Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Queen Charlotte

One of my favorite romance novels of the year! I've never read or watched any of the Bridgerton books or shows besides this, but after seeing some clips from the Queen Charlotte show I decided to give this one a try. I don't actually have Netflix, so I can't compare the book to the show at the moment. I've heard that Julia Quinn's writing often leaves something to be desired, but if the main Bridgerton series is anything like this I'll have to give it a try.

A few notes:

The beginning of the book makes a big deal about Charlotte's favorite name being the nickname Lottie, but this is never brought up again.
I wish we got to see a bit more of them figuring out how to live together and be happy with one another. This is always my favorite part of arranged/forced marriage romances.
I don't know how I feel about the ending. I think my opinion would be contingent upon the illness George is supposed to have in this historical fiction account.

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thrntnja's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.75

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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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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rhiannon814r's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-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

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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