I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. The characters were well rounded and it was nice to read a Austen-esque novel for the young people of today

This novel focuses on Georgiana Ellers as she navigates a new life with her aunt & uncle, a new friendship group led by Frances Campbell, and perhaps a new romance with Thomas Hawksley.

I liked the character of Georgiana and really enjoyed her coming-of-age tale. I could relate to her naiveté & desire to fit in with a new crowd, even when it meant forgetting who she truly was.

Frances Campbell was a very complex character, sympathetic at times but utterly deplorable at others.

Thomas Hawksley was on par with any Jane Austen hero, reserved at first but dashing all the same.

The inclusion of LGBT+ characters was really refreshing for a regency novel, and it was done in a way that included them in the main narrative but did not discount how hard life would have been.

I would recommend this to readers who are looking for Jane Austen with a modern twist.

Reputation is a thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction, full of wit, whimsy and scandal that drew me in right from the beginning. It feels appropriately set in its time, but with modern writing. It gives us all the 'behind the scenes' debauchery and drama of regency society that you don't usually get to see.

The characters are what make this novel brilliant. The cast is such a mixed bunch, from likeable, and even loveable, all the way to utterly despicable, but all of them very enjoyable to read about. It was so easy to become invested in the lives of these characters. Our protagonist, Georgiana, has excellent character development throughout and is a quick-witted star.

Highly recommended for all fans of regency romance, but also in particular - readers who can sometimes find historical romance a bit bland for their tastes. You won't be left disappointed with this read, I'm convinced!

I absolutely adored this book! The characters all feel so vivid and real and flawed, and the story is a perfect mix of slightly unrealistic romance (and very chance encounters) and more realistic and funny scenes!
I found myself grinning and laughing at this book so much more than I have at any book for a long while, it was truly enjoyable to read. I absolutely flew through it and I’ll definitely be recommending it to as many people as possible.

This book was so much fun! I really enjoyed reading this Regency setting written with a more modern take and more agency afforded to its female characters. It was a compelling plot with twists and turns, and the comparisons to Bridgerton definitely have weight in the diversity and debauchery of the events that unfold. The heroine is likable but imperfect, the parties described vibrantly, and the romance builds slowly and with great deftness and skill. The romantic interest is complex, has depth and emotional range, and the culmination of their love story is satisfying. Their letter-swapping was a particular highlight - I often found myself laughing out loud at this book. Also, Georgiana is totally a little bit gay for Frances in the first few chapters, she just doesn't realise it yet.

Reputation

I received a copy of Reputation from NetGalley for review.

TW:

Reputation is debut with flavours of both Mean Girls and Gossip Girl set in a regency setting. Our protagonist Georgiana Ellers has been sent to live with her aunt after her parents relocate due to her mother’s ill health. Everything about her new life is dreary and dull until she meets Frances Campbell - the life and soul of the parties Georgiana longs to attend. Soon she becomes a member of the “in crowd” and Georgiana loses herself in drunken debauchery, smoking, drugs, desperate to stay in Frances Campbells inner circle.

My favourite thing about this book was the dynamic between Georgiana and Frances. Many people have experienced that friend that just feels like the life and the soul of the party, and I really liked that the books main focus was on the complexities of the friendship as opposed to the subplot of the romance between Georgiana and Me Hawskley. However, at the same time the complexities of Frances and Georgiana’s friendship was never fully explored to its true potential - the book didn’t give us any conclusion or answers regarding Frances and Georgianas sexuality and I think that was a real missed opportunity and the book felt a little anticlimactic as it didn’t reach a conclusion in that respect. I also felt that there wasn’t enough secrecy to the activities the group took part in, Frances had enough of a reputation to deter Georgianas aunt from wanting the two to be friends, but throughout the course of the book it never really felt like there would be huge repercussions for the group if they were caught, and given the time period I expected that to be more of an issue than it was.

The ending of the book felt a little off centre, and at times a little bit overly dramatic in terms of what happens to the individual characters, but with that being said the book does handle the topic of sexual assault with care.

Overall I gave this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it, but I had too many issues with the plot to give it any more than that.

Reputation – Lex Croucher

The hilarious debut novel from Lex Croucher. A classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen.

Abandoned by her parents, middle-class Georgiana Ellers has moved to a new town to live with her dreary aunt and uncle. At a particularly dull party, she meets the enigmatic Frances Campbell, a wealthy member of the in-crowd who lives a life Georgiana couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams.

