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kendrabetweenthelines 's review for:
To Sir Phillip, With Love
by Julia Quinn
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First things first: I haaaaaaaate Phillip. His thoughts and behaviors towards the women in his life, including Eloise and his previous wife, were pretty despicable. He speaks about his previous wife with little respect and his belief that finding a wife will solve all of his problems made me roll my eyes repeatedly. His attitude towards mental health was pretty problematic, but I think that it was characterization versus bad writing on Julia Quinn's part.
So, how does this book manage to get four stars despite the awful love interest? Firstly, Eloise is a gem and I love her. She's sassy, headstrong, witty, and complex. I also really liked how involved her siblings and their spouses are in this story. It might be the first installment where I feel like each sibling influences the events of the story. We really get to see the bonds between the Bridgertons in this one. Bonus points for Benedict and Sophie (my faves) playing a major role! Lastly, the plot is quite different from the past Bridgerton books. It's definitely more gritty and dark, but also less predictable. So, between the solid writing and excellent characters (other than the male love interest), there's still a lot to like about this book. Eloise just deserves so much better, in my opinion.
MAJOR TWs for postpartum depression, child abuse/neglect, suicide, mental health.
So, how does this book manage to get four stars despite the awful love interest? Firstly, Eloise is a gem and I love her. She's sassy, headstrong, witty, and complex. I also really liked how involved her siblings and their spouses are in this story. It might be the first installment where I feel like each sibling influences the events of the story. We really get to see the bonds between the Bridgertons in this one. Bonus points for Benedict and Sophie (my faves) playing a major role! Lastly, the plot is quite different from the past Bridgerton books. It's definitely more gritty and dark, but also less predictable. So, between the solid writing and excellent characters (other than the male love interest), there's still a lot to like about this book. Eloise just deserves so much better, in my opinion.
MAJOR TWs for postpartum depression, child abuse/neglect, suicide, mental health.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt