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annilane'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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
pagesfromhome's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While the back of the book compares this story to Jane Austen, Fleabag, and Bridgerton, it was really just essentially Mean Girls with a Skins twist. That’s not a bad thing, but it is worth noting that most of the characters are pretty awful and don’t really redeem themselves.
I did enjoy the main romance and the writing style is SPECTACULAR. I just found myself wishing the characters weren’t so morally gray and that at least some of the characters got some comeuppance. All in all, it’s a good choice for anybody who wants a historical take on Mean Girls with a deeper and more emotional twist. Be aware of the content warnings though!
I did enjoy the main romance and the writing style is SPECTACULAR. I just found myself wishing the characters weren’t so morally gray and that at least some of the characters got some comeuppance. All in all, it’s a good choice for anybody who wants a historical take on Mean Girls with a deeper and more emotional twist. Be aware of the content warnings though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism and Death
hollsbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
Minor: Racism
lidia7's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Rape, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent and Blood
shirdles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Sexual assault
argentum_princeps's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Slavery, Racism, and Misogyny
elatedbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- 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
“there isn’t another version of this story where you did everything right, and all was well….There is no way of knowing, and there is nothing about this that you can change now if you just . . . if you just blame yourself hard enough.”
Ahhhh a regency book done right!! This was absolutely gorgeous in so many ways, particularly in its depiction of a young woman making mistakes & learning from them & growing as a person. Apart from being an adorable romance, this says so much about friendships and family as well as delving into gender, race & sexuality. Lex Croucher really understands the perfect space themes need to take up in her work & discusses them just enough to get the nuance without clumsily overdoing it.
The 3rd person would occasionally confuse me & take me out of the story but generally flowed well. I liked the level of diction & their speech felt authentic while still being natural & easy to understand. The humour at the beginning of the novel feels too self aware & made me cringe a bit but as the novel goes on it gets absolutely laugh out loud hilarious so possibly I just needed to settle into it a bit more first.
“she always said she liked the least-loved things the best, because it always took her by surprise, the unfussy beauty of them. Nobody’s surprised if you like a proper rose – of course you like a rose, who wouldn’t like a rose? You can accidentally like a rose without even meaning to – but to love something like a dog rose is something else entirely – you simply can’t love it by accident.”
*spoilers*
“There will always be those who do not believe you – or those who do believe you, but who dismiss the entire affair as harmless, boyish fun – but I doubt there is a person among them who would wish to be harmed as you were.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Racism
apevi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape, Homophobia, and Racism
maggies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
I've heard Reputation recommended over the Bridgerton series, and I have to say I agree. Both Regency-era romance novels, Reputation sets itself apart from Bridgerton by leaning into anachronistic social norms and turns of phrase (much like the recent Persuasion adaptation with Dakota Johnson, which I also very much enjoyed) and questioning the racism and classism of the time, as well as the ultra focus on virginity and purity. If you're looking for a well-researched historical romance, this probably isn't it. In fact, while it might technically classify as a romance, adherents of the genre might be disappointed, as the romance is really more a subplot in Georgiana's story, though it was no less satisfying to me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Homophobia, Slavery, and Racism
sophiegavroche's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Minor: Racism