The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

NOT THIS TIME! And here's why:

This book caught me by surprise in such a good way. Full disclosure, I often have a tendency to judge books by their covers, in that I see a book like this one and think, "yup, that cover caught my attention. I'm gonna read this." without ever checking to see what the book is about. Consequently, knowing nothing about the plot, I started reading this with the expectation that it would be a little light, somewhat salacious, and funny.

I mean, I wasn't wrong. But it also did a mind-blowing job of weaving deeper themes into the story, making you think without ever coming right out and spelling out for you, "hey, let's talk about social issues." Monty's dad's treatment of him, the way people react when they find out Monty's sexual orientation, and the things Percy deals with being dark-skinned are just a few examples that come to mind, but it happens throughout the book, small comments slipped in when you least expect it that make you pause and consider the issue. It was masterfully done and such a pleasant surprise.

As if that weren't enough, I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters. I listened to the audiobook first, then read the physical book, and my god, every time Monty says, "hello, darling" I died a little. He was just the right blend of sarcasm and genuine caring, Percy was infinitely sweet and somber and made me want to hug him, and Felicity...I don't like hashtagging midsentence, but she is #goals, for sure. Then we get the side characters, and the little details we see that bring them to life...just sublime. After reading this, I think I'm going to start reading more books based only on the cover. I may get burned at times, but it was such a nice surprise going in blind and coming out of it with this experience. Amazing book. Please read it.