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gabriellelow's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Once again, I enjoyed the season of the show more than the book.
HOWEVER
The second book was WAY better than the first in my opinion. Even though Anthony occasionally gave me the ick ("You won't deny me my rights", like ok dude, chill), as an enemies/rivals to lovers sucker, this book did it for me. The tension (for the most part) was beautiful, even if he did try to choke her, but not in a hot way.
One thing that the book did do better though was Edwina. The show did her DIRTY and made her completely oblivious to the sexual tension that everyone in the ton could see, not to mention the public humiliation she received on her wedding day. In this book, Edwina not only backed off, when Kate and Anthony got engaged, but she encouraged it. Not to mention that she fell in love right after to a man that she actually could tolerate spending a life with, who didn't constantly think about "Yeah she's hot, but I won't fall in love with her."
SPEAKING OF THE ENGAGEMENT
This is something where the show surpasses the book TENFOLD. Despite the awkwardness of the wedding, Kate and Anthony are definitely endgame. Anthony loves her, but the moment he sheds this "bad boy" persona for real is when Kate falls off the horse and hits her head. This leads to Edwina's forgiveness and in the end, Kate realizes she loves Anthony and the two dance the night away at the ball and realize that they can't fight their feelings any longer.
NOW THE BOOK
I could write a twelve page paper on the impact the bee scene had on me, diving deep into all of the positive and negative feelings that this left me with, so I'm going to move past and focus on what immediately follows. As Kate is (rightfully) horrified by this exchanged, she notices that watching them is not only the biggest gossip in the ton, but their mothers. All parties wish that they were anywhere else in that moment and I wish that I didn't have to read that either.
Anyway, because they were caught indecently, they're forced to be engaged and get married. WHICH IS LITERALLY COPY AND PASTE FROM THE FIRST BOOK. I understand if it's supposed to be dunking on Anthony, because he did the exact same thing to Simon and Daphne in the first book and then it came back to bite him in the ass in this one. But I think that moving in a different direction in the show was definitely to their advantage. It just reads as a deja vu moment and kinda like "yeah I get this is the time, but like, ok".
But the CARRIAGE SCENE.... UGHHHHH
This left me with the same feels that the horse scene in the show gave. Honestly I think maybe more. The chapter ends with Anthony saying that he was witnessing his wife die and even though I knew she was very much alive, I couldn't help but GASP. It was one of Anthony's first real moments of vulnerability. In a very public way. He thinks that he's cursed and now that he loves a woman, she's destined to die. It really captured the franticness that the show was able to convey and I really enjoyed that scene.
HOWEVER
The second book was WAY better than the first in my opinion. Even though Anthony occasionally gave me the ick ("You won't deny me my rights", like ok dude, chill), as an enemies/rivals to lovers sucker, this book did it for me. The tension (for the most part) was beautiful, even if he did try to choke her, but not in a hot way.
One thing that the book did do better though was Edwina. The show did her DIRTY and made her completely oblivious to the sexual tension that everyone in the ton could see, not to mention the public humiliation she received on her wedding day. In this book, Edwina not only backed off, when Kate and Anthony got engaged, but she encouraged it. Not to mention that she fell in love right after to a man that she actually could tolerate spending a life with, who didn't constantly think about "Yeah she's hot, but I won't fall in love with her."
SPEAKING OF THE ENGAGEMENT
This is something where the show surpasses the book TENFOLD. Despite the awkwardness of the wedding, Kate and Anthony are definitely endgame. Anthony loves her, but the moment he sheds this "bad boy" persona for real is when Kate falls off the horse and hits her head. This leads to Edwina's forgiveness and in the end, Kate realizes she loves Anthony and the two dance the night away at the ball and realize that they can't fight their feelings any longer.
NOW THE BOOK
I could write a twelve page paper on the impact the bee scene had on me, diving deep into all of the positive and negative feelings that this left me with, so I'm going to move past and focus on what immediately follows. As Kate is (rightfully) horrified by this exchanged, she notices that watching them is not only the biggest gossip in the ton, but their mothers. All parties wish that they were anywhere else in that moment and I wish that I didn't have to read that either.
Anyway, because they were caught indecently, they're forced to be engaged and get married. WHICH IS LITERALLY COPY AND PASTE FROM THE FIRST BOOK. I understand if it's supposed to be dunking on Anthony, because he did the exact same thing to Simon and Daphne in the first book and then it came back to bite him in the ass in this one. But I think that moving in a different direction in the show was definitely to their advantage. It just reads as a deja vu moment and kinda like "yeah I get this is the time, but like, ok".
But the CARRIAGE SCENE.... UGHHHHH
This left me with the same feels that the horse scene in the show gave. Honestly I think maybe more. The chapter ends with Anthony saying that he was witnessing his wife die and even though I knew she was very much alive, I couldn't help but GASP. It was one of Anthony's first real moments of vulnerability. In a very public way. He thinks that he's cursed and now that he loves a woman, she's destined to die. It really captured the franticness that the show was able to convey and I really enjoyed that scene.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
lisa_m's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I definitely liked this book better than the first in the series. I really liked the second epilogue though :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual content
lesslinette's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Death of parent
kayaisreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
kkylezzz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Alright, this one was much harder to enjoy than the last two in this universe I've read. But, I think the banter was still pretty good between the characters - both between Anthony and Kate, and between Anthony and his brothers/family. There was still pretty good imagery - even still around more abstract/complex scenes like with Pall Mall. I liked that Kate was an outsider, you know? Not just in a sense that she was/there was a lot of POV from a (formerly) non-Bridgerton, but also that she had a poor background, an adverse family history, etc. I think the drama was still strong, and bringing in elements like Kate's mother dying (largely unconnected to the marriage/plot all together) and Violet and Mary's connection was a good reprieve from the disaster of marriage life between Anthony and Kate. I also liked that Kate didn't fall helplessly at Anthony's feet, even after they were married. There was reservation on her part, but also a more realistic transition into love (on Kate's part, not so much Anthony's).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Bullying, Alcohol, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Medical trauma
haleysversion's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Classism, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
refrejarator's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
prashiie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"It was that spark. That damnable spark that never seemed to dim between them."
In this book, it's Anthony Bridgerton's turn to get married. According to him love is not necessarily a criteria for a successful marriage and he even tries to avoid falling in love with his (future) wife. Logically, the best plan is to marry this season's Incomparable, Edwina, But hey, when does anything go according to plan?
To marry Edwina, he has to get her sister's approval and his reputation as a rake does not do him any good. Kate, Edwina’s sister, and Anthony start off resenting each other but they both learn that they're more alike than they thought and he quickly discovers that even he can't go against his heart's wishes.
They both have some unresolved traumas and it was interesting to see how they deal with that. Kate had some wise insights: "But what you can do is refuse to allow it to rule your life." Yes, easier said than done, but healing starts by acknowledging the problem and by choosing to work on it.
My favourite character was definitely Mary!
"It's just that when you agree to be a mother to a child you haven't borne, your responsibility is twice as great. You must work even harder to ensure that child's happiness and welfare."
She is such a good stepmother to Kate. The world would be a much better place if every stepparent was like Mary.
This story also had some very steamy chapters, but what else did we expect from a Bridgerton book?
"Nothing that big can stay a secret forever."
And after reading the epilogue, it was funny to see that The Author's identity is still a secret after so many years. Hopefully we will know more about it in later books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Rape, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
thienly's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
thehollyking's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, Sexism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy