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

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I wasn't expecting this book, but I think it was worth the read.

First, Phillip spends the majority of the book dealing with undue weight of responsibility on him -- things he neither expected or wanted, but dealt with as needed.
Primarily his brother's death leading to his marriage to Marina and her attempted suicide, which leads to her death.


Eloise is obviously an escape for him -- both a chance to be seen and heard, but more practically someone to ease his load and shoulder some responsibility for his home and children. And Eloise does not appreciate the seeming bait-and-switch effect this causes.

The primary conflict stems from this: Phillip has no example of a good father and no practice being a good husband. He is lonely, desperate, and traumatized. Eloise doesn't automatically fix everything, but her ability to listen, love, and take charge give him just enough breathing room to manage his own issues, though other events help him along.

There's quite a lot of kissing and passion, more so than the other books, as Phillip uses that to avoid emotions and words. It is honestly more Phillip's story than Eloise's, as her undergoes the most changes and self-discovery.

Emotional, but good story; would have loved more of Eloise's spunk, as her character was often drown out due to others' needs.

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