ARC Review: Reputation by Lex Croucher
10:00
Series: None
Author: Lex Croucher
Published July 8th 2021 by Zaffre
Goodreads Synopsis
The hilarious debut novel from Lex Croucher. A classic romcom with a Regency-era twist, for fans of Mean Girls and/or Jane Austen.
Abandoned by her parents, middle-class Georgiana Ellers has moved to a new town to live with her dreary aunt and uncle. At a particularly dull party, she meets the enigmatic Frances Campbell, a wealthy member of the in-crowd who lives a life Georgiana couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams.
Lonely and vulnerable, Georgiana falls in with Frances and her unfathomably rich, deeply improper friends. Georgiana is introduced to a new world: drunken debauchery, mysterious young men with strangely arresting hands, and the upper echelons of Regency society.
But the price of entry to high society might just be higher than Georgiana is willing to pay ...
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Finding herself sent to her aunt and uncles, Miss Georgiana Ellers was expecting life to be dreary and dull in her new town. But, she meets the exciting Frances Campbell, daughter of the wealthy Lord Campbell, and all round leader of the in-crowd. And, what's more, it seems like Frances likes her, and wants to be her friend. Georgiana's eyes are opened to a whole new world, but her naivete may be the root of her downfall, and will her new friends be the reason she loses the man she has fallen for?
As soon as this book was brought to my attention, I knew I wanted it. I mean, when it's been compared to Bridgerton, Jane Austen, and Mean Girls - all things I love - it's bound to become a favourite of mine, right? Well, unfortunately, that was wrong. I mean, I liked Reputation, but it was a lot darker than I was expecting, and I never found myself too invested in any of the characters. The comparison to Mean Girls felt right, and I could almost imagine Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, etc. in the parts of the book's characters, and it played out like a movie in my head. There's even an iconic quote as a chapter opener part way through, so I definitely think that Croucher was going more for that audience, than one of Bridgerton etc. It's only really the period being used that was a link to Austen or Bridgerton in my opinion. I did like the way that some hard hitting topics were broached in the book, though some could've been delved into a lot more. Georgiana and Thomas' relationship was nice, and I really enjoyed the way the ending seemed to tie everything up, but I wanted more from this book, that unfortunately wasn't there.
Dates Read:
July 10, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
0 comments