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nightfell's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
3.5
To be clear, the only reason I read this book was because I watched season 2 of Bridgerton and it was so good that I had to read the book to remain mentally stable. And although I still think the show was better at depicting every aspect of their characters and their relationships, the book was highly entertaining and I do not regret picking it up.
The book is quite different to the show as Kate and Anthony resolve their issues, both inner and external conflicts, without much resistance and fairly quickly. I think the book could have been so much better if their rivalry lasted longer as well as more obstacles and just more of a story. The book felt very simple and on the surface, which made it an easy read, I just thought it had the potential for more.
Having prior knowledge about all the characters coming into the book made it easy to get into, however I think it would have been regardless, and all the characters are somewhat likeable. Kate is great, I loved her on the show and so It was easy to love her in the books, she was very witty and I enjoyed her dialogue with Anthony and the other characters.
Antony on the other hand, was largely what made this reading experience so entertaining, and it is partly because his character is different in the show (to some extent). In the book he is very much so a misogynist, and his comments in this light were funny to me, idk what that says about me. I just couldn't take his character seriously, and how his lustful yearning was expressed through his inner monologue was so bizarre. I distinctly remember reading about his 'sudden urge to see her toes' ??? I was stunned, but not surprised because he really thought the most randomly obscure lusty thoughts about Kate, and it made the book all the more enjoyable.
Despite the weird writing at times, they did have some really cute moments and I love their relationship, even if it did feel like a caricature of what it is in the show. I haven't read the other Bridgerton books, and likely won't, however they are the best couple and I'm so glad it was adapted. I would recommend reading this to show fans if they're at all curious to see their roots, and to anyone in want of a fun, quick romance.
The book is quite different to the show as Kate and Anthony resolve their issues, both inner and external conflicts, without much resistance and fairly quickly. I think the book could have been so much better if their rivalry lasted longer as well as more obstacles and just more of a story. The book felt very simple and on the surface, which made it an easy read, I just thought it had the potential for more.
Having prior knowledge about all the characters coming into the book made it easy to get into, however I think it would have been regardless, and all the characters are somewhat likeable. Kate is great, I loved her on the show and so It was easy to love her in the books, she was very witty and I enjoyed her dialogue with Anthony and the other characters.
Antony on the other hand, was largely what made this reading experience so entertaining, and it is partly because his character is different in the show (to some extent). In the book he is very much so a misogynist, and his comments in this light were funny to me, idk what that says about me. I just couldn't take his character seriously, and how his lustful yearning was expressed through his inner monologue was so bizarre. I distinctly remember reading about his 'sudden urge to see her toes' ??? I was stunned, but not surprised because he really thought the most randomly obscure lusty thoughts about Kate, and it made the book all the more enjoyable.
Despite the weird writing at times, they did have some really cute moments and I love their relationship, even if it did feel like a caricature of what it is in the show. I haven't read the other Bridgerton books, and likely won't, however they are the best couple and I'm so glad it was adapted. I would recommend reading this to show fans if they're at all curious to see their roots, and to anyone in want of a fun, quick romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
chichisode's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, and Vomit
summerslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
lunep's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Pregnancy
btrz7's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Car accident
thalea's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Fatphobia
lingonberrylover's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.25
It's an alright book but don't go in to it expecting it to be like the nexflix series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
haley49's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
I finished this in less than 24 hours. Heavily enjoyed it—enemies to lovers, close familial relationships, wacky hijinks,etc— but there were some iffy moments. Anthony had some weird sexist vibes sometimes and the wedding night was just not really it for me. A lot of the conflicts in this book felt really contrived, but I sympathized with the characters enough to enjoy the culmination of the conflicts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Bullying and Fatphobia
There are a lot of thoughts, while not treated with a lot of weight, related to self-image and sibling comparison, that might be relatable for many, or might be annoying depending on if you understand with heroines with self-image issues. There are a fair amount of thoughts on mortality, too. If that bothers you, it could be upsetting even if its not necessarily a heavy focus.esvilco'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Well, now I’ve read a Bridgerton book, and honestly? Fuck you, Julia Quinn.
The thing is, I liked a lot of aspects of this book. Anthony and Kate’s banter was really fun. The scene in the library was so well executed. The angst mostly felt realistic considering who the characters were and where they were coming from. I even think their trauma was handled shockingly well. Like there’s the whole “love can save you from anything” thing, which, yick, but I actually felt like this book showed a pretty thorough understanding of the concept of triggers and how they work.
And then there’s everything else. Some of my issues with this book are very unimportant, but others are not.
