Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

12 reviews

beepbeep101's review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Valentine is adorable, and I spent most of this book just wanting him to be happy and stop yelling at people. I love that this explored gender roles and expectations, independence and autonomy, and figuring yourself out rather than miserably going along with what you think are the expectations placed on you. A fun “pomp, romp, and circumstance” indeed, with some poignant insights along the way. 

No dragons but plenty of fun ~spicyness~

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Gun violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.75

Alexis Hall's characters are silly and a bit frustrating, yet I have read almost everything he has written. Bonny and Valentine were quite fun and enjoyable. Hall makes the modern language and historical context work, and his ability to write out homophobia almost entirely in a historical context, simply by making every character gay, is always fun. 

Looking forward to the sequel!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Classism

jjjreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Infidelity

ruthlessreads's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

1.0

I absolutely hated this book :'( I wanted so badly to like it, considering that it's exactly the tropes I love and by an author I really enjoy. However, Arabella was insufferable and Bonny was very close to being insufferable as well. She was the absolute worst part of this book and the way she was allowed to just be a piece of shit without any consequences whatsoever really pissed me off. Bonny was also selfish & stupid & annoying but not insufferable. He was often charming but not worth the bullshit that Valentine had to go through. And Valentine--dude was both oblivious and arrogant, but that doesn't mean he deserved

to be tied to a chair and eventually shot.

Bella running away from him repeatedly and refusing to even have a conversation so that they could work all this out was the thing that cinched this up (for me) as just a bad book. It's a shitty plot device and made the book last 200 pages longer than it needed to. 

Finally, I've read a lot of queer romance but the flowery asshole talk was absolutely horrible and entirely too much. The only reason I would consider reading the second book is because it's about Peggy (my favorite character of the book, followed by the valet--so that should tell you something about the quality of the main characters) and I believe that Bella will get her comeuppance by the end of it.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Medical content

Moderate: Classism and Sexism

Minor: Death of parent

ohheyitskaitlin's review

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing

Moderate: Gun violence and Gaslighting

Minor: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Violence, Confinement, and Misogyny

shelvesofivy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing

Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Death of parent and Medical content

internalized homophobia

kathleenmcg's review

adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Classism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Violence

fromjuliereads's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

This was a fun read! I admit that I despised Arabella 😅 but I really liked all of the other characters, especially Valentine and Peggy! It was exactly what the back of the book promised - a good romp and pomp 😂 with some adventures of course!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Misogyny

breadbees's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Classism, Cursing, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Misogyny

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Grief, Blood, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Outing, and Abandonment

purplepenning's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

When Alexis Hall describes his book as "a big gay regency romp about a overly dramatic beautiful rainbow sunshine unicorn + a overly dramatic demisexual grumpy duke, going on a cross-country chase" and adds that the unofficial subtitle is "Dude, Where's My Curricle?" and it's the "campiest and silliest and most fun thing" he's ever written — believe him. 

The grumpy/sunshine combo is gold. I disagree with reviewers who felt Bonny Mr. Sunshine was overly mean to His Grace Valentine Grumpy Pants, but he was certainly in an unenviable position between his best friend and sister, His Grace, and his own, you know, precarious existence. And while a zero to 100 relationship for a demisexual main character doesn't quite work for me, I also disagree that His Grace was "just fine the way he was, oh em gee, just leave him alone already." He was not quietly content — he was miserably unaware and misguided and headed for further misery. Most of the side characters are great, though the satirized gothic heroine sister is just grating. And the plot is, well, a careening mess that's somewhat too driven by the bullying sexism of the day, anachronistic overcorrections, and aro understandings clashing with gothic dramatics, but mostly it's just a vehicle for fun shenanigans in the countryside. It's all undeniably over the top, British, queer, chaotic, funny, annoying, graphic, and sometimes genuinely touching and lovely.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Gun violence

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Cursing, Kidnapping, Bullying, Confinement, and Sexism

Minor: Body shaming, Classism, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Animal death

There are also a couple of key scenes (very sweet) that feature bees, and some brief talk/imaginings of spiders