The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

*spoiler-free review*

“It is remarkable how much courage it takes to kiss someone, even when you are almost certain that person would very much like to be kissed by you. Doubt will knock you from the sky every time.”

I can see why people like this book, but it wasn’t for me. 

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a historical fiction that starts with us learning that Henry “Monty” Montague, a queer boy, is going on a trip around Europe with his sister Felicity and best friend Percy. Throughout the book, we follow the trio as they travel and things don’t go as planned—including Monty’s growing crush on Percy. 

I found this book to be fairly boring, especially at the beginning. It seemed like things did not start picking up until we were nearly half way through the book. 

I tend to value characters over plot, and I think that the character’s funniness, diversity, and relatability is the only reason why I didn’t DNF this book. 

I ended up giving The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee two out of five stars, which, on my rating scale, signals an okay book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a long book that they can speed through with developed characters and a basic and predictable plot. 

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