Don't Want You Like a Best Friend: A Novel (The Mischief & Matchmaking Series Book 1)

If you watched Bridgerton season 3 part 1 and thought Eloise and Cressida look good together, this is for you

Imagine Bridgerton, but sapphic - and still boring. Don’t get me wrong - the first half was cute and wholesome. But after the 50% mark, it slipped into a repetitive will-they-won’t-they plot that dragged on.

A really nice wlw Victorian romance that was described as "Bridgerton meets Parent Trap," and that's exactly what you get. The beginning was a bit slow, but after around a hundred pages, I was really into it, and it just kept getting better. We follow the two debutantes, Beth and Gwen, who should be looking for husbands, but after they become friends, they are rather looking at each other 👀💕 Though, Beth desperately needs to make a match this season because she and her widowed mother need the security of a marriage to not end up homeless. Gwen's father is also widowed, and it turns out he even knew Beth's mother in her first season, and there seem to be some unresolved feelings. So they conspire to get them together, so they don't have to marry themselves. Also, they all deserve some happiness, don't they? As I said, the beginning was a bit slow until they figured out their feelings for each other and more focused on the matchmaking with the parents. Then there was also a lot of (well done) drama and of course a sweet and a bit spicy love story ❤️ As much as I loved Gwen and Beth together, my highlight was actually their friend circle and families. Their relationship with their parents, especially Gwen and her father, was just great. As someone who is also very close with their dad, I just love to see it. The side characters in general were well done and interesting. I kinda want to rate this higher, but there was still something missing for me. Idk, maybe more of the promised wit, spice and swoons 🤔 Not that there wasn't, but everything could have been just a bit more, I guess. Also, when the big drama started, I didn't understand why they just forgot about one thing. Seemed weird to me. I actually thought it would go in a different direction because of that, but the solution was well done. All in all, a very good book that I would recommend, and I am looking forward to the next volume, and next couple, that comes out in the summer.