After that however, the story was fairly lackluster. While beautifully written, it wasn’t the most interesting or surprising storyline and every plot twist was predictable from the beginning. I also think it was trying to do a little too much; there were so many little storyline and twists that didn’t seem to add to the main plot and were never really explained too well.

I really, really liked this book. I had so much fun with it, and it did get pretty dark toward the ending but I thought it was overall really well done. The main thing I loved in this book was the characters. It was such an excentric cast of characters and I loved seeing their dynamics play out. Rose and Eddie were also absolutely amazing. I immediately fell in love with them and I adored seeing their relationship developed throughout the book. Honestly, this made me squeel so many times because I thought they were just so cute together. The story also just took me on a ride and the last quarter of this book just did not let me go because it was so full of twists and reveals. It was addictive. The reason this isn't a five star for me is because I do have some questions left over about some things that happened that I just would like more explenation on than we got. However, overall this was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to read more by this author.

I gave this a valiant effort, but I don't think this book is for me. I'm not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers, but I liked the premise of Infamous so I wanted to give it a chance.

I didn't make it very far into the story, but I was getting a lot of Jo March vibes from Eddie––between her dreams of being a writer/author, her independence, her extreme disdain for anything social, and being stuck wishing childhood would last forever while others are longing to grow up. All of that seemed interesting. But she is very far from being Jo March and her personality got annoying very fast. I think Eddie's problem lies in that she's not immature, she just doesn't know how to put others first and not be rude. She's used to getting her way and not having to adhere to societal expectations because of the way she's been raised, and she expects everyone to feel the same. She kept putting Rose on the back burner and wasn't willing to be nice or TRY to participate in things Rose wanted, like attending parties. If they're such best friends and will eventually turn into something more, why not at least put in some effort? I found that ironic because when Nash mentioned having a party, Eddie didn't even hesitate; she was excited, and I wish she had shown that same energy towards her friend/crush. I really felt bad for Rose.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC!

3.5 stars

Eddie (Edith) is so over propriety and polite society. She just wants to hang out in her tree house with her bff, Rose, and write stories. Unfortunately, she’s 22-years-old living in regency era London…so that’s a no-go. Around the same time that Rose announces her intention to marry a boring, older man, Eddie meets the famous poet, Nash Nicholson.

Eddie is continually pulled between her admiration for Nash and her complicated feelings for Rose. Everything comes to a point when their group absconds to Nash’s haunted estate in the countryside for the fall. Mysteries are unearthed, relationships are tested, parties are thrown.

I had fun reading this historical sapphic romance (something I haven’t really discovered before) but I felt like the plot needed to be trimmed a bit. Lose a few early parties, cut down on the haunted vibes in the country and get our girls together more quickly!

And I mean - the biggest question of all is just left unanswered: what the heck happened to Henry?!? Was he a hallucination? Did Eddie subconsciously provide details into Henry’s mother’s murder? Or was he actually shot and Nash buried him somewhere on the island?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

CW/TW: gaslighting, sexual assault, murder, misogyny, infidelity, gun violence, toxic relationships, theft

Thank you to Netgalley & SMP for this copy of Infamous by Lex Croucher! This is out 03/21.

Sometimes I feel like the word Bridgerton is now being used as click bait for books. Sometimes stories are just a regency romp and we don't need to compare it lol. I liked Eddie, but definitely did not like Nash as much.
I found this story fun, but not memorable. I will still listen to Croucher's next release because I do like her witty writing style and characters, this one just wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this one. I heard it compared to Little Women but gay and that feels extremely accurate. It's one of my favorites this year so far.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Croucher's previous work, Reputation, and I was initially thinking this was the same plot with the same beats. I was then happily surprised when it went in another direction. Yes, the character that Eddie, our protagonist, is bedazzled by turns out to be a d*****nugget but the rest of the characters were more interesting. Maybe the cover should have clued me in on who the couple at the end would be but that one is on me. Croucher is a great wit and has her characters be smart and snarky and fun to read. Very enjoyable and can't wait to read more from Croucher. 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Eddie and Rose are such engaging characters - while there were a few moments in the novel I didn't care for, overall, I was throughly engrossed in their story, and also deeply appreciated the meta about trying to write/trying to come up with ways to describe nearly indescribable feelings. This was very similar in a lot of ays to Croucher's Reputation, and so I think folks who enjoyed that novel will also delight in this one.

DNF at 32%

Oh, this DNF really hurts my heart for so many reasons.

First of all, I have to say that Lex Croucher can write. I absolutely loved the humorous banter between our two main characters, all of the over-the-top side characters, the representation, and the Little Women meets Booksmart meets Bridgerton vibes. However, my issue with this book is that you can basically guess what is going to happen from the very first page. For all of this book's merits, that one glaring issue just kept eating away at the pacing, the characterization, and my overall enjoyment.

I would definitely read from Croucher again and this has actually prompted me to push their debut novel Reputation up on my TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Oh, this was *CUTE*

My Bridgerton-loving heart did indeed love this too. I saw flitting around in other reviews that this is basically queer Eloise Bridgerton, and show me the lie. That's right, you can't, because there isn't one.

