Lovely, queer romance between two strong young women, Rose and Eddie. Eddie very much reminded me of Jo March from the off, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rose was actually the one who knew who she was and what she wanted and was determined to have it, it just took Eddie a little longer to fully figure out who she was.
Great queer rep, not just the two main characters and also beautifully portrayed.
Just would've liked a little more of Rose and Eddie together and a little less Nash.
An enjoyable read.

I loved Lex Croucher's debut novel and this just made me love it more.. A quick, easy read that was dark in places. Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that although I found them unlikeable, they were were believable and added something to the book. A great read.

Whyyyy did I leave this sitting on my NetGalley shelf for a month? I adored it. I haven't read Reputation, but after this I will have to. I read this as a free arc but I'm thinking I gotta buy a physical copy for my shelf. So, obviously it's a Bridgerton-esque, Regency setting. I enjoy the Bridgerton show but I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction in any capacity. That being said, this was good. I'm a slut for typical, almost boring stories with loads of tropes but SAPPHIC. I spend my reading hours desperately seeking stories that are just regular stories but with gay girls and this book helped fill up that hole in my heart. 

Plot-wise, it is pretty basic and the plot twists are mostly foreseeable, but some bits get revealed in a way that I wasn't expecting which was a pleasant surprise. Some of my favorite scenes were of Eddie with her family, particularly her youngest sister, Trix, who is in fact full of tricks. So wholesome and cute. I also appreciate that, while being queer is not a polite society thing, it isn't portrayed as some terrifying, evil taboo. Even though queerness is not a properly accepted thing, there's not really homophobia in the story either, which I like. I did prefer the first part of the book that featured more Rose and Eddie's family, but that's just personal preference. 

I detest Nash. Absolute worst. Not a big fan of Liza either. However, that's a normal reaction and they were very well written. The side characters are fun to get to know because you discover extra bits to flesh out their personalities and they are also all well written. There's even a genderqueer character and their presence surprised me but then made me really happy. Eddie can be a bit of a stupid ass at points, but that's to be expected of a protagonist who is coming into their own and it made her realistic rather than just making her unreadable. Everyone drinks like they're in a Hemingway novel. 

I will acknowledge that there were a few threads I didn't feel were quite tied up and several things that I thought would be more important than they actually were, but I still really enjoyed the book. How often do you get sapphic stories with happy endings? Not that often. Regardless of the literary prowess of Infamous, it made me feel things which is the most important part. I felt giddy and excited and inspired and seen. There's no beating around the bush that this is a queer girls who love girls story (disclaimer: I would say lesbian but I think Eddie is bisexual and I don't want to erase that). Thank you Lex Croucher for helping to fill the void in media and my soul. I really enjoyed it.

I loved this! I really enjoyed the first book, and the second was just as good. Really enjoyable, full of lively characters that aren't always the most likeable, but still sympathetic and funny enough that they work perfectly within the story. It's perfect for anyone who's loved Bridgerton and looking for more Regency drama with a more modern feel, with some great LGBTQ+ rep.

Loved the first one! Perfect for fans of Bridgeston and Gossip Girl

22-year-old aspiring writer Edith 'Eddie' Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together-climbing trees, throwing grapes at boys, sneaking bottles of wine, practising kissing . . .

Now that they're out in society, Rose is suddenly talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified.
When Eddie meets charming, renowned poet and rival to Lord Byron, Nash Nicholson, he invites her to his crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside. The entourage of eccentric artists indulging in pure hedonism is exactly what Eddie needs in order to finish her novel and make a name for herself.
But Eddie might discover that trying to keep up with her literary heroes isn't all poems and pleasure .

I'm going to say something that sounds like an insult, but I promise it isn't: this reads like fanfiction. And by that I don't mean that the book is amateurish or badly written. Rather, the gently joking style and the tropes will be familiar to anyone who has been involved in reading or writing fanfic, and queer fics, especially. (I can just see the tags on AO3: Eddie/Rose; oblivious Eddie, Rose needs a drink, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, slow burn).

Romance, be it fanfic or original fiction, is built on characters, and it was easy to fall in love with our main couple, Rose and Eddie, whose rapport and obvious love for each other is endearing. The main antagonist, the poet Nash Nicholson whose work Eddie is obsessed with, is also indefinitely enjoyable. When we first meet him, he squabbles over Eddie's masculine nickname, and it's obvious that it will be both horrifying and entertaining to watch his relationship with Eddie crash and burn.

