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bzliz's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have some mixed feelings about this one and I think most of them come from my 2024 eyes looking at 1800s sensibilities. It’s impossible to not feel icky from how Marina’s mental health is dealt with. She didn’t need a husband, she needed a therapist. As for Sir Phillip, he had his moments of charm and delight but it was challenging to warm up to a father who pushes his children away when they’re being mistreated and begging for closeness. Plus there’s a matter I have mentioned in the content warnings.
On the other hand, I adored Eloise. She felt so human to me. She constantly spoke her mind and took action. Her ability to handle Oliver and Amanda was certainly due to growing up in a big, loving family, but I think her growth mirrors that of the children. All three are in desperate need to attention and Phillip has to grow himself to give that to them. They also support each other; Eloise is a parental presence that the twins desperately needed, who was firm but understanding as needed, and the twins give her a challenge and the adoration that children give their heroes. The second epilogue cements that for me as Amanda so wonderfully illustrates Eloise’s devotion to their family, pulling it all together and bringing light and life to a sad group that had previously been crumbling.
On the other hand, I adored Eloise. She felt so human to me. She constantly spoke her mind and took action. Her ability to handle Oliver and Amanda was certainly due to growing up in a big, loving family, but I think her growth mirrors that of the children. All three are in desperate need to attention and Phillip has to grow himself to give that to them. They also support each other; Eloise is a parental presence that the twins desperately needed, who was firm but understanding as needed, and the twins give her a challenge and the adoration that children give their heroes. The second epilogue cements that for me as Amanda so wonderfully illustrates Eloise’s devotion to their family, pulling it all together and bringing light and life to a sad group that had previously been crumbling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual assault
Though it doesn’t occur on page, I have tagged sexual assault becauseboundbyemily's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“This—us—is heaven. And I can’t bear to hear you say otherwise.”
I understand what Quinn was trying to do, but the execution was not there. There were good moments, but overall it dragged and just fell incredibly flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
donohue_kathryn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
There wasn’t a single part of this that I enjoyed. Not a single likable character, no romance, nothing.
Sir Phillip was a horrible man (father, suitor, partner) who did not have a single redeeming quality.
I’m sorry you had a tough childhood, but hating the mother of your children because she was depressed and never wanted to fuck you is no excuse.
Wah wah all I’ve had for 8 years is the company of my own hand. You’re about to catch these hands if you don’t shut up.
Also, specifically pointing out that he kept going because she didn’t say no 🤮
Sir Phillip was a horrible man (father, suitor, partner) who did not have a single redeeming quality.
I’m sorry you had a tough childhood, but hating the mother of your children because she was depressed and never wanted to fuck you is no excuse.
Wah wah all I’ve had for 8 years is the company of my own hand. You’re about to catch these hands if you don’t shut up.
Also, specifically pointing out that he kept going because she didn’t say no 🤮
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
chrissandrapherlv's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Mental illness
swagboat69's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
i'm going to kill sir phillip if it's the last thing i do
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse
abby_can_read's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
October 2023-⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧
Having re-read this and having read some other regency romance books, my opinions have changed. While I still enjoyed the book, I was annoyed with the characters. Phillip was an idiot and Eloise needed to think her plans through more. There were plenty of cute family moments.
March 2022-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📱
Eloise was one of my characters from the previous books and I was excited to get to her story.
Following the engagement between Penelope and Colin, Eloise was feeling adrift. Throughout writing letters to her distant cousin's widow, he suggested marriage and Eloise pushed the letter aside before deciding to visit. Upon meeting Sir Phillip, she was surprised to learn he had two children.
I loved this book! The romance between Eloise and Phillip had me happy and I loved the dynamics between Eloise and the twins.
🎧
Having re-read this and having read some other regency romance books, my opinions have changed. While I still enjoyed the book, I was annoyed with the characters. Phillip was an idiot and Eloise needed to think her plans through more. There were plenty of cute family moments.
March 2022-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📱
Eloise was one of my characters from the previous books and I was excited to get to her story.
Following the engagement between Penelope and Colin, Eloise was feeling adrift. Throughout writing letters to her distant cousin's widow, he suggested marriage and Eloise pushed the letter aside before deciding to visit. Upon meeting Sir Phillip, she was surprised to learn he had two children.
