This is a very specific type of book, I will be upfront about that. If you read Regency books and watch period dramas and think that the footman should’ve been in a specific place or an earl’s daughter wouldn’t have been addressed as X, Y, or Z, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you love the fun, fast pace, and melding of modern and period in Bridgerton, there is no better book for you.

The tagline on the back of the book is, “There is a truth universally acknowledged… that girls just want to have fun” and that really sums this book up! While I’m sure it comes to no one as a surprise, I wasn’t a popular person growing up as I spent most of my time dancing. This book gives you a look into the “popular girls” of the Regency period and a quasi-modern telling of their fast-paced lifestyle. It is an entertaining and fast-moving book, and wonderful for a mental escape from the stresses of adult life.

While Reputation took me a little bit to get into, I ended up really enjoying it. It's advertised as Mean Girls meets Bridgerton and they are not wrong! It's very enjoyable and fun. I loved the characters and the writing had me laughing out loud so much.

I will be purchasing a copy of Reputation for my library

DNF @ 26%. The description of this sounded really fun (Mean Girls mixed with Bridgerton) but I felt like it took too long to build the backstory. I gave it a quarter of the way through, but I’m still waiting for the story to start.

A YA Mean Girls/Gossip Girl set during England's Regency era. This is a true YA, not a crossover (which is fine, YA is great on its own and doesn't need to cross over!); most adults will probably be annoyed by the series of poor decisions made by and unthinking cruelty of the protagonist, who still manages to land a morally decent man by the end.

The novel is pretty true to the Mean Girls storyline, from the protagonist being a bookish nerd at heart, to the existence of a queen bee with an entourage including a dimwitted-but-gorgeous blonde, to a romance with an off-limits man forming a subplot that doesn't rise to the level of making this a romance/romcom (despite the book's marketing to that effect). The Gossip Girl element comes in with plenty of drugs, alcohol, and debauchery, all but the last of which our heroine partakes of unquestioningly despite her previous quiet and bookish life. Content warnings for rape/sexual assault (multiple), drug use, bullying, death of a loved one, parental neglect, underage alcohol use, and alcohol overdose.

Bonus points for the inclusion of characters of color (which, Croucher's careful to note in an author's note, did exist in 19th century England despite their frequent absence in 20th/21st century media depicting that time) as well as members of the LGBT+ community in a substantial proportion of the secondary characters.

Adults looking for a fun Mean Girls/Jane Austen mashup will not find that here, but this may well interest teens who like their novels with modern sensibilities but set in earlier eras.

Okay so this book is billed as Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl, however I would put it more as Mean Girls and Gossip Girl/Cruel Intentions meets the regency time period. That's not a bad thing, this book is an interesting amalgamation of the uber wealthy boredom and the lengths that they will go to stop being bored with a regency setting.

I liked the story. I couldn't bring myself to like the majority of the main characters, but Georgiana is interesting. She got so lost in Frank's sphere that she becomes like Kady in Mean Girls and has to find her way back to herself. I liked some of the supporting characters, and others kind of grew on me. I almost gave up reading it at about 20% but by the time that I hit 30% I was fully vested in finding out what happened next and how Georgiana would handle the next thing thrown at her. I did appreciate that this story blended the Bridgerton series with people of color moving freely in the upper crust, but also was a little more grounded in what probably occurred.

I recommend this for those that enjoyed the Gossip Girl books, and who like the regency time period.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Lex Croucher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book prior to the US release date.

Fresh and fun and freaking hilarious. I loved this so much I already want to read it again! I thought the premise was so unique compared to other historicals and I laughed throughout the whole thing.

Looking for something to cure your Bridgerton blues?? Then look no further! Reputation is witty and fresh Regency Era Rom-Com that will have you doubled over with laughter.

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s press for the advanced copy.

I couldn’t put it down and rooted for Georgina from the beginning. It was so satisfying to witness how the character evolved, changed and learned to stand for herself!

This was an entertaining, well-written historical romantic comedy. It was clever, fun, and held my interest. I wanted to find out what would happen next and how things would turn out. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

This novel is full of charm and wit and such a delightful debut from Lex Croucher. This novel is currently marketed as a romance and while yes there is a romance story line, it is a bit more secondary. This novel reads more along the lines of a young adult or new adult regency story, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially if you enter the story with the proper expectations. I think Lex Croucher does a lovely job of crafting an interesting and well paced story. The dialogue is quippy and the characters are delightfully diverse and well rounded. This is a great novel to pick up if you are looking for a story about the ups and downs of societies influences during the time as well as the exploration of young women and how they influence each other in their friendships.

This novel follows Georgiana/Georgie's debut in Higher Society and learning to navigate the social waters. She has been abandoned by her parents and currently residing with her aunt and uncle. Georgie is of a middle class but in moving to this new environment she finds herself under the wing and influence of Frances, who is very wealthy, and her friends who open Georgie's world to the party side of the upper echelons of society.

