Reviews with content warning for Blood - Reputation

Get in Georgiana. We’re going shopping.”

Reputation is the hilarious and dramatic marriage of Jane Austen and Mean Girls. Georgiana Ellers has found herself in a new town, living with her middle-class Aunt and Uncle. At a party, she meets wealthy and mischievous Frances Campbell, and gets her ticket into the elite in-crowd. Enamored with a sense of belonging and importance, Georgina falls into a new scene: full of drinking, drugs, debauchery, and the drama of upper-class society. However, Georgiana soon discovers that she’s in over her head. Is this high society life worth the price?

This book is a wild ride. Georgiana is a quirky, sheltered bookworm who just wants to fit in. She admires the life of Frances and her friends, but she eventually realizes their lives aren’t as glamourous as they seem. Her friends struggle with racism, sexual assault, and having to hide their sexual identities. As a reader, it was obvious that these people were acting out in order to forget their struggles, knowing they could get away with it because of their money and social stature. Georgiana, however, takes time to see that. This is so relatable to me, as someone who wanted to fit in with the “cool kids” at school, so you are willing to do things you know aren’t right. I loved Georgiana’s character growth through this story, along with her hilarious quips. Frances? The perfect mean girl. Oh man, Lex does a great job of putting the reader in a love-hate relationship with this character. Sometimes I wanted to give her a hug, other times I wanted to pull her hair out.

My only complaint about this book, and it’s a big one, is that I strongly believe it was categorized incorrectly. This book is excellent for what it is, but it is absolutely NOT a rom-com. Is there some romance in it? Yes. Is it the main plot of the story? No. I would consider this book to be a historical drama, with romance and comedic elements. Please do not go into this book thinking you’re getting a romantic comedy, because not I only will I think you’ll be disappointed, you’ll also be ill-prepared for the traumatic topics that are explored in this book.

CWs: attempted sexual assault, implied sexual assault, alcohol poisoning, discussion of family loss, drugging, slut-shaming, homophobia, racism, domestic violence

(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of Reputation by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Content Warnings

booksnsocks's review

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

emily_mh's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

hanz's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional lighthearted fast-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

3.0

Content Warnings

More...