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anastasia_raf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Did I enjoy the book? Yes and no. Honestly being described as a queer romance feels a bit misleading?
It is queer and it has a little romance but it's also heavy. It explores women's stance in society, it LIGHTLY refers to colonialism and racism. It also refers to toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and the predatory "nature" of white cis men. Was all of it perfectly executed? No. But the message was delivered.
It felt a bit triggering for me reading a book where I could see myself- a young woman being misled and manipulated by a man. A queer person struggling to accept herself. I have read books that were more triggering and difficult but somehow with this book I felt like I was reliving the most ugly and hurtful moments of my life. Nash reminded me too much of someone dangerous and scary and I felt sickened by his appearance in the book. I didn't know it was going to be heavy (personally speaking always,) going into it but please be careful if you get triggered by such themes as well.
The writing was solid. The protagonists felt real enough. The side characters weren't explored as much as I wish they were. There was such chemistry between Rose and Eddie, I loved it. Would I have given Eddie as many chances as Rose gave her? Probably not, probably yes.
Do I believe Eddie is spoiled, single-minded, selfish and thoughtless towards the feelings of others? Yes. Do I believe she has the potential of growth? Also yes.
I truly liked Rose. I know she has spunk and I wanted to see more of it. Nonetheless she was an absolute delight.
I loved Dayo, Albert and occasionally Valentine, but as I said, they weren't greatly explored and their presence seemed "out of necessity" than actual contribution to the story.
The best way I can describe it, is as a semi-biography of an author. Of Eddie.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Homophobia, and Death
Minor: Slavery, Racism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Cursing, Colonisation, and Classism
patricktreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like if a few of the romance elements had been changed, it plus have been a lot better for my vibes.
Even with that I think the narrator did an absolutely amazing job in the performance of the work. All of the voices were uniquely done, an the dramatization was superb.
In the end I gave this a 3 stars, and I would like to thank NetGalley n the publisher for this audio arc
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, and Toxic friendship
jodiexmae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Grief, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Murder
lexnicole's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Drug use, and Sexual assault
mybeevenme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Colonisation
also very dubious consentbooksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a witty, smart mix of Bridgerton meets Colette meets Dickinson. I have fallen in love with queer historical romance and Lex Croucher wrote Infamous with such a women empowering voice and tenderness that I found myself squealing when the two main characters finally admit their feelings for each other. With the time that it was set in I did have a hard time with some of the plot line and it was a struggle to listen to at times, but overall was fantastic.
The narration was amazing and I had a wonderful time listening to this book!
Cw
Sexism
Sa
Domestic violence
Alcohol
Drugs
Toxic relationship
Infidelity
Gaslighting
Misogyny
Sexual harassment
Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
fictionalportal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Massive content warning for multiple instances of non-consensual sexual advances and attempted sexual assault. There's also a very confusing sequence fueled by hallucinogenic mushrooms that really ruined the last part of the book for me. In short, the main character is coerced into doing shrooms, and then it's unclear whether she hallucinates being assaulted or if she's actually assaulted. Then she hallucinates the man who tried to assault her shooting someone who interfered during the incident. Tonally, it didn't fit at all with the rest of the book, and honestly it was a very upsetting turn for an otherwise very lighthearted and fun story.
Overall, I enjoyed this book up until the last 80 or so pages, including the lackluster epilogue. The book is very well written, the dialogue is compelling, and the characters have really strong voices, but it seemed like the author ran out of ideas for plot and needed to contrive a way to raise the stakes at the end. While there was character- and plot-based setup for the events that occurred in those last 80 pages, it didn't feel necessary to go that direction, and it really tarnished an otherwise very enjoyable read for me.
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, Classism, Gun violence, Alcohol, Misogyny, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Racism
internalized homophobia, hallucinationsheather_freshparchment's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had mixed feelings about Lex Croucher's first book, but I am a sucker for Regency historical fiction, so I entered this book with a little bit of trepidation. I actually liked this one better! Eddie is a completely unlikeable main character and yet Croucher lets you feel close to her and care about her welfare - an incredible feat! The bacchanalia felt well-balanced by (mostly) sober daytime adventures, too, and the racial and sexual/gender diversity felt truer to Regency culture and still ring true to modern society. The brief references to real historical figures, like William Wilberforce and Mary Shelley and characters very much modeled on Anne Lister or who were probably influenced by Rousseau and Wollstonecraft kept me grounded in the period. The villain was a believable scoundrel (even if his last appearance was a bit melodramatic), and the heroine got to go on a very Austen-esque journey of self-discovery. A very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to more, if there will be more from this world.
Graphic: Infidelity, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Murder
courtney__bernard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Lex has done it again! I loved the first novel I read of hers, Reputation, and this one has the same vibes that I thought the characters would certainly be friends. There is a lot of fun that happens in the novel and more than a couple of times I laughed out loud. I really loved this one and loved Eddie and Rose as a pair but I did get a little annoyed at how thick Eddie could be with her and their relationship.
All of the characters are messy but that makes them even more loveable. Albert, Dayo, Kitty Liza and Nash all made for a diverse cast and I loved to root for them through this story. Even with the amount of frustrating choices they made throughout the novel I still wanted everyone to end up happy (Well almost everyone...).
I felt like I was watching a romcom where you don't want the plot to get too much because you just want to have fun reading.
🌶️ Spice Meter 🌶️ : 0 out of 5 Peppers
Final Thoughts: If you are looking for a fun, sapphic, historical book, this is for you. It is a chaotic, funny, entertaining read for the right crowd. Thankfully I was in the right crowd for this.
TW: Toxic Relationships, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
magbigler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Murder and Sexual assault