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shaysbookshelf's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
samchase112's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This modernized version of Persuasion was not what I expected — but I think that’s a good thing? It was certainly a successful love triangle, if not quite as successful by the end, yet I still found myself simply wanting to reread Persuasion. Certainly not as good as the author’s first, but all the negative reviews are, I think, much too harsh on this book’s less-than-stellar qualities. I enjoyed myself, and continue to look forward to whatever the author has coming next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
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
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think I loved this novel even more than I enjoyed Irwin's first novel. I love anything to do with Bath, so of course the setting made me incandescently happy, but I think I loved the plot itself, too. Eliza's maturity and self-growth were refreshing and inspirational. I loved the plot twist towards the end AND the way that it was resolved - no mean feat! It was refreshingly feminist without sacrificing historical accuracy or romance and a happy ending. A highly diverse and enjoyable read.
I think I loved this novel even more than I enjoyed Irwin's first novel. I love anything to do with Bath, so of course the setting made me incandescently happy, but I think I loved the plot itself, too. Eliza's maturity and self-growth were refreshing and inspirational. I loved the plot twist towards the end AND the way that it was resolved - no mean feat! It was refreshingly feminist without sacrificing historical accuracy or romance and a happy ending. A highly diverse and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Infertility, and Grief
mindsplinters's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a digital ARC - pub date 7/11/2023. I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did because it actually has a lot of charm going for it. So I edge higher than a 2 star but not enough to round up to 3. The reason boils down to the same problem I had with Irwin's debut book, though, so I guess that is a yay for consistency?
Basically, her secondary characters are delightful and well-rounded and interesting and I could read a whole book on them... Her actual hero and heroine? Not so much. While the interloping leg of the love triangle Melville is full of charm and depth and has a slow-grow character arc, the other male leg of the triangle Somerset is just plain AWFUL. He has about as much charm as cardboard and as much depth as a puddle and he is a raging hypocrite, to boot. Eliza, on the other hand, as our fairer leg of the triangle is... Let's just say that her character growth feels like it was jammed into the last 20% of the book and in such a staggering way that I was left wondering if someone else stepped in to take her place. She goes from insipid and spineless to "screw you all, I do what I want" in the blink of an eye and at a point in time where it is pure stupid madness to go that far. Though I was relieved that she did grow and she did realize the emotional abuse she had undergone for years and years!
Margaret and Caroline? All day long. Lady Hurley and her beau? Oh, yes, please. Even Perkins the butler was absolutely adorable and sketched out well enough that you felt you knew him.
As for fashion and manners and the location of Bath? Irwin continues to nail her research and describe things beautifully. I just wish her main characters could stand as well as everything else in the book.
Basically, her secondary characters are delightful and well-rounded and interesting and I could read a whole book on them... Her actual hero and heroine? Not so much. While the interloping leg of the love triangle Melville is full of charm and depth and has a slow-grow character arc, the other male leg of the triangle Somerset is just plain AWFUL. He has about as much charm as cardboard and as much depth as a puddle and he is a raging hypocrite, to boot. Eliza, on the other hand, as our fairer leg of the triangle is... Let's just say that her character growth feels like it was jammed into the last 20% of the book and in such a staggering way that I was left wondering if someone else stepped in to take her place. She goes from insipid and spineless to "screw you all, I do what I want" in the blink of an eye and at a point in time where it is pure stupid madness to go that far. Though I was relieved that she did grow and she did realize the emotional abuse she had undergone for years and years!
Margaret and Caroline? All day long. Lady Hurley and her beau? Oh, yes, please. Even Perkins the butler was absolutely adorable and sketched out well enough that you felt you knew him.
As for fashion and manners and the location of Bath? Irwin continues to nail her research and describe things beautifully. I just wish her main characters could stand as well as everything else in the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Emotional abuse
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