What happens when you combine Mean Girls and Regency romance? You get this book! Will I be recommending this book to basically everyone? Yes! It's witty, a little dark in some spots, but overall a FANTASTIC read!

You know that feeling when you watch a trailer for a comedy or a romcom and you’re like “wow this is going to be great!” and then you go and see the movie and you’re kinda like “YIKES were the only good parts of the movie the ones they included in the trailer!?”? That’s the feeling this novel gave me.

I wanted to like Georgiana, but I definitely did not / couldn’t stand her. The stories surrounding the supportive characters (aka her newfound “friends”) were just confusing and bland - to be quite honest, I don’t know the difference between Jonathan and Christopher! Frances, the leader of the pack, was terribly written. I cringed when I realized that OF COuRSE the “villain” was going to be half-Black and all of the rest of the folks who had been “””badly influenced””” were white. I commend the author for attempting to bring non-white folks into the Regency era because they existed! BUT I think the execution could have been WAAAYYY better (I honestly had to skim through some pages because I didn’t want to DNF the book). The actual love interest (Thomas Hawksley) was cool but he was a sprinkle and not central to the plot. Maybe if the novel would have been classified as a novel and had no comparisons to Bridgerton or Jane Austen, I wouldn’t be so harsh (Not to say I’m a huge fan of Bridgerton’s execution but that’s for another review).

Overall, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. I’m glad to have received it as an ARC (thank you NetGalley!) because I would have been disappointed if I’d bought it.

When it says Mean Girls meets Bridgerton…100% correct. This book was entertaining, and felt very modern, despite not taking place in the modern day. I haven’t read many books that are more of a regency era/period drama, but this book definitely has pushed me in the direction to read more.

Parties, friendships, lunches, and even more parties. The parties that Georgiana attends seem like the kind of parties that I would love to attend. The friendships made would not always be exactly what I would want, but if I were in Georgiana’s shoes, I would gladly except to be apart of that group. The characters were interesting and I found that I wanted to know more. Following Georgiana from the beginning of the story to the end was an amazing journey, and it was constantly on my mind while reading it, and even in the days following.

I throughly enjoyed this book, from the stories of friendships and romance, it was so enjoyable. I would definitely read this again and recommend to others.

Although there are no explicit or overly descriptive scenes, there are some heavier themes that occur through the book.

This book was delightful! Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl is an incredible accurate description. Perfect for those who love historical fiction, romance, and drama.

I have seen lots of different references for what this book brings to mind for readers. Personally, I would say that regency Mean Girls is a more accurate description than either Jane Austen or the Bridgertons. That suited me fine, as I love Mean Girls.

Georgiana has moved in with her aunt and uncle because her father chose a new position as sxhoolmaster. She attends her first party knowing no one in society until Lady Frances approaches her and offers to share her flask of cognac. From there, Georgiana is swept up into a fast crowd with Frances and her friends.

This is as much a coming of age story for Georgiana as it is a romance. There's a large cast of characters, many of whom are quite dreadful. The book touches on racism and misogyny as well as drug and alcohol abuse.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse

3.5 stars rounded up

~Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book!~

5⭐𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
•This book was so interesting and honestly, after a stressful week, it was the perfect, humourous, feel-good book I needed.

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
•The plot was mainly focused on the characters and while I normally don't enjoy books like that, this one I did with enthusiasm. The plot mainly focused on Georgiana's life and the changes she experienced and even though the focus wasn't on it, it was still interesting to read.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
•The development of Georgiana and the other characters was so well-thought-out and I loved watching them learn and grow up. Betty was a personal favorite of mine and I just adored Thomas. The antagonists were also written well. I felt like the two-faced traits and wishy-washy friendships worked in this story and made it intriguing and a page-turner.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
•This is what appears as a simple comedy book but soon evolves into a great coming-of-age story with a historical twist and a little fun!

I really liked the idea for this book, and I do love a good regency book, but I feel like this one missed the mark for me personally. I’m going to give it a second read to see if it was just because I wasn’t in the right mood for a regency, or if it really just wasn’t the right book for me!
The gossip girls/ mean girls/ Bridgerton vibes were great, and the first three chapters kept my interest, and Georgiana’s growth throughout the book was very enjoyable to watch!

I had high hopes for this book, as it was billed as a regency era Mean Girls, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I found it to be very slow, with not much happening for the first 2/3 of the book. I wasn't really sure where it was going, but then it picked up towards the end. I got the "Mean Girls" references and similarities, but it wasn't very effective. The ending also seemed a bit rushed. The epilogue tied up a loose end, but I feel like it would have worked better if that had just played out instead of wrapping it all up in a post script. Overall, it wasn't bad, but I don't think I would recommend it to many.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, slut shaming, misogyny

This is such a delight. The greatest triumph is the tone and the prose, it's effortlessly funny and takes you along at a rollicking pace. Its depiction of the dynamics of female friendships as well as the ways women use social power to achieve various ends is excellent, as well as the historically accurate depiction of England as multiracial.

I received a copy for an honest review from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the story, as everyone says, it's like Mean Girls and Jane Austen but in more modern times.

First time reading from this author Lex Croucher, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it!!

This story gave me anxiety needed to know what was going to happen - whoever said this was a Bridgeton cross with gossip girl - that description was spot on.

George was taking a step on the wild side with Francis and her group. She is realizing all the glamour and glitz is way more than meets the eye.

The story took a sad turn with a justified ending but still a deep, entertaining, and sad story overall. I can see this as a TV series one day. I would for sure watch it.

The thing George has to manage is to not lose herself in the mix of things and the recognize the snakes for who they are

I think George loses herself for a while but grows and becomes better with everything after it all

This just wasn't for me.

