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below_average_baker's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Sexual assault, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Gun violence
anastasia_raf's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
I just finished infamous and I feel that I should maybe sleep on it before writing anything but also know that I need to write this review while I'm still being haunted by its pages.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Homophobia, and Death
Minor: Slavery, Racism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Cursing, Colonisation, and Classism
laurel616's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Was the protagonist the densest, least observant person imaginable? Yes. Did I for some reason still love her? Also yes. I really liked this book, and I felt like the ending was very satisfying. There were some plot threads that completely dropped off, but nothing that overly bothered me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Drug use
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder and Death
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
patricktreads's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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 was very excited bout this work because I had recently read a lot of period romance pieces. However, something about the vibes in this book just felt off. I did think the writing was well done, but I genuinely hated many of the characters, one of which being a main character.
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, and Toxic friendship
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
mybeevenme's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Colonisation
also very dubious consentbooksdogsandcoffee'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
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, hallucinations