Lonely and vulnerable, Georgiana falls in with Frances and her unfathomably rich, deeply improper friends. Georgiana is introduced to a new world: drunken debauchery, mysterious young men with strangely arresting hands, and the upper echelons of Regency society.

But the price of entry to high society might just be higher than Georgiana is willing to pay …

I’ve already said in this post that it features a favourite of 2021, well this is another one! This is such a strong book considering it is Lex Croucher’s fictional debut, I loved every second of it! In fact, it took me ages to finish because I kept having to go back and re-read my favourite sections.

Reputation is such a refreshing take on the Regency genre – it’s Mean Girls but in period costume. Georgiana is hilarious and snarky, I love her. Frances is a whole ass mess and I love her too. Their unlikely friendship. Georgian style fucc bois and the glimpses of Regency society make this an absolute pleasure to read. I can’t wait for Lex’s next book (please say there is another one coming?), she balances wit with conflict so well that she is going straight on my auto reads list.

I REALLY, REALLY WANTED TO LIKE THIS BOOK. I rarely write negative reviews but in this case I really did not get on with the text.
In terms of a typical YA Reputation has all the usual components such as absent parents, reckless friends, self discovery and romance, and in that respect this is a perfectly reasonable book for teens, there were some positive elements and the author Lex does a lot in all her work to promote equality and positive mental wellbeing, which I always appreciate... However, as someone who enjoys historical fiction and study I found the inaccuracies in this book distracting and irritating. 'Regency romances' are often flexible with their factual content but I just felt that the writer hadn't done any research beyond watching Bridgerton or bad Austen adaptations. Frances and her friends felt like copies of the 'bright young things' of the 1920's who were from an entirely different century, let alone culture. It felt as if the author wrote a story and then added minimal descriptions to set it in a random time period, which just seemed so pointless to me. All in all enjoyable and inoffensive for younger audiences who are fans of Lex, but I won't be promoting it beyond that I'm sorry to say.

God, did I love this. Once it comes out, I know I'm going to resent people getting to read it for the first time - it's so damn charming , funny and romantic. Think Gossip Girl meets Pride & Prejudice meets Bridgerton meets Mean Girls. Georgiana is a wonderful lead character, I came to quickly and deeply care for her. Her interactions with her potential love interest are enviably witty and sparkling. I even gasped and cupped my mouth out of sheer joy on several occasions.

So swoonily written, I even popped back on the dating apps in the desperation of finding my own eligible match - but nothing compared to the love story here. And so I continue to live vicariously through romantic comedies - but when they're as good as this I'm really not complaining about that fact!

Witty, warm and utterly delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

First off, I do want to mention trigger warnings here for sexual assault and rape.

I really liked Georgiana in the beginning of the book. I liked that she recognized her own privilege, and I like that she felt like an adrift gifted kid.

I really enjoyed Thomas and Georgiana as well. Their dynamic was really charming, and Thomas felt like a real person who was allowed to feel things like any other character. Their letters sequence was adorable. The changing of address and sign-off was such a beautiful and in-period way of showing their relationship blossoming.

I’m also in love with Mr. Burton. He and Mrs. Burton deserve the world and I wish there was more of them.

I also thought it was great to have explicit diversity in a historical novel, but it definitely could have been explored more. Two major characters were biracial in a very difficult time period, and it was only touched on a few times. I wanted to know more.

It was also great to have LGBT representation, but I actually found it really strange that in a book that had this, <spoiler> Frances and Georgiana’s almost kiss and very gay moments were never explored more. I thought Frances was going to be the love interest from their first interactions, but instead all these hints towards a romantic relationship with them was just brushed off. </spoiler>

The difficult thing about this book, as well, is that for a lot of it, nothing happens. It’s compared to Bridgerton, but there’s no overarching plot of “the season” or Lady Whistledown, so it feels almost episodic rather than a singular novel.

There’s also a lot of comparisons to Mean Girls, including some direct quotes in the book, but that feels a bit odd when Frances is <spoiler> abusing drugs, being assaulted, and dealing with liking women and being biracial in the Regency period. </spoiler> She’s got a lot more reasons to be cruel than Regina George, and seems to be more of a Nesta Archeron, a traumatized person lashing out, than a high school mean girl.

The book can’t really decide what it is. Is it a commentary on historical women, race, drugs, and the relationships between women like Frances deals with? Or is it the high school-esque romp of courtship and social circles that it is for Georgiana? The two mesh strangely.

I went back and forth on the rating for this one, but for the moment, I’m saying 3 stars.

