The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Review)

As soon as I began reading The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would love it. 

The story is the perfect bit of absurdity, questioned just enough by the characters so as not to be too far-fetched, with loveable yet flawed characters on the adventure of a lifetime. Add a coating of real historical context for inspiration, a heavy-handed dash of lgbtq+ rep, and a lovely friends-to-lovers-romance that I don’t think anyone could resist, and voila; the cute, funny, don’t-want-to-put-it-down story that is Vice and Virtue. 

What more could you ask for?

“We’re not courting trouble,” I say. “Flirting with it, at most.”

Honestly, Monty, Felicity, and Percy (but especially our adored narrator Monty) could have been doing anything and I would have wanted to read about it.

I loved being with Monty’s narration, and this, above all else, was what made the book beg me to pick it back up every time I put it down. Reading it felt like being on an adventure with my best friend. Monty is deeply flawed but self-aware enough that he doesn’t become totally obnoxious, and his witty banter (especially with Percy) is just Magnifique. 

“Love may be a grand thing, but goddamn if it doesn’t take up more than its fair share of space inside a man.” 

In fact, all of the characters’ relationships come out well on the page and grow as the story progresses. I really liked that their dynamics were already established, but left room for them to evolve. Even when it came to the romance, for once, I was glad that feelings were already present and apparent so that we could just get to the good stuff, although there was still time for plenty of tension. I did wish, however, that at the end we could have had a little more good stuff after all the time we’ve been waiting.

I also really respected how the story stayed true to the time period but pushed the context enough to have diverse characters and create pivotal discussions about racism, sexism, wealth, and more, a large portion of which is still applicable today. 

“Ugh. Feelings.” 

I gave The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue  5 out of 5 stars. I can see now why so many people adore it. And I, for one, am eager to see if we’ll ever meet Percy and Monty on the silver screen (I very much hope so!).