Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Reputation

Inspired by Mean Girls, this regency story has all the casual cruelty and grappling for social currency that one would expect. The references are complete with a chapter that begins, "Get in, Georgiana. We're going shopping." Frances Campbell is our Queen Bee, and protagonist Georgiana is eager to become her latest sycophant, wanting an injection of reckless fun into her boring summer. The book showcases characters with a complete disregard for social norms whereas most regency romps only manage tepid or pointed departures from what is socially acceptable. Envision illicit drugs of all types, nude frolicking, and a complete lack of chaperones. The story takes a look at how a certain level of class and money excuses all else. The constraints on the behavior of middle and lower-class persons are mere suggestions for the elite, easy to ignore when the consequences are so ephemeral. This is another way it sets itself apart from historical fiction that emphasizes social pressures on aristocrats.

The story has a quick, biting wit akin to Georgiana's own subversive, barbed remarks. Several funny asides made me laugh aloud. Also, letter banter is the BEST banter, and this one delivers in that category 100%. I was unconvinced of the central romance plot til the correspondence started up halfway through, and then I suddenly found myself on board. It was that high quality.

While reading, my stress level was high, even though I knew all the bad decisions and situations were building up to a lesson to be learned. It comes at a steep price for many characters involved. The emphasis on needing to be cool or seem above everyone else made me cringe, with side helpings of peer pressure and harassment, bullying and exclusionary tactics. Add in quick judgments and nasty put-downs to make oneself feel superior. It offers a deep view of the root causes of the characters' behaviors. For example, our protagonist Georgiana is spinning out in bitter rebellion after being abandoned by cold, distant parents. She seeks affection and belonging at any cost.

There are several content warnings of note for this story: sexual assault on-page and other incidents that occur off-page with physical and psychological harm explored, gaslighting and victim-blaming following claims of assault, racism and slavery, homophobia/lesbophobia, domestic abuse, toxic relationships, a lot of alcohol and other substance abuse, and parental neglect. The author takes a worthy stand on the proper response to assault claims and offers a glimpse into a diverse regency world hampered by prejudice but not whitewashed or offering queer characters as mere sidekicks. It's an interesting book that manages to be difficult to read at some points, uproariously funny at others, sometimes reflective and other times barreling forward. It was a compelling read, and I am curious to see what the author does next.

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theinkedpath's review against another edition

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dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

ES:

Me hubiera gustado que me encantase, pero no ha sido así.

EN:

I feel very disappointed. I was struggling to finish it.

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criticalbooks's review

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emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I had so much fun with this one! It was such a good retelling of Mean Girls, super entertaining, and with writing as witty and concise as Austen’s. I also loved the romance between Georgiana and Thomas! My only issues were that Georgiana’s conflict with her parents and the climax action felt a little undeveloped.

As a side note, I listened to the audiobook read by Bessie Carter, who did an incredible job bringing the story to life.

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d0000dle's review

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funny lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

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charley0796's review

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funny 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

I believe this is my first romcom book and not a bad one to start with! It’s definitely best described as regency version of Mean Girls, it made me laugh, sucked me in and filled that friendship sized hole that only a good book can!
Overall, I thought the plot was standard for this style coming of age story - though the book was long it didn’t feel that way, despite much of it being taken up by scandalous parties each chapter brought a refreshing new part to the story. It is so much more diverse than most regency novels which often white wash and straightify the time - it was refreshing to see this brought up and discussed but I wish it was developed further! There could have been so much opportunity to explore lavender marriages or even bisexuality on Georgiana’s front if a couple of chapters had been added. This would have built up the historical accuracy of the novel that few people know about (see Jessica Kellgren-Fozard‘s YouTube channel for more on this).

That said, I was disappointed by the love story between Georgiana and Thomas. Though Georgiana’s attraction to him was clear from the outset, Thomas’ affections seemed to materialise from nowhere and with no witty dialogue between the two that could have started to grow the relationship seed. I would have liked to see more around these conversations in the novel, with dialogue being a weakness in the novel. I also felt like the reconciliation between Jane and Frances and Georgiana was brushed over, I felt this needed more development, especially if we are to believe that the relationship between Jane and Frances developed into something healthy.
I also felt the continuous mention of how Georgiana was poor compared to her friends tedious, especially as it had no impact on the plot beyond wearing a bedsheet toga to a Greek party. It felt like a half hearted copy of pride and prejudice.

I do recommend this book though! Especially for those looking for a diverse light read. But not for accurate historical fiction fans .

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