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renwolf's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Didn’t really feel pulled into this. Eddie was too oblivious, didn’t particularly like a lot of the secondary characters.
The twist was obvious and it took a while to get there, then it was wrapped up in no time.
Henry’s subplot disappeared at the same time. I think it needed a better resolution.
The twist was obvious and it took a while to get there, then it was wrapped up in no time.
Henry’s subplot disappeared at the same time. I think it needed a better resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Drug use
gidgetdraws's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this, I really did. The main character, Eddie, was deeply unlikeable with little character development.
I had to remind myself constantly that Eddie was 22 and not younger for the way she thought and acted, which could be chalked up to being sheltered and naive, but for her age it truly went far beyond any reasonable parameter. Which also gave me a strong ick for Nash I couldn’t shake. I wasn’t convinced of him as a love interest from the beginning, being married aside. His behaviorisms would be considered grooming and predatory as he takes full advantage of the power dynamic between himself and Eddie, which in the end was the whole reason of his character and very predictable—without going into too much detail—and I was not shocked at all by the ending considering the emotional, sexual, and drug abuse he inflicted upon Eddie continuously.
Lastly, I strongly suggest a trigger warning for themes of Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse, and Drug Abuse be added to this book, and I’m deeply disappointed there isn’t already. I like to think I’m hard to shake despite my life experiences but I was deeply unsettled by these themes and how nonchalantly they were written out and shrugged off. These are very accurate and real depictions without any sort of warning to prospective readers.
Lastly, I strongly suggest a trigger warning for themes of Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse, and Drug Abuse be added to this book, and I’m deeply disappointed there isn’t already. I like to think I’m hard to shake despite my life experiences but I was deeply unsettled by these themes and how nonchalantly they were written out and shrugged off. These are very accurate and real depictions without any sort of warning to prospective readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
thefrogsbif's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Funny, witty, charming, with the most wonderful old-timey turns of phrases - a delight.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
lexnicole's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
4.5
I really hate Nash Nicholson
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Drug use, and Sexual assault
booksdogsandcoffee's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
Thank you St Martian’s Griffin for an Arc in Exchange for an honest review
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
yikeslou's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Classism and Sexual assault
enchantedsleeper's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a light and enjoyable read, with some reassuringly fanficcy tropes. The main character is a lot like Lizzie Bennett meets Jo March, if Lizzie/Jo were bi and SUPER DENSE about it. But she and her romantic interest are a lovely combo. Albert was also a joy and a really nice supportive beard to Rose :D I wouldn't have minded lots more of him. The only thing that bothered me was that Eddie didn't fight for ownership of her novel at the end, considering that she had part of the manuscript and could prove it was by her! Even if Nash never went on to publish another novel, he still got the credit and acclaim. And everything was a Done Deal extremely quickly, somehow. I also wanted to know exactly what happened with Henry...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Drug use, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
Multiple scenes of dubious sexual consent and/or sexual consent under the influence of alcohol or drugs.fictionalportal's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- 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
A fun read for the most part, though the protagonist Eddie is very difficult to stick with after a point. It's worth mentioning a few major content warnings, since the tone of the book shifts very abruptly in the third act. Spoilers below.
The way Eddie speak to her love interest, Rose, is rather lacking in empathy and a touch manipulative at times, which makes it hard to get into their relationship at first. This dynamic does shift over the course of the book, fortunately. Early on, Eddie often says things like "You don't feel this way, do you?" rather than asking a straightforward question. I understand that she's relatively young, but her voice read more consistently like a sixteen year old than a twenty-two year old in terms of emotional maturity.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, Classism, Gun violence, Alcohol, Misogyny, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Racism
internalized homophobia, hallucinationshettyreads's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Alcoholism, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Rape, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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 received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Murder