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balladyna's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness
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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