While waiting on the next season of Bridgerton, REPUTATION was the prefect read to give me those Regency romance vibes!

Overall I really enjoyed this story of female friendship and self-discovery as Georgiana Ellers meets wealthy Frances Campbell and falls into the world of young men and all the vices.

Bessie Carter was a wonderful narrator, and I loved the fact that she plays Prudence Featherington in the Bridgerton series.

*many thanks to St Martin’s Press/ SMPR and Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for the gifted ALC audiobook for review

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Mean Girks meets Emma – it’s not high art but it’s a cute read. If you like the works referenced above, you’ll love this

I have to admit this is truly something akin to Mean Girls meets the younger side of Bridgerton. Georgiana (George) is basically forced to live with her aunt and uncle when her parents abandon her. At a not so exciting party, Georgiana meets Frances. She is the epitome of high life society with her wealth, wild entourage and drunken debauchery. Georgiana learns to love, fight for what is right and find what truly matters in this novel of personal growth and finding oneself.

Georgiana is everything I think most bookworms can see themselves as. Quirky, fumbling, eccentric little wallflowers just waiting for something to happen that excites us like our books do. She was so easily relatable and even at her almost worst, I found her endearing and thought provoking. Though the gravel conversation with her acquaintance did make me think about my own personal “meeting a new friend” weirdness. Like I said, utterly relatable even at an adult age.

Even though this may be regency, I did find a lot of the topics relevant to today. Sexual pressure, underage drinking, alcohol poisoning, abandonment and so much more resonated on a deeper level than I expected. Croucher did an excellent job weaving such relevancy into the narrative. It has many topics that were tastefully done that I think even the younger side of readers can find pause in.

The audio is narrated by Bessie Carter who plays Prudence Featherington in Bridgerton!! You have NO idea of awesome I think that is. Especially after binge watching that series as soon as it came out in one day. She is an excellent narrator in my opinion. I felt her emotional voice and overall disposition fit Georgiana perfectly. To be honest I ended up listening to the majority of this novel I enjoyed the audio so darn much. It’s perfectly paced, excellent tone and the type of regency tone you want to hear for a novel like this.

Thank you Macmillan audio and St. Martin’s Griffin for the gifted audio and digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.

I know I’m in the minority with this book but I struggled so much connecting with these characters. I know that I’m not the intended audience and therefore can’t really judge this book… I understand there’s an audience out there who’ll love this, but it was not for me.

I am honestly struggling with this review. I think the combination of Mean Girls and Jane Austen, , just didn’t work for me. Not because it wasn’t well done, but because I didn’t like the ugliness being blended with a regency romcom. I always struggle when a main character isn’t likable enough for me, and I just didn’t like Georgiana all that much. She was too much of a brat and treated her aunt and uncle whom she was being cared for by, with too little regard or respect.

At the same time, I think this book was well written and accomplished what it set out to do. I would have liked to see more about the courting between Georgiana and Thomas, but that probably has more to do with my preference of Jane Austen over Mean Girls, than any failure on the author’s part.

Overall, I just never felt swept up by the story. I never came to care for Georgiana or the outcome. I have a hard time loving a book when it doesn’t tug at my emotions.

The publisher synopsis for this book paints it as a Regency-era Mean Girls rom-com. While there is some humor in this story, I don't believe it can be accurately described as a rom-com. But the Mean Girls/Heathers comparison hits the mark. We have our lead character, Georgiana, the new girl in town after her parents have left her in the care of her aunt and uncle. She is unhappy and bored with only Mr. and Mrs. Burton for company, and wishes to have an opportunity to find new friends. Then she meets Frances, a party girl who comes from a wealthy family and has her own entourage. Frances welcomes Georgiana into her social circle, putting our story into motion.
I wish the description (and cover honestly) would have really captured the tone of the book. I was shocked at how dark the book became. The first part of the book is fun and light. There are all sorts of content warnings that should be considered prior to reading: binge drinking and drug abuse, on-page sexual assault and off-page rape, toxic relationships, domestic violence, racism, death of family members (off-page), and grief.

While I enjoyed this book overall, I did have some issues. I guess mostly my issue was that I was led to believe the book was one thing by the cover and the blurb, and it ended up being something very different. Had I gone into the book with a better understanding of how dark the tone would become, I probably would have enjoyed it more. So, consider this your warning, prepare your mind, and dive into this book. Because many parts of it were delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, but it is! If I had to describe Reputation I would definitely say it's rom-com meets regency Mean Girls. There are parts that had me laughing out loud, but there is also bullying, rape, toxic relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, societal pressure and other hard topics in this book. It had me hooked from the start and I was all the way in and couldn't put it down!