Brilliantly written and an excellent debut novel.
It is correctly described as Pride & prejudice meets mean girls - all the teenage debauchery, mixed with the perfect amount of romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

This book had been on my radar for a while so I was thrilled when I was approved for the arc and it definitely did not disappoint!

Reputation is an expertly written regency novel for the modern reader. The gripping plot makes you feel so invested in the characters, along with their struggles and adventures. The sense of humour used is dry and witty and provided so many laugh out loud moments for me.

High recommend to anyone who enjoys regency, romance or rich kid drama!

I enjoyed this enormously but feel that I need to caveat this review with a warning, If you like your historical fiction accurate or if you need a likeable protagonist this isn't for you. But if you are looking for a fun well written read with a strong dash of humour set in a vaguely regencyish era than give it a go. The Gossip Girl meets Bridgerton tag is a good one. Georgiana and her friends are older if not wiser than Serena and co and the book reads more as if a group of Bright Young Things who choose to use horses and carriages are the protagonists rather than young people in the Regency but anyone as attracted by that description as I was won't be disappointed.

Georgiana has been dumped on her dull provincial aunt and uncle by her distant academic parents. She lives for books, and it feels like she's living in one when she meets Lady Frances Campbell, wild, beautiful, rich and leader of a group of a wild and beautiful clique. Georgiana wants in.
Would even rich connected unmarried regency young ladies bath practically nude in mixed company, get drunk in public, take drugs, go around completely unchaperoned, drink in pubs etc etc? Of course not, but if Frances and co didn't there would be no plot and somehow no word of Georgiana's antics get back to her aunt. It doesn't take too long for Georgiana to forget that she's a poor middle class unconnected girl and start to believe that she belongs to the group.

I'll be honest, I didn't like Georgiana in the third quarter of the book and wasn't sure her redemption arc quite made up for it. Her growth felt more down to the kindness and generosity of others - a kindness and generosity she didn't work for - rather than her own doing, and her lack of empathy towards one of her friend's different, harder situation never seems resolved. Twenty first century morals, behaviour and atttitudes predominate and it would have been interesting to see how that could have been married more with the customs and expectations of the time rather than just imposing them anachronistically on them , but that's why I caveated this review. Many people (especially those whose introduction to Regency is Bridgerton) will love this, some purists will absolutely not and many readers like me will note these points and read on with great enjoyment regardless.

Regency meets heathers, what more could you want!
I’ve always found it difficult to read more classic romances but Lex captures the vibe of the era while making it very accessible to the contemporary reader.

The story follows Georgina, and the slightly debaucherous nobility she meets whilst being shipped off to stay with her aunt and uncle. The plethora of different characters including lgbtq characters is refreshing and everything I always wanted regency novels to be. (Also, that mean girls Easter egg mad me fangirl way too much), resulting in relationships blossoming, power struggle and just a smidge of revenge.

This made me want to go to parties and steal glances from handsome men and rowdy women ❤️

I’m in love...
This book is advertised as pride and prejudice meets mean girls and I honestly can’t think of a better way to describe it! If you are fan of either of these, if bridgerton or historical romance this books is for you. If you love teen books about drama, friendship and romance, this book could also be for you.
The book follows our main character Georgiana as she lives with her aunt and uncle and makes some new friends. However, her new friends are very different to the very good ladies and gents that are expected of that time. The story sees our main character enter an exciting but dangerous new world and all of the good and bad consequences of doing so.
I adored this book, it might be that it was right up my street, it might be the pride and prejudice and mean girls references... ‘Get in Georgianna, we’re going shopping’
This book takes a great new look at historical romance that is inclusive, exciting but also romantic. I loved how Georgiana’s character unfolded and developed and how her aunt and uncles characters did too. I really enjoyed the romance too, it was really well written and played out well. The gentlemen in question was very respectable and a modern take on the Mr Darcy and Aaron Samuels.
This book does have some difficult topics in and some could be triggering but the author has handled them well. TW for sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol, abuse.

All in all, when I get paid I will be pre-ordering this book and anticipating it’s release in July. Also hoping that Miss Croucher will bring picking up her pen and writing some more novels like these... maybe a series?
A enchanting and beautiful debut that is really engaging, I just couldn’t put it down!

(Hoping to do a video review closer to release)
This book was sent from netgalley for an honest review.

This was a refreshingly fun, coming of age romance set in Regency England. Lex Croucher has given us a YA take on Bridgerton and I’m absolutely HERE for it!

