mean girls, but make them regency ladies

I'm so happy a third installment of these queer Regency love stories exists! I'm really a fan of the layers of tension that naturally come with choosing the Regency/English ton era for a romance setting---Bridgerton obviously does a scandalously good job of pairing more "loose" modern romantic associations with the strict and incredibly rigorous social expectations of high society. But what I think makes Alban's books stand out---with this one in particular---is that the idea of feeling romantically inclined to a member of the same sex is a huge no no because it's just not what's done. Alban's characters break the boundaries of what they've been raised to envision their lives are supposed to look like when held up to the flame of their personal desires for love and acceptance, and I think that's really beautiful on a human level as well as literary level. And I'm always here for a variation of the ​Mean Girls trope.
I love how Catherine and Rosalie start as contemptuous enemies, hard bent on winning the hand of a man who they quickly realize kind of sucks, while all the while harboring hot crushes for each other. I loved the forced proximity, descriptions of pretty dresses, flushed cheeks, and colorful bonnets, and slow but steady progressions toward feelings that just could no longer be ignored. 
What really stood out to me is what this novel manages to say about generational trauma and the realities of what it can look like to come out to loved ones. Without getting into the weeds of their beef, Lady Tisend and Lady Pine's history remained an intriguing mystery to me (though a bit tangled and confusing once all smoothed out and explained, I cannot lie). Within their circumstances muddy with good intentions and terrible executions comes the comparison made to Catherine and Rosalie's lives---not getting to choose their own paths in love is not something their mothers want for them, despite how long it took reconciliation to occur in their own narratives.
I liked how the story at large made me think about how it really does take a few carefully laid plans to end pain that could very well travel down countless generations---but those plans can also mean that a parent's dream for their child is not what their child wants for their reality.
This is where the coming out steps in---and for the sake of spoilers, I won't get into nitty gritty. But the way this novel's conclusion handles the realities of immediate acceptance alongside acceptance that requires time and deep processing felt refreshing, hurtful, and close to home in other ways for me personally as a reader. When a book is able to make you reflect on your own difficult conversations and circumstances while being set in Regency era England, chances are you're reading a pretty good book.



One of my favorite quotes from Like in Love with You:

"'I'll be in love with you wherever we are, but the country would be nice.'"

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