Content Warning: Drug and alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, neglectful parents, death of a family member, and sexual assault.

This is essentially a mix of Bridgerton and Mean Girls. It was a really captivating book, but the plot pacing felt a bit off at times and some plot points seemed important but then weren't mentioned again or didn't serve any further purpose. There was also a big section of the book dedicated to the sexual assault. I think the characters were well written although some seemed written around common character tropes. I loved Georgiana's banter and wit with Mr. Hawksley though!

3.5/5 Stars

This book was DELIGHTFUL. Mean Girls meets Jane Austen, with more than a dash of sex-drugs-and ballroom dancing. As a fan of Jane Austen, and Regency fiction, I just knew I had to check this out.

Our main character is Georgiana, a young lady of middling means, who has been shipped off to her aunt and uncle's house by her distant parents. And she is BORED. That is, until she meets Frances Campbell at a party. Frances brings excitement into Georgiana's dreary life, and Georgiana is immediately enchanted. Soon, she is drawn into Frances's circle of friends and high-flying world. The parties aren't quite as PG as those in Austen's world, and the scandals are SCANDALOUS. But the more Georgiana is drawn in, the more she wonders if she can ever fit in, and if she wants to. Perhaps the cost of being the queen bee is more than she is willing to pay.

As I said above, I was delighted by this book. The characters were well-drawn out, and even when they behaved badly, you still rooted for them (with the exception of one truly villainous character). There is LGTBQ rep and discussions of how that fits into the regency world. There is a lovely romance, which isn't the main plot (as compared to most other YA regency novels). Plus, the sex-drugs-and ballroom dancing is exciting!

This romance satire book didn't do it for me. The premise is an attempt to make romance "feminist," which ignores the fact that many feminist romance books already exist! Race is treated rather sloppily, and sexual assault is present throughout the story in a way that suggests certain kinds of unruly women perhaps...deserve it? I found this book to be problematic in those ways, and ultimately it just did not deliver the fun, sharp story I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgiana begrudgingly goes to live with her aunt and uncle, the Burtons and is having a dreadfully boring time, all the time. That is, until she meets the infamous Frances Campbell. Georgiana is immediately swept up in Frances Campbell's world of wealth and partying. As she and Frances become closer friends, Georgiana begins to question what she is actually looking for in this world of high society and if the friends she's made can be considered true friends at all.
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WOW. This was like Pride & Prejudice meets Gossip Girl meets Bridgerton meets Mean Girls. This book has me in an absolute chokehold (I know I say that a lot, but I wholeheartedly mean it this time). The character development? Unmatched. I was rooting for Georgiana the entire time and I was so so happy to see the woman she grew into throughout the story. I was also surprisingly proud of Frances by the end.

The romance was absolutely precious. Mr. Hawksley is a slightly less rude and more shy version of Mr. Darcy and I absolutely loved it. Every interaction he and Georgiana had left me foaming at the mouth. It was excellent.

I found the storyline to be surprisingly relatable, given the historical time setting. Georgiana feels the pressure to be popular just like so many girls her age - couple this with extreme boredom with her monotonous life (or so she sees it), she learns some very valuable lessons.

The story tackles hard topics like sexual assault, coming to terms with your sexuality, and ultimately finding yourself while still remaining relatable and downright hilarious. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Content warnings for this book: drug/alcohol abuse, sexual assault, rape, racism, sexism

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy that I can force my friends and anyone who will listen to read it too.

The characters are hilarious and reminded me of one of my favorite book series growing up ( The Clique is still amazing to this day imo).

If you love drama and chaos (or anything closely related to Gossip Girl) I can't recommend this enough.

Mean Girls meets Gossip Girl with a Jane Austen twist.

Set in Regency-era England, Reputation follows Georgiana Ellers as she adjusts to her new life living with her aunt and uncle. Georgiana is longing for adventure and excitement, and she finds both when she meets Frances Campbell, a socialite with a penchant for mischief and debauchery. Georgiana quickly becomes enmeshed in Frances' life and finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of glitz, glamour, and wild parties.

