Bridgerton has been a well-talked-about topic of conversation the past couple of years and I'm sure it'll be coming back into our conversations when the second season hits Netlix on March 22nd. I definitely loved the TV show back in 2020 and it inspired me, just over a year later, to read the books. The question I ask now, Dear Reader, is how the books differ from the TV adaptation and which is better?

A Brief History

The ton were first introduced to us by Julia Quinn in the form of a 9 part book series that began publication in 2000. The books followed the journey's of the Bridgerton siblings as they navigated their search for love and passion. 20 years after the first book's release: Bridgerton: The Duke and I, we saw the story be adapted for Netflix. From there, the hype begun. Now, we're due a second season of the TV show in March 2022.

The Books

Julia Quinn carefully crafted 9 books to the Bridgerton series which are all brilliant romance stories. Each of them follows one of the Bridgerton siblings as they journey to find love, secrets and personal passions, all of which are very light-hearted and true to the time era of the 17th Century. 

My personal favourites in the series are The Viscount Who Loved Me, Romancing Mr Bridgerton and It's In His Kiss. 

The first four books explore the infamous Lady Whistledown gossip columnist who seems to know all that goes on at the elaborate parties hosted each season by the ton, alongside the individual stories of each of the Bridgerton siblings. While the later books explore the younger siblings their independent and head-strong attitudes in replacement of the comedy that Lady Whistledown brought to the table. The final book offers us readers a second epilogue to each book and a short novella about Violet Bridgerton's life.

The character development in the books really shines through out of everything. I loved following every one of the characters in these books and how they navigate through their lives. However, if not read in chunks then you may find that the stories get a bit repetitive!

The TV Show

When I first watched Bridgerton on Netflix, I hadn't read the books so I completely enjoyed it through un-biased eyes (we'll see what I think of the second season now I've read them!). 

Watching Pheobe Dynevor bring Daphne Bridgerton's character alive for the romance of the season with the Duke of Hastings, played by a heart-throbbing Rege-Jean Page, was an absolute dream. They played their characters so convincingly and captured the hearts of many. The rest of the cast were all perfect: I really don't think a single one of them was cast incorrectly. 

I loved the introduction of the Queen and the side story of the Featheringtons and how Penelope Featherington navigated the tough social situations that the ton delivered. 

Not only were the cast brilliant, but the sets were stunning. Choosing to film in UK locations such as Bath, Surrey, Yorkshire and London was a great choice as there is some beautiful architecture that adds value to the production. 

My final thoughts are on the costume design. The attention to detail was astonishing and again, made the series feel so much more high production.

How the the two compare

I actually like both the books and TV show equally. There are plots in the books that the TV adaptation explores in more depth, and stories that have been intertwined with each other in a way that it doesn't necessarily happen in the books.

The books are enthralling and I love reading them. I think that that books add more depth to the stories and as an avid reader, I really value that. 

Shockingly, I really love the TV shows as well as the books (which is often incredibly rare). If you get a chance to crack open the book series before you watch the second season of Bidgerton on Netflix in March, I would highly recommend!

I'm really looking forward to exploring how the filmmakers have explored Anthony Bridgerton's and Kate Sheffield's budding relationship very soon!

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