Georgiana Ellers has been dumped on her aunt and uncle for the foreseeable future, while her parents go off on their own. She's thoroughly bored until she meets Frances Campbell at a party and becomes instantly enamored by her wealthy, and seemingly-care-free friend.

They spend the summer getting up to all sorts of mischief, from un-chaperoned parties and weekends away, to excessive drinking and experimental drugs. Things start to go pretty wrong though and Georgiana starts to wake up to the truth of what is really going on. Can she change course before it's too late?

I really enjoyed Bessie Carter's narration, and the audio comes in at just under 11 hours. Honestly, it seemed much shorter because I was so hooked.

*3.5
Synopsis: Georgiana Ellers has been abandoned in the English countryside, stuck staying with her Aunt and Uncle while her parents gallivant around the coast completely unconcerned about their daughter. At a party, Georgiana encounters a wealthy girl named Frances who introduces her to the fun and uninhibited side of society; Unchaperoned events lead to drinking & drugs, illicit kisses, and secret romances. Although this freedom gives Georgiana a thirst for adventure, she soon realizes the toxicity and danger when everyone seems to have their own games at play and she seems to be stuck in society's cross-fire.

Thoughts:
Coming off the end of my Bridgerton binge-watch, this perfectly filled my regency era void! Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn’t find myself loving it. This is very much Mean Girls set in this time period- Such a FUN idea! I found myself engaged in the world, however, this is a story where the characters are the focus and not much happens plot-wise. For the most part, I didn’t feel like all the necessary characters showed the needed character growth by the end to justify a lot of actions for the characters. I liked that this book tackled a more serious subject in the 2nd half, as I wasn’t expecting it from this story.

The main thing I adored about this book is Thomas. He was the best and he is the reason I wanted to keep reading… I needed to see this slow-burn romance blossom!! The Hawksley men were the VIPs and I wish we saw even more of them!

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martins Press, and Lex Croucher for this copy in exchange for my review :)

*will be posting a review on my bookstagram (@bookedatfirstsight), goodreads, and storygraph!

A fun and engaging novel that asks what if Mean Girls had petticoats?

Reputation follows our main character Georginia who moves to a small town with her aunt and uncle after her parents ditch. Georginia finds her quiet life a little upended when she meets Frances Campbell, a wealthy and wild girl with friends who are the most elite and most unafraid of consequences.

The book is based around Mean Girls and has plenty of references to prove it, even with the main character's name. If you grew up with this movie you’ll love the familiar lines in a new context. The plot is simple enough to follow along and much like Cady Heron, you’ll be conflicted with cheering on your main character as she makes more and more poor choices becoming a Mean Girl herself.

There is a nice romance which felt a little too underdeveloped but since it felt more like a side plot this didn’t take too much away. The key relationship was far more about Georginia and Frances which was an interesting power dynamic. The side characters were all colorful and detailed especially with the time they are given. Its fun to guess the ‘Mean Girl’ equivalent like Cecily being Karen.

The novel touches on some more serious topics as well and this is where some may struggle with it. The book has several strands of plot about sexual assualt and rape which while important and totally realistic in the scenarios presented, felt rather dark for what otherwise was a fun and light book.

If you are ok with this in a novel, then its still definitely worth a listen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The narrator was absolutely wonderful.

Reputation was billed as a hilarious mashup of a Jane Austenesque version of Mean Girls meets Bridgerton, both of which I love, as such my expectations were high going into this one. Georgiana Ellers is an average young woman new to town and living with her aunt and uncle, the Burtons. She becomes friends with Frances Campbell, the local "it girl" and her inner circle of friends. Georgiana wants to impress them and be considered one of the "cool kids" so she begins following their bad examples, changing her own character to fit in and doing things she wouldn't otherwise do. Is the price of admission worth the cost to be included in this circle? Me thinks not.

Given the earlier comparison of works in this review, I must say that my expectations were not met. I found the characters to be obnoxious, which maybe was the point but it didn't work for me personally and I wasn't invested in any of them. The book had a YA feeling despite some of the serious subject matter. It felt like Croucher wrote a toxic friendship story and then tried to make it Regency to capitalize on the works it was compared to/influenced by....that being said it wasn't historically accurate and I didn't find it particularly funny.

