mantequillabooks

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i know you said you haven’t read the books— have you seen the post julia quinn made about michaela?

(spoilers for the books below, disregard if you dont want it spoiled but its relevant to your complaint)

michael stirling was always francesca’s end game love interest in the books, michaela is just genderbent in bridgerton.

the reason she has instant chemistry with francesca is purely to signal future events to people who dont read the books and mitigate the amount of people who would claim their romance “came out of nowhere” when it was always planned.

in julia quinns post, she talks about how important it is to her that john and francescas love is real and feels real to the viewers, because it was an important part of francesca and michaels dynamic in the book.

finding someone attractive doesnt negate an honest love connection with someone, and neither does (eventually) moving on. does violets budding romance with marcus cheapen the love she had for her late husband? sometimes sweet things dont last forever, that doesnt make them less sweet.

Hey,

I don't mind spoilers at all which is why I'm responding.

Yes, I understand that Michael was always going to be Francesca's endgame. I'd say as someone who was introduced to Bridgerton and any content related to such through the show, social media makes it almost inevitable that you would find out about certain book details without needing to read the actual series (such as endgame couples, differences in the books vs show etc.).

The existence of Michael as a character, I have no problem with, I'm not out here petitioning to make John her endgame. I think it follows the pattern seen in Bridgerton (the show, not sure about the books) of how each sibling almost has to have one romantic interest before they end up with their endgame. My post was more centred on why the show couldn't focus on Francesca and John's relationship first in this season before moving on in Francesca's actual season or maybe the season beforehand.

I've seen it said that the audience needs visual cues as a suggestion of what's to come, but was that done with the other Bridgertons? Colin and Penelope aside with their friends to lovers arc, I don't think we needed much reassuring (in the form of that character popping up beforehand) to know that Kate was coming in as Anthony's love interest despite his spending the whole of season one with the opera singer romantically. Despite all the hookups and situations Benedict has found himself in over the seasons, I'd say most people still expect him to end up with Sophie? or someone that'll be his endgame?

I think it was just how it looked overall. That in regards to John and Francesca, they spend season 3 building up this narrative of how a quiet and easy love can be just as meaningful as any other type of love or at least equal to the one Violet has always had in mind for her children. Then fast forward to them getting married and after the kiss Francesca looks either confused or disappointed. When she's introduced to Michaela later on she has that moment of forgetting her words completely and that instant attraction you mentioned.

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Listen, to each their own, however, I just wanted to talk about one of the few things I enjoyed (while it lasted) in season 3 of Bridgerton.

I absolutely adored Francesca’s character in Season 3 part 1. The level of introverted-ness and anxiety relating towards meeting new people and just interacting with others in general is the most relatable thing I’ve seen on Bridgerton and on screen. Her sole interest in piano forte and that being the only answer she had to most questions she was asked…again RELATABLE.

Then they added her quiet romance with John and I just ADORED her and them even more. I absolutely loved that the point they were trying to make with that was how not every love has to be loud and boisterous. Just because someone isn’t being Bold and declarative with their feelings, it doesn’t negate what they feel and it doesn’t mean their love isn’t as strong. It can be expressed differently and still be something so worth while. I felt like this was such a beautiful point to make and wish they allowed that to sit with the audience a little longer. I haven’t read the books so personally I don’t have much to add in the Michael vs Michaela debate going on, however, what was the point in them going out of their way to state how not all love has to be instant and all consuming to be considered real love and then they just kind of negate that by having Fran have love at first sight and fall for someone else in the same season?

To each their own I guess.

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Can't believe I'm saying this but Part 1 dropped, the "trust us, the romantic chemistry is coming, friends to lovers all the way" turned out to be crap, sooooo... Remember Simon & Daphne? It was sleeze upon creep upon ass upon get this away from me but y'know what I never doubted for a second? That they were friends.

I flat out do not buy Penelope & Colin as friends. All their interactions up until now have been those of casual acquaintances, with one side having an obvious teen crush, the other being utterly oblivious to it, and then one of them leaving the scene for a comic effect before any real bonding or really, anything of much import concerning their supposed friendship happens.

Like, what is it that Pen likes, let alone loves about Colin? And is there anything suggesting that what Colin appreciates about Pen isn't just that she gives him consistent attention?

