I had very high hopes for this title, but it was not for me. I decided to put the book down at 7%. This didn’t feel like a real regency romance at all.

Finishing Reputation the night before season 2 of Bridgerton comes out just feels like the planets are aligning because I can now watch Mean Girls before I go to bed and it will amount the the absolute perfect weekend, scientifically speaking. Factually. This book was so great. It was funny, witty, and has characters that I somehow equally screamed at but also loved all the same? How? I don't know, Lex Croucher obviously has magic. But while the surface was fun, it also went deeper, darker, into a place that brings up some much needed conversations. I think Lex Croucher handled those topics so incredibly well.

Reputation by Lex Croucher is a drama filled story set in the regency era. However, the number of scandals, the language, and the shear amount of debauchery is far removed from the literature of that era. It starts off slow and builds to utter chaos. Georgiana is a middle class girl whose parents' send her to live with her aunt and uncle.

Though she starts off a lonely, good girl she soon meets a gang of privileged aristocrats and gets pulled into a life of parties and flirtations. Things go too far and she starts to lose sight of who she is as well as starts to get a reputation.

Although it is said to be a romance, I would classify it as a coming of age drama light on romance and heavy on scandal. Georgiana does have a romance, but he is a classic good guy behind a brooding exterior, and she is the young heroine he needs to save from all manners of foolishness.

Throughout the book though it isn't just the men who save the day, there are strong female characters who speak out for what is right. Unfortunately, we spend very little time with these characters and instead focus on the popular, posh people.

This book also deals heavily with the aftermath of topics like sexual assault and ones Reputation. A good third of the book is focused on that. The author does have a content warning for this.

Overall, I rated it 3.5 stars as it was enjoyable, unbearable (oh how stupidly these people act), and generally entertaining.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. These are my honest opinions.

I am not a historical romance expert but do love to dive into the foreign time period and immerse myself but this book was unlike any other historical I've read. I was surprised by so much of the book which i think is a good thing. It felt like the first half or more was a group of rich high society friends spending their summer attending unsupervised parties, drinking to excess, and indulging in drugs-- all of that was news to me. Additionally sexual assault and rape were part of the story both on and off the page which again was shocking. . When I picked this book up I saw that it was a romance, so I kept waiting for the meet cute that would lead to the courting but that seemed to take a while to develop and it was secondary to other story lines.

Overall the story was an eye opening take on historical society that I had not yet read and made for lots of parallels to modern society. It covered themes of fitting in, class distinction, expectation versus reality, how money doesn't make one happy, and the pressures of being first born, or of being a woman in society. As for the romance, once it took off, i was totally shipping the couple and wish there was more of their relationship on the page.

Trigger warning; SA

When I started this book, I thought it would be a lighthearted, fun read with very little substance. But I was very wrong! This book is fun and enjoyable, but it also addresses very serious issues! In this novel, Georgiana has been abandoned by her parents and is bored living with her aunt and uncle when she meets Frances and falls in with a crowd known for their wild, drunken parties. As she joins this group, she contemplates whether her reputation and her morals are worth giving up for this friendship and the excitement it brings. But then (spoiler alert), one of the members of the group assaults one of her friends and attempts to do the same with her. She is forced to deal with this trauma and balance the danger to her reputation and the danger of letting this man walk away without any consequences. This book handled this issue really well. It recognized that there are many very valid ways of dealing with the trauma caused by assault. It also talked about the challenges of coming forward with your story and confronting the abuser in these situations. This book addressed these issues while having a lighter plot with interesting and vibrant characters.

Reputation by Lex Croucher was so fun to read. It was a refreshing take on the regency romance and I loved reading every moment of it. This will definitely be a hit with those who are fans of Bridgerton and Mean Girls. Croucher did a great job of creating loveable yet well rounded characters and a storyline that kept you entertained. I cannot wait to recommend this book to everyone.

This is such a fun book that breathes new life into the regency era. Though the cast of characters were a bit confusing at the beginning of the book, by the end I was attached to many of them and very invested in their stories. I really loved this look into what young adults in this this time may actually have been doing in their free time (hint: not just embroidery and brooding).

Overall this is a great book and with season 2 of Bridgerton just around the corner, this is filling the hole that the show leaves and I am very exited for more book from Lex in the future.

Reputation is a hilarious, charming, and brilliant story. I could not put this down and ended up staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish it. It's a fast-paced read that is very reminiscent of Mean Girls, and while I know that it will be compared to Bridgerton a lot, I am not sure that it fully accurate to say. Either way, Lex Croucher did a very good job of making this Regency Era story feel modern and relatable to today's audiences - They blended the two so perfectly.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the plots centered around the struggle to be a young woman and finding out just where your place in society is. How much of yourself are you willing to let go of to fit into certain standards? Are you willing to go against it all?

