Bridgerton Book Series By Julia Quinn

I’ll always remember August 2022 as the month when I digested the entire Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn. It’s good for your health to read, right? If so, I was healthy this month!

Many of us have watched and loved the Bridgerton series on Netflix, but I was intrigued to know how the books compared. For fun, I thought I’d read the first two books, then watch the related episodes as I progress.

It turns out there are 8 Bridgerton books in the series, one book for each of the 8 Bridgerton children. The Netflix series is currently filming season 3, which won’t be out until next year and is based on book #4. But I already know what’s going to happen because I DEVOURED these books within a month. Weeee!

Is the Netflix series the same as the books?
Sort of. The family, yes. The basic plot, mostly yes. But the shows are more complicated with additional plot lines and characters. The series is visually fascinating to watch with the costumes and dances. The books are very well written, each unique for the Bridgerton child.

Which is the best Bridgerton book?
I have my favorite stories, but I’ve seen so many varying opinions that I encourage you to read them all and then make your decision. I’d say read them all and then comment below which were your favorites.

Personally, I liked books 5-8 more than 1-4, but that could be because I’d already watched the Netflix seasons 1 and 2, which sort of ruined the plot lines for me. I loved that the stories in books 5-8 were more unexpected. And, while each story still revolved around each Bridgerton finding their love match, there was more depth to the characters.

Which is better, the book or the TV series?
I always tend to love books better than its movie or TV shows, and this is no exception. The books are simpler – focusing on the plot of the characters. After reading the books, I find that the TV shows pack too many different stories into one show, but I also understand why – it’s more entertaining.

Bridgerton Books in Order

I read the books mostly in order, except for swapping #3 and #4 because I really wanted to learn what will happen in Netflix season 3.

The series was so popular that Julia Quinn made book 9 with new, second epilogues for each character. She also added Violet’s story; for those of you that don’t know, Violet is the Bridgerton mom. I read each epilogue after finishing each respective book and found them to be a lovely continuation of each character’s story.

In full transparency, I only physically read the first book. The rest, I listened to the audiobook so I could get through them faster. So I “read” them, while driving to/from work or while making dinner, etc.

I typically don’t re-read books, but I fully plan to re-read these before each new season debuts.

Have you read any of the Bridgerton books? If so, what did you think of the books versus the series? Which was your favorite? I’d love to hear your thoughts; please comment below!