I hated this so much. Eddie and I are the same age but she is so immature and dumb. She never understood what was happening around her and it was so annoying. Rose was too good for her and never should have forgave her.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Delightful sapphic romp with regency sensibilities. You will fall completely in love with Eddie and Rose and even the motley crew in which they find themselves embroiled. A promising extension of Croucher’s world; I can’t wait to see who we meet next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

Nobody writes humor and compelling characters quite like Lex Croucher. Lex drops us into the lives of Eddie (Edith) and Rose as they're confronted with coming out in society, changes in their childhood friendship when they find themselves no longer doing everything together, and trying to understand who they are. This book is laugh-out-loud funny, clever, and engrossing. Croucher does a fantastic job of creating an immersive world and a sweet friends-to-lovers lesbian romance. I loved this one even more than Reputation and highly recommend it for fans of historical romance.

A very different sort of Regency romance! This fun and often funny read follows Edith (Eddie) and Rose, BFFS who pledged never to marry. But here's the thing - they're in their 20s now and well, Rose is going to marry and Edith is bereft. She's a writer who wants to publish so when Nash, a poet, and his wife seem to take up her efforts, it seems wonderful. But is it? There are some delightful twists here so no spoilers from me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

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

Infamous by Lex Croucher follows aspiring writer Eddie as she's thrown into the world of her favorite poet Nash Nicholson while coming to terms with her best friend Rose's seemingly abandoning her in favor of marriage and polite society.

This novel is marked with the witty writing that characterizes Croucher's novels. The characters are diverse and well-developed, with Eddie, Rose, and Nash all being flawed while still extremely likeable. Once again, Croucher delivers on the banter.

My criticisms of the book are that it seemed to drag. While there were hijinx happening all around, it wasn't enough to keep me captivated and was starting to feel unnecessarily long. The first few chapters also seem like a bit of info-dump, where we're told about Eddie and Rose's friendship but we don't really get to see it on the page.

Overall, Infamous is a sparkling historical romcom for fans of Booksmart, though I would recommend it more for everything other than the main romance.

After that however, the story was fairly lackluster. While beautifully written, it wasn’t the most interesting or surprising storyline and every plot twist was predictable from the beginning. I also think it was trying to do a little too much; there were so many little storyline and twists that didn’t seem to add to the main plot and were never really explained too well.

I really, really liked this book. I had so much fun with it, and it did get pretty dark toward the ending but I thought it was overall really well done. The main thing I loved in this book was the characters. It was such an excentric cast of characters and I loved seeing their dynamics play out. Rose and Eddie were also absolutely amazing. I immediately fell in love with them and I adored seeing their relationship developed throughout the book. Honestly, this made me squeel so many times because I thought they were just so cute together. The story also just took me on a ride and the last quarter of this book just did not let me go because it was so full of twists and reveals. It was addictive. The reason this isn't a five star for me is because I do have some questions left over about some things that happened that I just would like more explenation on than we got. However, overall this was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to read more by this author.

I gave this a valiant effort, but I don't think this book is for me. I'm not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers, but I liked the premise of Infamous so I wanted to give it a chance.

I didn't make it very far into the story, but I was getting a lot of Jo March vibes from Eddie––between her dreams of being a writer/author, her independence, her extreme disdain for anything social, and being stuck wishing childhood would last forever while others are longing to grow up. All of that seemed interesting. But she is very far from being Jo March and her personality got annoying very fast. I think Eddie's problem lies in that she's not immature, she just doesn't know how to put others first and not be rude. She's used to getting her way and not having to adhere to societal expectations because of the way she's been raised, and she expects everyone to feel the same. She kept putting Rose on the back burner and wasn't willing to be nice or TRY to participate in things Rose wanted, like attending parties. If they're such best friends and will eventually turn into something more, why not at least put in some effort? I found that ironic because when Nash mentioned having a party, Eddie didn't even hesitate; she was excited, and I wish she had shown that same energy towards her friend/crush. I really felt bad for Rose.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC!