Rating: 2 stars.
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the Advance Listener's Copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Means Girls in the Regency Era. I read that description somewhere, and it is an apt description.
I enjoyed the goofiness of this book,. The descriptions of characters always made me smile.
I listened to the audiobook and I very much enjoyed the narration. The different voices really brought the story to life.
I would recommend this books to anyone who likes a little wit and a good story of women making their way in a society where feelings are not to be shared unless in an incredibly private way.

This is only the second historical fiction book that I have completed. I want this genre to be for me, but I struggle to get into it. I did really enjoy the main character of this book. She was flawed and real and funny and the banter that came from her mouth had me giggling often. I would concur that the description of Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl very much fits!

Reputation is a Regency-era historical romantic comedy from a hilarious new British voice, Lex Croucher. This book was described as Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Jane Austen, so naturally, I had to pick it up. I had high expectations for this book, and I was honestly disappointed. I would describe this book as edgier than expected, but not necessarily well-written. The dedication says it all. “For Jane Austen. Sorry, Jane.” Because any true regency lady would be completely shocked by the sordid behavior in Reputation.

Croucher’s next book should possibly be set in a more modern era, which would allow room for the heavy drinking, drug use and the women’s empowerment movement. There are just so many details that are wrong for a historical fiction. It is definitely one of the less realistic Regency fictions I have ever read. Croucher tries to make the story readable for modern audiences by attempting to tackle some big topics (TW: rape, SA), but unfortunately the characters come across as spoiled brats instead of empowered young women.

So don’t read this if you are a stickler for historical accuracy, because you won’t find it here. I appreciate what this book is trying to do for diversity, but there are some passages that are just plain bad and positively inaccurate for any century.

I can see where the work drew inspiration from Jane Austen’s works. The romance between Georgiana and Thomas give me a very Lizzy & Darcy vibe, but Georgiana is Darcy in this tale. And in the spirit of Emma, our MC is haughty, unimpressed by everyone, and borderline rude. I started to dislike her and her “friends” around chapter five. Georgiana does get a few set-downs through the novel, though they do little to humble her. “You’d do better to apply that mind of yours to the improvement of yourself and those around you, rather than letting your cleverness fester into cruelty.”

I LOVED this book. The characters were all so great, the story line had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the audio version of the book.

Reputation by Lex Croucher

“Big reputation, big reputation
Ooh you and me would be a big conversation, ah…” - Taylor Swift, End Game

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for a chance to read this eARC!

Seemingly tired of the responsibility of parenthood, Georgiana Ellis’s parents drop her off with her aunt and uncle, sell their house, and move to the coast. Exposed to high society social gatherings for the first time in her life, Georgiana finds herself drawn into the friend circle of Frances Campbell. Georgiana’s aunt voices her disapproval of this relationship and ultimately forbid her from carrying on with the friendship. Her aunt tries to pair Georgiana with girls that she seems suitable but determined that she knows best, Georgiana continues on with the ill-advised pairing. It doesn’t take long for Georgiana to find herself on the wrong side of Frances. Frances makes quick work of working to spoil Georgiana’s reputation.

Jane Austen meets Gossip Girl in this coming of age tale of friendship, love, and learning to respect oneself. The narrator of the audiobook completely nailed it and enhanced the story wonderfully. You feel the intense emotions that accompany each experience that Georgiana goes though.

I recommend this for those who enjoy a good romantic drama.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ - 4/5

An advance copy of this audiobook was provided in courtesy of Lex Croucher, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Griffin for review purposes. Thank you for generosity.

I was interested in listening to this audiobook because I was in a mood of light-hearted historical romance a la Bridgerton series. I was attracted to the cover suggesting a girlfriend dramady in Regency era, which is an apt choice. While the book is categorized as "romance" and it reads as such, it mainly focuses on the main character, Georgiana Ellers trying to find friends and herself in her society. Abandoned by her middle class parents and being cared by her stodgy aunt and uncle, she meets wealthy Frances Campbell, a free spirited girl with a group of high-class friends. In wanting to belong to "in-crowds" and being fascinated by Frances, she accepts her invitations to parties and starts to change herself.
The writing is light and bubbly with humorous touch, yet it also includes some of the modern topics which makes story apart from many similarly themed books. It reads like a Pride and Prejudice with a modern twist.