The happy ending we of course eventually get to is both satisfying and not too out of place for the time period. Overall, the tone of the book is quite anachronistic. Even though I enjoy labouring over extremely detailed, accurate historical fiction, I didn't mind the generous artistic licence here. I think the slightly tongue-in-cheek writing style carries it well and the anachronisms aren't jarring. This and the author's other book have been advertised as being similar to Bridgeton, but it actually reminds me more Apple TV's Dickinson, in that we have modern jokes and behaviour in an otherwise historical context.

”I am quite determined to do exactly the opposite of what the world wants from me.”


SUMMARY
Edith ‘Eddie’ Muller and Rose Li are the very best of friends who do everything together, including practising kissing. Suddenly, Rose is talking about getting married to Albert Rednock and Eddie is enthralled with her hero: Nash Nicholson. As heated rifts form between them, Rose and Eddie have to navigate these new levels of their friendship and face the truths that lie deep in their hearts.

OPINION
Imagine Bridgerton but with lesbians and poets. This is honestly an incredibly witty and engaging story. Lex Croucher has nailed the character development, the romantic chemistry, the equal parts humour and horror, and has added a dash of mystery.

I consumed this story easily in a few hours with much delight; many laugh out loud moments, many groans of frustration, and a couple of inconspicuous tears.

I wish the ending had a bit more oomph in it, there were so many directions LC could have taken it and I couldn’t help but be a little bit disappointed with what actually transpired.

RECOMMENDATION
Perfect for historical romance fiction fans who like their stories to have a good sense of humour and a healthy dose of gay.

I was hoping this would fill the Bridgerton void but I just got really bored and annoyed with the main character, she didn't really seem to have any redeeming characteristics (wasn't meant to be an unlikeable villain) and I just didn't connect with her at all.

Sadly I just couldn't make it past half way.

"Infamous" is set in Regency times but the behaviour of its protagonists is unlikely to be recognised by Jane Austen. Nash Nicholson is a poet, a contemporary of Lord Byron, who behaves more like a modern day rock star than a literary genius. Edith Miller fell in love with Nash's work when she was a teenager and is flattered and slightly overwhelmed to meet him when she is 22. In many ways her behaviour is still like that of the teenager with stars in her eyes, and this has to all sorts of repercussions.

This book covers all sorts of topics including family, coming of age, discovery of one's sexuality, fame, writer's block and more. The girls (Edith and Rose), although in their early twenties, come across as rather naive, at least initially. Nash's wife and friends are difficult to predict, so this leads to some interesting situations.

An interesting read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

📚 r e v i e w 📚
infamous- lex croucher
If you liked bridgerton, little women or tales of ladies going against societal norms then you need to get lex croucher’s books on your tbr. her first book, reputation, was one of my faves from last year, which is why i kept refreshing netgalley as soon as i heard this had been announced in the hope that it would appear and guess what dear reader, it did.
this time we’re following our mc, eddie - a delightful mix of jo march and eloise bridgerton with a quick wit, a head for stories and something of the chaotic bisexual about her. much like reputation this is endlessly funny, brilliantly witty and full of heart warming laugh out loud moments. as well as the lovable eddie, we also have rose and albert (who most be protected at all costs) and our very own wycombe esque cad.
infamous, much like reputation, is an excellent addition to the regency fiction drama and its lgbtqa+ which makes it a perfect pride month read!
infamous is out in july.
thanks to @netgalley and zaffre for the chance to read it
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Reputation was my favourite book of 2021, so to say the excitement and hype and pressure and fear was high for Infamous, is a bit of an understatement. But I’m so so so happy to say that this is basically everything and more that I could have wanted!!!! Lex has pulled it out of the bloody park (earth?? galaxy??) again with all the awesomeness that I was expecting.

I love Eddie and Rose so much. I mean Eddie was so stupid at certain points that I wanted to scream at her and say duh obviously run to her but it made for a great character arc and I wouldn’t change that obviously. And the setting with the big ass house that’s falling down on a hidden island in a lake and they’re going in winter. The only way to get off is signalling to some dude to take you on his rickety little boat - sounds like the premise for a murder mystery but there’s a dog and partying and throwing things at paintings and getting up to no good and it’s excellent.

