A review by bannedfrombookclub
Reputation by Lex Croucher

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

3.75

So yes it's a Mean Girls meets Austen coming of age morality tale, compete with a regency equivalent of "get in loser we're going shopping" ... twice. A good read, even if I longed to tweak a couple of aspects. Nice to see the grittier side of life that was only alluded to in Austen's works in more detail. 



Starting with the insta-love. I thought there could have been some slower growth in her feelings towards the love interest, tied to her growing understanding of the flaws and complexities of her friends.

 The vein of 'privilege protects' wasn't fully mined, but it's definitely a strong theme.

I felt, the women were drawn with dimension and complexity, but the men, heros and villains alike, were a bit flat. Probably an unpopular opinion but I thought there was space for a partial redemption arc for Christopher, his antagonism didn't really pay off. 

The ending climax at the church  suddenly cranks up the drama in a way that was almost genre-breaking and doesn't respect Austen's conviction that true horror is social disaster rather than physical peril. 

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