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yazmin_ali 's review for:

To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
1.5
dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
"I had to do something," she said. "I couldn't just sit and wait for life to happen to me any longer."

I'm going to start this review with the caveat that should be applied to all the books in this series; I read it in the context and time that it was written it. It's with this caveat that I've been able to enjoy the Bridgerton series so far - that being said, this is the book I've liked the least.

Sir Phillip Crane, like all the Bridgerton leading males so far, is deeply flawed. He's also incredibly traumatised, given the fact that he
watched his first wife attempt to commit suicide.
He is also a horrendous father, one who can't seem to bring himself to be bothered to spend any time with his children until he's forced to come face to face with the realities of his negligence. 

Eloise, who I adored as a side character in her sibling's books (as seems to be the running theme), was the more likeable of the pair. We got to see snippets of her intellect and wit. She was bold, brash and at times talked far too much. I truly think she deserved a lot better than Phillip.

As for the romance - it felt incredibly lacklustre and forced at times. The relationship, which I could see as a friendship at most, began with a courtship - as unconventional as it was - through letters and I would have expected letter writing to play a bigger part. Or perhaps for the letters we did read to be more moving, rather than being ... boring. When it finally came time for the big "I love you" I doubted they even truly meant it; the relationship had little to no spark, and even less of a connection.

The best parts of this book, by far, were the interactions with the rest of the Bridgerton siblings.
Especially with the four Bridgerton brothers rushing in to save Eloise's reputation and walloping Phillip in the process - something I wanted to do more than once throughout.
Maybe the best part of this entire series is the love the Bridgerton family have for one another? Maybe that's why I'm giving this a 1.5 rather than a 0.5?
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