The 4 star rating is for a target audience of this genre (YA or new adult historical fiction or romance). It may not be the masterpiece fiction of the year, but very much enjoyable if you like the genre.

The audiobook is narrated by Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington in Bridgerton series, and she does a good job adding bubbliness to the main character.

Reputation by Lex Croucher has been hyped as “a classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen,” the marketing for this book seem very pointed aimed at this book being the pick-me of Regency romance (she’s not like other girls!), but does it hold up?

Reputation is ambitious in trying to maintain those familiar notes and threads of a romance, while clearly trying to amp up the drama to soap opera levels. I’m not necessarily a fan of the “naive character gets caught up with rich friends and learns hard lessons” plot (unless it’s the pure wannabe-Gothic thrill of Northanger Abbey), but I did find myself charmed by moments of sensuality and swept up into the complex relationships between certain characters.

The audiobook is definitely worth checking out, and the narrator (Bessie Carter, known for her role as Prudence Featherington in Bridgerton) sounds like Lady Mary from Downton Abbey when she reads certain characters. It just adds a layer of snobbery to some of these characters.

The book (spoilers ahead)

Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I don’t think the apt comparison is Mean Girls. It feels like Emma, Northanger Abbey, Gossip Girl, Atonement and even some Vanity Fair mixed in. With a big splash of Gilmore Girls (the seasons when Rory goes off to be a shitshow with Logan). There’s high stakes society drama, there’s drinking, there’s bright young things pushing against the constraints of the upper class rules, there’s sex (and there’s non-consensual moments as well, FYI! Please check out the CWs on Goodreads before reading).

Even after reading it, I still don’t know how I feel about it. I don’t love it, that’s for sure though.

Georgiana Ellers, the middle class girl staying in town with her aunt and uncle (absentish parents really solidifies this Northanger Abbey vibe), makes fast friends with the wealthy Frances Campbell (think Isabelle Thorpe but actually popular). Georgiana is swept up into the rich kid circle, think Gossip Girl here, and she quickly learns she’s gotta tiptoe around feelings, because despite her lack of income making her soooo not a threat to these girls, they circle her like harpies, waiting to bite when she doesn’t follow all their little rules.

This gets intense and heavy in a way Mean Girls only hints at IMO. The drinking and drug use lean more toward the harshness of disenchanted teen dramas than pretty, pink commentaries. Much like Northanger, Georgiana is in very real, very severe danger in many ways.

There is a sapphic romance happening, but it’s not the main plot. I almost wish the main character had been one of the ladies in that romance, but here we are. We get other queer characters throughout and I hope if the author is writing more, we get to focus on more intriguing characters. There are also BIPOC characters in this story, but in terms of “good representation” well… that is up for debate. I really think I would have felt differently if they’d been the heroine or hero we followed as the POV character.

Ultimately I think this book tries to do a lot of things, while still staying in the lane of a traditionally Regency romance, but there’s just too much going on in terms of the writing. It felt like the author couldn’t decide what she wanted this book to be, who she wanted to be most interesting. I do think there were interesting relationships and identities to explore, but it felt like so much was crammed into the end that you could blink and miss some wrap-ups.

What you should drink with this: Rosé until you feel so hungover for the characters, then grab a coffee.

Who should read this: Fans of Gossip Girl, Atonement, and high drama. Rory Gilmore’s Logan years.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. The narrator was amazing, but I needed a trigger warning for a few things in this book. I am so grateful I was given the opportunity to read.

If you enjoy gossip girl and can handle some explicit things, then I would recommend this book to you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook. Truly the narrator was phenomenal!

I really enjoyed this take on a regency romance. It had all the villains and swoons. It has some major trigger points for anyone that is sensitive to that. It says consent in the description, but it is more forcing himself on her when they aren’t even in a “romantic” situation. There wasn’t kissing before or anything, just a monster of a man thinking he can take what he wants.

I would have LOVED to see more of Thomas and his dad. They were excellent. It was well written and a delight to listen to.

3.5/4 out of 5⭐️

This was such a fun, well written, and fast-paced read. There was drama throughout the whole story. I felt like this was between Bridgerton vibes and Mean Girl (vibes/group). Georgiana Ellers tries to adjust to her lifestyle at her aunt and uncles home in the English countryside. And she meets people who change her view to a new world/society. This was a little darker than I anticipated, but nonetheless, it was a fun read.

TW: sexual assult, rape, alcohol, and drug abuse

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for this ARC