I love historical fiction and enjoyed parts of this book but as a whole I didn't love it. I was consistently angry with the main character and just wanted her to grow some common sense. I finally had to quite listening 75% of the way through the story. It was getting to be painful. This is very uncommon for me.

When Georgiana is basically abandoned by her parents and adopted by her kindly but boring aunt and uncle, she soon meets wealthy Frances, who invites Georgiana to join her group of friends. This fun crowd drinks, does drugs, and does other very improper things (sex, I mean sex). Georgiana tries to keep her place in this glamorous group while avoiding being ruined. Oh, and she falls in love with a grumpy young man.

▪ MEAN GIRLS in Regency romance. This is basically the story of an outsider who finds herself hanging out with the cool girls and loses herself a bit in the process. I can’t deal with cringy or cruel so I was a bit afraid when I started reading, but this novel is surprisingly kind-hearted. I loved the friendships at least as much as the romance.

▪ Unusual characters for Regency romance. I have been used by Jane Austen and others to having one rake or indeed mean girl per novel in this genre, but this book has a whole host of characters who engage in reprehensible (for the period, and sometimes even for our times) activities. It’s a very original spin on the genre. The focus is on the women, and it is refreshing to see them let loose.

▪ I loved Georgina’s voice, as much in the writing as in the narrator’s actual voice. She is very relatable, even when she finds herself in some unlikely situations, as benefits a Regency romance heroine.

This is a must-read for fans of Regency romance who don’t mind if the characters get a little wild.

So much fun it should be scandalous, Reputation takes us on a not quite rags-to-riches journey of Georgiana Ellers. Georgiana finds herself in the company of high society's "it-girl" and her friends which is a good bit of fun as it includes unchaperoned parties and enough alcohol to induce liver failure. This book is full of drama and includes all types of ways to ruin your reputation during this historical time - homosexuality, promiscuity, excessive drinking, drug use, assault, and more. The characters are charming and relatable and you will find yourself wanting to equal parts cheer them on and smack them for their bad decisions. What's a girl to do when she finds herself out of her comfort zone and living the life from one of her books instead of just reading about it?

If you are looking for something to hold you over until Bridgerton Season 2 comes out - grab this ARC. If you need something to cure your Bridgerton hangover after binging, grab this novel when it releases on April 5th. It is in the same vein as our favorite family without the pressures and drama of the marriage market with all the fun.

I have to say the narration on this audiobook is absolute perfection. It adds so much to the story as character dialogue changes were very well done. It really brought the story to life and conveyed all of the emotions the author intended.

Reputation by Lex Croucher was such a breathe of fresh air. The story line was comedic and the relationships between the characters was phenomenal. The audio book was entertaining to listen to. Would recommend this book to readers.

The narrator of this audiobook was wonderful! It was very easy to follow when she went from one character to the next and her inflections were spot on. Overall I enjoyed the premise of the book, but somewhat felt disconnected from everything.

I had high hopes for this book but it fell flat. There was a serious disconnect somewhere. I felt like I was reading Mean Girls in a time warp. The author also seemed to throw in every marginalized group she could think of but didn’t build the story enough for it to matter. There was nothing “com” about this rom-com. The women were horrible human beings and bullies. Our main character just barely redeemed herself. The one redeeming quality was the narrator. I enjoyed her voice and it fit the regency setting.

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.

On Tuesdays, we wear stays and new ribbons to refresh old frocks.

If you loved Mean Girls and everything written by Jane Austen, you’ll LOVE Reputation as much as I did!

When Georgiana Ellers was first unceremoniously dropped off at her aunt and uncle’s house without a dime to her dowry by her parents (so that they could move to the coast without her), Miss Ellers worried that life would continue to happen in the books that she loved to read instead of with her as a part of it. Lo and behold, the fashionable and scandalous regency queen of the plastics finds “George” remarkably interesting.

Of course there was regency-style drama (oh no! She clearly intentionally showed her ankle to that rogue!!!), but also very relevant, contemporary issues that were brought up, but most with a side of a glass of sherry to avoid anyone getting the vapors.

You’ll want to grab this book that you won’t ever want to put down as soon as you can, so you can cackle and become besties with Miss Ellers and her newfound friends and true family. It’s a late-bloomer coming of age in the Regency Era but with modern twists and turns (and reticules).


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced copy of this audiobook for this review.

DNF - I wasn't able to finish the book, it didn't down load correctly.

I wasn't particularly liking the story however, I thought the narration was exceptional.

4.5 stars - I felt like it stumbled a bit toward the end, but not nearly enough to spoil the other 98% of the book, which was wonderfully charming, funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt. Phenomenal narration, as well.

This book was simply fantastic and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I am a sucker for a historical drama and that is exactly what this book delivered. It didn't take itself too seriously, and the writing kept me smiling and giggling to myself throughout. Imagine Mean Girls during the regency era (Idk if that's actually the right era, I'm crap with historical timelines). It's exactly what it sets itself up to be, maybe a little longer than strictly necessary but I probably could have read 100 more pages of what happens after this story ended so I'm not mad about the extra fluff that was in there.
The romance took more of a backseat than I would have expected but that didn't disappoint me as much as I thought it would have.
I truly have no complaints! I thought this book was so much fun and I think its exactly what I needed and if this author decides to turn this into a series I might actually have to jump with joy.

