A review by cepbreed
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I can’t believe I finally got around to this. Daphne and Simon do still have my heart. I had no clue the show changed so much from the books, even starting in the first season. Some of those changes I adored and others I now mourn after reading this. Julia Quinn put so much care into crafting the family dynamics of the Bridgertons and I just feel like the show didn’t even scratch the surface of their love for each other. Everyone in the show is a kind of toned down version of their book counterpart. Quinn’s writing style also changed dramatically by the end of this series. Reading It’s In His Kiss and The Duke and I back to back really emphasized how much she used dialogue early on. I actually really enjoyed this feature. Well done dialogue always delivers more on the characters than any description ever could. I also feel like book Daphne was so much more clever and witty than in the show. The shows constant choice to add subplots rather than focus on the main couple really took away from how intelligent this woman really was. Same with Violet tbh. 

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