Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Queen Charlotte

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Queen Charlotte by Shonda Rhimes, Julia Quinn

28 reviews

emilywemily6's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I honestly liked this book the least out of the Julia Quinn books I have read. It didn’t read like her other books did, almost like someone else wrote it. There were a couple moments I loved, but the miscommunication trope is HUGE in this book and frustrating. The different perspective of the royalty in this time period was interesting, but the medical treatments included in the book were appalling to read about, and not enjoyable at all. This audiobook dragged on forever; I actually checked to see how much longer it was than the Bridgerton books, and it was actually about the same length! I didn’t like the narrator’s voices either, and the accents left something to be desired. I liked Charlotte’s and George’s personalities at first, but throughout the book they seemed so immature. I found Agatha’s conniving to be really interesting and clever and wanted more of her. The portrayal of mental illness bothered me because it was vague. I know we don’t have a lot of information about King George III’s mental health, but the book portrayed more of a psychosis than a bipolar disorder, which is what historians are leaning towards. I guess I needed more closure about what exactly the authors were trying to portray. I like how this book tried to show that the struggles didn’t disappear like love was a magic cure, but so much of the book was in turmoil that I didn’t get enough romance or even enduring love. Overall, kind of a disappointment.

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passionatereader78's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I love this book more than I loved the Netflix series and I LOVE that series! The beautifully written details in this story of love no matter what! It definitely is a turn lemons into lemonade themed book. Queen Charlotte knows that there is something wrong in her marriage to King George, but she can't figure out what. George stays away from her most of the time and he refuses to tell the truth when she asks him why. George loves Charlotte but he cannot let her know his secret. He is the King and has to make sacrifices for the crown. This is definitely a reread!

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mrsmishler's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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onefineelephant's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

7/10. I'm glad I read this book because I appreciated some of the parts that we didn't get to see in the show and I liked getting to know the intimate thoughts of the characters (especially Brimsley). However, there were certain (small) parts of the book that differed from the show which really irked me. Also, the book completely erases the whole Lord Ledger plot line which I think completely changes Lady Danbury's character. I was really looking forward to getting to know Lady Danbury's thoughts and feelings about her illicit affair and then there was not even a hint of it in the book which was incredibly disappointing. Overall, I'm glad I read it but I doubt I will read it again and I much prefer the show to the book.

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed reading the Bridgerton series but then I LOVED the show. Having Julia and Shonda work together to create this beautiful story was incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and show.

What a beautiful story about loving our family despite their flaws, persevering in hard times, and changing the world with our actions. Brava!

Content Warnings

inkdrinkers's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

"The choice is entirely up to her."

The upcoming nuptials of King George have sent the palace ablaze. Princess Charlotte of Germany is... darker than any of the palace expected, leading to The Great Experiment and whether or not the ton can be united as one, regardless of skin color. But despite the social shifting occuring, the new King and Queen are at odds with one another as George struggles to hide his own secrets from his new bride.

Oof. Total honesty - I read up to 50% and skimmed the rest. This just wasn't it for me. The magic of Julia Quinn's other novels just wasn't in this one. I found it really hard to connect to Charlotte as a character because she genuinely felt like she didn't have much of a personality other than being brash and blunt. I would have adored to see the backstory of her leading up to her arrival in London, being told she had to have a marriage of convenience and setting up her and George. The other aspects of the novel just seemed to happen to her, instead of her having an active part in her own story. George was also the kind of love interest I just... didn't like. Coupled with the fact there is so much torture and horrific depictions of mental healthcare via him, it just became too much to read about.

On a technical level this novel is really poorly done. I wish I had understood it's a straight to page adaption from the show (which I've not watched yet - maybe the actors can sell this plot) but Quinn's magic of the Ton and the way London society works is all gone. It's dreadfully bland, with paragraphs and paragraphs of just pure dialogue moving the book forward. It almost reads like a script, which is maybe some of Shonda Rhimes' input, but it felt off. It was all just so bizzare? The sex scenes (that I got to) were also really awkwardly written and I couldn't help but be painfully aware that Charlotte is seventeen in this (unlike Quinn's other heroines who are at least legal). It just missed the mark entirely for me and I feel icky and don't want to waste anymore time on it.

Content warnings: Mental illness (George's mental illness is very present), Physical abuse/Torture (via medical doctor, it's so uncomfortable and graphic), rape/sexual content (via marriage bonds), racism (via skin color descriptions/society)

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mariahrayxoxo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was a great companion the the show Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. It was not a novelization of the show with a separate plot, but gave the reader access to the main characters inner thoughts and feelings. It was very heavy emotionally at times but was overall a very enjoyable read.

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

5⭐️ 3🌶️

Multi POV. I loved hearing Charlotte, George, Agatha, and Brimley’s POV.

Agatha’s circumstances broke my heart. Bringing forward the historic practice of arranged marriage contracts between with children. It was a horrific common practice.

The bee Easter eggs were perfect.

The ages are accurate, but didn’t set well with the idea of Charlotte (and Agatha) being an actual child bride.

This was such an interesting look into the marriage of someone who had manic episodes and mental health issues. It was heartbreaking and eye opening.

I’m a sobbing mess at the end. Oh my! Check your trigger warnings.

🏳️‍🌈 rep

Miscommunication trope

Secrets

Mental health rep

Naive bride

Physical and mental abuse

Abandonment

Adult/minor relationship

Classism

Confinement

Death

Forced institutionalism

Gaslighting

Racism

Medical trauma

Mental illness

Panic attacks/disorder

Pregnancy

Child birth

Rape

Schizophrenia/psychosis

Sexual content

Sexual assault

Torture

If I don’t get more of Agatha’s son, I’ll be furious. He was such a little cute addition to the story.

Content Warnings

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