I loved the representation, the tender female friendships, and of course, Mr. Thomas Hawksley.

Georgiana Ellers has been left with her Aunt and Uncle for the summer as her parents travel. While attending a party, she meets Frances Campbell, a woman of much higher social standing then she. Georgiana latches onto her offer of friendship, and the higher class that will come with it but she wasn't expecting the life of partying and sin she is introduced to.

I listened to this on audio, and I do think the narrator did a great job with the overall vibe of the story... but I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this, hence the three star rating. At times I was really enjoying it, and wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next... but then a few moments later I'd be extremely bored and had to force myself to continue reading. It definitely dives into much deeper topics, such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault and rape, than I originally thought it would. Georgiana was a fun character to get to know. I enjoyed her wit and sarcasm, but hated how easily she was sucked into Frances' mean spirit. It was interesting to see the power dynamics in the friend group though and I definitely think Frances was the most intriguing of the characters. I didn't care much for the romance though, and probably could have done without - but the banter was at least cute.

Overall, it was fun, but nothing entirely memorable in my opinion.

This definitely felt like Mean Girls for the Regency era. I wasn’t sure if there would be more to the story that caught my attention, until the social dinner where Georgiana had her first conversation of substance with Thomas. From that point, the story picked up speed and conflict presented itself. I liked the second half much more than the first and Georgiana was for more interesting and nuanced. We all need more Betty’s and Thomas’ in our life.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the arc.

This book reminded me of Bridgerton and Mean Girls mixed together. Georgiana, our main character, becomes friends with Frances and her group of wealthy, wild, and improper friends, all of whom are rich enough that rarely anyone blinks an eye at their actions. Georgiana must navigate this world, trying to fit in, while also navigating her interest for the quiet, mysterious Thomas Hawksley who is unimpressed with her new friends and lifestyle.

I enjoyed the ending of this book. They way that things wrapped up and different characters grew (and others that realistically didn't) felt very satisfying. I also enjoyed the regency period parties that were the background for this story.

I will admit, I found the first half of the book difficult to get through. I had a hard time connecting with the main character. I appreciated that she was flawed, but found there were too many flaws along the way for me to feel as much sympathy for her. These are the two main reasons for my three star review.

I think that this is a good book for those who love the regency period and who love Jane Austen, Bridgerton, and Mean Girls.

This book comes out in April 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the digital review copy!

The idea of Mean Girls meets Regency romance sounds so fun, but this was just a bit too much. It was a little over the top for me and my reading preferences these days. Thanks for letting me give it a shot!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of this book. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was good and easy to listen to.
I really just immediately assumed that I was going to love this book. After finishing it, I’m just kinda neutral. I haven’t read a ton of regency books so I’m not very well versed in the genre. Despite all the drama that goes down in this, I was still just kinda bored. The description that I’ve seen of this is Mean Girls meets Bridgerton and that’s a far comparison.
The release date is 4/5/22. It wasn’t for me but I think that people who are bigger fans of regency than I am. If you do decide to read it, look up tw there are a handful of sensitive topics that might upset some.

Oh this was fun! Mean girls of the regency era.

There were even call outs to the movie ‘get in we’re going shopping’ and ‘the limit does not exist’. Love it.

Georgiana is bored and feeling abandoned by her parents at her aunt and uncle’s home in the countryside until she makes the acquaintance of Frances.

Frances and her friends are wild, wealthy and exciting for Georgiana who is delighted to become a part of their circle.

However this group has an ugly side that Georgiana soon meets and must decide if she wants to be that nasty too.

i feel like the synopsis does not accurately portray the book—the writing is neither bridgerton or gossip girl, and seems to be figuring itself out at the plot goes on. i was never fully grasped by it unfortunately.

