Reviews

Splendid by Julia Quinn

bonnieg's review against another edition

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3.0

To say that Julia Quinn's writing skill improved after writing this, her first publication, would be a spectacular understatement. The story was mostly really enjoyable though and the writing improved (if not enough) about halfway in. Maybe she got a better editor? I so liked Alex and Emma, and that saved this from being unreadable. The dialogue though... GAH! It is unbelievably terrible, stunningly clumsy. Every scene is overwrought and peppered with 20th century idioms. I kept waiting for someone to describe something as "groovy" or tell me not to squeeze the Charmin

Bottom line, fun characters, decent storyline, subpar writing adds up to a 2.5 rounded up to 3 because Julia Quinn has given me a whole lot of great reading over the years.

awreckwithabook's review against another edition

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2.0

Decent. Definitely read better Julia Quinn stories.

amyrschmid's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is my favorite kind of book; a funny historical with dry banter between all of the characters throughout, that ends with the unbendable duke groveling. Perfect.

gabriela_carolinacf's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was cute! I love a good historical romance with a bantering witty main couple. Alex and Emma were cute from the start, there slight miscommunication (which I DO NOT enjoy) but it works out which is exactly what I want, in a fun romance read. I’m excited to continue reading about these characters because we have three books with different main characters that are connected and I loved that! ❤️
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lorrreli's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

too much “telling” which made the book long and boring. It was hard to love the characters because it dragged far too often. I’ve loved all of her other books that I’ve read, so grace for this being JQ’s first book!

emma_lopezmastropietro's review against another edition

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3.0

Not my favorite Julia Quinn- definitely spicy but Alex’s knee jerk reaction to her at the end calling her a “greedy bitch” was so out of pocket. I also wasn’t a fan of him telling the family he had ruined her so she’d be forced to marry him. I realize Emma was being “rash” but Alex was a class-A dick who did not deserve to be forgiven so quickly

eleanormayreeves's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-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

4.0

steffiejeanreads's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it!

marie244631's review against another edition

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

1.0

Je me suis accrochée et j'ai terminé ce roman, mais vraiment, j'ai détesté du début à la fin. (j'aurais envie de dire que les derniers chapitres avaient au moins un peu d'action, mais bon, la féministe en moi ne peut pas apprécier la raison de cette action.)

Alors, oui, c'est la première romance historique qu'a rédigée Julia Quinn, mais vraiment y'a rien qui va. Le protagoniste est détestable. Il n'y a pas à avoir si peu de considération pour la gente féminine SURTOUT quand il s'agit de la femme qu'on aime, et qu'on sait qu'on s'est comporté comme un mufle. Et l'excuse du "je déteste les femmes parce qu'elles n'en veulent qu'à mon argent ", c'est un peu fort de café.

Quant à Emma, autant, j'adore son caractère rebelle et son côté têtue, autant, je trouve qu'elle a vite oubliée sa vie avant Londres. Oui, elle y fait mention plusieurs fois, mais pas vraiment en profondeur, plus comme si c'était une obligation qu'une réelle attache émotionnelle. Et je trouve qu'elle cède trop facilement à Alex.

Bref. Heureusement que les personnages secondaires étaient là pour sauver le tout, parce que sinon tout ça aurait été bien ennuyant… Mais même eux vont avoir du mal à me convaincre de finir cette trilogie.

wackyjackie93's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5