From the cringey cover to the boring content - I couldn't get into it and cannot recommend this. I think it was published too early and needed a few more rounds of drafts and edits.

As a devoted Janeite, I was excited to read this title, but also as someone who has a love/hate relationship with Mean Girls, I was slightly frightened of what this book would turn out to be. My reading experience did involve both of those feelings, but ultimately I enjoyed it and it brings up some wonderful points. I liked that Croucher included a racially diverse cast of characters and a rainbow of sexual identities, too, as they are indeed things that have always existed in the world, however little they have previously been acknowledged in portrayals of history. I also loved the way it handled things that have and still happen to teens all over the world: feelings of rebellion, betrayal, loneliness, and a desire to belong. The fact that Croucher has Georgiana acknowledge that there are many varied ways for someone to respond to sexual assault and that no one way will be right for every person is SO important for teens to hear, especially in a post-MeToo time. Indeed, every character was multi-faceted and more real than I've seen in a lot of YA fiction these days, and that made the reading experience really rewarding. The only thing that pulled me out of the story was the many anachronisms. I think it would have been possible to explore all of the topics contained in this novel while also incorporating period-appropriate manners. Croucher references Regency approaches to homosexuality and premarital sex, but then completely ignores them when it comes to everyday physical touch, such as "sympathetic shoulder squeezes" between an uncle and niece. Perhaps I'm being a bit too fussy here, and these certainly don't detract from the book's many excellent qualities. I would also include trigger warnings for alcohol poisoning and sexual assault. These are the same reasons why I would be hesitant to adopt this book for classroom use or to recommend it to a student.

There is something so refreshing about a book that makes you a laugh, while dealing with some dark content at the same time. Georgiana finds herself thrust into the glamorous world of the wealthy when she meets Frances at a party, and things just get crazier and crazier as the story goes on. It definitely made me think of Gossip girl but make it Jane Austen inspired (as the description says).


Georgiana for most of the book
There is so much going on with this book. I legitimately laughed out loud several times, and I loved how vivid the characters were. There was some amazing representation in this book! I loved the romance, but I think the bigger focus was the friendships. Though they weren’t all good, Lex Croucher really did an incredible job of painting a realistic picture of money not being able to buy you happiness. Georgiana got to see all these rich people be miserable just like her, and I think we all need that sometimes.

This story wasn’t just about a boy, it was about finding yourself and overcoming the trials that life throws at you. Whether that be your parents leaving you behind or not understanding how to be happy surrounded by piles of money. I think my only issue with this book was that there were times where I felt like storylines got lost, because like I said, there was so much going on in this book. Nevertheless, it was a great read and such a refreshing historical fiction, romance, comedy, semi dark book!

While the plot of this book sounds good I can’t get over the cover. The cover is so bad and so “bridgerington” like that it makes me not want to pick up this book. While I hate to admit it, I do judge a book by the cover and I can’t get passed this one.

I loved this book!! It was a wonderful reading experience and I look forward to reading more books by this author. This was a new to me author and I found I enjoyed the authors writing style.

A quarter of the way through this novel, I'm so bored and confused that I can't really see my way to the end. The publisher claim was "Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Jane Austen, in Reputation, a Regency-era historical romantic comedy with a deliciously feminist twist, from a hilarious new British voice, Lex Croucher," but what I actually read was more along the lines of "historical setting with anachronistic characters follows bored youths as they navel-gaze ad nauseum." I don't care about any of the characters, least of all "bookish and sheltered Georgiana Ellers," who has the personality of a muddied hem.

What Reputation makes clear almost immediately is that it's not a romance, historical or otherwise. It might be a novel of manners at best -- or a too-early draft of something more genre-conforming at worst. Ultimately, it feels like this one came out the gate too early.

Historical romance (including historical romantic comedy) critically engages with the setting not only for fashion and cultural mores, but for the political and social constructions restricting women's identity-making. Love empowers these women to challenge the status quo, and allows them to carve a place for themselves outside the norms that would keep them confined. Reputation seems to have missed the memo, giving us a cast of characters who feel anachronistic. The historicity is window-dressing, nothing more.

While Lex Croucher has lovely line-level talent, this manuscript needed better editing and more accurate marketing. Hopefully, future offerings will skip buzzy comps in favor of setting more realistic expectations.

As a long time Regency/Jane Austen lover, I thought the synopsis sounded daring and I wasn’t disappointed in the daring part. However, I did find myself disappointed overall. Don’t get me wrong, there are some delightful bits of writing and banter! It was just too much of modern day behavior and language and impropriety of the age that did not fit at all that just sat poorly with me. I tried to think of it as alternate history which helped, but it still just felt wrong.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had high hopes going into this read. I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen books, recently read and enjoyed the Bridgerton series and am a fan of the shows GG and Bridgerton. A book that was supposed to deliver this? I was very excited.

Unfortunately this one was absolutely not for me. I didn’t see or feel any vibes or connection to any of the referenced series.

I was disappointed to find all of the characters to be unlikable - I didn’t see any grey or redeeming qualities.

The book also did not read in a historical/ regency era way - so many implausible situations.

I was very disappointed- the cover, description, comparisons all had me eager to try this one. I think readers who are used to historical romance / regency or Jane Austen will struggle with this one.

I understand and appreciate all the time, effort and skill that goes into the creation of a book. This is not to take away from that extraordinary accomplishment, merely to say that I am not the intended reader of this book and it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Truth be told, it took me a bit to get into this book, but I’m glad I did! Think Regency era meets Gossip Girl and you’ll get the gist. I loved the ending. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.