This novel is compared to Mean Girls meets Jane Austen and it is a very apt parallel. This tag definitely drew me to be interested in this story and definitely clued me in that this novel would probably be a bit more focused on friendships and relationships over a full blown romance. Lex Croucher does a really nice job drawing inspiration from the theme of Mean Girls while crafting a new and fun exploration of society through the eyes of someone learning what these types of parties and get togethers look like behind closed doors. Georgie is young and innocent so it is very understandable that she becomes easily influenced and charmed by the unknown. I do like that as she goes deeper into the world she starts to learn more about herself, what she wants and how to ultimately stand up for herself. There is a secondary romance between her and the hero-Thomas, who happens to see her at her best and worse. I do love that Thomas is always on her side and finds her charming and real.

I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a fun and well written story that explores friendship, peer pressure, and personal growth in a regency world. Lex Croucher does a wonderful job of creating a world with subtle diversity that feels natural and true to the story. I am looking forward to seeing where Lex Croucher goes from here!

Reputation had a little more punch than I was originally anticipating. I honestly expected it to be a much fluffier piece. However, one should be advised that it definitely deals with some very serious topics that could be trigger warnings for some. For that reason, I'll have a spoiler in my review and I usually try to avoid that. I will list the trigger warnings at the bottom of my review for those that do not want to see them, you've been warned.

That said, this book definitely kept my attention and kept me turning the pages. Georgiana has recently been sent to live with her aunt and uncle. After living a very sheltered life, she's thrown into a social circle full of wealthy and social climbing individuals. It's definitely not an environment she's used to navigating. One of the more wealthy girls befriends her early on at a party and pulls her into the "it group". Instantly she is exposed to things that she is unaccustomed to and is quickly "swimming with sharks" so to speak. She will find out that everything is definitely not as it seems where friendships are concerned. Valuable lessons are sometimes painful ones.

If you are looking for a light and fluffy rom-com, this is not your book. If you are looking for something a bit deeper with tough topics, then it may be for you. Trigger warnings: rape, attempted rape, drug use, binge drinking

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained here are my own.

This was an okay book which takes place during the Regency times and is about a woman who moves to a new town and joins Frances and her friends where she is exposed to drugs and parties. After Bridgerton and stumbling upon historical romances, I knew I had to pick this one up. But sadly I was disappointed with how modern this supposed historical romance was. The writing style didn't seem right for it and felt more of a mix between YA and New Adult. The overall plot of the book was okay but there wasn't much of anything huge that was going on. The book was a smooth ride on the plot mountain instead of readers getting their climax. The pacing was great and I liked the approach that the author was going to.

I enjoyed the main character Georgiana as I felt kind of close to her in a way as I moved before and know the feeling of trying to blind in and just going into any friend group that will take you. I enjoyed her character development as she knew that she needed to keep her true self and worth. There are many side characters in this book who are diverse and lgbtq+ representations. I really enjoyed how Croucher put these characters into the book and how they played out. There is romance in this book but it wasn't the main factor of the story and was just simply there. I was disappointed of the lack of romance as that was what I was mostly looking forward to.

The ending was well done but I wish I got more from this book then what I actually received. I think so many parts of the book could have been straighten out through marketing like correct labels as the book was great but I didn't get the things I wanted. Overall this is a great book and I think many readers will enjoy it especially those who are fans of Bridgerton meets Gossip Girls and Mean Girls.

Goodreads tagline is “A classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen.”

What I loved:
✨Representation in a Regency novel: LOVE this - we have BIPOC characters and LGBTQ characters!
✨Sarcasm: lots of laugh-out-loud funny scenes and lines
✨Side Characters: Betty, Thomas, Thomas’s father, and eventually Mrs. Burton.
✨Romance: Thomas and Georgia’s letter writing was my favorite scene in the book.

What I thought could be better:
✨RomCom Genre: Marketing as a romcom does a bit of a disservice to the book. The book is about Georgia’s self-discovery of who she is and how she wants to represent herself. Obviously, a romance brews in the book since I listed it as something I loved. But the romance between Georgia and Thomas plays as a side story rather than a major plot point.
✨Pacing: The story's beginning moves rather slowly; maybe that’s a function of all the characters in the novel. Personally, I loved the last 40% of the book, so stick with it; a lot happens at the tail end of the story!

Please note that the book does have some content warnings, and Lex Croucher does post these on her website. Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of REPUTATION by Lex Croucher. There were parts I really enjoyed about this book and other parts I enjoyed less. I didn't really enjoy the partying/getting really drunk and/or high scenes. I understood why they were necessary, they were just definitely the parts where I wasn't loving reading the book. I did very much enjoy the romance between the main character Georgiana and Thomas. Their tension made my heart ache, which is a very good thing. The writing in this book was also genuinely funny and there were even a couple blatant but clever Mean Girls references that made me laugh out loud—"Get in, we're going shopping." In the end, Georgiana's character development was strong and well-done and it made this book well-worth the read.

