My review: 3.25 ⭐
Trigger warnings: https://www.lexcroucher.co.uk/reputat…
I wanted to listen to this one because I am a fan of Bridgerton and Gossip Girl type shows. I found it to be well written, however it was a bit draggy for me. It did end up picking up the pace maybe 2/3 in.
I didn’t really connect with any of the characters either. I guess girls are mean no matter what era they grow up in. Frances is terrible. Georgiana’s parents are terrible. I did like Thomas, but wish there was more of him.
I’m not sure I’d put this in the rom-com catergory – did I miss something? I barely cracked a smile let alone a laugh. Unless I was supposed to laugh at all the meanness.
So I’ve never read Jane Austin ~ classics are just not my thing. But if I had to guess what someone would sound like in one of her books it would be exactly how Bessie Carter sounds, so I was quite pleased with the narration.
Overall, this one was not for me, but I could see the appeal for Regency era lovers who enjoy an excessive amount of partying.
*Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio USA and Lex Croucher for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Book blurb: Release date ~ April 5, 2022
Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Jane Austen, in this Regency-era historical romantic comedy with a deliciously feminist twist, from a hilarious new British voice, Lex Croucher.
Abandoned by her parents, middle-class Georgiana Ellers is spending the summer with her stodgy aunt and uncle at their home in the English countryside. At a particularly dull party, she meets the enigmatic Frances Campbell, a wealthy member of the in-crowd who delights Georgiana with her disregard for so-called “polite society”.
Lonely and vulnerable, Georgiana quickly falls in with Frances and her wealthy, wild, and deeply improper friends, who introduce her to the upper echelons of Regency aristocracy, and a world of drunken debauchery, frivolous spending, and mysterious young men. One, in particular, stands out from the rest: Thomas Hawksley, who has a tendency to cross paths with Georgiana in her most embarrassing moments. Sparks fly, but Thomas seems unimpressed with the company she is keeping. And soon, Georgiana begins to wonder whether she’ll ever feel like she fits in – or if the price of entry into Frances’ gilded world will ultimately be higher than she is willing to pay.
Set against a backdrop of lavish parties, handsome men on horseback – and in a time when one’s reputation was everything – this edgy, hilarious romantic comedy explores sex, consent, belonging, and status through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine for whom Austen herself would have cheered.
