Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband

I now realise I've been suckered in a bit by the fact these are labelled as Bridgerton prequels... the first one (and clearly the last one too) has an obvious tangential link, but the series as a whole is definitely focused on the Rokesby family. While it doesn't matter a whole lot if you like the author generally, it is a classic case of the publishers rebranding books off the back of the success of the TV series. Fortunately, all I wanted tonight was some easy reading, so I'm not as worried about it as I might have otherwise been.

This one does revert to type and feels a bit more formulaic and trope-heavy than the previous books. It's just as chilled reading-wise, but somehow comes across as having had less thought put into the overall story. Amnesia, fake marriage, one bed and miscommunication abounds, but the overall plot feels based on quite thin foundations. I therefore didn't find myself enjoying this one nearly as much as book 1.

Similarly, the characters don't feel as developed. Our leading lady, Cecilia, starts off with a promising backstory and a familiar streak of modernity, but this is quickly diminished. While she is not simple subservient housewife material, she does lose her sparkiness and transforms into a more conventional period character. And her decisions to not impart certain information just drives me mad. Edward Rokesby is a little more rounded out and I generally liked his soft-in-the-centre character, but again there just isn't enough depth to them for me.

To me, the most impressive part of this is actually the backstory - set during the American War of Independence, it gives the reader something of an idea of the conditions and geography of the place, and an insight into what the soldiers' experiences might have been like. It's not overly detailed, and it does only explore one small corner of the conflict, but it's a decent introduction for someone who knows pretty much nothing about that era.

There is certainly nothing "wrong" with this book and it is an enjoyable read, but nor is there anything that really hooked me this time around.

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haley49's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing 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

4.75

I loved everything about this romance from the start of the relationship to the spice scene to the individual characters—even the third act was well-done. It was such a fun read. The grief could’ve been done better but there are worse flaws.

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littlewishling's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-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

I'm loving this series' stronger female character's. It did frustrate me how long it took for the main lie of this book to be revealed but otherwise did really enjoy it.

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cepbreed's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This has to be my favorite Bridgerton book. I know I haven't read enough of the series to even say that, only two books. Also this isn't even a part of the main series, its a prequel, but DAMN. The miscommunications, the deception and the romance above all! All of it was perfect. One of my favorite tropes is fake marriage or marriages of convenience and the amnesia piece just took this to a whole other level. I swear I was hooked from the first word. Cecelia is messy. She's a slob kebab, but this girl has a heart of gold. Edward is everything. A man of honor who falls in love so deeply that it makes him irrational is my favorite genre of man. Julia Quinn is a godsend. There are so many Bridgerton adjacent books I have no clue how she does it. Regency era must get boring to write at some point, yet each of her books are set apart from the rest.

5/18/23 reread:
I didnt think it was possible for me to reread a book this soon after my initial read but somehow the universe told me to pick this up again. Against all odds it wasn’t only just as good, it was better. I was never once bored rehashing the same details between Cecelia and Edward in fact I was literally clenching my teeth in stress over the lies and miscommunication. All of that anxiety over a story I knew had a happy ending.

Song:

All My Love - Noah Kahan
False God - Taylor Swift

Content Warnings

co_reads's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I was very interested to see how this worked out - the fake-marriage trope but only one member of the marriage knows that it is fake. I was looking forward to the reveal, both parties sharing their true feelings and a happily ever after. However, that didn't happen.

Instead, her brother died, the mystery as to where Edward was when he lost his memory was that he got clobbered over the head by a fisherman (that is never really explained) and both characters lie to each other repeatedly over and over again. They mystery seemed to be building up to something much more exciting and then everything just fizzled out.

Even the ending left me cold - she runs away and he follows abandoning his spot in the British army (although he does give notice, it is out character). Then they get married on the ship. That's it. He even lies to her during the reconciliation scene.

The only reason I kept writing is because I love Julia Quinn's writing style (but even in this book found some anachronisms extremely distracting which is not usual for me at all). I don't imagine I will ever reread this one but I will still try out some others.

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ariannam's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.0

So, Julia Quinn CAN write a couple with chemistry that you actually root for. I think this novel still had some glaring flaws—i.e. heavy subject, but then it's All Romance All The Time even when the book should've given more space to other feelings, and let more time elapse. Still, I really liked this couple and believed in their romance, so that is lovely!

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