I don’t even want to talk about Nash. No. Yuck.

I just loved this, I love Lex’s writing and I feel like I need a reread to immerse myself in it and giggle and cry once again. I adored the epilogue but want about 6 more just so I can stay with Rose and Eddie forever. Or I’ll take an Albert POV because he’s amazing and genuinely one of the best characters and I want to see him happy

I want to scream - excellent, go buy

I went into Infamous expecting to love it, having hugely enjoyed Reputation, and I was not disappointed! The characters are life like and have remained in my mind for days after finishing it, which I did in less than two days, even with a new baby to look after! I gave up precious, precious sleep for this book and don't regret it even for a second.

Eddie beguiled and infuriated me in almost equal parts - I love a main character whom I'd occasionally like to shake until some common sense drops in!

Description wise - I've had dreams set on the island now and every part feels as though I spent months there myself.

I would wholeheartedly recommend!

Lex Croucher has done it again!! Infamous is such a fun regency era novel that blends in a contemporary feel throughout. It's truly brilliant. The characters are fun, the writing is humorous, drama occurs throughout. Lex Croucher is certainly one to be watching out for. Highly recommended!

Thank you so much, Bonnier Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Infamous.

It will come as no surprise that I absolutely adored this book.

I loved Lex Croucher's debut novel and I had high, high hopes for Infamous. And it certainly didn't let me down!

Much like Reputation, this book is a regency era novel that pulls inspiration from contemporary media. This time around we're being told this is akin to Booksmart. One of my favourite films!

So I was immediately ready to meet Eddie and Rose, best friends who are teetering around the edge of their feelings. Like most young, sapphic women there is that moment of "Oh this ISN'T how best friends behave?" when Eddie realises that she really is in love with Rose.

Yes, this is a queer friends to lovers novel and it warmed my cold heart.

A lot of the book takes place in a crumbling manor on a remote lake after Eddie is invited on a writing retreat to sleaze-ball Nash. Ew.

I love the representation, the joy, the silliness and the darker aspects of the novel.

How could it be anything other than five stars?

4.5 stars

Infamous follows the story of Eddie, an ambitious young writer who has grown up very close to her best friend Rose, but Eddie is worried as she can feel them drifting apart. When Eddie meets her poet inspiration and idol Nash Nicholson she is quickly infatuated with his talent and when he persuades her to come on a writing retreat in the countryside and she is thrown into a society of libertines and rebels, Eddie will discover there is a lot more to the world and a lot of lessons to learn, whilst trying to stay true to her heart and best friend.

I really loved Eddie and Rose and their relationship in this book. I'm an absolute sucker for friends to lovers, especially when one friend is so obviously in love and the other is completely oblivious (and the other finds their obliviousness adorable and exasperating). I really liked the development of Eddie's character with her realising her queerness and having that oh! sapphic moment which felt very genuine (and a long time coming T_T. Eddie's development as a character was also really satisfying and seeing her mature and come into herself as the novel went on made me very proud, even if I was a little infuriated with her character at times.

I really loved Rose as a character as well, she is so kind and caring and gentle and I loved how she stood up for herself with Eddie as well, despite loving her.

This book also gets an award for probably my most hated character of the year so far (I mean you are meant to hate him so this is a good thing lol). Nash was such a sleaze bag and honestly I just wanted to punch him through most of the book. He is an excellent example of how monstrous people can often come in very charming packages and fool/gaslight a lot of people.

I really enjoyed the story and setting - a lot of the book takes place in a crumbling (literally) manor on a remote lake which really added to the atmosphere. The writing was also very solid and struck a great note of lighter humour with a look at some darker aspects of human nature. I look forward to reading more of this authors work in the future!

I was really, really charmed by this! If I had to chose, I think I slightly favour Reputation .I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers, whereas this is friends-to-lovers. Trope preference, aside - Lex Croucher's books are so warmly written with such fantastically drawn characters. Another ensemble piece, packed full of memorable characters. I can't wait to get recommending this to my students!

They’ve done it again! Another brilliant book by Croucher who manages to pack in a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in a book that doesn’t let you get your eyes off the page (because so much happens!). If you loved Reputation, do yourself a favour and pick this up too!

A fun and absorbing romp - Lex Croucher's second novel is just as packed with debauchery as the first!

