Book review: “Don't Want You Like a Best Friend” (Mischief & Matchmaking #1) by Emma R. Alban
Introduction
A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other—the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed!
Release date: January 9, 2024
I have received this book as an advanced reader’s copy on Netgalley from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review. I somehow managed to miss the deadline and completely forgot about this book. I am glad that I picked it up, albeit late, because it was totally worth it!
Synopsis
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 anywhere but here.
Gwen, on the other hand, is on her fourth season and counting, with absolutely no intention of finding a husband, possibly ever. She figures she has plenty of security as the only daughter of a rakish earl, from whom she’s gotten all her flair, fun, and less-than-proper party games.
“Let’s get them together,” she says.
It doesn’t take long for Gwen to hatch her latest scheme: rather than surrender Beth to courtship, they should set up Gwen’s father and Beth’s newly widowed mother. Let them get married instead.
“It’ll be easy” she says.
There’s just…one, teeny, tiny problem. Their parents kind of seem to hate each other.
But no worries. Beth and Gwen are more than up to the challenge of a little twenty-year-old heartbreak. How hard can parent-trapping widowed ex-lovers be?
Of course, just as their plan begins to unfold, a handsome, wealthy viscount starts calling on Beth, offering up the perfect, secure marriage.
Beth’s not mature enough for this…
Now Gwen must face the prospect of sharing Beth with someone else, forever. And Beth must reckon with the fact that she’s caught feelings, hard, and they’re definitely not for her potential fiancé.
That’s the trouble with matchmaking: sometimes you accidentally fall in love with your best friend in the process.
Review
I jumped into this book not knowing much about it besides that it is a funny romance between two Victorian debutantes. I was immediately swept by the vivid descriptions of satin dresses and luxury balls; however, the book touches upon some serious topics.
Beth and her mother are struggling financially due to her late father, who left them in debt and promised his estate to his brother. Beth's only chance to avoid living on the streets is to secure a marriage. She is willing to make that sacrifice to ensure a comfortable life for herself and her mother, who suffered enough at the hands of her abusive husband. However, duty and logic evaporate the moment Beth gets close to Gwen, a funny, bold young lady who seems to be enjoying her single life with her widowed father.
The book is written in the third person but with a dual point of view that allows readers to see the lives of both protagonists from their perspectives. I found both characters charming in their own ways. Gwen is mischievous and adventurous, and Beth is witty and scheming. They make a perfect match, first as friends and later as lovers.
The book's first half felt stagnant, even though it set up the story for the second half. I would have preferred the book to be a bit more fast-paced throughout, just like the last third of it. The author did a great job vividly describing attires, estates, rooms, and scenery. I could easily visualize everything that was happening.
I felt very moved in some parts of the story. It is easy to resonate with characters torn between their genuine feelings, societal expectations and obligations. Since the story is set in Victorian England, it is understandable that marriage or even a liaison between two unmarried women was impossible.
Very often in queer books, the main focus of the story is on the main protagonists, which results in side characters being undeveloped or just carbon copies of stereotypical parent figures or maids. Therefore, it is usually a deal breaker for me when an author fails to flesh out secondary characters. Thankfully, Emma Alban did a great job writing Gwen and Beth's parents and their maids. I developed a particular fondness towards Gwen's father, who seemed to be a progressive and liberal lord, unlike others in the story. The idea to matchmake their parents was ingenious, and I was rooting for them even more than for Beth and Gwen (but only because I knew that they would somehow get together at the end).
The book ends on a very uplifting note, which is a blessing as both characters went through a lot of emotional turmoil. However, I honestly did not expect the epilogue to give us a premonition of a possible sequel. I swear, I squealed and went online to immediately research the second book in the series. And there will be a second book! Coming out this August, and I have already requested a copy for review! So, stay tuned as the story of Beth and Gwen (and maybe some other characters) is not over yet!