I loved this book! The romance between Eloise and Phillip had me happy and I loved the dynamics between Eloise and the twins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
readyforit's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2⭐️1.5🌶️(open door, not very descriptive)
I’ve really been enjoying the series up until Eloise’s story. This book missed the mark for several reasons for me, mostly because I just think the whole premise of Eloise running away to marry a man she’s never met doesn’t sound like her at all. In the book, marina is a bridgerton cousin, still married to sir Phillip crane instead of his brother George who died in the war. She dies young and Eloise writes to Phillip, and they begin a year of correspondence before Phillip asks her to visit to see if they would be a good match for marriage. He only seems concerned with having her be a mother to his two unruly (and neglected and abused) children, and not as having her as a wife or partner. You expect some misogyny with historical fiction books but this one was especially bad, and I never found myself rooting for Phillip. In fact, I’d say he’s the villain of this story. Eloise deserves better and so do his kids. I am curious about how they will incorporate this book into the show. Before reading any of the books I had hoped they would allow Eloise to remain unmarried and maybe she would pursue writing or something, and after reading her story I can say I do NOT want it in the show without SIGNIFICANT changes to Phillip’s personality, the kids’ storyline, and how they insulted marina for having depression. I won’t be rereading this book and this was unfortunately the first in the series that I didn’t enjoy.
I’ve really been enjoying the series up until Eloise’s story. This book missed the mark for several reasons for me, mostly because I just think the whole premise of Eloise running away to marry a man she’s never met doesn’t sound like her at all. In the book, marina is a bridgerton cousin, still married to sir Phillip crane instead of his brother George who died in the war. She dies young and Eloise writes to Phillip, and they begin a year of correspondence before Phillip asks her to visit to see if they would be a good match for marriage. He only seems concerned with having her be a mother to his two unruly (and neglected and abused) children, and not as having her as a wife or partner. You expect some misogyny with historical fiction books but this one was especially bad, and I never found myself rooting for Phillip. In fact, I’d say he’s the villain of this story. Eloise deserves better and so do his kids. I am curious about how they will incorporate this book into the show. Before reading any of the books I had hoped they would allow Eloise to remain unmarried and maybe she would pursue writing or something, and after reading her story I can say I do NOT want it in the show without SIGNIFICANT changes to Phillip’s personality, the kids’ storyline, and how they insulted marina for having depression. I won’t be rereading this book and this was unfortunately the first in the series that I didn’t enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy
stungbythewood's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A lot of my praise from this book genuinely comes from how much more enjoyable it was to read compared to its predecessor Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.
For that alone, I had to give it a higher rating than I did that book.
To be honest, there were a lot of highs in this book for me. I found that I identified a lot with Eloise. I too love a good conversation and often find myself messaging my friends a lot simply because I find conversing to be so fun.
My experience with Eloise is limited to that of books 4,5 & 6, the tv show and the limited scenes she has in what i’ve read so far of the first two books.
That being said, I quite like how she’s portrayed in this book. My feelings may very well change in that regard after finishing the first three books, but I feel as if she’s still just as headstrong as she always was. She’s just now married.
I’d say some of the really big highs in this book were the moments between the Bridgerton siblings and I feel as though those are Julia Quinn’s strongest points in general with writing this series.
An absolute FAVORITE quote of mine from this book is from pages 198 to 199
“You’re one of the special ones, Eloise. Life never happens to you. Trust me on this. I’ve watched you grow up, had to be your father at times when I only wanted to be your brother.”
Hee lips parted as something squeezed around her heart. He was right. He had been a father to her. It was a role neither of them wanted for him, but he had done it for years, without complaint. And this time she squeezed his hand, not because she realized she loved him, but because it was only now that she realized how very much she did.
This quote really solidified Anthony as one of my favorites from the entire series. The family’s dynamic is something that can be so complex and well thought out and it truly is some of the better parts of the book. I also throughly enjoyed the eldest brothers and their conversations with Phillip while in the dining room and during shooting. I can not praise the family dynamic enough in this.
A truly touching moment that solidified Phillip and Eloise’s love for me was their return back from Benedict and Sophie’s home after the sickness scare with their son. Eloise and Phillip’s slow burn into love AFTER their marriage was something very interesting to read since usually, it’s love that leads to marriage, not vice versa.
From page 331:
And she thought to herself- was this what she’d been waiting for her entire life? Not the passion, not the gasps of pleasure she felt when he joined her in bed, but this. This sense of comfort, of easy companionship, of sitting next to someone in a carriage and knowing with every fiber of your being that it was where you belonged.
Eloise’s slow burn with not only Phillip but with Phillip’s children was something I LOVED but unfortunately, those highs get overshadowed by some pretty massive lows.
My absolute biggest gripe with this book is how it handles Marina and her mental illness.
As someone who struggles in regards to their own mental health it feels quite awful to see how much disdain Phillip has for Marina during and after her death. It definitely doesn’t help with feeling like a burden to your family members and friends. To see Amanda in the 2nd epilogue echo similar sentiments as well is also very disheartening.
I’d hate to use the current year argument but even in the early 00’s i’d at least hope we’d have somewhat of a better understanding on mental health and wouldn’t push harmful stereotypes that people who committed suicide are selfish individuals. These parts where Marina and her illness are talked about was very uncomfortable to read. Eloise is the only person who handles it with a CRUMB of tact
Another point is a little bit further in that discussion where Phillip tells Eloise that she’s not allowed to complain about their marriage since she didn’t have to go through what he did with Marina. It feels quite controlling especially with how it’s described in the book.