Eddie is an outspoken spitfire of a young woman who wants nothing to do with marriage and wishes to spend her time only writing. Her biggest dream is to be a published author and you know what? Respect. I do so love Eddie and she is so damn relatable for me. She's loud and headstrong, but who would know better what is best for her than herself? She did get to be a little much with her complaining and bashing the choices of her "friend," Rose, though, so that's really my only true complaint.

The romance is so sweet! I confess, I was worried the book was queerbaiting for a bit since it literally opens with two girls kissing for "practice," then spends much of the first half with Eddie mooning over a man. But rest assured, it is sapphic all the way to the end, and I loved it! The tension, the angst, the self-discovery--so well done and wonderful to read.

The cast of characters in this made it so much fun and *funny*. Especially with the narrator and how she brought them to life. While the characters that join the writing salons and the house party are all such a hoot with how frivolous and flippant they are, my favourite has to be Nash. There's just something about him that is so magnetic and feeds into Eddie's journey in the best way, even if he is an absolute mess of a man who can only hurt her.

Please let the record show that, while I suppose it had to happen, I am FURIOUS over the ending. On Eddie's behalf, I was absolutely spitting and a week later I'm still mad over what was done to her.

I was a big fan of Reputation, and with how much I enjoyed this I think it's safe to say I'll be continuing as a Lex Croucher fan.

Listen if you like:
❤️ Historical Romances
❤️ LGBTQ Stories
❤️ FMC Authors
❤️ Drama

I absolutely adored this book! I really loved this author’s debut and this was a great follow up!

I love the LGBTQ rep in this story and how there were so many layers. This is a pretty clean romance as well so for those that don’t want the spice this is a great choice!

I loved the following of Eddie’s introduction into trying to publish her first book and the ups and downs associated with her infatuation with Nash a famous poet who promises to help her get published but seems he really is just stringing her along for the chance of a physical relationship.

I loved to see the blooming romance between Eddie and Rose and how their relationship went through the ups and downs as Eddie came to terms with her feelings for Rose.

Overall, I love Lex’s writing style and the way her books are written in a way that are so fun! I highly recommend Lex’s books to those that want an LGBTQ historical romance.

Thank you to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Infamous seemed like it had all the makings of something I’d love: friends-to-lovers sapphic romcom set in the Regency. But all the issues I had with Lex Croucher’s previous historical continue here, and are even more glaring.
The characters are the best part of the book, and I lament that they didn’t have a better story. Eddie is a delightful heroine, and the Eloise Bridgerton vibes come through in spades. She’s a bit difficult at times (and I know not everyone likes her), but I can’t help but admire her for her writing dreams and desire for a more unconventional path than most women of the era. Rose is more conventional, getting engaged early on in the story to a man, in spite of the long-standing tension between her and Eddie.
And then there’s Nash: I love when Byronesque bad boys are made into the villains they likely actually were in history, instead of glamorizing them. Nash is a lot of fun initially, and I can see how Eddie was taken in by him and his charms. The gradual reveals of all the red flags were well done.
But the actual “romance” is where this book falls flat. So much of the book is spent on Eddie being distracted by Nash to ease the blow of possibly losing Rose, that it kind of forgets that the book is meant to be a romance between her and Rose. And while there’s a subtle attempt to create this implication that Rose’s marriage was a lavender one, coexisting with Eddie and Rose’s clandestine sapphic relationship (and this arrangement is completely valid), I needed more textual evidence that this arrangement worked for all parties involved, especially given that Rose’s impending marriage was the inciting incident for Eddie’s choices throughout the book. The ending also felt much more literary than romantic, with the choice to convey much about their unconventional arrangement through the hearsay of literary critics of Eddie’s work, some writing decades after the fact, while the narrative proper left things in a very ambiguous place.
I can’t help but feel a bit gaslighted by this book, even knowing from Croucher’s prior book that I probably shouldn’t expect a genre romance. But at least the marketing for that one seemed to suggest that that was the case there, whereas the blurb for this one used terms like “friends to lovers sapphic romance.” I imagine newer romance readers won’t mind this as much, but any more well-read romance readers should keep this in mind before picking this up.

22-year-old aspiring writer Edith 'Eddie' Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together-climbing trees, throwing grapes at boys, sneaking bottles of wine and practicing kissing. As they grow up, they seem to be drifting apart, but could a famous writer and Rose's potential suitor be the key to bringing them closer than ever?
I LOVED this book and everything about it. I loved that I never knew quite how to feel about Nash. I loved the side characters. I loved Eddie and Rose's banter. I love Lex Croucher and everything she touches.

I did not love this one. I had difficulty connecting with the characters and the story took a while to make sense to me. I was really looking forward to a fun, queer regency romcom and this was not it.

i wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book like i did! it gives bridgerton vibes, and has a huge LGBTQ+ community rep!! it reminded me a lot of Eloise Bridgerton. it was a really funny, cute, sweet story that i enjoyed and i can’t wait to see other people feel the same way when it comes out!

