This was a fun read. The characters were eclectic and fun, and I loved the tension of trying to figure out how to live the life you want within the confines of society. There were times when I really liked Eddie, and times when I was frustrated by her (but I often find myself frustrated with 22-year-old romance protagonists, so this is nothing too surprising!) I understand getting only Eddie’s POV, but I kind of wanted Rose’s at times, too, especially because the “reveal” of Rose’s feelings isn’t shocking to anyone but Eddie.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Infamous.

I really enjoyed Infamous. I’ve not read anything else by Lex Croucher (yet) and went into this book with no expectations. I was immediately enamored with the wittiness of the writing. The dialogue, in particular, was outstanding. Lex Croucher serves some top-notch banter in Infamous.

The protagonist is Edith (“Eddie”) Miller, a 22-year-old who is aspiring to publish her first novel and also just generally figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life. She’s a Jo March type of character – all big dreams and eschewing societal norms. So obviously I loved her. The book opens with Eddie and her best friend of 14 years, Rose Li, literally kissing in a tree “for practice,” so it’s quite obvious where this story is going from the outset. To the reader, at least. To Eddie, not so much. And that’s something I really loved about Eddie – she’s a bit oblivious. There are several occasions throughout the book where she has these realizations and feels dumb for not having figured whatever it is out sooner, and it’s just so endearing and relatable. I just wanted to give her a hug and say you’re not supposed to have everything figured out at 22 (or 32 or 42…).

Both Eddie and Rose are at that stage in life where things are changing for them and they are struggling with the fear of losing each other, and they are extremely jealous of anyone who they see as a threat to their relationship. Rose gets engaged to a man named Albert who seems nice enough and Eddie meeting her idol the poet Nash Nicholson who takes a liking to her and says he’s interested in helping her with her writing career. Eddie doesn’t understand why Rose wants to marry Albert, and Rose can’t stand Nash. So what better idea than all of them traveling together to Nash’s family estate in the middle of nowhere (along with others…including Nash’s wife)? Mayhem ensues.

This is Eddie story, and Eddie is by far the most developed character in the novel. But I want to note that I really appreciated how Lex Croucher wrote the Nash Nicholson character. He’s complicated. You see what Eddie sees in him. You also see what Rose sees in him. Over the course of the story you see more of his behavior and learn more about him to help you form a better judgment of him, simultaneously with Eddie. I appreciated being along for the ride with Eddie on this rather than already knowing whether Nash is a Bad Guy or Good Guy, or a little bit of both.

The main characters in this book are 22 year old Edith “Eddie” Miller and her best friend Rose. Eddie has no interest in following a conventional path and getting married. She has aspirations to become a writer. Her friend Rose wants to find a suitable husband and get married.

You could classify this book as a queer regency rom-com, however there are some more serious themes as well. These include: a slow burn romance between Eddie and Rose, a predator named Nash Nicholson, and Eddies self awakening and path of personal growth.

Overall, I felt that his book was well written and there were some entertaining characters. However, it just not for me as I personally prefer a more “light” escapist type regency romp. Those wanting a story with deeper underlying themes will likely enjoy sinking their teeth into this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

This was an insanely fun read and I loved every second of it. I love the Bridgerton/Pride and Prejudice vibes of this one. Lex Croucher can write all the regency romance books they want and I will happily read them all. The more I think about it, the more I can pinpoint that it’s the humor of the author that comes across in the book that sets these apart from the competition. I loved that the characters actually felt their age and didn't read too young or too old. Definitely give these a read, regardless of whether or not you like regency romances.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Eddie had quite the road to self-discovery, didn’t she? Especially impressive because, wow, she could be so dense and naive. But she got there eventually. I love that Rose knew who she was from the start, and what she wanted in life, even if she hadn’t yet voiced them aloud. And so much of this book has me literally laughing out loud - excellent.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I love this regency-era novel. The author’s prose is so authentic and the characters are neatly developed. I saw and judged the characters through my own eyes, but also through the eyes of Eddie, the female protagonist, resulting in my attachment to all of them. I like how I could envision being there even though it was hundreds of years ago and thousands of miles away. Both Reputation and Infamous, similar books by the same author, are refreshing and intriguing. I hope Lex Croucher keeps churning out books like these!

