Book Review #bookreview #regency #reputation #lexcroucher #netgalley #stmartinspress
This novel is full of charm and wit and such a delightful debut from Lex Croucher. This novel is currently marketed as a romance and while yes there is a romance story line, it is a bit more secondary. This novel reads more along the lines of a young adult or new adult regency story, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially if you enter the story with the proper expectations. I think Lex Croucher does a lovely job of crafting an interesting and well paced story. The dialogue is quippy and the characters are delightfully diverse and well rounded. This is a great novel to pick up if you are looking for a story about the ups and downs of societies influences during the time as well as the exploration of young women and how they influence each other in their friendships.
This novel follows Georgiana/Georgie's debut in Higher Society and learning to navigate the social waters. She has been abandoned by her parents and currently residing with her aunt and uncle. Georgie is of a middle class but in moving to this new environment she finds herself under the wing and influence of Frances, who is very wealthy, and her friends who open Georgie's world to the party side of the upper echelons of society.
This novel is compared to Mean Girls meets Jane Austen and it is a very apt parallel. This tag definitely drew me to be interested in this story and definitely clued me in that this novel would probably be a bit more focused on friendships and relationships over a full blown romance. Lex Croucher does a really nice job drawing inspiration from the theme of Mean Girls while crafting a new and fun exploration of society through the eyes of someone learning what these types of parties and get togethers look like behind closed doors. Georgie is young and innocent so it is very understandable that she becomes easily influenced and charmed by the unknown. I do like that as she goes deeper into the world she starts to learn more about herself, what she wants and how to ultimately stand up for herself. There is a secondary romance between her and the hero-Thomas, who happens to see her at her best and worse. I do love that Thomas is always on her side and finds her charming and real.
I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a fun and well written story that explores friendship, peer pressure, and personal growth in a regency world. Lex Croucher does a wonderful job of creating a world with subtle diversity that feels natural and true to the story. I am looking forward to seeing where Lex Croucher goes from here!
Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.