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tjdewald's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child abuse
drewdelidou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit
its_thekla's review against another edition
1.0
The first bit was super formulaic, but fun and light and cheesey and everything I was looking for. The whole Bridgerton clan was super fun and I enjoyed them quite a bit. We get to MMC's hang ups, and cool, ok, whatever man, makes sense. It's a regency romance, not a Pulitzer Prize winner. The whole pacing of this book was like it was sthe byproduct of rote memorization. No real substance, but fun.
THEN
Well, I'm sure most people know by this point but what the heck???? How are people ok with that??
So yeah. That kind of settled it for me. Kept reading because, well, there has to be SOMETHING right? Nope. Nothing. Nada.
Won't read any of the others.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Miscarriage
kaseyvickers's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
ronyareadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Their love story would’ve been sweet if it wasn’t for thehearth_hobbit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual violence
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
- Readers looking for a fun, fluffy read
- People who love romance novels
- Those looking for a fake-dating, period novel
Graphic: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Minor: Blood, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Grief, and Abandonment
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: December 1, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Charming • Playful • Entertaining
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Daphne Bridgeton, the fourth of eight siblings, has formed friendships with many of London's finest, yet finds herself unwilling to play their romantic games. Everyone likes her for her kindness yet no one truly desires her.
Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, has recently returned to England and is dead set against marriage. After a difficult childhood, in thanks to his very own father, he has no intentions of fulfilling his royal duties.
After an encounter with Daphne (his best friend's sister), Simon thinks there may be another option, one that could deter the elite from parading their daughters before him. His plan: a fake courtship with Daphne that will in turn help boost her prospects.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Historical romance is a genre I tend to stay away from, yet I decided to see what all the fuss was about with this series. And of course, I was pleasantly surprised with this first installment and was not expecting the witty humour
I have to say it was surprisingly well-written and the Bridgerton family captured my heart from the very first page, their family dynamic felt so genuine and relatable, and the regency setting was enticing. I'm a sucker for books with a real sense of community, and The Duke and I certainly delivers on that front.
During the first half of the book, I appreciated Daphne's character development, but unfortunately for me things kind of fell apart in the second half with some of her questionable choices. When it comes to the romance, I enjoyed the playful banter, which helped make their romance feel genuine.
Overall, I picked this up looking for an escape, and it delivered. I'll definitely be looking forward to the next installment and getting to know each of the Bridgerton siblings' stories.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Downtown Abbey
• historical romances enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Heartache, Daphne eventually learned, never really went away; it just dulled. The sharp, stabbing pain that one felt with each breath eventually gave way to a blunter, lower ache—the kind that one could almost—but never quite—ignore."
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Moderate: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
booksbyantheia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
No voy a ahondar en detalles, prácticamente. Todos sabemos de los tonos racistas de este libro en particular, del machismo del cual se hace gala en casi todos los varones (razón por la cual resaltan los personajes femeninos; aún no logro entender si esto es una virtud o realmente Quinn es tonta). Un trope interesante, dos personajes construidos perfectamente. Una sensible y otro reacio a las emociones.
Tenía el tono perfecto. Por un 80% del libro, los tonos racistas y machistas quedaban como datos hechos por y para resaltar a otros.
Y después, la violación.
Es irónico. Páginas antes, Daphne le plantea un no. Se niega a compartir su lecho con Simon. El duque se vuelve violento, un machito más. Pero se va. SE VA.
UNA ESCENA PODEROSA DEL CONSENTIMIENTO.
PARA LUEGO HACER ESO.
Lo que más molesta del caso es cómo Daphne (y Julia, y el tarado del showrunner después) intentan justificarse. Que él la animó, que él no cumplió, que él la engaño. Ver cómo Simon se vuelve tan vulnerable prácticamente quema.
Odio a Julia Quinn. Realmente no puedo entender cómo esta serie siguió. Incluso con las leves mejoras (es decir, CONSENTIMIENTO), ¿nadie puso un alto?
La última parte del libro se te pasa en un suspiro porque no querés leerla. Ni siquiera el cierre casi cíclico de la historia te hace sonreír, de la bronca.
En fin. Ya estoy acostumbrada a las novelas históricas, pero realmente esto me saca de quicio. Quinn se vende a sí misma y a sus libros como "histórica y feminista" cuando no es más que una blanca con un grave complejo sexista.
Igual que Daphne.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content