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sarahsreadinglist's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoy a good Cinderella story, and this was a mostly fun and easy read, but I have a few gripes.
Benedict’s behavior in this book is more than a little concerning. He dismisses Sophie’s thoughts and concerns throughout the book, cannot accept no for an answer, and exhibits an incredible amount of entitlement over Sophie. In his anger, he is quite toxic. This all is only ameliorated by his introspection, self awareness, and apology towards the end of the book.
I also wish we saw more of Sophie’s interactions with other servants after being cast out by Araminta. Or, I wish we even saw a mere mention of those servants who held Sophie dear (like the housekeeper Mrs. Gibbons, or the caretakers of Benedict’s cottage). I’m not at all surprised by the minimization of servant characters, but I think the focus on Sophie being different/above the rest of the servant class took away some really meaningful elements of the class-difference romance as well as the kind of friendship that (could have) existed between Sophie and her fellow servants.
That said, I enjoyed other parts of the book; the Bridgerton family (and Violet especially) is delightful as always, and their interactions amongst themselves and with Sophie brought a smile to my face. Benedict could be quite charming when he wasn’t a total ass, and his tender treatment of Sophie (again, when he wasn’t being a total ass) was quite cute.
Benedict’s behavior in this book is more than a little concerning. He dismisses Sophie’s thoughts and concerns throughout the book, cannot accept no for an answer, and exhibits an incredible amount of entitlement over Sophie. In his anger, he is quite toxic. This all is only ameliorated by his introspection, self awareness, and apology towards the end of the book.
I also wish we saw more of Sophie’s interactions with other servants after being cast out by Araminta. Or, I wish we even saw a mere mention of those servants who held Sophie dear (like the housekeeper Mrs. Gibbons, or the caretakers of Benedict’s cottage). I’m not at all surprised by the minimization of servant characters, but I think the focus on Sophie being different/above the rest of the servant class took away some really meaningful elements of the class-difference romance as well as the kind of friendship that (could have) existed between Sophie and her fellow servants.
That said, I enjoyed other parts of the book; the Bridgerton family (and Violet especially) is delightful as always, and their interactions amongst themselves and with Sophie brought a smile to my face. Benedict could be quite charming when he wasn’t a total ass, and his tender treatment of Sophie (again, when he wasn’t being a total ass) was quite cute.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual assault
emiliemhr'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: Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
geobravo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
pauline79's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
I didn’t like the beginning as it seemed very like Cinderella and the evil stepmother but I really got into the storyline after chapter 2. Loved the ending of it. My favourite book of the series, so far anyway!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Rape and Fatphobia
alex_nicole's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Would I say this is the best romance I’ve ever read? No. But would I say that I enjoyed the book, of course. As I am awaiting the second part to bridgerton season 3 and waiting impatiently for Benedict’s season, I decided to read/listen to this. I mostly listened to the audiobook version on Spotify, which I recommend doing because I thought it was a good way to indulge this book. I fell in love with the characters like Benedict and the bridgerton siblings on the screen, and I was very excited to see how they were in the book, they’re great, but the actors on screen definitely bring more humor and modernized story telling to these characters. The only thing that truly bothered me was how whiny some of the characters could be. But otherwise I enjoyed the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
abby2503's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
ojudge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
4.75
This has been my favorite Bridgerton book so far! It truly felt like reading a fairytale…as Benedict and Sophie’s story has a strong similarity to one of my favorite princesses - Cinderella! I so enjoyed this story. There were times when Benedict’s behavior was less than admirable, which is why I’ve chosen to give only 4.75 stars. While book two began to dive into other characters within the Bridgerton universe, this book truly solidified the feeling of the books being a series and not just standalone books existing in the same universe. Scenes throughout the book helped to introduce what could be expected from other books down the line, while still having the love story between Benedict and Sophie be the MAIN focus of the book. I enjoyed getting some of the side stories as well though, while still feeling fully immersed in the main story. The story was truly beautiful and I enjoyed it so!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
lil_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
kamrynkoble's review against another edition
emotional
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
So, you know, is Benedict toxic? Probably. Yes, definitely. Did I still enjoy this? Yes, yes I did.
The Cinderella retelling aspect was fun, and just like all the Bridgerton novels, Quinn makes me laugh out loud and charms me.
This one was slower going, but I think it’s the fault of my general reading slump. They’re not groundbreaking stories by any means, but they’ve been a nice little escape.
If you are not used to early 2000s historical romances, or if you’re expecting the show, I recommend you adjust your thoughts going in.
The Cinderella retelling aspect was fun, and just like all the Bridgerton novels, Quinn makes me laugh out loud and charms me.
This one was slower going, but I think it’s the fault of my general reading slump. They’re not groundbreaking stories by any means, but they’ve been a nice little escape.
If you are not used to early 2000s historical romances, or if you’re expecting the show, I recommend you adjust your thoughts going in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
apirlroge's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Rape and Death of parent