I listened to an advanced copy of this audiobook through NetGalley. The narrator is a perfect fit for this book. She hooked me instantly.
I wanted to love this novel, and I did, to a point. The characters are well drawn, but the ending left me wanting more. The first half was well-paced, but the ending was rushed and forced. I enjoyed the book mainly because of the narrator and the main character Georgiana. I’m not disappointed that I read it, but it’s not one I will come back to.

A smart, sexy, wild, interesting look at romance, friendship, and chasing notoriety in the regency area with a delightful and thoughtful audiobook to boot

this just sadly wasn't for me. There was nothing wrong with this book i just couldn't get into it. This is definitely a book you should read if you are into that sort or Victorian romance or if you enjoy the vibe of Hamilton. This just wasn't for me but it was still a good book.

There are a lot references in other reviews of this book to the film Mean Girls and recommended for fans of Bridgerton and that completely fits. George (Georgiana) falls in with an upper class group of friends led by Frances Campbell and her world of parties, wealth, privilege, and is very much in the style of Mean Girls - there’s even a reference to “get in loser, we’re going shopping” but with a carriage instead of a car.

Georgiana Ellers is abandoned by her parents to her aunt and uncle in the English countryside. Suffering a very limited and boring society she becomes entranced and entangled with Frances Campbell and her wealthy acquaintances. As the outsider, Georgiana is influenced by the crowd and longs to be a part of it - longs to be acknowledged and considered worthy of recognition. Having been ignored by her absent parents for the majority of her life she is desperate to be part of this crowd. Georgiana is a flawed MC and is frustrating and complicated in her attempts to find herself. She is attracted to Thomas Hawksley and the development of their relationship were some of my favorite parts in the book. Their flirty, cheeky correspondence was delightful. Thomas is part of the in-crowd but has intentionally removed himself from their recklessness because of circumstances that are revealed throughout the book.

As a 21st century novel about 19th century characters there are good explorations of female agency in this period of history where the “goal” for a young woman was to marry well and to maintain respectability at all costs. The book also explores the limitations of other marginalized communities in the Regency era.

This is generally a fun book, but there are some very dark elements in this novel and content warnings include: On-page: drinking, drug use, grief, domestic abuse, sexual assault, mentions of homophobia and racism. Off-page, unseen or alluded to: rape.

The audiobook is excellent and Bessie Carter does a wonderful job with the multiple characters. Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance listener copy of the audiobook.

Calling all Regency-era fans, here is your Mean Girls version of this timeframe. Wow, this book was so entertaining especially for a debut author. Georgianna is a character to love, and Frances is a character to hate! The character development was fantastic and this was a fun book to read or listen to! I recommend it to historical romance fans!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with this audiobook ahead of release.

I was a bit unsure when I first started reading this book; I didn’t know if it was much like “Mean Girls.” Or if it would be too mean, as I often cannot find sympathy for needlessly cruel characters. But I ended up really enjoying the story and the characters.

I even think that if “Mean Girls” was an influence, it did well in resolving some of what I’d disliked about the movie. I appreciated in this that the characters genuinely seemed to like each other. Although Francis and Jane were often biting, they also were very sweet sometimes, and George’s relationship with them all was so enjoyable (until it wasn’t). I appreciated the subtle queer representation in a time when that’s rarely acknowledged. And I also appreciated the acknowledgement that likely everyone was not such an uptight stick in the mud as today’s media/literature would have you believe. It was a believable level of debauchery.

The narrator was especially great! She committed well to the tones of the book. Covering her mouth when someone was eating, breathing in the correct places, etc. It made the story much more real. Overall, a highly enjoyable, fun, and romantic read! I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes historical period dramas, and especially to anyone that liked Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.” Reputation had a similar vibe: historical but make it relevant. Today’s ideas and notions but mixed in with British high society.

I absolutely loved this book. It reflected its age group and target audience perfectly. The characters were fun and free of the burden of the society they are bound by . This book felt like Mean Girls in the world of Bridgerton! Georgiana was the epitome of the new girl in school experience. She has to navigate the rigid world of English society and decorum while being influenced by a group of carefree peers. The story was fun and kept me on my toes. The romance was heartwarming.

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.

Jane Austen meets Gossip Girl

The Brontë Sisters meets Mean Girls

Basically Bridgerton kicked up a few notches - just throw in more intrigue and hallucinogens

I listened to the audiobook and let me commend the narrator, Bessie Carter (who acts on Bridgerton), for going above and beyond and doing an all around excellent job.

I had such a fun time listening to this story unfold and thought the modern thinking didn’t detract from the Regency era setting one bit. Also had to love subtle hints to Mean Girls, like “get in Georgiana, we’re going shopping” and “the limit does not exist”.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. And so much queerer than what I was expecting. It deals with heavier themes and with one I would've loved a heads up in the form of a trigger warning, because it was pretty unsettling just finding myself listening to that while goin out and about my day.
The narration makes the story super fun to listen to, and the story is captivating. I liked the characters with all their flaws and extravagances. They really were a variety of individuals that really shook the world of our MC.
It was fun and I will recommend it for sure.