I was given the chance to read an ARC through NetGalley.
I read Lex Croucher's book Reputation last year and loved it, so I was hoping for something similar. Infamous was alright, not my favorite story, it seemed like a lot of things were just being repeated through the chapters, but the character development was absolutely amazing. I fell in love with Eddie and Rose and was just as infatuated with Nash as Eddie was. Overall, not my favorite way to start the new year, but I've definitely read much worse.

I really enjoyed this. It was a bit more scandalous than I expected, but the characters were really likeable and believable. 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.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eArc of <i>Infamous</i>. All opinions are my own.

Let me just say that every time I get an email saying I've been invited to read one of Lex Croucher's new books, I'm ecstatic. I adored <i>Reputation</i> and was very much looking forward to <i>Infamous</i> as well. I think this book is a little less serious than <i>Reputation</i>, but I mean that in the best way possible. If you have any knowledge of the Romantic poets, you will absolutely love this lovingly crafted satirical piece of historical fiction. One of our main characters, the "infamous" poet Nash Nicholson, is clearly a facsimile of our boy Lord Byron (mad, bad, and dangerous to know), but Croucher manages to humanize him and let us all in on a little secret—celebrities are just human beings like us.

At the same time, through Eddie and her best friend Rose, Croucher shows the perils of getting into any industry as a young, inexperienced woman, the complications of friendships, and what it takes to stay independent and forge your own path.

The only part that had me going "hmmmm" is that Rose, Eddie's best friend, is of Chinese descent, and I do have to wonder—would she have faced prejudice in this Regency world, or are we pulling a <i>Bridgerton</i> here and acknowledging that yes, other races besides white people resided in Great Britain, even if this wasn't likely how they were treated in society?

Either way, <i>Infamous</i> is a fun way to spend a few days getting lost in some queer historical romance, which at the end of the day is a good enough reason for me to keep reading.

Thought this book was funny!
I loved Eddie’, he was a great great character!
Overall i thought it was clever and brilliantly written and funny!

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Earlier this year, I read Lex Croucher's Reputation. It blended the current craze for regency romances (guilty as charged) with more modern dialogue and humor. It was a regency Mean Girls (literally even the famous line, "Get in loser..." made an appearance). I loved it for all its irreverent charm.

Fast forward to when I was granted an ARC of Croucher's newest novel, Infamous. I was over the moon and jumped straight into it. And then a month went by followed by another one. And then another month trudging along trying to get through it. Even with all the excitement in the world I still struggled to finish Infamous. It starts off slow, like molasses slow. For the first 55% of this book I'd describe it by saying "a group of immature people spend too long out in the woods partying." I feel like Infamous could've improved with 100 pages getting cut by the editor.

I think it can be a tricky balancing act determining which scenes are conducive to moving the plot along versus empty exposition which sets the scene. However, Infamous leans heavily into the latter category. And that quickly turns into me being bored. That factored with Croucher's neverending sarcastic Millennial era dialogue makes you end up hating everyone. What I found charming in Reputation has become a monster in Infamous.

One big positive is that I liked the representation in the book. Many different people from different walks of life are featured in this book, and that's great to see in a book set in the regency period set in England. It doesn't feel forced and that's to be celebrated.

My last qualm is that I feel like the ending was rushed (ironic considering that I felt like the story was going nowhere for 75% of the book. There's a scene towards the end that unfolds when the protagonist is tripping on mushrooms and a scene plays out. We never find out if it actually happened or was it a figment of her imagination. It reveals some important tidbits but we're left hanging as to whether anything occurred. It doesn't seem like Croucher meant to intentionally leave it open to interpretation. And so I was left coming up to end the book and feeling that loose ends hadn't been tied up.

