it was a good break from the heavier-topic books that I was in the process of reading at the same time. I’m not sure it’s at the top of my reread list because it did hit a few of my pet peeves, but I definitely want to read the sequel. I’d also recommend it for anyone looking to read more cute lesbian romances!

3.5 Stars

[parsleysagerosemarytimemachine]

This is cute; sapphic historical romance between two girls who need to make a good marriage to protect their families, and the problems that come when they find themselves more attracted to each other. There's some odd little gestures towards class, and the girls are utterly ignorant of the politics they are enmeshed in, in a way that does make them feel very like teenagers just figuring out the world, but they're also adorable together. It does do a very good job of presenting how someone could find themself trapped into a marriage by circumstances and society, which is a good point towards its historicity. Could definitely recommend this, even if the teaser for a follow-up seems like it might go off the rails, it'd still probably be an enjoyable ride.

(Advance copy - coming in January 2024)

[marzipanandminutiae]

Ten Ways To Express the Concept of Your Father "Grounding" You, In 1857, Without Using Slang That Literally Came From Airplanes (Attn: Emma Alban)

Father would confine me to the house

Father would mew me up at home

I'd be practically cloistered if Father found out

Father would keep me as close as his watch-chain

Father would scarcely let me out of his sight

Father would put me on the shortest lead imaginable

I'd never get away from Father's side

Father would never allow me out

Father would make a perfect prisoner of me

I'd lose any liberty at all if Father caught me [XYZ]

[sunny-rants]

the unspeakable crimes I would commit for a funny lighthearted spicy lesbian regency romance with at least somewhat of a happy ending…

edit: everyone recommending books, you have my eternal love and gratitude, and please keep recommending them, but I meant on screen

[pridepages]

Dear Gentle Reader, can't get enough Bridgerton? Think it would be better if we'd just admit Eloise is sapphic? Fear not! These ladies loving ladies have just the thing... A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A decadent butch lesbian in a lavender marriage seeks out the aid of a straight-laced, bluestocking doctor for a friend. It's just business...until it isn't!

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lord Marleigh died at Waterloo and like a phoenix, Viola Carroll rose from the ashes to spread her wings. Now she's home, but does she dare trust her old friend, the Duke of Gracewood, with her heart and her true self?

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marriage is a lady's only preservative from want. Imagine the scandal if one fell for her best friend! There is no future there...unless the two of you can make a match between your newly-single parents.

Infamous by Lex Croucher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Edith "Eddie" and Rose have been best friends since childhood. But after their debutante ball, Rose is talking about marriage while Eddie can't imagine anything but being a famous writer. When a curious invitation from scandalous poet Nash Nicholson brings Eddie and Rose to an eccentric, hedonistic house party...will it be the end of their friendship or the start of something more?

[whilereadingandwalking]

Think Bridgerton, but it's two girls quietly falling for one another. Yep. Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban features Beth and Gwen, two young women who aren't particularly interested in getting married. Gwen is tired of the pressure, even with the freedoms her single father gives her, but for Beth it's a more pressing need: her father recently died, and she needs to find a husband who can support her and her mother by the end of the Season. But as the two become friends, they get an idea. What if their parents got married, and the pressure was off the two girls all together?

This book is the perfect balance of realistic and cozy. It brings in topics like a pending act that would give women the right to divorce, the misogyny that keeps women from inheriting, and the quiet reality of queer people who did exist through history. At the same time, it's a cozy romance, and even at its most dramatic, avoids the darkest storylines—again, think Bridgerton, or other romances, in that there are real issues, but you know that everyone will be a basic level of ok at the end. That's exactly what I needed right now, and when you add the coziness on top of a fun sapphic romance full of hoop skirt struggles, croquet and cricket shenanigans, and a hefty dose of yearning balanced out with a healthy dose of spice, you get this fun romance (and I cannot wait for the sequel).

Content warnings for mentions of domestic abuse, depression, misogyny, homophobia.

[lgbtqreads]

Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Adult Fiction: July-December 2024

Peregrine Seas by R.C. Ballad (July 1st) Prince Peregrine couldn’t be happier to be kidnapped by pirates. Peregrine wasn’t cut out for the restrictive life of a nobleman – he’s hungry for adventure, prone to duelling, and his family refuse to believe he’s any kind of man at all. Despite his royal origins, he has more in common with the outcasts and rebels aboard the Cygnus that anyone onshore. He…

[just-a-girl-who-likes-sharks]

June 2024 books 🩷

I couldn’t read as much this month because of all my many assignments and exams, but since I passed all of my classes, I can spend the whole summer reading when I get home from work!

[betterbooksandthings]

"Radically reimagining queer joy is the project of the best queer historical romance books.

Historical research and fantasy are the founding pillars of historical romance. There are certain things about the past that any historical romance is willing to hand-wave away. In return, readers of the genre buy into that imagined past.

Queer historical romance is perhaps more radical in its approach. Not because it is less historically accurate than any other historical romance but because it works against the myth that queer people never existed in the past.

Patriarchy, Teleology, and Queer Historical Romance

Patriarchy and teleology undoubtedly work against queer historical romance. The teleological view of history is the idea that history works in a forward march of progress to a single unified goal. Teleology works against historical romance’s aim to humanize people from the past. The genre gives characters access to joy and agency that often feels anachronistic, especially to readers unfamiliar with the periods.

Pair teleology with a frankly overwhelming body of historians using patriarchal lenses to interpret history, and many dismiss all historical romance as entirely inaccurate. Not to mention, a general de-prioritization of joy and the humanization of people throughout history complicates the idea that everyone should view the past one way.

As historical romance books continue to include queer and BIPOC characters, arguments of historical inaccuracy continue to pile onto the genre. Queer historical romance rejects the claim, “In the before times, things were bad, everyone was horrible, and queer people or non-white people didn’t have power.”

So, while all historical fiction will include fiction by its genre category alone, diverse historical romance bears the brunt of historical inaccuracy claims.

What Makes a Great Queer Historical Romance?

So maybe it is unsurprising that I love queer historical romance quite so much. It’s radical, fun, engrossing, and sometimes downright silly.

Selecting just a dozen books to feature in this list was difficult, especially when so many queer historical romance authors have excellent backlists. If I were you, I would start with the twelve best queer historical romance books here and then go into each other’s backlist for an even better time."

[the-final-sentence]

‘Please, hurry home.’

Emma R. Alban, from You’re the Problem, It’s You

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Find my review here.

[harleychick91]

Victorian Parent Trap Indeed!

This book had me ranting and raving. The twists and turns are wonderful! I love (begrudgingly) the slow burn between Gwen and Beth. Does have some spice but done in a tasteful manner. I fell in love with all of the main characters. Especially when they are so supportive. The cousins are hilarious by the end.

[savesappho]

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend (2024)

NEW REVIEW: Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (2024) gets 2/10 optimistic, historically-accurate violets. RATING out of 10 violets, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most painful to read

Author: Emma R. Alban Content Warnings: non-graphic discussion of domestic violence; alcohol use/abuse Genre: Sapphic Historical Romance Gwen has a brilliant beyond brilliant idea. It’s 1857, and anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing the blushing ingenue makes Beth’s skin crawl and she’d rather be…

[fandom-united-together]

Lord Havenfort watching Beth and Gwens relationship deteriorate: ✨ I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending ✨