Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Daphné et le duc

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Daphné et le duc by Julia Quinn

79 reviews

jularcido's review against another edition

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

Very problematic read... Check CWs for short reasons why I hated it.

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jadebear's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this, but after learning about so many critical lenses with which to view texts, I just couldn’t enjoy it as I might have once done. The overt ableism by the Duke’s father was reprehensible, but the covert ableism by the Duke and his new Duchess I found equally irritating. Especially when his wife who is supposedly supportive and loving says something to the effect of “It’ll be alright if any children we have turn out to have a speech impediment or learning disability, because you overcame it and are basically cured, so we can make sure any child we have is basically ally cured too.” instead of “It’ll be difficult for that child, but we’ll be patient and understanding. We need to work on society to remove the stigma by spreading awareness and educating the ton.” or something to that effect.

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bookswithsoumi's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

Content warning: sexual assault

I liked the book up until the triggering scene. Simon and Daphne were both fascinating, headstrong characters. I wish I read the book before watching the Netflix TV series. Honestly thought the TV series was better and made the scene with nonconsensual sex less rapey (but still distasteful). A book like this would not be written in 2021 after the #MeToo movement for good reason. I read the 2020 re-publication, and I think the wording was changed to make the “questionable” sex scene more on the side of consensual, but still pretty bad.

Simon says: “I’m going to-- I can’t-- “ His eyes pinned upon her with a strange, pleading sort of look, and he make a feeble attempt to PULL AWAY. Daphne bored down on him with all her might.

This behavior would not be acceptable the other way around, with Simon “bearing down” on Daphne. Outright despicable. We cannot accept this behavior from women, even if they may be fictional.

When thinking about sexual intercourse, the golden rule is, “If it’s not a hell yes, then it is a hell no.” It’s not that hard, people.

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megangilbert's review against another edition

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2.0

The toxic relationship just got worse and worse. I found I just didn’t care about the characters to see how it would end (granted, I have seen the show).

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pagesfromhome's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While the plot left a little to be desired for me, I did enjoy the characters and their relationships. I also appreciated how honest the two main characters were with each other; there's very little miscommunication in this book which is really nice. I'll continue with the series in order to get to know the rest of the family better. A good break from heavier books, but there are plot points that could be difficult on certain sensitivities (bullying a child, marital rape, conversations around pregnancy/having children, etc.). I'd recommend it if you're looking for a new romance series, but I wouldn't say that it's something I'd recommend to everyone.

Edit: Updated the review to 3 stars (from 3.5) after a 2024 reread

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