I give Infamous 3 out 5 stars. I think the story had good bones, but could've benefited greatly with some refining from an editor.

I really enjoyed this. It was a bit more scandalous than I expected, but the characters were really likeable and believable.

With their first novel, Reputation, Lex Croucher wrote a regency rom com that was as much about friendship as romance and told a historically detailed story with a modern voice. Infamous is a sort of spiritual sequel, with the same mood of twenty-first-century-sensibility-meets-Regency-style. In this work, however, the scope is broader and the story feels bigger than a young woman's misadventures (even though, on a literal level, that's more or less what it is). Infamous is primarily about love rather than friendship, and it's about the world: art and its importance, power and who wields it, the rules society makes and who is allowed to bend or break them.

And it's an excellent read. The main character, Eddie (short for Edith), is a sort of British Jo March - a fiery and talented writer who cares little about the opinions of others. Her best friend, Rose, is a delightful foil, and her crush, Nash, is charmingly awful; watching these two secondary characters draw out different sides of Eddie's personality is so engrossing and emotionally grounded that the Gothic background of the story feels almost comedic. It's not until we near the story's climax that we fully see what Eddie has been missing, about the world and the people she loves most, all this time.

I hate to skip to the end, but I live for a good epilogue, and this one was the perfect bow on top of a wonderful gift of a book. It will leave you with a wide smile and a sense of justice.
Now, going back, if I had to live during a time of rolling bathtubs and building fires to stay warm, I hope I'd still be as feisty as Eddie, and as loveable as Rose. This story of childhood friends discovering themselves and each other will leave you breathless.

Solid 3.5 stars. You know how the book will end but the ride was a fun one along the way. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for the arc.

I loved the concept of this book, I loved the premise of this book, and I loved the books and characters this book was based off; however I did not love this book. I don’t know how a book that is about women somehow manages to have 85% of the book be about a man. I felt like in setting up the plot and the antagonist, we lost the main characters and their story. That said, I did love the main characters. They’re idiots and I love them. But I don’t think I will get over a promising wlw book being about a very annoying man.

Very solid read but with an insufferably stupid heroine. I know she was young and needed to learn some lessons about life, but it was almost painful to read how stupid she was about the world around her. Despite her being insufferable and stupid, I really enjoyed this coming of age story that is mixed with a healthy dose of cynicism about art and artists and people who are selfishly blind to the needs of people around them in the name of “art.” The ending was shocking but ultimately satisfying, even though in the immediate I wished for revenge I ultimately after some thought found their maturity refreshing.

I’m going to be honest here. I did not like the book until maybe the last 30 percent of the book This is mainly because of Eddie. She’s rude and selfish treats everyone around her awful.

I do want to thank NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book.

Infamous is a historical romance that follows Eddie who is a writer and who is also trying to focus on her writing career while wanting to working with her idol, as well as her best friend rose who is wanting to settle down and get married (which you could probably guess that Eddie is not happy about) being that she has very confusing feelings towards rose.

I really enjoyed this, the main characters were easy to like although Eddie was a bit annoying at parts but the banter and romance in here surprised me in a good way lol. It is definitely bridgeton meets book smart. I wish I would have read this in the autumn because it would have made the vibes while reading fun and warm<3

I look forward of reading more from this author!

Eddie is an aspiring writer grappling with change when her longtime best friend, Rose, starts talking about settling down. Why can’t things stay the way they are?

Enter Nash, a handsome published poet who offers help with Eddie’s novel, and entry into his debaucherous world. Will Eddie have to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary aspirations?

Lex Croucher’s latest Regency romp is delightfully queer and packed with a lot of heart. It is a refreshing yet grounded reflection of the era. Highly recommend!

5⭐️