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pbraue13 's review for:
The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks
by Mackenzi Lee
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"You are not a burden. You are a person."
The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandals and Shipwrecks - Mackenzi Lee
This is a beautifully written, emotionally complex conclusion to the Montague Siblings trilogy—a book that feels like a long exhale after holding your breath through storms both literal and internal. While this installment is probably my least favorite of the series, that’s less a criticism and more a reflection of how deeply it immersed me in grief, trauma, and the long, slow struggle toward healing. I loved it, even as it made my heart ache.
This is a beautifully written, emotionally complex conclusion to the Montague Siblings trilogy—a book that feels like a long exhale after holding your breath through storms both literal and internal. While this installment is probably my least favorite of the series, that’s less a criticism and more a reflection of how deeply it immersed me in grief, trauma, and the long, slow struggle toward healing. I loved it, even as it made my heart ache.
Adrian Montague, the youngest of the siblings, takes center stage in this novel, and his journey is raw, often painful, and unflinchingly honest. Lee handles Adrian’s mental health with compassion and clarity, portraying panic, depression, and obsessive thoughts in a way that feels deeply real but never exploitative. There’s so much darkness here (loss, abandonment, the weight of expectations) and yet there’s also light: in friendship, in family, in the resilience it takes to choose to stay.
That said, I sorely missed Percy. His absence was keenly felt, especially after the charm and banter he brought to the previous books. The emotional tone here is quieter, more solemn, less buoyed by the camaraderie and chaos that made "The Gentleman's Guide" and "The Lady’s Guide" so intoxicating. In some ways, this feels like a different kind of novel entirely—less an adventure, more an odyssey through grief.
And still, it ends in hope. The reunion we’ve all been waiting for brings a sense of healing that feels earned rather than easy. The final chapters are a balm, a gentle reminder that though scars remain, they do not define us.
If "Scandals and Shipwrecks" feels heavier than its predecessors, it’s because it carries so much: legacy, love, and the weight of what it means to survive. It may not be my favorite, but I’ll treasure it all the same.