Reputation
By Lex Croucher
Narrated by Bessie Carter
Romance - Regency

Middle-class Georgiana Ellers is abandoned by her parents. Sent to live with her stuffy aunt and uncle in the English countryside. She is at a extremely dull party when she meets the life loving Frances Campbell a wealthy women of “polite society.” Georgiana soon finds that Frances and her friends are not who she thinks they are. Living a life of impropriety in the Regency aristocracy is not what she had thought these people would be like. She soon meets Thomas Hawksley. He immediately stands out to Georgiana because he is around Frances and her friends all the time but does not partake in any of the debauchery they are doing.

The narrator was great in this audio. She has a very authentic British accent which makes a person feel like they are really there in the English countryside. This is only the third book she has narrated but I would definitely listen to her again.

This book is a Bridgerton meets Mean Girls type of book. There are some parts that are very sticky and some that will have you laughing so hard your sides hurt. I would definitely recommend this book in audiobook or any other format you choose to read. Lex Croucher is a fairly new author and I already am anxiously awaiting her next book.

I loved this audiobook!! The descriptions I’ve seen of Mean Girls-meets-Bridgerton are apt. It has a sweet romance and tons of genuinely funny moments, but this book gets very dark.
The story centers on the friendships that lonely Georgiana Ellers makes after being sent to live with her aunt and uncle in the English countryside. She finds herself on the ins with a group of girls who she realizes can be rather mean, and things deteriorate from there.
What’s interesting, though, is that these girls aren’t necessarily the villains—there is some flat out cruelty in these pages, but there is still the ability to care about these characters. I found myself disappointed in their actions, and hoping for better judgement on their part.
The lighter moments surrounding the story felt like a balm to the sharper parts: Georgiana’s slow-formed bond with her aunt, Mrs. Burton, and gradual softening toward another friend, Betty, were some of my favorite parts. Note: I LOVE Betty, and want an entire book for her story!
The romance with Thomas Hawksley absolutely shines. Admittedly, I was kind of on the fence with this book, but their brief correspondence that occurs about halfway through really tipped me towards being all-in.
The narration by Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington in Bridgerton) is phenomenal!! She so perfectly captures each character, and really brought this book to life for me. I want to buy a copy, because there were so many lines I wanted to highlight. But, I still absolutely recommend the audiobook—for me, it’s one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to.
Content warnings include on-page drinking, drug use, grief, domestic abuse, sexual assault, mentions of homophobia and racism, and off page references to rape.

Mean Girls really said to Jane Austen, "Hold my sherry, b*tch."

When her parents abscond to the coast for her mother's health, Georgiana Ellers is shipped off to her tedious aunt and uncle. They have very different ideas of what constitutes as fun and good company, so when Georgiana meets the vibrant and confident Frances Campbell, she becomes enamoured by her and her rich life. To her great surprise and happiness, Frances takes an interest in her and invites her to raucous, unchaperoned and wine-drenched parties and outings with her equally as vivacious friends. But being hip with the in-crowd isn't all fun and games, and Georgiana has to decide what kind of person she wants to be in the presence of such social goddesses.

To say this was amusing is an understatement. This was an incredibly witty and entertaining novel with some of the most colourful and cruel characters ever to be portrayed in Regency England. A true historical romp of shocking proportions. The line "Get in, Georgiana. We're going shopping" alone had me in stitches. I really must commend the author for taking such a risk with this book but still absolutely nailing the historical context and language. Reading a few lines out loud, I felt like Keira Knightly as Lizzie Bennett. I realize that makes me seem unhinged, but it's a compliment. Perfect tone and delivery and enough to have me reading whatever Lex Croucher wants to publish in future.

The characters are what really make the Mean Girls comp sing, and I'll admit I did struggle a little to jive with them. If you're expecting the demure society ladies from Bridgerton, best you not. These young ladies and gentlemen are cruel, selfish, and believe themselves above it all. They have reputations to uphold, after all, and your little opinion does not matter when mother can send a letter and have you sent off to a convent. Frances is the most vicious of them all; the true queen bee of this group of friends Georgiana finds herself desperate to fit into. Part of what made me struggle with this in the beginning was how Georgiana acted in said desperation. She became someone she really wasn't, and there's a lot of collateral damage along the way to figuring out how she wants to behave. The character development is truly worth talking about though, and I am so, so satisfied by the ending. Think Jane Austen's Emma with an excellent stance on feminism. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Frances truly is a wretch of a young woman and I wish her nothing but the worst.

I feel like such a cad saying this, but I've read enough of both age groups to confidently say that this would be better shelved as upper YA rather than Adult, strictly because of the content and characters. They're all around the age of twenty, but they do seem more teenaged with first loves and heartbreaks, the desire to fit in and be liked, raucous parties filled with alcohol and drugs where they try to find themselves, catty bullying to feel better about one's self. It's all very reminiscent of high school instead of college. Does that conclusion minimize how great this book was to read? Absolutely not!

At one point I was going to give this three stars, but this book won me over in the end hard. The character development is top-notch, so my rating is four point five rounded up.

This book was a miss for me, It started off to slow and by the time I got into it I had a hard time enjoying the characters story. The narrator did a great job and I loved the banter between the characters. Overall it was not the romance read I was hoping for.

What would have happened if Lizzie Bennet met Mr. Darcy while she was stoned?

What I thought was going to be a fluffy regency romance ended up being hilarious, charming, and surprising substantial.

Whether you like Austen, romance, historical fiction, feminist fiction or just a good old-fashioned fun read, this book is for you! Keep an eye open for it in stores starting on April 5th, 2022 (US).

The audiobook version was a joy to listen to, especially for Bridgerton fans, as it is narrated by Bessie Carter (yay!)

If you enjoy both Bridgerton and Mean Girls, this is the book for you! It's a period piece presented in the most refreshing way and although the mean girls thing annoyed me at times, it was also extremely fun and I understood the need to the main character to belong. The story was fun, the romantic interest was dreamy and it was hilarious while touching important subjects like sexual assault and homosexuality in the 19th century.
I was given an advance listening copy by macmillan audio and netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun audiobook!

Reputation gets off to a slow start, but it lives up to its billing of being a historical romantic comedy. But, don’t let the term romcom fool you, there are some deep issues encountered in this story.

I wouldn’t say it is historically accurate, but it is a fun story. I thought it was a little like a spring break/youth gone wild during the regency period.

Georgiana is the poor girl among a group of new rich friends. She is a little lost and trying to fit in so she adopts their destructive lifestyle. Thomas Hawksley is the perfect Darcy with his brooding judgment. What ensues is Georgiana’s coming of age story culminating in a HEA.

The narrator does an excellent job voicing the characters with unique voices for each. She also pulls off the comedy in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC of this audiobook.

CW: rape, sexual assault, regular assault, lots of drinking, and drug use.

