Reputation: ‘If Bridgerton and Fleabag had a book baby’ Sarra Manning, perfect for fans of 'Mean Girls'

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Yet from the first moment Georgiana does things that are not just period-inappropriate, they are jaw-droppingly rude by any century’s standards. She gallivants everywhere without any sort of chaperone. She and Frances go on solo picnics, attend mixed-gender parties, take drugs, and drink copiously. I’m not for a minute suggesting that this sort of behaviour didn’t happen at all in this era – it certainly did – but at the very least, people paid lip-service to the rules they were supposed to live by. Where else does the title of this novel come from if not an understanding by Croucher of this basic concept? Yet the idea that a middle-class girl in 1812 could get falling-over drunk on a regular basis and not be treated with at best contempt, at worst an assumption that she’s a paid-up sex worker in an era when – to quote Mr Collins again – ‘death was preferable’, is to ignore the historical facts of the case. And she’s plain rude all the time: to Betty, to her aunt and uncle, to her love interest, to the people she considers friends. I think this is the unusual case of an Unintentionally Unlikeable Heroine, who is even more insufferable than the garden variety version. The analysis of class was particularly well done, something that often goes under-examined in novels of the regency that focus on the middle and upper classes. Georgiana is of a lower class than many of the other characters in the novel, and through her eyes we are able to see both her fascination with the more exciting parts, and disgust at the uglier parts, of the behaviour of the rich and powerful. Lex Croucher is becoming a firm favourite author. Having read previous novels, as soon as this was released,it was added to the list of titles I wanted to read. Whilst Georgiana and Thomas's relationship was one of my favourite aspects of the novel, perhaps the most interesting dynamic is between Georgiana and Frances. Croucher captures the dizzying excitement of a new friendship, especially with someone you regard as outgoing and popular, and the way this can crumble from beneath you if there's a misunderstanding about who the other person really is. We delve into the dangers on transactional friendship, and the way that aspects like class and hierarchy come between them. It's frenemies excellence.

The book is clearly riding the tails of the Netflix adaptation of ‘Bridgerton’. This is fortunate, because only people whose only reference point for the Regency era of England is the Netflix adaptation of ‘Bridgerton’ would find this satisfying as a historical novel. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ – and hell yes I’m going to invoke the shade of Jane Austen, because who else are all these pretenders trying to be if not Jane Austen, or at least the Austen of Colin Firth period dramas? – Mr Collins is considered unforgivably impertinent for saying ‘what’s up’ to the nephew of his employer simply because they haven���t been formally introduced. Mr Darcy considers the wider Bennet bloodline to be low-bred and crass because they do things like ‘approach him in conversation’. This very issue of manners comes up in his proposal – you know, the legendary one where he’s rejected for being too proud and forms one half of the famous title? Norse warriors were often burned on pyres with their boats, along with a great many of their personal effects. She had read about the custom in one of her uncle’s books, and had talked about it animatedly and at length earlier in the week at the Burtons’ dinner table while eating her potatoes. She was just getting to the part about wives and thralls following their masters into death when her aunt had slammed her hand down onto the table in an out-of-character display of force and cried, “Are you quite finished, Georgiana?” Estava They’re plum,” Georgiana muttered to herself, reaching for her drink as the latest group of soft-furnishings experts ambled away out of earshot.

4. Bringing Down the Duke – Evie Dunmore

Perhaps Georgiana could tell, and still keep some piece of herself intact. Even if she was labelled a harlot, a liar – even if half the county took his side – perhaps it was worth it to sow the seed of doubt; perhaps ladies would keep their distance, parents think twice about leaving their daughters in [his] company. If Bridgerton and Sex Education had a book baby, it would be Reputation. A classic rom-com with a feminist Regency twist, the debut novel from Lex Croucher is this season’s incomparable diamond. Croucher infuses this energetic Regency era friends-to-lovers sapphic romance with zany wit, joie de vivre, and a distinctive literary bent." –– Publishers Weekly With their first novel, Reputation, Lex Croucher wrote a regency rom com that was as much about friendship as romance and told a historically detailed story with a modern voice. Infamous is a sort of spiritual sequel, with the same mood of twenty-first-century-sensibility-meets-Regency-style. In this work, however, the scope is broader and the story feels bigger than a young woman's misadventures (even though, on a literal level, that's more or less what it is). Infamous is primarily about love rather than friendship, and it's about the world: art and its importance, power and who wields it, the rules society makes and who is allowed to bend or break them. It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again.

Oh? I wouldn’t be here at all, only my father sold a painting to these dreadful people, the Godforths. They were just beside themselves, carrying on about what a triumph it would be and what great friends they hoped we’d all become. It was a hideous painting—Father couldn’t wait to be rid of it; he inherited it, for his sins. I suppose it’ll fit in just fine here, though, with all of … this.” She waved a hand at the offensive pillars. Though it's likely unintentional, Reputation stands to profit from the wave of excitement generated by Bridgerton earlier this year, incorporating atypically racy elements into a typically conservative genre. What Reputation does better than Bridgerton, however, is romantic tension. My main gripe with Bridgerton was that it failed to understand that one of the most enthralling parts of the Regency romance is withholding gratification, especially when it comes to the main romantic arc- what is sexier than the Matthew MacFadyen hand flex, or the dance scene between Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn in Autumn de Wilde's Emma? Croucher, on the other hand, gets this spot on, bringing in the reserved Mr Hawksley, who stands out for being far more level-headed than almost all of Georgiana's new acquaintances. Without revealing too much, Croucher paces the romance of this novel just right, ensuring both Hawksley and Georgiana are fully fleshed out, so their relationship never feels clunky or forced. The storyline throughout is so cute and I sobbed a lot. But in classic Lex style, I was laughing throughout! All of the other characters, particularly everyone that worked in the house just hold such a special place in my heart and I could give each an essay on why I love them so. But what on earth has happened to your dress?” Georgiana had somehow entirely forgotten about the spillage, but Frances must have put her fingers directly into it. “I hope it wasn’t a favorite. Another tragic casualty of this vile punch. Here, don’t fret—have some of this.”Trigger warnings for drug and alcoholic use and misuse, death of family members, domestic violence, emotionally abusive families, rape, sexual assault, slut-shaming, toxic friendships, racism, violence. I really enjoyed my time with this story, the only reason I couldn't quite give it 5 stars was that I would have liked the relationship between Emily and Captain Edwards to have been fleshed out just a tiny bit more. They barely had any interactions up to the 50% mark — and I do understand that that time was spent establishing Emily's relationship with Grace and Aster (their dynamic btw, 10/10) — I just felt that that caused the romantic aspect of the story to fall a tiny bit flat. Cecily Dugray, Jane Woodley, Jonathan Smith– Frances’ entourage of friends she is rarely seen without.