It's regency England and you're a young lady in polite society. It has its own set of rules but you're... your own self. This is where 22 year old Edith Miller and her best friend Rose find themselves. Rose is happy to follow the traditional life path of marriage-babies-family but Edith, who goes by Eddie, has something else in mind. What it is, she's not sure, but she's always wanted to be a writer. The two young women have been best friends since childhood, and this is the first time they've not been in lockstep.

When Eddie meets her literary hero, poet Nash Nicholson, she begins to think that maybe she could be the published author she's always fantasized about. Nash's arrival upends things for the two women, who are invited to spend some time at his family's country house. It all seems above board until they get there.

The characters, main and supporting, are believable and amusing. Even the younger sister is appropriately annoying. Nash could be a caricature but for the deft exposure of his 3-D self.

Eddie is our narrator and she is worth rooting for. She's a bit hard-headed and clueless but she figures it out in the end. Being in her head while she figures it out was frustrating in an amusing way because she is clever and observant in many ways, except when they pertain to her.

The challenges that the characters navigate are the same ones people face today, just with Regency dressing. Having goals but not being sure how to go after them, questioning one's sexuality, will society/my family accept me, what are my choices in life, etc.

This book is clever and funny - I definitely laughed aloud alone in my apartment several times during reading. I think the story also did a great job of highlighting queer love, romantic love, and love amongst friends. I think this made it a more complete romance because as we get to the unconventional HEA, we explore all the other kinds of love that exist in the world.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Infamous by Lex Croucher

The story follows Eddie, an aspiring writer, and her friend Rose who have been friends for a long time doing everything together. Eddie is horrified by the betrayal of their friendship because she allowed herself to be courted by a man. At the same time, Eddie makes the acquaintance of Nash Nicholson, a poet, who invites her along with Rose and Rose's fiance to his house party.

This book is hilarious funny and is centered around regency times. Eddie is disappoint that Nash has criticized her writing and offers to edit her book. Eddie realizes what is actually going on with Nash.

I felt the book was fast to listen and it kind of have the Bridgeston vibe to the story. Which I liked so this one was just as good. If you are a fan of the Bridgeston series you will most likely enjoy this story.

Narrated by Ellie Kendrick and did a good job bringing the regency vibe to the story and her reading it helped the humor in the book play out like it should. This was a solid four star read and I highly recommend this book to lovers of regency romance with an LGBTQ twist.

This is the first time I read something from Lex Croucher and i plan on reading from her again in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for a free audio copy of Infamous for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This book is set in the regency era and follows our MC Edith (Eddie Miller). I appreciated the book for what it was and what it offered, but I felt that it should have been a bit shorter. I also wanted a stronger conclusion for the events regarding Eddie's book.

In addition, I was perplexed about the accident with Henry at the end and wished there was a better explanation for it.

Overall, it was a good book that I was able to listen to in advance thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

I loved the narrator. She was very entertaining. The book centers around the friendship and growing love of Eddie and Rose. Eddie is focused on becoming a published author that sometimes she puts it above everything. I wished Eddie caught on quicker to people’s motives. She’s smart. I wanted to yell, open your eyes! I also wished the ending would have been more. It felt a tad rushed. But I’m happy that love won out in the end and karma got those who needed it.

It took me a while to get into it, but once I did I LOVED IT!! It is a fade to black, sapphic, regency romance. I was re-watching Bridgerton before I read this and oh did it quell my thirst for more. I am fully satiated now.

Everything really started getting interesting to me once they left London to go stay at Nash's family home. I wish there was a comeuppance but I understand why that was not the case. The ending was adorable. I could tell the plot twists in advance but that didn't take away from the story for me. It just enhanced how utterly clueless our FMC is. Which she entirely is.

I 100% recommend this book. It is coming to the States soon and I'm so happy because I know this will get devoured!!

🖋This is a voluntary review in exchange for the Audiobook ARC I received from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio❥

Sapphic Bridgerton you say? Friends-to-lovers with coming-of-age hijinks? Sign me up! I loved Reputation by Croucher, but I may love Infamous even more 💗.
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Twenty-two-year-old Eddie has been best friends with Rose since childhood. The two have always been inseparable, whether sneaking bottles of wine or practicing kissing in their treehouse. But while aspiring author Eddie wishes to remain single and continue this life indefinitely, Rose is ready to enter society and marry. When Eddie befriends her literary hero, poet Nash Nicholson, he welcomes her into his circle of eccentric artists. But is there room for Rose in Eddie’s new exciting life? And will Nash live up to his hero status?
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Eddie gave me all the Eloise Bridgerton vibes 😍. Her passion, wit, and creativity are rivaled only by her unapologetic magnetic personality 💗. While Eddie is fairly naive at the beginning of the story, I loved watching her mature and find herself.
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I read and listened to this one. Ellie Kendrick does the narration and listening to Eddie’s dry humor through her voice had me chuckling out loud 😁. Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for these digital ARCs in exchange for an honest review.
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Infamous - Lex Croucher
4.5/5⭐️
Pub Date: 3/21/2023

This took me a minute to get into it, but then it was so fun! I'm not always a historical fan, but this had Alexis Hall vibes of the fast paced dialogue, a cast of outcasts, self-discovery, and--like all new adult books basically--this trainwreck of an issue that you can definitely see coming for at least 200 pages but the 22 year old main character CANNOT. I want to read spinoffs about at least 3 different characters from this book.