I enjoyed this! It was a bit slow to get going, but then things picked up.
It’s basically Regency Mean Girls, which is pretty great. The MC is Georgiana, who is staying with her aunt and uncle for the summer while her parents move to a new house. Overall, her parents are pretty terrible people, and that is revealed more and more as the book progresses.
Not long after coming to stay with her aunt and uncle Georgiana meets Francis, who then brings her into her friend group of hard partying gentry.
I really liked the relationship between Georgiana and Thomas that develops over the course of the book, I love how they interacted with each other. I especially liked their correspondence in the middle of the book.
While things definitely got dark in the latter part of the book, it was still a fun read and I’ll be on the lookout for Lex Croucher’s next release.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my Audio ARC of Reputation in exchange for my honest review. I would like to start by saying wow! This book truly exceeded my expectations. I went into this having read the descriptions of a Bridgerton meets Mean Girls book, so I was expecting a light read like PLL. These books are enjoyable, but in my opinion they are not that deep (but hey I like them anyway!). Reputation is a bit like Mean Girls in that there are characters who parallel the Plastics and Cady, and Bridgerton, in that it takes some liberties with the society of the 1800s; but it is also a deep social commentary, more like a Jane Austen novel. I don’t want to spoil anything, but some of the themes like privilege, classism, and self discovery are obviously still relevant for our society now. I think a lot of people will see themselves in the main characters: Georgiana (George), Frances (Frannie), + the major supporting cast: Jonathan, Jane, Thomas, Bette & Cecily. I know that while listening, I was so invested and stressed about what would happen to Georgiana, I had to listen to the last four hours in one sitting.
I also want to mention that narrator of the audiobook, Bessie Carter, did an excellent job with her tone, pacing of reading sentences (such as if it was written so and so drawled she DID drawl it) and she did voices for each of the characters which is personally something I enjoy. This one comes out April 5!
Is anyone a big fan of Jane Austen, Mean Girls, or Bridgerton? If so, add this to your TBR ASAP!
TW: racism, rape, attempted rape, excessive drinking, drug use, death of a loved one, parental neglect, abusive relationship, toxic friendship(s), homophobia

Reputation by Lex Croucher and Audiobook narrated by Bessie Carter is a great historical fiction that had me chuckling and entertained from beginning to end.

This is a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable historical fiction that is part Regency romance and part homage to the classic movie “Mean Girls”. It is a coming of age novel that deals with friendship, love, life, being true to one’s self, rising above the negativity, and finding one’s place and purpose in life despite the obstacles and distractions.

The author did a splendid job interweaving these potentially serious subjects with romance, humor, wit, sarcasm, and quick-paced banter, narrative, and pacing.

I enjoyed the main character, Georgiana Ellers. She is young, engaging, intelligent, flawed, but likable and has a good moral compass deep down once she begins to mature and unearths this virtue. I enjoyed her progression and the true relationships she is able to form as she weeds through life’s circumstances. I also liked Thomas and think he is a great addition to this story.

I recommend this book for the YA audience and anyone that loves a good Georgian historical fiction/coming of age story.

The audiobook was also excellent and is a great pairing with the book. I enjoyed this so much that I was able to listen to the whole book in two days!

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Macmillan Audio for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/5/22.

Georgiana Ellers is quite the regency heroine. Is she a little bit selfish, immature, and still trying to figure out life? Yes, 1000%. However, she is also kind, smart, and witty beyond compare. After meeting what would most definitely be the “bad crowd” by today’s standards Georgiana finally finds herself, the true meaning of friendship, and what love is really all about. Frances is a spitfire of fun, money, and wild parties, but she is also a fast friend, and great life lesson for Georgiana. Through their adventures they learn a lot about life, consent, and what friendship truly means.
The subtle yet strong touch of romance is beyond great too! I forgot how sexy writing letters can be, and Thomas Hawksley seems like the brooding man everyone would fall for. He has is own baggage he is working through but is beyond caring and supportive of everyone around him and is genuine in every action he makes

Review will be posted on April 5, 2022 on my instagram @literarylu_

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The whole time I was listening to this book I was thinking of how much it reminded me of Mean Girls, with a Pride and Prejudice overtone. Our main character Georgiana was completely relatable, and the side characters had great stories as well. I think the writing was fantastic, I was intrigued the whole way. And I greatly enjoyed the narrator. If stories like this intrigue you, grab Reputation!

What I fun books. I am not a big reader of historical Regency fiction so this was a fun book. I was able to receive the ARC audio and LOVE it.
I enjoyed the Narrator, the narrator sounded like an actor that I have herd before.
The pace was very good which allowed me to be able to follow along without having that actual physical copy of the book.
I enjoyed the drama , some were heavy topic and light and I love the twist and turn in this story. I felt excited to keep listening and finding out what will happen.

