This period piece with a Bridgerton feel has some wild misbehavior and when class lines get crossed, Georgiana’s summer is like no other before. Quickly captivating, this tale held me through to the end. One caveat however, I was disappointed a bit at the bitter end, as it ended abruptly, but not with an unwanted surprise. In all, a great read that entertained.

This book is definitely not what I would call historically accurate, but that's the fun of it! It has a modern tone and gives you all the fun of historical romance.

This book was fun!

Based on nothing but the cover at all I was ready for some Schuyler sister-esque shenanigans. It didn't disappoint but I will say that I was expecting the romance to be more of the focus. I'm not sure if that's a marketing issue or if I missed that somewhere. Regardless, I enjoyed the diversity and humor throughout.

TWs: death, SA, alcoholism, drugs

*Arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.*

Billed as Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a hint of Jane Austen Reputation checks all of those boxes. Reputation is the story of Georgiana Ellers (the slight Austen reference) as she navigates the complex social hierarchy of the English countryside during a summer with her aunt and uncle. Frances Campbell is the the Serena of the area, constantly up to no good and pushing Georgiana's boundaries. Reputation has just the right amount of drama to keep things interesting without going overboard. I didn't see much of a Bridgerton comparison overall except the time period. Overall, a quick, entertaining read.

Despite not having seen “Mean Girls,” I know “Reputation” follows the 21st century vibe of the film, rather than a Regency-Era rom-com. This book is a little too edgy for a rom-com. Even the language slips from time to time to use phrases and words I can’t imagine being uttered 200+ years ago, and a fair number of social mores have been given the modern treatment. Basically a bunch of young, bored, upper class 20-somethings(? late teens?) drink and drug their days away—unchaperoned, their conduct at times heavily rumored if not an outright open secret—until there are serious repercussions (CW for sexual assault and domestic violence). Georgiana, hiding away in her boredom at a dreadful house party, is discovered by and quickly enamored with the enigmatic Queen Bee, Frances Campbell. Georgiana quickly winds up hanging with—well, what would’ve been considered an “in” crowd in the 21st century, but are just especially scandalous here. Georgiana, however, takes to their vices a little too easily and with gusto. The only person who hangs uncomfortably along the edges is the Darcy-like Thomas Hawksley, who has grown tired of witnessing all of it.
I can’t recall if any of them are of even the most minor of nobility to get away with what they do. Just by a third of the way in all the said drinking, drugging, (getting violently sick from such drinking and drugging) and bored cattiness from the group became tedious, and I had to skip forward. The #metoo moment the last quarter of the book again rang too modern—even if there were people 200 years ago who knew it wasn’t a woman’s fault that she was assaulted, everyone was so obsessed with propriety and social standing that overall the woman and her family would be looked down upon regardless, and overall it was still “boys will be boys.” Just wasn’t a fan.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Georgiana Ellers has been left by her parents at her aunt and uncles house in a new town due to her mothers health. Keep in mind, Georgiana is an adult woman; however, since she is not married, she cannot live alone. Her parents have never been involved in Georgiana's life, they are just kind of there and have always treated her like a roommate, or another adult in the house. So when Georgiana's aunt starts acting like a mom - Georgiana pushes back.

The aunt and uncle live a quiet life and Georgiana is not happy with sitting around and doing needlepoint, she wants to experience life. At a party shortly after her arrival, she meets Frances and quickly realizes that Frances is her way out of boredom. Georgiana is treated to a completely different way of life - drugs, booze, late nights, strange people, etc. While Georgiana progresses through the summer, she realizes that maybe this is not the life for her.

Written in the similar vein as Jane Austen - this is a great debut novel for Lex Croucher.

The bridgerton x mean girls aspect had me immediately dying to dive right in, so it was really a bit deflating to see how slow the first half is. The characters felt like they ran together and that initial spark of intrigue and drama I hereby in both bridgerton and mean girls just didn’t materials you give this the dramatic spark it needed. I wanted more quick wit and cattiness, more glamour against a backdrop of gossip.

This was not what I was expecting at all. Good girl from a modest background meets rich and dissolute friends and engages in all sorts of shady behavior until she’s in serious trouble. At least she meets a respectable man during it all.
It was kind of sad, quite honestly. 2.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was totally Mean Girls crossed with Gossip Girl and Bridgerton! The writing is sharp, clever and very saucy, and wow, are the parties out of control. I loved every second of this scandalous regency romp and I really hope it gets made into a TV series!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the copy to review.

