Reputation is a brilliant and hilarious stand-alone novel set in the time period and style as Jane Austen. This book has the same vibe as the TV series, Bridgerton, with it following the family dramas and exploits of the daughters or the English nobility.
Lex Croucher wrote this brilliantly, and had me both laughing and nervously reading ahead to see how scenarios would play out.
The narrator also did a fantastic job capturing the voices of the characters on the page.

This book was nothing at all like I'd expected, but was such a delightful surprise I couldn't put it down! And, in truth, I actually listened to the audio version which was exceptionally well-done.

If I were to give this novel a tagline, it might be something like : Well-bred Debs Behaving Badly and Enjoying Every Damned Second of it! :)

I grew up reading regency romance and all the strictures placed on debs, the importance of reputation, and how well-behaved they all had to be so as not to shame themselves, their families, and be cut by society. So imagine my delight in reading about a group of rather misbehaved young ladies of the era! In truth, a couple of scenes reminded me of DOWNTON ABBY when the oldest daughter snuck the foreign prince into her bedchamber and he died. OH, how she'd have been RUINED!

The same was true overall in this novel. So many of these women "behaved badly" for the era, but that's what made this book so enchanting. It was awesome to realize there might've been women who marched to the beat of their own drum, "misbhehaved," but were protected behind the names of their families or connections.

Kudos to this author on so many counts. First on the authenticity of the story and the characters, then on the writing, and last on the story itself. I would love to read more by this author!

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. It was fun, emotional when it had to be, so witty and entertaining. I love novels set in the Regency period, and this was just an effing delight from start to finish.

I shall now politely clap with my lacey white kid gloves on in appreciation for both the writing and narration.

After watching season 2 of Bridgerton, I wanted more. So when I saw this book described as Bridgerton meets Mean Girls, I had to have it. And this book was so unique and fun! This was less romance, and more coming of age but with a regency setting.

Georgiana has been sent to live with her aunt and uncle while her parents set off on their own adventure. She starts off thinking it’s going to be a boring summer, that is until she meets Frances Campbell at a party. She’s introduced to Frances’s world and friend group - a world of wealth, unchaperoned parties, drinking and drugs, and plenty of bad behavior.

There was a good balance of laugh out loud moments as well as dealing with more serious topics such as rape, bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, and societal pressure. The character development in this one was fantastic, despite there being so many characters you love to hate, you find yourself rooting for them. Georgina in particular was one who I loved, then hated, then loved again by the end and it was amazing how invested I was in her choices and her life. I don’t typically find myself drown to regency novels, but this one was so much fun!

I listed to the audiobook courtesy of NetGalley and MacMillan Audio and I really loved Bessie Carter’s narration. Her performance was so easy to listen to and made this one fly by.

Reputation was such an enjoyable read. Feeling Georgiana lose herself in a world that she was not prepared for by accepting Frances' friendship really made me root for her to find a way out. She is a flawed protagonist, and Frances is a complicated friend to have. I enjoyed the modern-regency vibe of this book, where outside appearance is essential, but debauchery is everywhere behind closed doors. And the audiobook narrator has a very lovely accent, so listen if you can.

This was not what I thought I was getting into when I picked up this book. The characters are so vapid that I just wanted to stop reading. The main character Georgianna was just as bad as her new friends. They were all self centered, mean and callous.

REPUTATION
● Georgiana Ellers
● Mean Girls meets Jane Austen
● Regency-era
● only child
● lives with aunt and uncle
● lonely until she meets Francine
● Francine and her friends introduce her to a privileged lifestyle
● race, gender, class, and sexuality

**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

While I wouldn't call it hilarious, as it was billed as, it was definitely a fairly good mash-up of Mean Girls meets Bridgerton but add in more queer and BIPOC characters.

I had hoped it was sapphic, based on what I had thought the blurb meant, but after reading a few other reviews was prepared to be disappointed. I think Georginia *might* be bisexual, but it's not explored.

Anywho, it's basically Mean Girls in the Regency Era, with sexual assault that was handled much better than I had anticipated based on how the rest of the book went. Fuck, the rich and famous were all truly awful (even the ones with redeeming qualities were still bad), and Georginia herself was...well, I wanted to slap her for most of the book, particularly for how she treated Betty and the Burtons.

It was entertaining though, and better than I had anticipated.

📖 I'm not typically one for Regency reads, but I'm glad I picked this one up. Croucher has crafted a very cute story that really gives you the Jane Austen meets Gossip Girl feels that were promised. It's full of all the beautiful Regency period settings and manners that you're probably looking for in a book like this, but it also has a modern approachable tone that makes it easy to work through.

The story follows Georgiana Ellers after she has been shipped off to live with her aunt and uncle in the English countryside for a summer. It's all pretty boring until she meets Frances Campbell, who introduces Georgiana to a side of Regency aristocracy full of debauchery and excitement. Georgiana is instantly enamored with Frances, her friends, and her lifestyle. That is until she finds the cost of being part of Frances' circle may be one she is unwilling to pay.

The story has romance, a beautiful setting, lively characters, lots of laughs, and a lot more. It was definitely an entertaining read.

🎧 The audiobook is voiced by Bessie Carter, who provides a really delightful performance. I really enjoyed her narration and found it to be perfect for this book.

⚠️ Content Warnings ⚠️
Sexual assault, alcohol, drug use, rape, toxic friendship, sexual harassment, racism, and death of parent.