Reputation is a story about sexuality, belonging, consent, love, and most of all friendship.
I could not recommend this enough.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy for review. I will be publishing it on my Instagram as well as Goodreads.*

Reputation, is definitely an unusual Regency story! It's Regency meets "Mean Girls" and at times seemed way too contemporary to me, but then I knew what was getting from the book description. The book is full of interesting characters, heroes and villains and very difficult subjects. The madcap characters make for a very fun and enjoyable read.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Reading this book was like watching a car accident in progress and not being able to do anything about it. I knew where this story was going (it’s not only inspired by Mean Girls - some of the dialogue was almost verbatim), and it was emotionally brutal. And yet, I couldn’t look away. These characters are all young, well-to-do, and ignored by their families (even Georgiana, who is a rung down on the social ladder), and so it’s no wonder they make remarkably poor choices. Fortunately, like in Mean Girls, there is some redemption by the end, and it’s most satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was a delight. The author paints the characters so vividly, causing readers to adore or vehemently abhor them. Either way, they become parts of our lives for a short while, making it quite difficult to tear ourselves away after that last word is read. I love the way she writes, so proper and old-timey. I am quite dismayed that I do not live in this world she created. Excellent book! Thank you, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press, for this advanced copy!

A fun Regency romp filled with humor, very bad behavior, a dashing rescue upon the moors, and parties that Jane Austen would never have approved of!

After her parent's leave for the seaside, Georgina Ellers is left in the care of her aunt and uncle. Georgiana is resigned to spending her time going from one dull party to the next, but then she meets Francis Campbell. Francis is everything that Georgiana isn't: she's wealthy, has a gaggle of friends, and isn't afraid to participate in things that would make other ladies of their standing blush. Desperate for any kind of companionship, Georgiana latches onto Francis, and soon her life is turned upside down. She's introduced to a world of debauchery where the drinks and hands flow freely. Georgiana is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in Francis's good graces, but can't stop embarrassing herself. Especially in front of Thomas, who is quickly taking up residence in Georgiana's mind. But Georgiana learns that in their social circle, reputations are everything-- but at what cost?

If you were to take Mean Girls mix it with Gossip Girl and set it in Victorian London, you would get this book. Croucher's writing style is very cheeky and easy to read. I went into this thinking it would be a breezy read and was surprised when it was a bit darker than I anticipated. Character-wise, I thought Georgiana came across as very young and impressionable. She was so willing to go along with whatever Francis did, even if that meant being rude or mean towards those who didn't deserve it. Due to this, I had a hard time warming up to her and didn't feel much of a connection. Despite that, I did still enjoy this. It didn't blow me away, but it was a fun time.

Anachronistic and silly. I don't expect historical accuracy out of my historical romances, so I could get behind the anachronism if it weren't for the overladen plot -- abusive parents! neglectful parents! sad parents! clueless guardians! secret romances! rape! friend fights! totally unearned redemption! -- and paper doll characters. This is a predictable teen soap opera trying to mimic Jane Austen -- except, it feels like they've only read the Cliffs Notes.

I really wanted to like this. I like the idea of tweaking a Regency romance to be more modern. But this just didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF at 33%
I love unfolding teen drama and regency. Combining the two sounds like a match made for TV. In fact, I could probably watch this with a bowl of popcorn and not blink an eye. It didn't work for me on page. There didn't seem to be any relationship or character or plot arc developing and pausing reading for life didn't feel as disruptive as I would have hoped. The only thing that seemed to be happening was carousing and sneaking around to the detriment of others.
The best part of this book and why I would keep going is the narration by Bessie Carter. Her voice and performance is easy to listen to. However, when I would stop listening to switch to reading, I found myself wondering why I was continuing to read. I may go back to it if fellow reviewers say the last two two-thirds is magic.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Macmillan Audio for the alc. All thoughts are my own.

Unfortunate this one is a DNF for me

“ Jane Austen meets Mean Girls “ perhaps .. but I just couldn’t get into the story at all. With regency romance the story and characters really have to grand me right away.

Lot of others seem to love it though - so give it a try !

Imagine Mean Girls but in Regency England… and you have Reputation. Georgiana is new to the neighborhood, staying with her aunt and uncle after pretty much being abandoned by her negligent parents, and she’s bored out of her mind and dying for some fun and friends. She falls in with a wealthy group of heirs and heiresses and lots of debauchery ensues. This is not Jane Austen. It is a comedy with a romance plot but that’s not really the focus. The characters are diverse (people of color, on the LGBTQ+ spectrum) and messy and comical. If all of that sounds good to you, I highly recommend! I definitely enjoyed reading it.

CWs for death of a family member, sexual assault, alcoholism, and drug use

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC via NetGalley!

Reputation had me sold when I read “Jane Austen meets Mean Girls.”

Regency Romance meets a little extra drama and a modern feel for “living your best life as a strong young woman” ….. if that sounds up your alley than this one is for you.

With a strong protagonist, a band of wild fun women, and a journey of self discovery this made for a corky rom com read.


Unfortunately, the characters felt very disconnected and I found myself not wanted to invest into their stories.

Although it was not for me, I encourage you to take time to read other reviews of those who loved it!


Thank you to the author, st Martin press and netgalley for gifting me an e-arc.

Literally nothing is happening. One third in and nothing happened apart from the main character meeting this Francis wealthy lady chick and wanting to be around her to party and drink and do all kinds of mayhem even though apart from drinking no other mayhem took place.

And there were a few scenes of open bullying weaker characters who just had the misfortune of being kind to the MC and I felt so uncomfortable at those scenes being just swept off and not addressed in any way that i have to give this up.

Thumbs up for the old-timey writing that was quite impeccable but it is not enough to keep me going.

DNF @ 25%. I was excited for the theoretical premise (Jane Austen meets Mean Girls/Gossip Girl), but I didn't connect with the writing (which tries to bridge the gap between flowery and blunt) or with the main character, Georgiana, who is far too mopey and unlikeable for my taste. I'm sure others will enjoy it, though!