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bstokes72's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual assault
erikalv97's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.0
I really didn’t like the romance in this book, nor did I like the love interest Sir Phillip, the only reason I’m giving this book 3 stars is because of the rest of the Bridgertons made a brief appearance, also, I really liked Oliver and Amanda
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicide, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Rape
beffynicole's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
My question is: how many times can Julia Quinn write the exact same story with different names and get away with it?
I wanted to love this book. I loved Eloise, that is, at least the Eloise we saw in earlier books & in the show. However, this Eloise was almost nothing like either version. Somehow, this author is great at showing us how side characters have motivations and great personalities, but as soon as they become the main character & love interest, they suddenly lose all depth & interesting parts about themselves. Instead of being the Eloise we've learned about from other snippets, we meet a ridiculously foolish girl obsessed with love & any good parts of Eloise were drowned out by Phillip.
Maybe I would have rated this higher if I read it before the other books, but I'm growing increasingly bored with reading the same story over and over. Man meets woman. Man has a temper that is hard to control. Man also has secret. Man & woman get caught in whatever compromising position. Forced to marry without love. They fight. Then they realize they love each other & everything is solved.
Oh and let's not forget the running theme that the author does not understand consent & at some point someone experiences assault but it's never addressed as assault. The men in these books are so ridiculously toxic - usually because of their tempers. The only reason I finished this book was because I had made it so far & wanted to add it to my reading goal. I did absolutely put the audiobook on 2x speed because the sex scenes were completely uncomfortable. I don't mind smut by a long shot, but something about these scenes just made me want to rush through them.
I wanted to love this book. I loved Eloise, that is, at least the Eloise we saw in earlier books & in the show. However, this Eloise was almost nothing like either version. Somehow, this author is great at showing us how side characters have motivations and great personalities, but as soon as they become the main character & love interest, they suddenly lose all depth & interesting parts about themselves. Instead of being the Eloise we've learned about from other snippets, we meet a ridiculously foolish girl obsessed with love & any good parts of Eloise were drowned out by Phillip.
Maybe I would have rated this higher if I read it before the other books, but I'm growing increasingly bored with reading the same story over and over. Man meets woman. Man has a temper that is hard to control. Man also has secret. Man & woman get caught in whatever compromising position. Forced to marry without love. They fight. Then they realize they love each other & everything is solved.
Oh and let's not forget the running theme that the author does not understand consent & at some point someone experiences assault but it's never addressed as assault. The men in these books are so ridiculously toxic - usually because of their tempers. The only reason I finished this book was because I had made it so far & wanted to add it to my reading goal. I did absolutely put the audiobook on 2x speed because the sex scenes were completely uncomfortable. I don't mind smut by a long shot, but something about these scenes just made me want to rush through them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt
02062000's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Rape
cball6's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual assault
thebookishworm's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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
1.5
I was disappointed by this book. I felt that the way Marina's depression was handled and discussed in the book was very insensitive, which completely turned me off and left a bad taste in my mouth. Additionally, Sir Phillip is a giant jerk and his ideas about sex and his right to his wives’ bodies is problematic, at best.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
aliciafroy's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
With books 2-4 I've always found slightly iffy moments or just plain bad writing, but the overall reading experience has at least been fun (and in the cases of books 2 and 4 I genuinely liked the books, flawed as they are). This is the first Bridgerton novel I've read that it was actually a struggle to get through. The handling of depression and suicide is abysmal, sir Phillip is incredibly unlikeable, and I just can't buy that his relationship with Eloise is remotely romantic. I'm not going to shame anyone for enjoying this book, but if you want to know if you can skip this one or not, you definitely can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
A lot of demonizing of a character who was depressed and took her own life. Said character is then used as an excuse to guilt trip the heroine into thinking her marriage is actually great. There is repeated mentions of a sexual situation that I personally read as rape too, so beware.
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