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Infamous by Lex Croucher

I just don't think this was the book for me personally. I tried to enjoy but kept getting distracted. Again, I do like the queer friends to lover aspect, and even the regency type vibes but something just didn't sit right with me. I also didn't read the first one, so I don't know if that played any part or not.

While I was extremely excited for this sapphic regency romance, it left a lot to be desired and was just okay to me. Real rating of a 2.5.

As far as the characters go, I did like Rose. Rose knew that no matter how she truly felt, marrying to ensure her status and financial stability at her age is necessary for societal survival. Meanwhile her best friend and main character Edith “Eddie” is horrified and wants nothing to do with settling down and marriage at 22 when she feels that her friendship with Rose is enough. Personally I felt that Eddie was more immature than any YA protagonist and that she had a one track mind with a blind spot to reality. For a self-proclaimed writer, she was remarkably bad at communication. While I liked that she was content with living life her way and not afraid of what the people around her in society thought, she had a tendency of disregarding Rose and her interest in society events. I also think Rose forgave Eddie way too easily for all of her transgressions when Eddie was so quick to write her off and shift blame towards her. It just made for a rocky relationship between the two that I think needed more communication and less focus on intimacy and physical affection.

I appreciated the more diverse cast as most regency novels lack diversity and that Eddie was able to finally come to terms with challenges regarding her writing and rise above them. I also liked the writing style and despite my dislike of some of the characters, the banter between them did keep me entertained and engaged.

I did like the idea of the story, but it just didn’t come together like I had hoped. It was especially disappointing since the author’s upcoming YA novel was absolutely amazing with excellent writing and characters. While I didn’t care for this book, I still plan to read more of the author’s work since I hear great things about this book’s predecessor and because I enjoyed the author’s upcoming YA Arthurian-inspired book.

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC

Wow. It’s been a while since I read a book where I have so much to say, and I don’t even know where to begin. I both loved parts of the book, while having a tough time with certain aspects. I advise you look at the content warnings for this one. I am going to put a spoiler warning on this review since I don’t really know how to dig in without it.

Things I loved! The writing was phenomenal: fast paced, sparkling, adsorbing writing. I loved all the big group scene with Eddie’s family and with groups of friends. Each minor side character was impeccably characterized, and there were so many small hilarious moments, it was almost overwhelming. The banter in this book was among the best I’ve read.

I absolutely ADORED Rose. The most insightful and clear-eyed character in the book. I wish the book was in dual POV so that I could spend some time in her head. She is the perfect combination of intelligent, idealistic, yet practical. She understands the limitations of society and is willing to test the bounds, and is savvy enough to negotiate a scenario to be secure, protected, and happily able to be her true self in a way that works for her. She has ENDLESS wells of patience. Endless. Seriously. Rose deserves a goddamn trophy.

Things that are complicated! Eddie. Hoo boy. Here is a narrator I rooted for, but wanted to shake her senseless because how clueless can you possibly be!!!! About all the things!!! For such a smart young woman, she was also frustratingly naive and almost willfully blind. Obviously about Rose. Like - hello wake up!!!! I wish we had more pining. ANYWAY.

But mostly, I wanted to shake her because of NASH. Who is somewhere between complicated and legit vile. Mostly the latter. Sure, he was super charming and funny, and I felt like the story really wanted me to like him, and I did on the surface. But mostly, he read like red flag red flag RED FLAG *RED FLAGGGGG*. I was basically waiting for him to do something bad, it was a matter of time and *how* bad it would be.

Things that should have a content warning!! I seriously cannot believe that Nash drugged Eddie TWICE with the intent to rape her. So, yeah. Did not like. And it was made worse because I feel like the book didn’t really address how wrong that was. I was especially disappointed in Valentine, Kitty, and Liza and their complicity in the whole thing and in Nash’s other varied absolutely shitty behaviour.

Am I supposed to assume that brushing the almost rapes under the rug was done in the name of historically accuracy? I feel like that could have been handled a lot better. As someone with sadly some personal experience in this area, I don’t blame Eddie for not dwelling and for minimizing things, carrying on like things are normal. But for a book released now, I would have liked to see that addressed or challenged in some way. Unfortunately this damped my enthusiasm for the book.

ANYWAY

So, what could have been a 4-5 star read has been bumped down to…let’s give it 3.5. I know so many people who really loved it, and I get it. I just think that for me, as someone with the history I have…parts of it were difficult, especially since I don’t feel like they were properly addressed by the text. YMMV.

This is a diverse, queer, regency era romcom, and I loved it!!!

Eddie (Edith) and Rose have been best friends since childhood. But, even though they swore to never marry, Eddie is taken aback when Rose finds a match. When Eddie meets Nash, a famous poet, the story moves to a mansion full of artsy people without to many cares. Later, Eddie realizes that nothing is ever simple but possibly some things do not change too drastically.

I thought this was clever and funny and it gave me some good vibes. A perfect weekend read!