Grab a regency fan and your pearls before accompanying these ladies in the tea room for gossip! I simply adored these characters and applaud the author for such a wonderful read.

I wrote a short review of this book. It was fun, but the modern tone did not fit well with the historical setting.

<i>*I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*</i>

Described as "a classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen," Lex Croucher's debut Reputation was a fun read but I think some of the marketing is a little misleading.

For one, I wouldn't necessarily call this a romcom and I'm not sure how Jane Austen-esque the book is other than having a Regency setting. The Mean Girls comparison is spot on though. There was even a "Get in loser we're going shopping" line.

All of the characters in this book are really messy, which I like and thought made them feel authentic. Also, I like that Lex Croucher combats the whitewashing of the era by purposefully including Black and Indian characters and noting that though they existed in "high society" that doesn't mean they were always accepted. There is a lot of drug and alcohol use throughout the book and the plot does feature sexual assault.

While I enjoyed my reading experience, I think going in with the right expectations is key and if you wanted a light, fluffy romcom maybe skip this one for now.

For transparency, I used to watch the author's youtube videos when she was active and remember when she announced that this book was coming out. I was so excited for it because it seemed like it would be such a fun novel. That said, I just don't think this book was for me. While the writing was well done, and I did feel like I was in a regency novel, I just couldn't stand our primary characters. I know that they aren't suppose to be likable and that the friend group is suppose to be modeled off of an almost Mean Girls-esque cast, but I just found them so horrible. The only two character's I liked were Betty and Thomas (Which again were suppose to be likable characters.) But I couldn't understand why they liked Georgina, when she was so terrible the whole time. I think there is an audience for this book, but as someone who identifies as a straight edge punk, I couldn't find their drinking and drug abuse fun nor their antics entertaining.

Reputation is a unique novel among the many set in Regency London. The first I have read that includes a POC as a main character, as well as the first to show the seamier side of life among the elite young adults of the day. It isn't all teas and chaste dances! This made for a quick read, that kept my interest, even though it wasn't what I was expecting.

From the cover of the book and the bit of the blurb I read about Reputation, I went in expecting a romcom, but after the first chapter or so, this is definitely not what I got. At the back of my mind the whole time I read this book was that I knew these kids in high school. The story has a a very Mean Girls vibe, set in Regency London. The further in the darker it became.

Georgiana has been left at her childless aunt and uncle's home, while her parents go elsewhere to "take the air" due to her mother's "bad health." While there she meets Frances, a popular upper crust young biracial woman and is flattered by being accepted into her group of entitled friends. Left to her own devices by guardians who don't know better and/or believe her lies about where she is and what she is doing with her new friends, she is introduced to drugs, alcohol abuse, and men who are definitely not gentlemen. The combination can only lead to trouble.

Thanks to #netgalley for a digital review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

I was really hoping this would be a YA version of Bridgeton (without all the spicy scenes basically). Unfortunately I was disappointed. I did not like the characters and I feel like they did more whining than anything else. This was a miss for me.

Rating: Did not Finish. I will be giving this two stars on NetGalley because I can see why it would work for some

I got 15% into this and have decided not to continue. I was thinking that it would be a more salacious take on Jane Austen, but it didn't read that way to me at all. I did not care at all about the main character. She and the group of friends that she hooks up with are pretty full of themselves and rather cruel to the people around them, but it wasn't clever or quippy or amusing, so it was just not an enjoyable reading experience up to this point.

It also didn't read at all like an Austen story, which was what I was promised. Mean Girls meets Austen I think is how it was pitched. But the main character in Mean Girls starts out a decent person that you can root for, even when she becomes the worst.

Overall, I just didn't care at all about where this was going and have no desire to continue to see what happens to the main character. There are hints that there are a better group of people she could hook up with, but like I said, I just wasn't interested in getting to that point.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Reputation by Lex Croucher releases 4/5/22

I couldn’t finish reading. Maybe I read it at the wrong time. I wanted to love this book so much but maybe it will do better in my head next time.

Thank you SMP Romance for my copy!

4.5⭐️ “It all began at a party, as almost everything of interest does.”

Reputation is The O.C. & Mean Girls meets Pride & Prejudice in this debut smash from Lex Croucher. I loved this mix of modern themes in a historical setting where the heroine finally gets the last word.

It was witty, refreshing, smart and left me with a satisfying sense of conclusion. Our heroine, Georgina, has a character arc for the ages, it will make you want to stand up and cheer!

Croucher covers a variety of themes including sex, identity and challenging the status quo with her now signature style and grace. I am already eager to get my hands on her future stories.

This book carries with it some heavy subject matter. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings before proceeding.

Thank you to @LexCroucher @StMartinsPress & @NetGalley for this eARC, all opinions are my own. Reputation is available for pre-order and will hit shelves April 5th, 2022.

“Get in, Georgina. We’re going shopping.”

TW⚠️ Abandonment, Abusive Relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Attempted Rape, Sexual Assault, Blood, Broken Bones, Bullying, Drug Use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Poisoning, Queerphobia, Racism, Rape (Off Page).

I really wanted to like this Regency romance styled in the fashion of a naughty Jane Austen novel. Georgiana has been sent to stay with her Aunt and Uncle and is introduced to a circle of men and women who are definitely not above reproach. I made it to about 30% but I just couldn't recover from the lack of a compelling storyline and had to set it aside. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy. Fans of Julia Quinn's Bridgertons series might enjoy this more than I did.

