Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

70 reviews

terranstorm's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Couldn’t put it down. Definitely some major secondhand embarrassment scenes, reader beware, but I thought the rest more than made up for it. 

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sahla's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

5.0

this book is the best thing that's happened to me since my discovery of ao3, and that's saying something. it made me so happy. i've laughed a lot and gotten my heart broken at times, too, only to mend it right back. i've fallen irrevocably in love with monty, and despite his very many flaws, i wouldn't have him any other way. he is a delightful character to see the world through, with high levels of self-loathing masked behind a great show of narcissism. he is, however, very much self-absorbed, and by the end, begins to realise this and makes an effort to change, to show love and empathy to those around him. 

i'm honest to god head over heels for every character: monty, percy, felicity, scipio, and even ebrahim, the very minor character and a part of the worst pirate crew in the history of piracy. percy and monty's relationship is written so beautifully, equal parts gut-wrenching pining and light-hearted banter. 

Can’t seal up a conversation with a casual Oh, by the way, could you perhaps not touch me the way you always have because each time it puts fresh splinters in my heart? Particularly when what I’d really like to say is Oh, by the way, could you please keep touching me, and perhaps do it all the time, and while we’re at it, would you like to take off all your clothes and climb in bed? They’re both weighted alike.

and i love, love the p.o.c representation, the fact that the author could have very easily taken the "oh, it's 18th century england" route to simply not have any non-white characters yet chose not to, and in fact wrote them well, doing justice to the struggle of racialised people of this era without making the entire personality be their race and racial trauma. 

and i am so happy to find out that there's a sequel, and i can't wait to dive right back into this world, this time through the eyes of felicity "men are such babies" montague.

(also, this book concludes my 2024 reading challenge of reading 24 books, and im glad this was the book i decided to end my year with.)

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cecilielaugesen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

3.75

I like the broad representation in this book, and I like the way it’s written - it’s funny in a beautiful kind of way.
Other than that I found this book very underwhelming and a bit disappointing.
Mainly because the main character, Monty, is useless and very annoying. 

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theaceofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

3.75

I'll admit that I don't read a massive amount of historical fiction. But I've heard about this one a few times so I thought I'd give it a try. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would! Monty is sent for a tour across Europe (under the watch of a chauffer of course!) after he is expelled from Eaton. While he is delighted to be joined by his long time friend (and more recent love interest) Percy (a black son of a duke who is heading off to Holland afterwards), he is less happy that his sister Felicity is being sent along before she goes to finishing school (although she would really rather be a doctor). They manage to lose their chauffer after being attacked by highwaymen and go on their own adventure, chasing the secrets hidden by an artifact Monty stole in France.  The plot felt a bit convoluted at times but overall I enjoyed the journey 

Diverse historical fiction is rare. At least in mainstream spaces. It was delightful to see some broader representation than is common. This one tackles race, sexuality, sexism and the way disorders like epilepsy were treated. I absolutely loved Felicity and her spirit. While there are definitely similarities between her and Monty, she has a compassion he lacks. Monty however... Yeah. He was a bit of a self centred jerk. I do appreciate that he started to mature towards the end and look beyond his own feelings and desires. 



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marissasa's review

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adventurous funny tense fast-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

4.5

I started and finished this book via audiobook and reading along with the physical in just a day. I was hooked from the start with Monty's strong narrative voice and how bold and crass and humorous and bisexual it was in the face of all the trouble he was constantly getting in. I loved his character even more the further he got fleshed out and I just thought him and each of the other main characters were so well-written, I loved their trio dynamic. The plot is a bit wacky but it is definitely a wild adventure that kept me entertained the whole way through and it never felt like it was dragging on. It was very well-paced for a 500 page book. I was also pretty impressed with how the author handled the range of social issues that would be realistic in the setting and time period, and it felt like one of the few times when a white author wrote about people of color with intention beyond just representation and included racial issues without overstepping or being cringey. This book was so fun to read and definitely a great one to read during pride month so I'm so glad I finally got it off my tbr and into my brain lol.

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thegezzell's review

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adventurous emotional funny tense 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

For fans of 1700's fare, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue has everything a puffy pirate shirt wearing son of a lord might desire. Big cities, treasure, pirates, kidnappings, escapes, and yes, even true love. This is a kissing book. 

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rileyswan's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

4.0


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bazxi's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

5.0


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bg_oseman_fan's review

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I liked the premise of the book. I especially enjoyed how much research the author put in to telling the story. At times the story dragged and felt like it was repeating itself. Overall an enjoyable and mostly lighthearted read

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anntharai's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

So much more than a romp accross Europe with forbidden love the goal. I loved this book start ro finish. It's ridiculous and awkward and it ends perfectly. 

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