Narrator did a great job voicing the characters because they were just not likable character not that the narrator is not a likable person but the accent that was really perfect for each person

I can’t wait to request this book/audio for my book club talk about it. I think many people who are new to Regency novels or enjoy this book/audio

Thank you to NetGalleyShelf and the author for letting me listen to the Arc of this wonderful book

This book is a unique combination of regency romance and coming of age story. The main character Georgiana reminded me very much of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey heroine Catherine Moreland. She is a young, naive woman who has been very sheltered and somewhat neglected by her parents, recently travelled to stay with her aunt and uncle. During this story, Georgiana (much like Catherine in Northanger Abbey) meets some new friends who have power and influence in society, and take her under their wing so to speak as they go about introducing her to society and all the glamorous things it has to offer. This story takes this regency romance a few steps further, behind closed doors and discusses topics including drug and alcohol use, sexual encounters as well as sexual assault. There are certain similarities between this story and the movie Mean Girls as well, which was evident as the plot thickens and becomes more complicated. While this book sometimes deals with tough issues, it tells a riveting story with twists and turns that leaves the reader guessing what will come next. The ending was rewarding and a bit about healing as well. I enjoyed the British accent and consistency of the audiobook narrator. I’d classify this as a closed door romance, nothing besides heavy making out occurs on the page except for a brief attempted sexual assault scene(about 80% of the way through the book). However, mentions of events that happen behind closed doors are mentioned throughout portions of this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars

The audiobook reader did a great job in bringing this story to life. This was a decent read with a few memorable moments. There are some laughs and serious topics discussed. The main romantic relationship felt random and thrown in.

The book has a slow start with a rushed ending. The characters, while unlikeable, all fit within the story. Altogether, I was left wishing there was something to make this book stand out from the rest.

I confess I can't re-watch Mean Girls and didn't quite finish Gossip Girl because I tend to get annoyed when characters are just kind of shitty to one another all the time, for the sake of drama. So, I wasn't entirely sure whether I'd love this book, but was surprised to find how compelling the characters were in spite of their bad behavior. They felt - with the exception of a few caricature types - like nuanced and complex individuals doing their best to stave off boredom and find their place in a world with so many darn rules.

In all, this book was a great deal of fun while also tackling a few more complicated issues along the way. Georgiana manages to be likeable in spite of the poor judgement she displays in some of the book's climactic moments, and I very much enjoyed watching her learn from her mistakes and try to make them right.
While Reputation does include some romance, in my opinion it is first and foremost a coming-of-age story about female friendship and the ways in which it becomes complicated by issues of class, social expectations, and sexuality.

I recommend this book, which comes out in April of 2022, to fans of Jane Austen, Bridgerton, and Mean Girls. As I listened on audio I will add that I very much enjoyed the narration and would certainly recommend that format to those who like a good audiobook.

Mean Girls meets Bridgerton! This was a fun YA read that’s perfect for readers looking for a mix of teenage drama and regency era vibes. It’s full of characters you’ll love to hate!

I don't normally agree with book comparisons, but Reputation is truly a mix of Birdgerton and Mean Girls, and it was so much fun!

I think that the audiobook brought these characters to life and that the narrator captured the humour perfectly. I wonder if I would have liked it as much as I did if I had read it physically.

It silly and ridiculous, but that it the point and it was exactly what I needed right now.

I am in love.

I devoured this audiobook in one day. The pace of the book is so fast, the characters are so compelling, The narration is good, the plot is delightful, and overall it's just. Amazing.

Kind of like how 10 Things I Hate About You is Shakespeare set in high school, this is Mean Girls set in regency era. Many of the major plot points and story arcs are similar, and I couldn't help but see the parallels. Not to say it's lazy or anything- the story is so inventive! The plots are fresh! There's a horse with a bedroom!

The audiobook is a single female narrator who is does okay voices and still sounds good at 1.5 speed.

I would absolutely recommend this to any and everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and McMillan press who provided an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.