Unfortunately I did not finish, i just could not get into the book or the characters. I really wanted to like it especially based on the description but just all the characters seemed horrible, and I was not interested enough to see what happens next.

Thank you to St Martin Press and NetGalley.

I was drawn towards this book right away because it was described as Jane Austen meets Mean Girls which just sounded like a hilarious and delicious combo.

Lex Croucher does not disappoint and fully delivers on this promise. I throughly enjoyed every page and appreciated this different take on the Regency era. If anyone is sick of the Bridgerton-type romance novel, this will be the shot of whiskey in your tea you’ve been waiting for.

This is a book where characters behave badly and are to some extent all a bit of the villain. It gets messy and, as has been mentioned, pretty dark. I thought the author made some choices that required more consideration (ie. making the Regina George a mixed race girl and the only one to appear on the cover, this didn’t sit comfortably with me) but the cast is more diverse than your typical regency so snaps for this I suppose. If you want a fluffy romance then I suggest you skip this one.

I would recommend it and am looking forward to the audiobook which my friend has told me is quite excellent.

CW: sexual assault, drug/alcohol use, homophobia, racism, violence, death of a family member.

I'll be honest, when I first started this book, I didn't know what to expect. I was drawn in by the promise of an experience like the ever delightful Bridgerton. But instead what I got was something like Mean Girls meets Pride and Prejudice - as though it was actually Elizabeth Bennett who becomes swindled by the Plastics before she realized just how deeply wounded Regina George is.

There was drama, there was a love story, there was the blossoming of friendship, but at the heart of it all there was the lesson that people are only truly happy when they accept their authentic selves and are loved for no other reason than that.

What I thought would be simply an entertaining victorian soap opera was actually a deeply profound revelation of human nature. Needless to say, I really loved this one. It was full of some really memorable characters and moments.

I would recommend if your a fan of Mean Girls, Gossip Girls, Bridgerton, or anything Jane Austen!

This was a refreshing delight. I loved that it was written exactly to the tone of a regency novel, just more lively. And discussing things they would never talk about in Austen. I really enjoyed it.

If you're a fan of Fleabag, Mean Girls, and Jane Austen... this book is for you! It shows a different side to the regency era that we all have come to know. It's absolutely wonderful.

Reputation is smart, funny, and gives the audience a regency era romance that is not perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was glad for the diverse cast of characters. The story moved quickly, but ended a little too soon for me. I would still recommend it to our library book club.

I have to say, this book was pretty good. I love me a good regency era novel, so of course, I knew this was a must read. The writing was good, however, the one thing that I found that surprised me a little was that the story was a little darker than I expected. After saying that, I did however enjoy reading it. While there are quite a few different themes throughout, the one I liked was that at the end of the day, the women were really just trying to find a place for themselves that wasn't just being a wife, mother, daughter, and the perfect lady that society wanted them to be. There's a good amount of romance throughout, and I loved the small references to "Mean Girls". Overall, a good book!

It really is Mean Girls meets Jane Austen! Scandalous, fun, but packed a good depthy oomph, too!

Remember when Rory, sweet, innocent Rory Gilmore, finds herself hopelessly sucked into Logan's secret society at Yale -- its kind of like that. But instead of The Life and Death Brigade doing drunken stunts in costumes, these naughty, Regency Era kids are chaperone-less with fancy wine, opium, and Lizzie-Bennett-only-knows-what! You sense it's going to end in an utter horse-drawn carriage wreck, but you can't look away!

It goes something like this... Lonely wallflower, Miss Georgiana Ellers, is staying with her Aunt and Uncle. When she meets the wild and enigmatic Francis Campbell, she is fascinated and gets swiftly caught up in her world of excess and debauchery. She's heard the rumors about Francis, and some of them seem likely, but Francis is kind to her and Georgiana feels so happy to be included.

However, things aren't exactly as carefree and easy as they seemed with the in-crowd, and Georgiana learns this the hard way. (IT GETS INTENSE!)

This book was almost impossible to put down (especially the second half!) and so much fun to read. I expected more of a historical romance, which I wouldn't really consider this, even though I enjoyed the romantic aspects. At times it felt like a Young Adult/New Adult novel, and a very well-written entertaining one too. It isn't all cute fun, however, the themes and events in this book get dark and heavy -- it is balanced incredibly well and I thought it was fantastic. Immediately after finishing I told my historical romance book club to keep an eye out for this one if they like the sound of Mean Girls/Gossip Girl combined with historical romance! I mean, who can resist that?!

I wanted to love this book but I think Julia Quinn and Bridgeton ruined me. Reputation was described as Bridgeton meets Mean Girls which had ME so excited, but the book just fell flat for me.

Although it took me a while to get into, this story ended up being a fun read, and I appreciated what the author was going for! I think for any fan of Bridgerton and comedies like Mean Girls then this book is absolutely perfect.

There were a lot of modern topics thrown in, and the language used didn't really feel right to me so I couldn't really get into the setting. The story also covered a lot of really dark topics and got a little messy while doing so.

I feel like this would be great played out on the big screen, but for me the idea/concept fell a little flat and felt unoriginal.