It follows middle-class Georgiana Ellers, who having been abandoned by her parents,moves in with her rather dull Aunt and Uncle. At one of their friends’ dull parties Georgiana happens upon the incredibly wealthy socialite Frances Campbell- who introduces her to the decadently wild parties and drunken debauchery of the Regency’s elite.

But the glitter and grandeur of regency society might not be all it’s cracked up to be and Georgiana may find herself unable to pay the price of entry...

It’s a delightfully modern,witty and dare I say,feminist take on the regency romance, I really enjoyed the writing style and think Lex Croucher could truly be our answer to a modern day Jane Austen, this was superb.

Georgiana could be annoying at times (with some of her actions) but I did love her and was thoroughly invested in all the shenanigans she got up to. I loved the slow burn Romance between Georgiana and Thomas Hawksley, their dynamic was very reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.Frances is the Regency eras’ answer to Regina George and love her or hate her, she and her cohorts were undeniably entertaining.

Though it is a fun YA Romance,it might be more suited to a mature audience as the book tackles some heavy topics such as drinking, drug-use,grief, domestic abuse, sexual assault (including off page Rape) as well as homophobia and racism.

It’s Mean Girls meets Pride and Prejudice and I’d absolutely recommend to fans of Jane Austen, and Rom-Coms. Trust me, if you loved Bridgerton then you simply MUST give this a read!

Also a Huge thank you to Bonnier Books UK and Net Galley for the ARC.

As a fan of Regancy books I had to request this one and thankfully after approval I dived straight in.

Oh my word this book had me on the edge of my seat, it was Regency romance meets bad girls.

I was shocked, I was surprised and I wanted more... I need this to be part of a series, I need more of Georgina and Thomas!!!

I was a little hesitant going into this book as I don't often read period books like this but I really thoroughly enjoyed this novel. You can't tell at all that this is the author's debut novel as it's wonderfully written, emulating the feel of Pride and Prejudice and other Regency period books brilliantly. The greatest strength for me was definitely the dry humour and I found myself laughing aloud at some points. The plot is suitably gripping and intriguing, though I'll admit that my attention started to flag around halfway through as I felt it started to get a bit repetitive with seemingly every new chapter and scene involving Georgiana getting drunk and trying to impress Frances and her friends. However, the last part of the book picks up in pace and recaptured my interest. To be honest, the romance plotline didn't quite go in the direction I was expecting but I did really like the love interest and thought the romance was well done. If you've yet to read this book, do bear in mind the trigger warning for sexual assault – on the subject, I thought the author handled it really well, particularly considering the time the novel is set and the fact that many period novels don't always treat the topic with the significance and sensitivity that it deserves. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy reading Regency, Pride and Prejudice-style novels, but also if like me you don't often read books like that, you may also end up enjoying this book as the author's writing style and sense of humour are strong enough to make this a really fun and interesting read.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous book to fill the void between seasons of Bridgerton!
Really loved this fresh and contemporary take on historical fiction. It reminded me of the witty tone from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, while also keeping true to the genre. I was also surprised at what a page-turner it was. The characters leapt off the page and the voice was fun and absorbing. Thanks so much for my review copy!

I didn't realise this book was YA when I requested it, and as I don't read that genre I don't have much to compare it to.

This book fully lives up to the brief of "Gossip Girl in Regency England", everyone's kind of a bitch, there are lots of ridiculous parties where everyone meets, and it is all high melodrama. It's fun and campy and doesn't take itself too seriously.
I think this book takes the Sofia Coppola approach to historical fiction, people are wearing bonnets and a minute alone with a man could ruin your reputation, but they talk like modern day uni students. This worked for the most part, but there were a couple of moments that felt really jarring. This is littered with pop culture references that meta narratively comment on what the work is doing, so when someone calls from a carriage "get in loser, we're going shopping', the writer is clearly referencing that this is a teen movie slipped in time (although, is mean girls really a up to date reference for todays YA reader? It's 20 years old) The times I felt it didn't like were when, for an example, a character references another character "shooting blanks". It felt so jarringly out of time because it wasn't a wink at anything just a wild anachronism considering the blank cartridges invention was in 1846, and it being used as a reference to sperm far more recent than that.

Overall though it's a fun novel, the moral themes felt a little heavy handed but perhaps that is just because of the intended age group, the characters change emotions at the drop of a hat and are a little shallow in development, but the banter is well executed and I laughed aloud on more than one occasion. I'm sure the Bridgerton lovers who were there for more than Rege-Jean Page will enjoy this book too.