Well if this isn't the Gossip Girl/Mean Girls/Bridgerton crossover we didn't know we needed!

This book was such a good time! It was fun imagining what it would have been like if Kady from Mean Girls had happened in the 1800s. Georgina was definitely primed to be the character that we initially like, then hate, then learn to forgive.

Though there is a romantic subplot going on, the focus of this book is really more on Georgina and her new friends. The debauchery they get into is truly jaw dropping, if not a tad unbelievable. While I do believe that such things did most likely happen behind closed doors of the rich at the time, I find it hard to believe that middle class Georgina could be seen coming and going at all hours of the day (drunk no less!) and face no consequences simply because she has rich friends.

But other than that, I enjoyed coming along for the ride that was this book! There are more than a few content warnings to consider with this book however, including SA, abandonment, and loss of a loved one just to name a few.

What a mix of gossip girl, mean girls, and bridgerton. It’s a cute book that neither let me down or wow’d me. Overall just cute.

The characters are a love/hate relationship just like the rich kids in gossip girl. They are privileged and rude but yet you’re still rooting for them. Betty and Thomas were obviously the best out of everyone.

Reading this book did feel like a YA novel even though it’s not advertised as such. The characters feel young even though they are talking about heavier topics.

TW: drug use, rape, sexual assault

Reputation by Lex Croucher definitely had some good moments. This is a rom com very akin to Mean Girls but set in the Regency era. My fave parts in this book were the funny parts. Several times I actually laughed out loud. I think I was expecting more romance which is why I didn’t love this one. This is more a story about a girl finding herself and being a fish out of water dealing with a higher society. I liked the setting a lot. This is a good fun light read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was very good!
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advance review copy!

This is supposed to be a coming of age rom-com set in a historical romance. It is funny in a Mean Girls way but it also covers some very dark territory. Georgina Eller’s is left with an aunt and uncle while her neglectful parents move to Bath. She falls in with a rich and fast crowd when Frances Campbell befriends her at a party. Georgina is proper, middle-class and loves books. Now she is running with a crowd that drinks, parties without parents or chaperones and indulges in illicit drugs. There is humor in the writing but the darker side includes mentions of sexual assaults, alcohol and drug abuse. This doesn’t fit in with the traditional historical romances I frequently read. The review are mostly positive so maybe it is geared to a younger audience than me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Regency years are one of my favorite eras, so I was very excited about the opportunity to dive into this new book. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, and I wondered if whether this book was supposed to be YA, given the age of the characters and the comparisons to Mean Girls and Gossip Girl. The answer to this question, Dear Reader, is no, but this reviewer feels that the book holds immense appeal to both adult readers as well as YA ones.

I’ve read a few good novels lately, but this is the one I had the most fun reading. Imagine Stefon from SNL saying, “This book has EVERYTHING—coming of age, wild parties, and the true meaning of friendship!

Seriously though, this is simply a delight from start to finish. The plot summary says it all: Georgiana falls in with a crowd of Bright Young Things, who flaunt their disdain for the rules and structure of the upper class whilst also consuming copious amounts of drugs and alcohol.

The prose just sparkles with wry descriptions and asides. Georgiana is an intrepid narrator who is easy to like, even when she doesn’t always do the Right Thing. Readers of all ages can emphasize with the intoxicating desire to want to fit in and the price one often pays to reach that upper echelon. However, as I alluded in a previous paragraph, true friendship is never superficial, but one must often endure a great deal of turmoil before learning who one’s true friends are.

There is a romance element, but it’s not the focal point. It’s more like a romcom, and I mean that in the best way. There’s much more of an emphasis on Georgiana’s relationship with her new friends and adjustment (or lack thereof) to her new fast-paced lifestyle. But the romance is sweet and there’s a whole spectrum of feelings starting with, “You’re tolerable, I suppose” and progressing to “I must tell your how ardently I admire you” and it’s just wonderful.

I would absolutely recommend Reputation. This book had me hooked from start to finish. I know I’m going to be purchasing the Audible, and probably the paperback as well. I’m going to recommend it to all my histrom friends as well as anyone else who will listen. I’m going to be like [insert annoying meme] for at least a month about this book. Everyone’s getting copies for their birthday. Seriously, 12/10 would definitely recommend.


I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley.

Reputation is Pride and Prejudice meets Mean Girls meets Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl. While it was a slow start for me I fell in love with the characters and their rise and fall throughout their summer in Regency Era England. Reputation shows that serious issues like substance abuse, depression and sexual assault have unfortunately been around forever and we got a glimpse into how these topics would be handed centuries ago. Also, we see that there has always been peer pressure and the struggle to find your place in this world.