Thank you so much to Bonnier for letting me read Lex Croucher's Infamous in advance! I read it in one day: on a bus, in the airport, on a plane and then al fresco over some very tasty focaccia in Berlin. I'm not sure whether it was the disrupted nature of my reading that meant I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Lex's first book, Infamous, or whether it was just a matter of taste.

Infamous focuses on Eddie (full name Edith) and Rose, two besties who have grown up in 18th century London and who definitely fancy each other. (This is not a spoiler, it's literally on the first page.) It's a book about art and exploring your sexuality and finding your role within a rigid, unforgiving society, and there's a whole cast of characters with very witty dialogue – from charismatic poet Nash Nicholson to self-centred artist Kitty to abolitionist Dayo to cool-rich-person Valentine. It's not at all realistic, obviously, but it's not supposed to be and I really liked the way Lex Croucher writes about writing – so often in books you just know the author is writing about themselves and their process, but this actually felt genuine and interesting.

I can't think of a single thing wrong with Infamous, but at the same time it didn't really grab me. I thought the characterisation, pacing, dialogue – everything, really! – were great and believable, but I couldn't put Reputation down and I didn't feel that with Infamous at all. Still, if you like Regency novels with a contemporary feel, then I would definitely recommend this! 🌟

"You...have come to rescue me from a fate worse than death"
"What fate is that?"
"Obscurity"

E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you NetGalley).

Eddie Miller is a young writer who enjoys spending time with her best friend, Rose Li, and dreaming of being a published author. She wants no part in polite Regency society, and is dismayed when Rose starts to grow up without her. To put off adulthood a little longer (like doing a masters after an undergraduate degree), Eddie, Rose, and a crew of loveable eccentrics abscond to the crumbling gothic Manor owned by romantic poet Nash Nicholson (Eddie's literary hero) for a writing retreat. Drama and hijinks ensue.

I really really enjoyed this book. It starts with Eddie and Rose practicing kissing, which is a brilliant place to start a book. The plot is fast-paced and the reader gets swept up in the excitement of meeting one's hero and going to stay with them. Setting most of the story on an island could have limited the action somewhat, but the author avoids this by drawing on different aspects of the island and utilising the space fully. The characters are lively enough to ensure there is never a dull moment. There were a lot of references to the characters being cold, though, which made me appreciate my Teddy blanket all the more. The ending snuck up on me but the story had a satisfying conclusion, and even the parts that made me want to scream were enjoyable. My suspicions about the plot came true and it was fun to see how those played out.

As well as having a strong plot, INFAMOUS has a cast of diverse and engaging characters. The main character, Eddie, is interesting. She is very set in her ways and believes she knows everything and discovers that she actually doesn't know very much. As I am a similar age to Eddie and Rose, I felt their frustrations about the world and saw my own flaws reflected in some of Eddie's less desirable traits. Rose is Eddie's long-suffering beat friend; she is gentle and kind but isn't afraid to stand up for herself when she has to. Of the other characters, Valentine stood out immediately as one of my favourites, and I also loved Dayo. Juno the dog is a delight and she helped me visualise the scenes; she made everything feel more vivid and alive. Can you tell I'm a dog person?

For better or worse, we see Nash Nicholson through Eddie's eyes. I wondered if he would be similar to Thomas Thorne from Ghosts but the two are complete opposites (and would probably hate eachother). Nash is a vital character; he holds both the keys to the house and the keys to Eddie's future as a writer. Whether Nash is mad, bad, and dangerous to know remains to be seen. (I would have liked to learn a bit more about his relationship with Byron but that's just a personal thing).

The writing in INFAMOUS is strong, insightful, and witty. It manages to feel both Regency and modern, without the dialogue getting too bogged down in flowery Georgian language. The themes also juxtapose modernity with antiquity, and they work so well. There are good explorations of race, gender, sexuality, class, and trauma, although they could maybe have gone a little further.

Lots of quotes stood out to me. I've put one at the start of this reveiw, but my favourite was about London. It made stop and think about how well it sums up my feelings towards this place, and I'll be thinking about it for some time.

This book is perfect for fans of historical fiction, people who like LGBTQ+ fiction, and those who like their drama sprinkled with humour and jokes that always land and make you feel like part of the gang. It was a really fun read and I can't wait to read it again when it's published. Come and scream with me once you've read it!