This historical novel flowed so well. I enjoyed the telling of the promiscuous story telling from high society. It entertained and was a unique twist on other historical novels. I didn’t find this novel funny or comical. Instead I found it as a drama with interspersed additions of levity to the story.


The name for this novel related to the novel about 2/3rds of the way through the story. The first 2/3 of the story was a telling of a girl from a lower class befriending a girl from higher society and learning their ways. These ways are not normally what is acceptable as proper etiquette of the days. I’m sure this must have happened as not everyone was willing to be a Nancy be Good but I do not see someone if higher class falling victim to scandals during that time period. A fun read nonetheless.

I received this arc from netgalley for my honest review

This one was not my favorite. I found it hard to follow and hard to read. I had high expectations and this just didn't capture my attention.

This was such a fun and quick read! This book is pitched as Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl, and those comps could not be more accurate (I think I might have caught a few sneaky Mean Girls references, too).

I loved the author's voice, and I couldn't get enough of the banter between the protagonist Georgiana Ellers and her romantic interest Thomas Hawksley. I would have actually loved to see a lot more of their interactions, but this book is surprisingly light on the romcom elements.

There were a few characters I absolutely adored: Georgiana's aunt and uncle, as well as her sweet and loyal friend Betty Walters. And then there were some characters I didn't like so much (including Georgiana at times), but these aren't people you're really supposed to like, and reading about all their debauchery and hijinks is still enjoyable in a scandalous sort of way.

While this is a fun book, it does also get surprisingly heavy at times. I can't speak for historical accuracy, but I did like how the author drew back the curtain on all the things that are usually just hinted at in Regency-era literature.

If you enjoyed Bridgerton, check this one out. I know that If Lex Croucher ever writes another book set in this world, I'll definitely read it.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I really loved the idea of this book, a mix of Austen and Mean Girls sounded like such an interesting concept! In this book we follow Georgianna, sent to her Uncle and Aunts for the summer after her parents sold their house and moved out to the sea for a change of pace. Georgianna is immediately thrust into the socialites world of parties and meets Frances, a wild party-goer who adopts her under her wing. As Georgiana finds herself getting more and more involved with Frances, and her relationships, friends and reputation are jeapordized. Georgianna must navigate her new life in this coming of age story.

I was excited for this book because it was advertised as a rom-com. After reading, I would not describe this as a rom com really at all. It’s definitely a story following our protagonists as she navigates her life during the summer and all the changes.

That being said, it did take a bit for me to get into this book. I found Georgianna to be a pretty basic character and then once she got involved with Frances, she became quite insufferable and mean. All she started doing was drinking and doing drugs and every party became the same. I didn’t feel any chemistry between her and the love interest either. For the most part the biggest thing was I just wasn’t too invested in any of the characters.

The plot definitely did keep me intrigued. After getting through Georgianna getting accustomed to life and meeting everyone, the plot really started to pick up. I did like the modern twist on the coming of age novel and by halfway through the novel I was very invested in her story. Adding a dash of mean girls really added to the drama of the plot.

Definitely a quick read and one I will recommend to friends who want a mix of classic lit and classic mean girls

I couldn’t put it down and absolutely enjoyed every moment of this book. I loved how the main character evolved, changed and learned how to stand up for herself.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin press for a e-copy of the book for and honest opinion.

I honestly didn’t enjoy. I dnf this book. I really wanted to enjoy this book. I really thought I was going to like this based on the synopsis. I just had no interest in the characters or story line.

"Reputation" by Lex Croucher was such a surprising take on the Victorian Romance. She pushed the boundaries on propriety (I was properly scandalized) while also alluding to all the things we KNOW happened behind the scenes. Each character was properly flawed and I enjoyed hating the villains and cads. Sure Jane Austen would have been appalled, but this is a truly gripping work of romantic fiction that I will be recommending to many of my Victorian Romance lovers.