I struggled - big time - in the beginning with this one. Maybe it was just my mood at the time? However, I'm not the type of person that can start something and not see it through to the end. I'm glad that I did. It did get better. This was funny with 'Mean Girls' vibes.

I enjoyed this but not as much as I hoped to. I found the ending to be somewhat unsatisfying and the pacing a bit weird, too long in general.

What would you do to feel like you belong? This book asks that question through the story of Georgiana Ellers. Georgiana's parents have recently sent her to live with her aunt and uncle. Normally a quiet, bookish type, Georgiana is anxious to make friends and meet people. She runs in with Frances and her loud, colorful, rowdy friends. While Georgiana had never been one to bend the rules, she finds Frances and her freedoms intoxicating and soon finds herself at unchaperoned parties full of drinking, kissing, and all manner of unspeakable things.

Throughout the book, Georgiana begins to question her actions and beliefs as she sees Frances herself get into trouble situations as well as seeing uncertain glances from the handsome Thomas Hawksley. Thomas has seen what excessive drinking can do as he's dealing with the recent loss of his brother. She also sort of accidentally befriends a quiet outsider and finds that while Frances and her friends ridicule her in a very mean girl way, Georgiana can't help but acknowledge that she's just so darn nice. Georgiana must decide what is taking it all too far.

This books not only takes on the mean girl aspect of finding your way as a young adult, it also tackles themes of domestic abuse and sexual assault. It can be quite hard to read at times, so readers should be aware of they may be triggered. I thought that Georgiana's journey in finding her way was realistic and relatable to many young adults today. I did laugh many times throughout the book and would recommend this to anyone looking for a different type of historical young adult romance.

Reputation by Lex Croucher has been dubbed a mix of Bridgertons and Mean Girls.

For me, I am not a fan of aristocratic period pieces of fiction. I thought I would give this one a try, since it had the mean girls edge and I hoped it would change my opinion on a deeper satirical level.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. Although, I can understand why this is an extremely popular genre and a popular book if you enjoy that era.

CW: Sexual assault/harassment, absentee parents, and alcoholism death

I received a reviewer copy of Reputation by Lex Croucher from the publisher St. Martin's Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Georgiana Ellers has moved to a new town with her boring aunt and uncle, when her mother's nerve act up and her parents must move to the sea shore. At a dull party, Georgiana meets Frances Campbell, a party girl who is everything improper and fun. Suddenly Georgiana is part of this rompous group and becomes further and further in the party/scandalous culture.

What I Loved: This book is kind of a wild time and I liked it for that at times, its like watching a regency reality tv show. Like have you ever wondered what The Hills would be like as a regency era television show (I know this is impossible) but you get my point. I also liked Georgiana's romance with the side character and wish we had seen more of this.

What I didn’t like so much: Okay, when I say this book was like a reality show of rich kids partying nonstop, I mean it. There are lots of problematic behaviors and cruelty. The bullying of one of the 'uncool' kids was not enjoyable and made this books rough at times. This is bad people behaving badly and a kind character being drawn into the darkside (as in Mean Girls) and at times reading that can be unfortunate and challenging, but look this is just what happens with a Regency Mean Girls book, so there's that.

Who Should Read It: People who loved Mean Girls and wondered what if it was set during regency times?

Summary: A girl is taken in by a bunch of rich party-ers in regency era Britain.

Loved it! Familiar trope but super funny, I really enjoyed it! No spoilers here, I highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely see and understand the hype behind this novel- it was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, it was funny and sharp the whole way through!

If your a fan of bridgerton and Jane Austen this is the book for you. These characters are wonderful. I also loved all the small references to things. Can’t wait to read Lex Crouchers next book.

I loved this. I loved how messy everyone was. It's clearly meant to be a Mean Girls retelling, and I think that's a way better comp than the Gossip Girl comp they have in the descriptive copy. It gets very dark at the end, and that sobers you up from all the frolicking in the first half of the book.

Thank you to Lex Croucher, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to receive the ARC for Reputation. This was a fun drama filled book. It was very interesting to see the ways that the fictionalized Regency era was so similar to a modern day high school. There was drama about boys and popularity and it was overall a very interesting read.

I loved this story! The unorthodox parties, the challenging subject matter and cast of characters kept me invested. I can’t wait to share this book with my friends and read more from Lex Croucher!

Content warning - sexual assault