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A review by stungbythewood
To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
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