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

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is, so far, my least favorite Bridgerton book out of the series and it is largely Phillip Crane's fault. This book does have great moments with the cast of characters we've grown to love, its got a lot of heart, good humor, and a surprising amount of intensity. But I found Phillip insufferable. He is rather misogynistic but it is slightly disgused under his trauma. Trauma, however, is not an excuse to be hurtful and dismissive toward your wife and children. He comes across as a total jack ass at several moments. The cliche excuse of "oh men and women come from two different worlds so i cant be expected to understand my wife and her womanly feelings" is used far too much with his character. We dont get nearly enought time with him toward the end for proper character development to outweigh the BS he does for most of the novel. Hes also lowkey emotionally abusive and has borderline consent issues. To give the book some props, it has one of the most complex and emotionally gripping plots out of the first 5 books in the series. Its dealing with death, generational trauma, and depression is actually rather intense for this type of book/this series. It makes the book feel much more developed and fleshed out. I likely would have gone with a full 4-4.5 stars if Phillip wasnt such a jerk. 
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