It was well narrated and it is a joy to have a NetGalley app that works over 2x!

Absolutely lovely. The story remains relatable regardless of the historical setting. The characters are unique and engaging. Eddie has the feel of Jo March and the outcome so many of us would have loved for her.

For fans of the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton (who particularly love historical romances with a modern twist). A modern tale set in a not-so-modern time. This is a regency romance for those who don't read regency. That said, if you are a fan of the genre, this is likely not for you. Regency romances have rules and structures that this book often does not follow. For those who seek comfort in those patterns, this might be a bit jarring. That said, if you are a romance fan looking for a fun, historical twist, I definitely encourage picking this up!

DNF @ 25%.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the main characters felt like knock offs of a certain recently popular historical romance series.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

This is a really clever, well-written and fun coming of age sapphic historical romance. I absolutely adored the narrator for the audiobook, as well.

It's gotten a lot of Bridgerton buzz about it and I can somewhat see it, especially with how it's a large relatively relaxed family. But that's about all of Bridgerton I see in it, as it quickly spins off into a quazi dark somewhat debauched houseparty on a remote island.

The love story does not take center stage (why it isn't a 4 or 5 star for me, personally), it's more of a transformation story for Eddie as she discovers who she is and who she loves. And it definitely started to feel like a gothic novel about halfway through the book, which I didn't mind, but again, it departed from a true romance vibe.

Be advised this is a kissing only book, as Eddie is only discovering her true feelings for Rose here and it's all very tame. If you're looking for a high heat level, this one probably won't suit. But it had a lovely, soft tenderness about it that was very nice.

My biggest problem with the book was my love-hate relationship with Nash Nicholson. The meet cute between him and Eddie was SO fantastic I had to rewind and listen to it twice. I loved him so much and the fact that he was a villain while also being so charming was torture for me. I want a Nash redemption, damn it! He's responsible for like 60% of the great one-liners in this book and I can fix him, I just know it.

All in all, I'm giving it 3.5 stars because it's wonderfully written and intriguing enough to keep you going, I just wish the romance was more of a main character.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC audiobook.

I was curious to read Infamous after enjoying Reputation last year. This is a fun and consuming story of two best friends (or maybe more?) set in 1800s England. I found myself wrapped up in the story and enjoyed spending time with Eddie and Rose.

I'd also say I found the book a bit over-long (I had the same reaction to Reputation), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I absolutely loved this story. I've spent the last week listening to it, and have been excited to be able to spare away any extra time to keep listening.
Eddie's internal debate between wanting to find herself yet have her world stay as it has always been was incredibly relatable.

Eddie and Rose were such loveable characters and their friendship was truly the heart and soul of this story.
Reading about them navigating new and different parts of society while having individual goals and struggles was something I think everyone would have some experience with.

I think the take home message was really that, even if you think you know who you are and what you want out of life, you have to be open to changing those if you want to really be happy.

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to listen to this story in advance, I look forward to its release in stores!

Eddie and rose have been best friends for years. When Eddie asks rose to swear to never get married and she obliges she thinks that’s it and her and rose’s relationship will never change. Eddie is shocked one day to find rose isn’t taking her pledge as seriously as she had intended her to.

I really wanted to like this one, I enjoy both historical and queer romances a lot, but this really fell short for me. I really didn’t like Eddie all that much which made it hard for me to connect with the story. On top of not liking Eddie I felt that all the other characters also seemed to lack any sort of development. This one just was really a miss for me sadly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Eddie Miller wants nothing more than to be a writer. Her best friend, Rose, is her biggest supporter, and the one that grounds her to reality. When Eddie meets the writer/poet she looks up to most, Nash Nicholson, her life is turned upside down. She loves his writing, but how else will he fit in to her world? When a whole artistic crowd decide to go to Nash's country estate, things turn chaotic, a bit drunk (among other things), and cold. Will Nash's promise to show Eddie's manuscript to his editor be her dream come true? And will Rose, who is not a fan of Nash, still be there by the time it happens?

A regency, sapphic romance? Yes, please! While I didn't always find Eddie to be a likeable main character, I wanted to follow her through her chaotic life to see if she could become a successful writer. There was much foreshadowing in the writing, and I had the big twist figured out before it happened, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the novel. Great writing from a new-to-me author, and I definitely recommend this to romance readers everywhere!

Such a great read for lovers of romcoms and sapphic historical fiction alike! I had a lot of fun with this one.

This book was everything, if you’ve ever wanted to see Jo March from Little Women living unapologetically queer, this story is for you
If you love the secret side of history and love the “and they were roommates” stories, this is for you
It made me laugh out loud, gasp out loud, and cry both happy and sad tears
It was chock full of witty insight into writing and what it takes to be an author
It’s a wonderful story that gave me Jane Austen and Lou M Alcott vibes in all the best ways
I’ll be honest I only picked this up because the author has a book coming out later this year that I’m really excited for “Gwen and Art are not in love”. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this story but I loved it so much
Excuse me while I go immediately read everything else Lex Croucher has written

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I love Eddie and Rose! This was a very fun, entertaining, and sweet queer historical romance. There were some parts that were really funny and other parts exceedingly frustrating. Overall, I loved the story, especially the ending!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

This was a lovely book narrated beautifully. The characters are compelling and the characters wonderfully diverse. I will be recommending this book to all fans of romance!

DNF at 85%

It’s so slow and this is the 6th time I’ve had to check how long is left because I just want it to be over