Author: Julia Quinn
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5 stars)
In his book, we follow Gregory, the last of the Bridgerton siblings to find his romance. Surrounded by seven happy siblings in their marriage, he believed in true love and he knew he’ll feel it when he sees the right one. When he attended his eldest sister-in-law’s week-long party in their ancestral home, he felt the pull towards the most beautiful maiden in the bunch, Ms. Hermione Watson. But Hermione’s heart belonged to someone else, and even though she couldn’t marry him because of their different status in life, she was not interested to find a husband. She was so used to men fumbling around to win her favor that, her friend, Lucy Abernathy, made it her mission to help Gregory match with Hermione. Of course, in our usual romance trope, the matchmaker developed feelings for Gregory even though she was engaged to be married to someone else. Gregory would continuously pursues Hermione until he comes to the realization that he has fallen for Lucy. But by this time, Lucy is already preparing to walk down the aisle.
Gregory has a very relatable problem. Most of us think that love looks like what he thought love was – it was supposed to be love at first sight where the world stops. It was supposed to make you feel giddy and speechless. But sometimes those reactions are just that – they’re physiological and emotional responses for something logical. Hermione was breathtakingly beautiful, it was an unavoidable reaction. Something about humanity just makes us instantly like and love beautiful, shiny, and/or smooth things and people. It’s not all the time, but sometimes love feels like comfort and familiarity. It’s the ease of having a conversation with someone you don’t have to struggle with. This is the kind of love Gregory didn’t understand from his siblings’ successful marriages, one he’ll understand.
Similar to the previous Bridgerton books, there are a lot of things to like and love in this book.
First and foremost is the all-too-real perception of what love is and what it should look like. I’m sure at one point most of us have been Gregory in our lives. We fall in love with the idea of a relationship more than the actual person. The author really delivered that point home.
Second, the mother of Bridgerton, Violet, once again imparts words of wisdom to one of her darling Bridgerton children that I think echoes in a lot of youngest siblings’ hearts. There’s a social topic that the youngest siblings usually are the most spoiled and entitled among his/her siblings. There are a lot of factors that go into it. One of the side effects of being coddled is that when they grow into adults and something feels hard to obtain, they easily let go or give up because they’re so used to having things easier than the elder siblings. This is definitely a topic of conversation that Violet has with Gregory and I think it’s really valuable. With every Bridgerton book that passes, I respect and admire her even more. She really knew his children and she loved them, flaws and all.
Third, the clash of Gregory’s idealistic nature and Lucy’s pragmatic outlook was certainly an interesting series of events to watch. They were so opposite in a lot of aspects, but again, the author flawlessly delivers. The progression of their friendship and romantic attachment was just right.
Fourth, and I’m convinced that this will be a standard to love in all Bridgerton books, is having the loving and bantering Bridgerton family around. We’re shown how close Hyacinth and Gregory are. Hyacinth vouched for Lucy and she stood up and spoke against her when she broke Gregory’s heart.
The only negative and mixed feelings I have about this last installment is that it had too much action for my taste. The previous book had definitely been adventurous with the diamond hunt and all, but this involved Lucy getting pointed at with a gun like a hostage situation, her getting kidnapped by Gregory, and Gregory shooting someone. I understand that it was reasonable to come to that since the accusations were national-security-level issues, but still, it felt uncalled for. It felt like it was there for the dramatics. But that’s just a personal preference.
In the end, I still like it. Turns out Gregory would follow his parents’ footsteps and have lots – and I mean LOTS – of children. Realism and idealism found its balance in this romance, and I’m all here for it.
Favorite Quote(s):
“Where is the scintillating Lord Bridgerton?” he asked.
― Viscountess Kate Bridgerton, On the Way to the Wedding
“Oh, somewhere. I don’t know. We’ll find each other at the end of the day, that is all that matters.”
“He was just being kind,” Lucy tried to say.
― Hyacinth St. Clair, On the Way to the Wedding
“Don’t be silly,” Hyacinth said, giving her a reassuring pat on the arm. “He would never do that.”
“That’s not true,” Lucy protested …
Hyacinth regarded her with a delighted smile, “I like you… You are wrong, of course, but I like you anyway.” She turned to her brother. “I like her.”
“I had been waiting so long to fall in love that I wanted the love more than the woman.”
― Gregory Bridgerton, On the Way to the Wedding
The Stray Reader 
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