From page 353:
“You said we have a problem,” he repeated, his voice so low and forceful she didn’t think he’d hear another interruption even if she tried.
“But until you live what I’ve lived through,” he continued, “until you’ve been trapped in a hopeless marriage, as a hopeless spouse, until you’ve gone to bed alone for years wishing for nothing more than the touch of another human being…”
He turned around, stepped toward her, his eyes slight with a fire that humbled her.
“Until you’ve lived through all that,” he said, “don’t you ever complain about what we have. Because to me…to me…” He choked on the words, but he barely paused before he continued.
“This - us - is heaven. And I can’t bear to hear you say otherwise.”
It just feels very “woe is me” and guilt-trippy toward Eloise for daring to find any fault within Phillip and or their marriage. Imagine the difficulties Marina was having if she was locking herself in her bedchamber all day.
All and all this was a pretty enjoyable read for the most part but still left a lot to be desired in some areas. Not the worse out of the series for me so far though.
For that alone, I had to give it a higher rating than I did that book.
To be honest, there were a lot of highs in this book for me. I found that I identified a lot with Eloise. I too love a good conversation and often find myself messaging my friends a lot simply because I find conversing to be so fun.
My experience with Eloise is limited to that of books 4,5 & 6, the tv show and the limited scenes she has in what i’ve read so far of the first two books.
That being said, I quite like how she’s portrayed in this book. My feelings may very well change in that regard after finishing the first three books, but I feel as if she’s still just as headstrong as she always was. She’s just now married.
I’d say some of the really big highs in this book were the moments between the Bridgerton siblings and I feel as though those are Julia Quinn’s strongest points in general with writing this series.
An absolute FAVORITE quote of mine from this book is from pages 198 to 199
Hee lips parted as something squeezed around her heart. He was right. He had been a father to her. It was a role neither of them wanted for him, but he had done it for years, without complaint. And this time she squeezed his hand, not because she realized she loved him, but because it was only now that she realized how very much she did.
This quote really solidified Anthony as one of my favorites from the entire series. The family’s dynamic is something that can be so complex and well thought out and it truly is some of the better parts of the book. I also throughly enjoyed the eldest brothers and their conversations with Phillip while in the dining room and during shooting. I can not praise the family dynamic enough in this.
A truly touching moment that solidified Phillip and Eloise’s love for me was their return back from Benedict and Sophie’s home after the sickness scare with their son. Eloise and Phillip’s slow burn into love AFTER their marriage was something very interesting to read since usually, it’s love that leads to marriage, not vice versa.
From page 331:
And she thought to herself- was this what she’d been waiting for her entire life? Not the passion, not the gasps of pleasure she felt when he joined her in bed, but this. This sense of comfort, of easy companionship, of sitting next to someone in a carriage and knowing with every fiber of your being that it was where you belonged.
Eloise’s slow burn with not only Phillip but with Phillip’s children was something I LOVED but unfortunately, those highs get overshadowed by some pretty massive lows.
My absolute biggest gripe with this book is how it handles Marina and her mental illness.
As someone who struggles in regards to their own mental health it feels quite awful to see how much disdain Phillip has for Marina during and after her death. It definitely doesn’t help with feeling like a burden to your family members and friends. To see Amanda in the 2nd epilogue echo similar sentiments as well is also very disheartening.
I’d hate to use the current year argument but even in the early 00’s i’d at least hope we’d have somewhat of a better understanding on mental health and wouldn’t push harmful stereotypes that people who committed suicide are selfish individuals. These parts where Marina and her illness are talked about was very uncomfortable to read. Eloise is the only person who handles it with a CRUMB of tact
Another point is a little bit further in that discussion where Phillip tells Eloise that she’s not allowed to complain about their marriage since she didn’t have to go through what he did with Marina. It feels quite controlling especially with how it’s described in the book.
From page 353:
“You said we have a problem,” he repeated, his voice so low and forceful she didn’t think he’d hear another interruption even if she tried.
“But until you live what I’ve lived through,” he continued, “until you’ve been trapped in a hopeless marriage, as a hopeless spouse, until you’ve gone to bed alone for years wishing for nothing more than the touch of another human being…”
He turned around, stepped toward her, his eyes slight with a fire that humbled her.
“Until you’ve lived through all that,” he said, “don’t you ever complain about what we have. Because to me…to me…” He choked on the words, but he barely paused before he continued.
“This - us - is heaven. And I can’t bear to hear you say otherwise.”
It just feels very “woe is me” and guilt-trippy toward Eloise for daring to find any fault within Phillip and or their marriage. Imagine the difficulties Marina was having if she was locking herself in her bedchamber all day.
All and all this was a pretty enjoyable read for the most part but still left a lot to be desired in some areas. Not the worse out of the series for me so far though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content
that_nana's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death
Minor: Child abuse
neverlandingonabook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Mental illness, and Sexual content