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natalie_chase's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Misogyny and Grief
ameydireads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“The hallmark of civilization is routine. But the sign of a truly advanced mind is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.”
As with any Bridgerton book, we have likeable characters that are somewhat flawed.
Hyacinth is very smart and knows what she wants which is partially the reason why she’s on her third season and still unmarried. She spends a lot of time with Lady Danbury and might even be one of the few people that like her. Lady Danbury truly is an amusing character, owing to her brutal honesty. She does not shroom to play matchmaker and nudges Hyacinth towards her grandson, Gareth. Gareth is described to be a rake, just like any other gentleman in this series so far, sigh. Anyway, he dotes on his grandmother, Lady Danbury, who is the only person he has in his life. He does not have a good relationship with his father, the baron. Throughout the story, his father remains a one-dimensional character. Every time Gareth interacts with him, he leaves the scene fully distraught. It makes sense why his father is so angry all the time. He found out his wife cheated on him which led to the birth of Gareth. Whilst nobody in his situation would accept or ignore that, it’s unacceptable to take it out on a child.
When Gareth is in need of an Italian translator, Hyacinth offers to help. They slowly learn more about each other and fall in love. For Gareth this also means that he becomes part of the loving Bridgerton family. It was really heartwarming when Anthony mentioned this to him.
The superficial nature of this story makes it a good read when you are in need of something light and fluffy. What I didn’t really like is that, yet again, the male protagonist is convinced that he must compromise the female protagonist to ensure their marriage. I get that this might be the mindset of that time, but it just annoys me at this time of age.
As with any Bridgerton book, we have likeable characters that are somewhat flawed.
Hyacinth is very smart and knows what she wants which is partially the reason why she’s on her third season and still unmarried. She spends a lot of time with Lady Danbury and might even be one of the few people that like her. Lady Danbury truly is an amusing character, owing to her brutal honesty. She does not shroom to play matchmaker and nudges Hyacinth towards her grandson, Gareth. Gareth is described to be a rake, just like any other gentleman in this series so far, sigh. Anyway, he dotes on his grandmother, Lady Danbury, who is the only person he has in his life. He does not have a good relationship with his father, the baron. Throughout the story, his father remains a one-dimensional character. Every time Gareth interacts with him, he leaves the scene fully distraught. It makes sense why his father is so angry all the time. He found out his wife cheated on him which led to the birth of Gareth. Whilst nobody in his situation would accept or ignore that, it’s unacceptable to take it out on a child.
When Gareth is in need of an Italian translator, Hyacinth offers to help. They slowly learn more about each other and fall in love. For Gareth this also means that he becomes part of the loving Bridgerton family. It was really heartwarming when Anthony mentioned this to him.
The superficial nature of this story makes it a good read when you are in need of something light and fluffy. What I didn’t really like is that, yet again, the male protagonist is convinced that he must compromise the female protagonist to ensure their marriage. I get that this might be the mindset of that time, but it just annoys me at this time of age.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
mariskyjy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This one is up there in my ranking of the Bridgerton books. I personally enjoy the formula of rakish hero with daddy issues, so I am biased. Hyacinth as a character is a lot of fun, and I found her the most relatable heroine yet (yes, I have ADHD. Maybe those two things correlate.). Gareth is fun when he's not brooding (which honestly doesn't happen often!), and I actually understood why he and Hy were a good match. There's a lot of Lady Danbury in this one, which did not disappoint. Also, some cute espionage stuff in which (small spoiler) our heroine gets to wear britches rather than an elaborate dress!
I enjoy that Julia Quinn gives her romantic leads depth and personality; as this series is my first foray into romance novels, it's great to know it's not all "here is my Gary Sue love interest who could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and there'd be more emotional depth".
The only plot point that others have pointed out - Gareth sleeping with Hyacinth to make her unable to dismiss their engagement - seemed a little more nuanced to me. When he kisses her in her house, he clearly says he doesn't want to live without her, so he proposed, and then suddenly it jumps to sexy time a while later, and he has the aforementioned motive. That leap bumps the rating down for me.
