I've had an AMAZING time organising this tour as a part of my SST Co-Host duties and visiting all your lovely blogs up until today. If you're a blogger and would like to sign up for the Sunday Street Team, you can fill out this form on Nori's Blog and we'll get back to you!
Title: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Publication Date: June 27th 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Edelweiss for the Sunday Street Team Tour
Buy Links: Amazon- US || Amazon - UK || Barnes & Nobles || The Book Depository || Wordery | Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google BooksBlurb Description: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.
I first heard about this book a year ago from an author on
my blog who, while writing a list about the books she was most excited for also
cheated a bit and introduced me to The
Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
As soon as I read they synopsis almost a year ago, I KNEW
that this was one book I would DEFINITELY read.
So, now that I’ve finished it, let’s break it down.
WRITING:
Writing in the eyes of a 18th century boy who has
lived his whole life as the privileged son of an earl, Mackenzi Lee managed to
capture him spot on. If you’ve read any reviews, most people say that Henry
Montague (Monty) took a while to warm up too, and it is the truth, but that’s
because of who boys like him used to be back then. For the place in history
this was set it, I absolutely loved Mackenzi’s authentic writing.
“The great tragic love story of Percy and me is neither great nor truly a love story, and is tragic only for its single sidedness”
IDEA:
ALL POINTS TO THE
IDEA because combining history, a Grand Tour across Europe, two
GORGEOUS gay and bisexual best friends and throwing in the idea of feminism
into the heads of boys in this time? SIGN
ME UP. I was so on board with everything about this book from the minute
I heard it and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
“The shift in the gravity between us and suddenly all my stars are knocked out of alignment, planets knocked from their orbits and I’m left stumbling without a map or heading, through the bewildering territory of being in love with your best friend.”
PLOT:
I’d read a lot of reviews before I started reading this book
– some of them while I made the rounds on the SST Tour and the others as I saw
them on Twitter. This helped me go into the book EXPECTING Monty to be sort of
unlikeable, at least for the first part. Since I did, it didn’t really turn out
to be a problem for me until Monty ran away from a girl he’s left half naked
and then shouted to his sister that, “She wanted it.”
Apart from that, I LOVED THE PLOT. Equal parts history and
culture in Europe during that time, this book was SO WELL CONSTRUCTED, throwing
all the carefully made plans of the Grand Tour out of the Window as they
entered their first leg. I LOVED IT.
"You might be the only person left on Earth who thinks me decent." Between us, I feel his knuckles brush mine. Perhaphs it's by chance, but it feel more like a question, and when I spread my fingers in answer, his hand slides into mine. "Then everyone else doesn't know you."
CHARACTERS:
It was very easy to like both Percy and Felicity. They were
kind, compassionate, warm and smart. Monty I was indifferent too, mostly,
but I did warm up to him nearing the end of the book. I liked the undying
chemistry between Monty and Percy but I do with that Felicity and Monty had
more bonding moments because WHY SHOULD THESE TWO UNCONFORMING CHILDREN NOT
BOND?
I adored Felicity. She was totally the Hermoine of this
book and I just wish she lived in a world kinder to her.
CONCLUSION:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A tour across Europe, a biracial and a
bisexual boy falling for each other wrapped in history and beautiful places
with a sister who can’t live her life the way other women do? Only the best
book of 2017 so far!
Mackenzi Lee is a bookseller, history nerd, and the author of THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE, THIS MONSTROUS THING (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins), and the forthcoming SEMPER AUGUSTUS (Flatiron Books, 2018). She holds an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults. She loves Diet Coke, sweater weather, and Star Wars. On a perfect day, she can be found enjoying all three. She currently calls Boston home. 
What are some of your favourite historical YA novels?
What are some of your favourite LGBT YA Novels?
Have you heard about/ are excited for The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue?
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