I enjoy the Bridgertons both in the books and the TV series. This is the fourth book in the series but it will be the upcoming season 3 of the show.

I have been looking forward to this one which features Colin and Penelope’s story. It was as delightful I had hoped. I did want to punch Colin a couple of times but he managed to get his act together and straighten out his errant ways.

These books have a great mix of romance and humor. I think I laughed more while reading this one than I did with the previous books. The banter among the Bridgerton siblings and their mother is wonderful.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

When Colin Bridgerton returns from one of his many trips abroad, he begins to see his friend Penelope in a different way. Penelope, of course, has loved Colin for years. But Penelope has a secret identity - she is Lady Whistledown, author of the popular gossip paper among and about the ton. Colin, too, has writerly ambitions, which Penelope encourages, though his don't need to be secret. When Lady Danbury announces a prize for unmasking Lady Whistledown's true identity and the horrible Cressida takes credit, Pen can't bear it. Will Colin stand by her?

Quotes

Maybe, Penelope had thought on more than one occasion, part of the reason she loved him was that he made her feel comfortable with herself. (ch. 2)

"Isn't it nice...to discover that we're not exactly who we thought we were?" (Lady Danbury, ch. 3)

"I know I shouldn't care what other people say, but I do." (Penelope to Colin, ch. 3)

Colin was beginning to think that perhaps being well liked was overrated. (ch. 9)

"Love grows and changes every day." (Daphne, ch. 16)

...he'd come to the conclusion that his ability to make others feel good about themselves must stem from his own sense of self. (ch. 19) ( )

It was a good story but at the end of the day, it's just another Cinderella story which is why it's not my favorite one. ( )

I haven't actually read any of the previous books in the series, just watched the show, but I've been itching for some fresh Bridgerton drama so I decided to dive into this one since it's the book the upcoming season is based upon. Also I pretty much just imagined every character as their corresponding actor, which actually really helped bring the story to life!
Penelope remains one of my favorite characters, and I enjoyed her book-self just as much as her TV-self. The ending she got in this book with the epilogue was actually a very nice way to both wrap up her current plot and yet also give her an actual future and things to do/work towards, instead of just an ambiguous "happily ever after".
Colin, however, I enjoy much less in the book; here, he has a pretty nasty little temper at times, particularly when Penelope does her own thing or something he doesn't approve of. There were a couple moments where he manhandles her, or grabs her arm hard enough to almost leave a bruise, and it made it difficult for me to root for him. He also skews towards the whiny side, and I wish he was written more like he was in the show.
All in all, a fun read, if only for the fact that I could pretend it was new Bridgerton episodes lol ( )

Book Colin is like 100 times more dreamy than TV Colin but maybe he'll be transformed by the time he gets his own season.

This book is cute as we watch somebody figure out that he's actually in love with his long time friend but he's also a big whiny baby that's a little hard to like.

Pen is great, of course. ( )