He/she is mingling with the 'right crowd,' but it has left them feeling a bit cold/unfulfilled. And despite his/her best efforts, all of their attempts to mimic the aristocrats/elites are performative, as he/she has grown tired of their ways.
They are also dating one of the aristocrats, but though they find them beautiful/handsome, they also find them very exhausting and are often left a bit… discontent?
He/she can't really relate to their habits, their hobbies, their lifestyles, the way they treat what's a luxury to most with such callous casualness, or how they take things for granted.
He/she was jealous once, desperate to be 'one of them,' but now it has lost its novelty. Now they are supremely bored with the elites.
Would love it if his/her inner monologue about the elites is sarcastic, biting, and funny.
by Abject_Purpose302
3 Comments
When I read this description my first thought was the Mistborn trilogy. It’s has most of the themes you’ve described while also being a spectacular fantasy, with a super unique magic system
The Hand of the Emperor is very long but it’s about the chief assistant to the emperor of the world. Guy comes from nothing, works his way up to the top spot overcoming a lot of nonsense from rich/aristocrats to make the world better for folks like him. Very cathartic with found family
[The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333223)