This title will be released on:
Jan 13, 2026
Description
Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this Sapphic, rivals-to-lovers Regency Romance that begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just… kissed?
When country-bred Catherine Pine relocates to Bath in 1817, she and her mother come face-to-face with her mother’s arch nemesis, Lady Tisend, and her daughter, the wildly popular and gorgeous Lady Rosalie. Though once her very best friend, Mrs. Pine alleges Lady Tisend ultimately did her a great injustice. Twenty-five years later, she sees the perfect opportunity for retribution:
Catherine will win the favor of Lady Rosalie’s suitor, Mr. Dean. Together, Catherine and her mother will ruin the Tisends’ lives, secure Catherine a fruitful match, and launch a fully triumphant return to Bath. It’s the perfect plan for revenge. Only Catherine soon discovers that there’s more to Lady Rosalie’s mean streak than meets the eye. Lady Rosalie is by far the wittiest, cleverest, most intriguing young woman Catherine’s ever met, and she’s utterly smitten.
Meanwhile, Rosalie feels trapped in her perfect life as Bath’s favorite daughter and resident mean girl. There’s no challenge anymore, no excitement, no surprise. But when she notices newcomer Catherine gunning for her spot as queen bee, Rosalie finally feels a spark again. She determines to meet Catherine’s challenge with gusto, because Catherine ignites something in her. Something Rosalie absolutely doesn’t want to extinguish.
As their mothers force them into increasingly absurd contests of wit and feminine charms to win Mr. Dean’s affections, Rosalie and Catherine instead find themselves falling for each other, scheme, by barb, by catty jab…
Can their sizzling rivalry really become a match to last?
Product Details
| Publisher | Avon |
| Publish Date | January 13, 2026 |
| Pages | 400 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780063428775 |
| Dimensions | 8.0 X 5.3 X 0.0 inches | 10.4 pounds |
About the Author
Emma R. Alban is a USA Today bestselling author and screenwriter. Raised in the Hudson Valley, she now lives in Los Angeles, enjoying the eternal sunshine, ocean, and mountains. When she isn’t writing books or screenplays, she can usually be found stress baking with the AC on full blast, skiing late into the spring, singing showtunes at the top of her lungs on the freeway, and reading anywhere there’s somewhere to lean. She is the author of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend and You’re the Problem, It’s You.
Reviews
“Emma R. Alban is a fresh, distinct new voice in the genre and her debut gives us all the top tier wit, spice, and swoons we love in a historical romance. One to watch!” — Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Bringing Down the Duke
“Sweet, angsty, and ingeniously subversive, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend will have you turning the pages and rooting for Beth and Gwen to finally get the happy-ever-after they both deserve. A delightfully refreshing historical romance!” — Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author
“Equal parts swoony, nail-bitingly emotional, and sizzling, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend sweeps readers off their feet in a wholly new and exhilarating dance. With beautifully rendered setting, whip-smart banter, and a cast of characters that are so easy to love, Alban cements herself as an instant voice to watch in queer romance.” — Carlyn Greenwald, author of Sizzle Reel
"For readers who want tenderness, not trauma, in their queer period fiction, this will hit the spot." — Publishers Weekly
“Alban’s debut is a disarmingly sweet and well-written story that promises two romances for the price of one. This has wide appeal and is recommended for readers who enjoy sapphic stories, new-adult fiction, or historical romance.” — Library Journal
“With an engaging plot that offers a deft nod to The Parent Trap, Alban’s gracefully written and keenly witty romance debut perfectly encapsulates all the hunger, heartbreak, and hope involved in falling in love for the first time. The start to the Mischief & Matchmaking series is an absolute delight.” — Booklist (starred review)
“[A] witty, complex slow burn…. [that is] lightly spicy and remarkably intense…. A stunning Sapphic Victorian romance from an author to watch.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Earn by promoting books