REPUTATION review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

👑Another book recommend by a friend for my 12 book challenge! This book is a mix of Bridgerton and Mean Girls (including a few references to Mean Girls). I liked the main characters, but felt the story was slow paced for the first 2/3s of the book.

👑Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Georgianna’s parents have abandoned her and left her to live with her aunt and uncle. While at a party, she meets Frances. Frances is the opposite of how Georgianna has been taught about how women should behave in polite society. Frances and her group of friends introduce Georgianna to wild parties, drunken adventures, and handsome young men. But does Georgianna really belong in this upper class world? And what will happen to her reputation if anyone finds out about her recent behavior?

👑The ending of this book was definitely solid! I was a fan of Georgianna from the beginning, and I thought the ending was great! However, I felt like it took a while to get to that point. Overall, if you’re looking for a book with Bridgerton vibes, I think you’d enjoy this one!

I loved this book but couldn’t stand the narrator. I had to listen on 1.7x speed because I just wanted to get through it! I’ve been on a Hamilton & Bridgerton, kick lately so this totally ticked those boxes for me!

Reputation was a cute read. The similarities mentioned in other reviews to Gossip Girl definitely track! I was thoroughly entertained by the chapter titles! There is a fun mix of period drama and dialogue and up-to-date pop culture references and vernacular. The flow was steady throughout with no areas of total lull, nor dying-to-read-the-next-page. Easy to pick up, and to put down - no "OMG I can't put this down", but no part where I didn't want to finish either. Probably my favorite aspect of this book was how it all wrapped up in the ending - VERY well done to Lex Croucher on that front!

*I was provided a copy of this book from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed Reputation by Lex Croucher. #NetGalley

This Regency-era rom-com was quite a unique listening experience! It’s blurbed as kind of a Mean Girls meets Jane Austen, and I think that’s the perfect description. It may have been my first historical romance–I really can’t think of another I’ve actually finished. Despite not being the target audience, this was a hit for me.

This was a wild and crazy cast of characters, starting with Georgiana Ellers. After being essentially abandoned by her parents, she moves in with her aunt and uncle. As she tries to settle and fit in in the new town, she meets Frances Campbell, the Regina George of her era, and Frances immediately takes her under her wing. The group parties hard– from drunken carriage rides to literal rolls in the hay–and so much more. There are some hardcore Emma vibes, tons of snark, and lots of drama in this coming-of-age story.

I’m coming from a standpoint of no Bridgerton interest or real knowledge of historical romance, but this definitely kept my interest piqued throughout the story! It was unexpectedly really tender and heartwarming near the end.

I especially loved the narration from Brigerton’s Bessie Carter. She was able to effortlessly switch between a more conversational tone between Georgiana and her friends to the more formal tone you’d expect from the era. I felt totally immersed in the British banter and scandalous scenarios. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for an ALC via NetGalley shelf.

Well, I can't completely review the book because it archived when I wasn't quite finished with it. I hate to review books that aren't completely finished because opinions can change throughout the book. I would say the book started slowly for me but gained traction as I continued. For the part I've listened to it went initially from a 3 and when I lost it, It was probably at a 4 for me. kk

This was a fun book about the victorian era and how money can fix anything. This story had a different take where they talked about the party side of the young adults in the story. All but Georgiana were from families with means who could pay off anyone to get their child out of trouble. Georgiana realized that she didn't really need the adventure she was so interested in the beginning when she realized the trouble it can cause. This story was about growing up and finding what you will want in life and how money can corrupt.

This book was so much fun! I loved all of the relationships, the pacing of the story, and the writing style. A really fun audiobook that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys regency novels.

This was a fun Mean Girls - Jane Austen inspired mash-up. The beginning was a little slow making it tough on audio, but overall it was enjoyable. I thought it was fun and a pretty unique read. It was difficult to get into and hard to remember the male characters. Overall, it was a little predictable, but I appreciated the irreverence and humor.

The actual audio itself was narrated well and the narrator's voice was engaging.

I really loved the narrator! Such a fun book based on Mean girls. had some references that made me giggle. would recommend this book if you're in the mood for a solid romance.

Reputation by Lex Croucher is a regency Mean Girls. Listed as a romcom I found it more a coming of age story as Georgiana navigates a friendship with wealthy, charismatic, bisexual, biracial Frances that has her making poor decisions to be part of the in crowd.

There is romance more towards the end as reputations are on the line from too much debauchery partying, lies and schemes.

It was pure joy to have Bessie Carter from Bridgerton fame be our perfectly regency voiced performer.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5

This was one of the rare instances when a book's blurb, which describes it as Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl, is deeply accurate. Personally, I found that the book leaned a bit more into the Gossip Girl end of that spectrum when I would've preferred the opposite, but I still found it to be a fun read that is much more of a friendship/society novel than Regency romance (though it's that, too).

I think Croucher really does a nice job of character development here, and I'd love to see this continue as a series—Georgiana is a compelling heroine, but we really get to know her friends and family, too, which I appreciated. I never really knew how I felt about Frances as a frenemy, which I think shows significant depth for this kind of novel. And much like the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton, Reputation addresses race and sexuality in interesting ways that add complexity to its characters and narrative.

I also read this on audio, which was pretty delightful considering it was narrated by Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington on Bridgerton (and has very cool parents). I listen to tons of audiobooks and have come to realize the real importance of a good narrator, and Carter handles numerous characters very well while providing this buzzy story with appropriate panache.