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Sooooo it’s going to take 2 years to film and edit 8 episodes for season 4…………………

It took 2 years for season 3 to come out and that was disappointing for multiple reasons. I’m not a Polin girl but even I was like “who’s the main couple again???!”

Why are there sooooo many different storyline’s taking place at the same time? Yes, it’s interesting to see other people and things going on but the main focus is always supposed to come back to the main couple and this season I had to keep reminding myself that Polin were the main couple cause so many other things were going on. Like, is this not a romance show at the end of the day? Yes, it’s set in the regency period and touches on so many different topics BUT is this not a romance show at the core? I mean it’s literally adapted from a book called ‘Romancing Mister Bridgerton’ but was there really much time for romance between them with all the drama/arguing taking over.

Now Benedict…….don’t get me wrong, I liked him in season 2 but they kept recycling the same old things with him, this man is just the community bike atp. Like doesn’t this man have anything else to do besides people?

Where is artist Benedict?? What happened to wanting to make it on his own without Anthony having to buy his way into things? Having his own passions and interests?

Anyways……

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you know what it’s good that theo’s not back for this season bc it means he can be back for eloise’s season as the main love interest!!! (i know it won’t happen just Leave me be.)

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After watching season 3 like: So no Theo Sharpe

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I let my delusions get the best of me and for a second I truly believed we’d be seeing Theo again in season 3.

Part of me (probably out of habit) wants to be delulu again and believe he might still come back somehow🥲. When Colin said something to Eloise along the lines of “you should consider yourself lucky that you’ve never been in love” best believe I was screaming “you know NOTHING Colin!”

Then when Eloise was talking about how she survived being accused of being Lady Whistledown but not without some scars I IMMEDIATELY thought of Theo again. And then when she opened that drawer and you could see the book she got from Theo that she had kept………🥲 I don’t know why I do this to myself but I still hope. Part of me just wants them to pull a persuasion with Eloise and Theo.

Otherwise………it’s off to AO3 I go.

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Following my previous lil rant about Alchemy of Souls, this is specifically about season 1. I’m gonna try rewatching again because how did no one suspect anything (romantic) was going on between Jang Uk and Mudeok?? At a certain point, when they weren’t just bickering like a married couple they were just giving heart eyes 🥺💕 and I’m like “is no one else seeing this?!” If I was there and I heard the sudden news that they were to be married I’d be like “woooww not like I didn’t see that coming” man hardly breathes in the direction of another woman.

I don’t know maybe everyone was too focused on their own lives (which is understandable).

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Sooooo I recently watched Alchemy of Souls Season 1 and first off, I GET THE HYPE.

All I have to say though is after Jang Uk said ‘Marry Me, Mu deok,’ I shut my laptop and said ‘And they lived happily ever after. THE END.’

That’s where the show ended, that’s where it stops, episode 19. It was an amazing 19 episodes. I’m glad they wrapped it all up in that 1 season. Peace, love and happiness.

side note; I went into this series knowing that there was gonna be 3 love interests for the female lead and as someone who normally despises love triangles or anything more I seriously wondered how I would like this particular aspect of the show. But she had chemistry with EVERYONE! I can’t pick a side (Jang Uk all the way), every time she had time alone with one of them I couldn’t hate or be biased cause the chemistry was just chemistrying, it was THERE!

Anywayssss 20 19 episodes really drained me emotionally in a way I was not prepared for, so no I will not be watching season 2 (or 3?).

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Can we just ignore Eloise’s book completely and have her runaway with that cute printer boy/activist/feminist?

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I feel so dumb for not fully realising the mirroring going on or maybe just the coincidence of Bridgerton season 2 giving the backstory of Lady Mary’s love story which sees her marrying below her class and then Eloise becoming involved with a man from the lower class in that same season

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Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.

~ Virginia Woolf

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the "i definitely do NOT have feelings for them in any way shape or form" while obviously crushing on them trope might be cliché to you. it's about being doomed from the start, the desperate denial of the starved self, the tragic inevitably of love to me tho

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The Zumra

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

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Este año quiero leer 30 libros. El año pasado solo leí 7 libros así que este año quiero leer más.