3.5 stars

Eddie (Edith) is so over propriety and polite society. She just wants to hang out in her tree house with her bff, Rose, and write stories. Unfortunately, she’s 22-years-old living in regency era London…so that’s a no-go. Around the same time that Rose announces her intention to marry a boring, older man, Eddie meets the famous poet, Nash Nicholson.

Eddie is continually pulled between her admiration for Nash and her complicated feelings for Rose. Everything comes to a point when their group absconds to Nash’s haunted estate in the countryside for the fall. Mysteries are unearthed, relationships are tested, parties are thrown.

I had fun reading this historical sapphic romance (something I haven’t really discovered before) but I felt like the plot needed to be trimmed a bit. Lose a few early parties, cut down on the haunted vibes in the country and get our girls together more quickly!

And I mean - the biggest question of all is just left unanswered: what the heck happened to Henry?!? Was he a hallucination? Did Eddie subconsciously provide details into Henry’s mother’s murder? Or was he actually shot and Nash buried him somewhere on the island?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

CW/TW: gaslighting, sexual assault, murder, misogyny, infidelity, gun violence, toxic relationships, theft

Thank you to Netgalley & SMP for this copy of Infamous by Lex Croucher! This is out 03/21.

Sometimes I feel like the word Bridgerton is now being used as click bait for books. Sometimes stories are just a regency romp and we don't need to compare it lol. I liked Eddie, but definitely did not like Nash as much.
I found this story fun, but not memorable. I will still listen to Croucher's next release because I do like her witty writing style and characters, this one just wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this one. I heard it compared to Little Women but gay and that feels extremely accurate. It's one of my favorites this year so far.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Croucher's previous work, Reputation, and I was initially thinking this was the same plot with the same beats. I was then happily surprised when it went in another direction. Yes, the character that Eddie, our protagonist, is bedazzled by turns out to be a d*****nugget but the rest of the characters were more interesting. Maybe the cover should have clued me in on who the couple at the end would be but that one is on me. Croucher is a great wit and has her characters be smart and snarky and fun to read. Very enjoyable and can't wait to read more from Croucher. 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Eddie and Rose are such engaging characters - while there were a few moments in the novel I didn't care for, overall, I was throughly engrossed in their story, and also deeply appreciated the meta about trying to write/trying to come up with ways to describe nearly indescribable feelings. This was very similar in a lot of ays to Croucher's Reputation, and so I think folks who enjoyed that novel will also delight in this one.

DNF at 32%

Oh, this DNF really hurts my heart for so many reasons.

First of all, I have to say that Lex Croucher can write. I absolutely loved the humorous banter between our two main characters, all of the over-the-top side characters, the representation, and the Little Women meets Booksmart meets Bridgerton vibes. However, my issue with this book is that you can basically guess what is going to happen from the very first page. For all of this book's merits, that one glaring issue just kept eating away at the pacing, the characterization, and my overall enjoyment.

I would definitely read from Croucher again and this has actually prompted me to push their debut novel Reputation up on my TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Oh, this was *CUTE*

My Bridgerton-loving heart did indeed love this too. I saw flitting around in other reviews that this is basically queer Eloise Bridgerton, and show me the lie. That's right, you can't, because there isn't one.

Eddie is an outspoken spitfire of a young woman who wants nothing to do with marriage and wishes to spend her time only writing. Her biggest dream is to be a published author and you know what? Respect. I do so love Eddie and she is so damn relatable for me. She's loud and headstrong, but who would know better what is best for her than herself? She did get to be a little much with her complaining and bashing the choices of her "friend," Rose, though, so that's really my only true complaint.

The romance is so sweet! I confess, I was worried the book was queerbaiting for a bit since it literally opens with two girls kissing for "practice," then spends much of the first half with Eddie mooning over a man. But rest assured, it is sapphic all the way to the end, and I loved it! The tension, the angst, the self-discovery--so well done and wonderful to read.

