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A review by lisacanteven
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.0
I don't give books quarter points, but I really feel like this one deserves a 2.75. I can't explain it, but I can explain what really bothered me.
Colin Bridgerton for 2/3 of the book is what bothered me. That was not my Colin Bridgerton. If it was simply a difference between the Colin of the book and the Colin of the show I would be fine with it. But Colin Bridgerton's internal dialogue for 2/3 of that book was off-putting at best and abusive at worst. Listen, I know I don't particularly like straight white men but even he was written kind of repulsively. I mean at one time Penelope has a thought that he might leave a bruise from the tightness at which she held her arm when he was angry. Shortly after that moment it switches to Colin's POV and the thoughts he is having confirm that he was aware he was hurting her. That's not my Colin Bridgerton.
By the final third of the book, he suddenly does a 180 and goes right back to the considerate man we thought he was. It was like a body snatch trope. Is that a thing? For the rest of the book he has normal, non-threatening thoughts and does nice things for Penelope instead of bruising her arm. I could not reconcile the two, and I am very anxious to see how the show interprets the Colin in this book.
My final thoughts about Colin are that I just think it came down to poor character development. I think it was lazy writing in order to create drama where it did not need to exist. In the end the story would have been just fine without it.
Other than the Colin issue, I really loved the rest of the book. I would read a story with just the Bridgerton women and rate it 5 stars I'm sure. My favorite parts of this book were the interactions between any number of Bridgerton women. Those moments almost made Colin bearable. If he had been Last Chapter Colin the whole time I would have enjoyed his presence in the book.
And I end this discussion with this: Has anyone else noticed how the descriptions of the Bridgerton family become less and less humble as the series progresses? I think I could also write a dissertation on this.
Colin Bridgerton for 2/3 of the book is what bothered me. That was not my Colin Bridgerton. If it was simply a difference between the Colin of the book and the Colin of the show I would be fine with it. But Colin Bridgerton's internal dialogue for 2/3 of that book was off-putting at best and abusive at worst. Listen, I know I don't particularly like straight white men but even he was written kind of repulsively. I mean at one time Penelope has a thought that he might leave a bruise from the tightness at which she held her arm when he was angry. Shortly after that moment it switches to Colin's POV and the thoughts he is having confirm that he was aware he was hurting her. That's not my Colin Bridgerton.
By the final third of the book, he suddenly does a 180 and goes right back to the considerate man we thought he was. It was like a body snatch trope. Is that a thing? For the rest of the book he has normal, non-threatening thoughts and does nice things for Penelope instead of bruising her arm. I could not reconcile the two, and I am very anxious to see how the show interprets the Colin in this book.
My final thoughts about Colin are that I just think it came down to poor character development. I think it was lazy writing in order to create drama where it did not need to exist. In the end the story would have been just fine without it.
Other than the Colin issue, I really loved the rest of the book. I would read a story with just the Bridgerton women and rate it 5 stars I'm sure. My favorite parts of this book were the interactions between any number of Bridgerton women. Those moments almost made Colin bearable. If he had been Last Chapter Colin the whole time I would have enjoyed his presence in the book.
And I end this discussion with this: Has anyone else noticed how the descriptions of the Bridgerton family become less and less humble as the series progresses? I think I could also write a dissertation on this.