An excerpt directly from my own personal romantic yearnings:
“And I know,” [Hyacinth] said, letting out a short, staccato breath, the sort one did when one couldn’t quite believe what one was saying, “that it’s often rather hard work to love me.”
And suddenly Gareth realized that some things did come in a flash. And there were some things one simply knew without being able to explain them. Because as he stood there watching her, all he could think was—No.
No.
It would be rather easy to love Hyacinth Bridgerton.
He didn’t know where the thought had come from, or what strange
corner of his brain had come to that conclusion, because he was quite certain it would be nearly impossible to live with her, but somehow he knew that it wouldn’t be at all difficult to love her.
I enjoy that Julia Quinn gives her romantic leads depth and personality; as this series is my first foray into romance novels, it's great to know it's not all "here is my Gary Sue love interest who could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and there'd be more emotional depth".
An excerpt directly from my own personal romantic yearnings:
And suddenly Gareth realized that some things did come in a flash. And there were some things one simply knew without being able to explain them. Because as he stood there watching her, all he could think was—No.
No.
It would be rather easy to love Hyacinth Bridgerton.
He didn’t know where the thought had come from, or what strange
corner of his brain had come to that conclusion, because he was quite certain it would be nearly impossible to live with her, but somehow he knew that it wouldn’t be at all difficult to love her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Pregnancy
cielosiluminado's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gareth and hyacinth were very cute!! their story was really fun and refreshing in the bridgerton series.
my favorite thing was hyacinth never changing herself for a man despite that meaning less marriage prospects for her and despite all the warnings gareth got about her being “too smart” and “difficult to manage”, he still loved her. he loved her quirks, confidence, and brains.
there was just two things that made me not give it a perfect rating: (1) gareth’s glaring daddy issues led him to seduce and compromise her pre-wedding so she wouldn’t back out of the engagement. that was a very questionable action. but i wasn’t that bothered once i read when hyacinth learns that he compromised her on her purpose, she reaffirms that despite being peeved that he resorted to compromising her, she still enjoyed their first time together. and (2) there was also a little lull for me in the story shortly after their engagement.
but i was able to look past those two hiccups because i enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story. the betrothed couple breaking and entering the clair house was so funny to me. i laughed so hard at the imagining hyacinth wearing breeches and cackled when they scaled up the walls to climb into the windows was hilarious to picture. also, the scene between anthony and gareth had me cry laughing because they were both so unserious. i also adored lady danbury and hyacinth’s relationship in this book. it was so heartwarming, especially when lady d had been plotting gareth and hyacinth’s relationship for over a year!
this one is going to be a fun season for netflix to adapt tbh
my favorite thing was hyacinth never changing herself for a man despite that meaning less marriage prospects for her and despite all the warnings gareth got about her being “too smart” and “difficult to manage”, he still loved her. he loved her quirks, confidence, and brains.
there was just two things that made me not give it a perfect rating: (1) gareth’s glaring daddy issues led him to seduce and compromise her pre-wedding so she wouldn’t back out of the engagement. that was a very questionable action. but i wasn’t that bothered once i read when hyacinth learns that he compromised her on her purpose, she reaffirms that despite being peeved that he resorted to compromising her, she still enjoyed their first time together. and (2) there was also a little lull for me in the story shortly after their engagement.
but i was able to look past those two hiccups because i enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story. the betrothed couple breaking and entering the clair house was so funny to me. i laughed so hard at the imagining hyacinth wearing breeches and cackled when they scaled up the walls to climb into the windows was hilarious to picture. also, the scene between anthony and gareth had me cry laughing because they were both so unserious. i also adored lady danbury and hyacinth’s relationship in this book. it was so heartwarming, especially when lady d had been plotting gareth and hyacinth’s relationship for over a year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
insanebookperson's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
haleysversion's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
hayleyvem's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
hmlongstreet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
How can I say this...Oh my god! This book is an absolute gem in the series. Truly, I cannot explain the pure emotions I felt from this story. I laughed, I gasped, I blushed and just fell in love with it all. Hyacinth and her relationship with Lady Danbury had me laughing aloud, while Gareth and Hyacinth had me swooning. Hyacinth was positively witty with her snarky remarks while Gareth with his clever retorts made the pair such a joy to read about.
I felt connected to both Hyacinth and Gareth while they discussed their fears and troubles, having felt many of them myself which was so lovely and brought my closer to them both in an curious way. This book was just FILLED with romance and charm that tickled me pink. Both characters were very well written, and most moments never felt questionably non consensual (which I was beginning to find was quite a common thing in this series).
Gareth has by far got to be the best male main character in the whole series (we will see after I read Gregory's story however) as he rarely treats Hyacinth like...how should I say this..? like he has no idea what she means to him so he just kisses her and then being forced to marry. Also Gareth just a tiny bit reminds me of my own boyfriend, so maybe that is why I am so fond of him. And Hyacinth... well if you've seen the Netflix adaptation, she is exactly like Eloise in the show. I would not be surprise if the show based Eloise off Hyacinth in the novel. Hyacinth is just so funny, and her one liners are the best! The overall plot given to the book was so adventuress and fun, as I felt the excitement right along with the characters
There are only a few things I didn't like which I will list (they are kind of spoilers though):
1. Gareth is an illegitimate child; they did this trope in book 3 and I personally don't like it however, they didn't really make it as big of a deal this time around which was good.
2. Gareth is just another rake; why are all the men talked about as being rakes, and having mistresses. Gareth is makes male lead #4 to be described as a rake.
3. No one wants to marry Hyacinth because of the way she acts; this plot point was very similar to both Daphne and Penelope's characters.
4. Gareth taking advantage of Hyacinth to anger his father and get her to not back out of their engagement; the book was going so good and then they turned Gareth into all the other male leads
Another this time add is how confusing the relationship between Gareth and his father was, like Gareth's father was all like "oh you are so predictable with Hyacinth", so Gareth responses by trying to make him irritated by doing exactly what his father said he would do. But it actually gives his father fuel to harass Gareth even more...like where is that logic-?
Even though I didn't like certain things in this book the good does out way the bad, if you are going to read any of the Bridgerton books it has to be this one.
I felt connected to both Hyacinth and Gareth while they discussed their fears and troubles, having felt many of them myself which was so lovely and brought my closer to them both in an curious way. This book was just FILLED with romance and charm that tickled me pink. Both characters were very well written, and most moments never felt questionably non consensual (which I was beginning to find was quite a common thing in this series).
Gareth has by far got to be the best male main character in the whole series (we will see after I read Gregory's story however) as he rarely treats Hyacinth like...how should I say this..? like he has no idea what she means to him so he just kisses her and then being forced to marry. Also Gareth just a tiny bit reminds me of my own boyfriend, so maybe that is why I am so fond of him. And Hyacinth... well if you've seen the Netflix adaptation, she is exactly like Eloise in the show. I would not be surprise if the show based Eloise off Hyacinth in the novel. Hyacinth is just so funny, and her one liners are the best! The overall plot given to the book was so adventuress and fun, as I felt the excitement right along with the characters
There are only a few things I didn't like which I will list (they are kind of spoilers though):
2. Gareth is just another rake; why are all the men talked about as being rakes, and having mistresses. Gareth is makes male lead #4 to be described as a rake.
3. No one wants to marry Hyacinth because of the way she acts; this plot point was very similar to both Daphne and Penelope's characters.
4. Gareth taking advantage of Hyacinth to anger his father and get her to not back out of their engagement; the book was going so good and then they turned Gareth into all the other male leads
Another this time add is how confusing the relationship between Gareth and his father was, like Gareth's father was all like "oh you are so predictable with Hyacinth", so Gareth responses by trying to make him irritated by doing exactly what his father said he would do. But it actually gives his father fuel to harass Gareth even more...like where is that logic-?
Even though I didn't like certain things in this book the good does out way the bad, if you are going to read any of the Bridgerton books it has to be this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death and Infidelity
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
brownieboo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
rebeccajost's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death of parent