The cast of characters in this made it so much fun and *funny*. Especially with the narrator and how she brought them to life. While the characters that join the writing salons and the house party are all such a hoot with how frivolous and flippant they are, my favourite has to be Nash. There's just something about him that is so magnetic and feeds into Eddie's journey in the best way, even if he is an absolute mess of a man who can only hurt her.

Please let the record show that, while I suppose it had to happen, I am FURIOUS over the ending. On Eddie's behalf, I was absolutely spitting and a week later I'm still mad over what was done to her.

I was a big fan of Reputation, and with how much I enjoyed this I think it's safe to say I'll be continuing as a Lex Croucher fan.

Listen if you like:
❤️ Historical Romances
❤️ LGBTQ Stories
❤️ FMC Authors
❤️ Drama

I absolutely adored this book! I really loved this author’s debut and this was a great follow up!

I love the LGBTQ rep in this story and how there were so many layers. This is a pretty clean romance as well so for those that don’t want the spice this is a great choice!

I loved the following of Eddie’s introduction into trying to publish her first book and the ups and downs associated with her infatuation with Nash a famous poet who promises to help her get published but seems he really is just stringing her along for the chance of a physical relationship.

I loved to see the blooming romance between Eddie and Rose and how their relationship went through the ups and downs as Eddie came to terms with her feelings for Rose.

Overall, I love Lex’s writing style and the way her books are written in a way that are so fun! I highly recommend Lex’s books to those that want an LGBTQ historical romance.

Thank you to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Infamous seemed like it had all the makings of something I’d love: friends-to-lovers sapphic romcom set in the Regency. But all the issues I had with Lex Croucher’s previous historical continue here, and are even more glaring.
The characters are the best part of the book, and I lament that they didn’t have a better story. Eddie is a delightful heroine, and the Eloise Bridgerton vibes come through in spades. She’s a bit difficult at times (and I know not everyone likes her), but I can’t help but admire her for her writing dreams and desire for a more unconventional path than most women of the era. Rose is more conventional, getting engaged early on in the story to a man, in spite of the long-standing tension between her and Eddie.
And then there’s Nash: I love when Byronesque bad boys are made into the villains they likely actually were in history, instead of glamorizing them. Nash is a lot of fun initially, and I can see how Eddie was taken in by him and his charms. The gradual reveals of all the red flags were well done.
But the actual “romance” is where this book falls flat. So much of the book is spent on Eddie being distracted by Nash to ease the blow of possibly losing Rose, that it kind of forgets that the book is meant to be a romance between her and Rose. And while there’s a subtle attempt to create this implication that Rose’s marriage was a lavender one, coexisting with Eddie and Rose’s clandestine sapphic relationship (and this arrangement is completely valid), I needed more textual evidence that this arrangement worked for all parties involved, especially given that Rose’s impending marriage was the inciting incident for Eddie’s choices throughout the book. The ending also felt much more literary than romantic, with the choice to convey much about their unconventional arrangement through the hearsay of literary critics of Eddie’s work, some writing decades after the fact, while the narrative proper left things in a very ambiguous place.
I can’t help but feel a bit gaslighted by this book, even knowing from Croucher’s prior book that I probably shouldn’t expect a genre romance. But at least the marketing for that one seemed to suggest that that was the case there, whereas the blurb for this one used terms like “friends to lovers sapphic romance.” I imagine newer romance readers won’t mind this as much, but any more well-read romance readers should keep this in mind before picking this up.

I did not love this one. I had difficulty connecting with the characters and the story took a while to make sense to me. I was really looking forward to a fun, queer regency romcom and this was not it.

i wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book like i did! it gives bridgerton vibes, and has a huge LGBTQ+ community rep!! it reminded me a lot of Eloise Bridgerton. it was a really funny, cute, sweet story that i enjoyed and i can’t wait to see other people feel the same way when it comes out!