simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)

"I flirted my way into this mess and I'm going to flirt my way out of it"
- Monty, probably

It was strange to read this book right after Six of Crows (a hyped book that ultimately disappointed me) because this one is just as hyped and I loved it exactly as much as everyone said I would.

The Gentleman's Guide had everything I personally wanted or needed: a bisexual protagonist, a biracial love interest, an incredibly soft friends-to-lovers romance with some mutual pining and slow burn, a girl who just really wants to be a doctor in the 1700s, a complicated sibling relationship, and complex characters all around. Also, travelling, and specifically travelling while being chased because you accidentally uncovered a huge secret and now that you're in this mess you just have to see it through.

I was in love from the first scene, which was a little strange, because I usually find it uncomfortable to read about characters being drunk or hungover. Still, Monty does it so endearingly that I only found the opening funny and captivating.

Perhaps I am trying to procreate with all these lads and I'm just very misinformed about the whole process. If only Eton hadn't thrown me out.

At first glance, Monty is the epitome of the privileged rich, white, abled guy who - despite having good intentions and not being intentionally mean - has many flaws and misconceptions about disabled people and people of colour. He himself states at the beginning of the novel that he's had an easy life, and nothing bad has ever happened to him. And yet, it doesn't take too long to find out that it's not true at all: he's been emotionally and physically abused, he's been made to feel inadequate and trapped, for more reasons than "just" for lying with men. There were many scenes in this book where I found myself mad at Monty, but in the end I loved how he had plenty of flaws and you could see him try to do better and improve when he clearly had a long way to go. He was very relatable, and I never thought I'd relate to a rich kid from the 1700s.

I don't know how Felicity knows what bones are meant to feel like.
I'm also not clear how Felicity knows the best way to throw a punch.

Felicity is a teenage girl who longs for a proper education and medical school, and watches her brother throw away the opportunities that she'll never have because of her gender. She is also an incredibly funny and headstrong girl who cares about both Percy and Monty, even if they don't get along with the latter. I can't wait to see a book from her POV in the sequel, because words cannot describe how amazing she is. She was also very relatable, mainly in her love of books and not being good at parties.

The only complaint I really have that this book had two different jokes about slitting your wrists, which is both unnecessary and something I'm personally pretty sensitive about, so it wasn't pleasant to read. (I know it's a little contrary, because joking about being dead or even killing yourself is something depressed/suicidal people often do as coping, but here both of the wrists comments felt kind of careless and very different from the heavy scene where Monty says he wants to die.)