I haven’t read the first book, but I have seen the show and am aware of the differences between them. This story definitely handles the issue of consent a lot better than that one does, and there’s no sexual assault, but there is a lot of dubious consent. Anthony and Kate have this whole conversation on their wedding night that’s partially about consent, and the way Anthony behaves in that scene and the things he says should have been sweet. Unfortunately, he’d already kissed her without her consent twice at this point. He’d also locked her in a room with him.And also HE SUCKED BEE VENOM OUT OF HER CHEST WITHOUT HER CONSENT I’M SORRY BUT WHAT THE FUCK.
There’s also this thing where Anthony is a rake but would NEVER DREAM of besmirching the honor of a young lady of noble breeding (even though he literally does that in this book). Truly all I can say to that is yikes. Like I know this book is mostly a fantasy and I shouldn’t be expecting an awareness of class issues from a romance about English nobility, but I still found that aspect of this book to be quite distasteful.
I should have been glad that Kate was on Penelope’s side when people were being fatphobic to her, but actually I was just disappointed (but in no way surprised) that Penelope in fact gets thin in between books and they’re just mocking what she used to look like. Great! Also, I know I shouldn’t expect too much historical accuracy from this sort of book, but why are we pretending that thinness has always been the beauty standard? It’s exhausting.
Speaking of historical inaccuracies, I almost tore my hair out when Mary mentioned Jane Austen. This book is set in April through June of 1814. Mansfield Park was published in 1814 but not till July. And Jane Austen didn’t attach her name to any of her work that was published during her lifetime. So how on EARTH was Edwina reading “the latest novel by that Austen women”?! This is extremely basic information that a Regency romance writer should be expected to know. Just mention by name a book that was actually published in the right time frame by an author whose identity was known at the time! Please!
Also it probably goes without saying, but this book is EXTREMELY white and cis heteronormative. Like more so than most things I’ve read that were actually written in the era when this is set (yes, including the works of Jane Austen). Do not expect diversity of any kind here, unless you consider a pair of sisters where one is blonde and the other is brunette to be “diverse.”
I will be watching season two of the show because it’s definitely going to be much better than season one, and I know this for three reasons:
1) There’s a corgi in this one
2) Simone Ashley is playing Kate and she’s going to be fantastic
3) This story is just so much better than that one. But that one had a horrible main character who raped her husband and was then excused by the narrative, so that’s really not saying much.
The thing is, I liked a lot of aspects of this book. Anthony and Kate’s banter was really fun. The scene in the library was so well executed. The angst mostly felt realistic considering who the characters were and where they were coming from. I even think their trauma was handled shockingly well. Like there’s the whole “love can save you from anything” thing, which, yick, but I actually felt like this book showed a pretty thorough understanding of the concept of triggers and how they work.
And then there’s everything else. Some of my issues with this book are very unimportant, but others are not.
I haven’t read the first book, but I have seen the show and am aware of the differences between them. This story definitely handles the issue of consent a lot better than that one does, and there’s no sexual assault, but there is a lot of dubious consent. Anthony and Kate have this whole conversation on their wedding night that’s partially about consent, and the way Anthony behaves in that scene and the things he says should have been sweet. Unfortunately, he’d already kissed her without her consent twice at this point. He’d also locked her in a room with him.
There’s also this thing where Anthony is a rake but would NEVER DREAM of besmirching the honor of a young lady of noble breeding (even though he literally does that in this book). Truly all I can say to that is yikes. Like I know this book is mostly a fantasy and I shouldn’t be expecting an awareness of class issues from a romance about English nobility, but I still found that aspect of this book to be quite distasteful.
I should have been glad that Kate was on Penelope’s side when people were being fatphobic to her, but actually I was just disappointed (but in no way surprised) that Penelope in fact gets thin in between books and they’re just mocking what she used to look like. Great! Also, I know I shouldn’t expect too much historical accuracy from this sort of book, but why are we pretending that thinness has always been the beauty standard? It’s exhausting.
Speaking of historical inaccuracies, I almost tore my hair out when Mary mentioned Jane Austen. This book is set in April through June of 1814. Mansfield Park was published in 1814 but not till July. And Jane Austen didn’t attach her name to any of her work that was published during her lifetime. So how on EARTH was Edwina reading “the latest novel by that Austen women”?! This is extremely basic information that a Regency romance writer should be expected to know. Just mention by name a book that was actually published in the right time frame by an author whose identity was known at the time! Please!
Also it probably goes without saying, but this book is EXTREMELY white and cis heteronormative. Like more so than most things I’ve read that were actually written in the era when this is set (yes, including the works of Jane Austen). Do not expect diversity of any kind here, unless you consider a pair of sisters where one is blonde and the other is brunette to be “diverse.”
I will be watching season two of the show because it’s definitely going to be much better than season one, and I know this for three reasons:
1) There’s a corgi in this one
2) Simone Ashley is playing Kate and she’s going to be fantastic
3) This story is just so much better than that one. But that one had a horrible main character who raped her husband and was then excused by the narrative, so that’s really not saying much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia