All 8 Bridgerton Books Ranked from Best to Worst
Today, dear readers, I’m going to be ranking all 8 Bridgerton books from the ones that were the absolute worst to the ones that I felt were the best. Be aware that there may be spoilers in this post. Read with caution and don’t come back to complain when you read something that you didn’t want to know!!
#8 - Romancing Mister Bridgerton
So, if I’m being completely honest, this was the easiest Bridgerton book to rank for me. Romancing Mister Bridgerton comes in at the bottom of my list, earning its spot as the lowest of the low in the Bridgerton series. Why? Because I couldn’t wait for this novel to be over. I was so bored with everything that was going on that I just wanted to get to the end of it. I will cute this novel a little bit of slack, though, because I think watching season 1 of Bridgerton on Netflix and finding out who Lady Whistledown was from there really ruined this novel for me. Not to mention, I couldn’t stand Penelope and Colin together. They had no chemistry, and, once again, I was SO bored.
#7 - The Viscount Who Loved Me
The Viscount Who Loved Me wasn’t necessarily bad… I just didn’t think it was necessarily good. I liked Kate, and I liked Anthony to some extent, but the plot of the book felt like it was all over the place. One second, Anthony is trying to marry a girl to get it over with and become an “adult,” the next, he’s falling into Kate’s chest because of a bee sting…. That whole scene made me want to barf to be completely honest. It felt unrealistic, and I know, I know, these are Bridgerton books. They aren’t supposed to be realistic and deep, but this felt like it was just a little too far-fetched for me. Not to mention, I really didn’t like Kate and Anthony’s whole journey to “cure” themselves of their trauma.
#6 - The Duke and I
If I’m being honest with myself, The Duke and I ranks above The Viscount Who Loved Me because of one reason: Simon. Dear Lord, Simon’s character was a gem. I didn’t particularly like Daphne, but I liked the book as a whole in part because it was the first Bridgerton book. The reason that The Duke and I ranks so low, though, is because of some unforgivable actions that Daphne did in this novel. Don’t remember? Oh, yeah, Daphne basically forced herself on Simon to have his baby when he was clearly still traumatized from his childhood. Now, this could’ve been a plot point that was developed and made a little less toxic than it actually was. Instead, Daphne is forgiven and the world moves on. Even in the Netflix series people seemed to side with Daphne because Simon had hidden the fact that he could still have children. Moral of the story? IT WAS NOT OKAY.
#5 - On the Way to the Wedding
Gregory, in my opinion, was the most adorable of Bridgerton men. He wanted love and was goofy, naive, and so kind that I rooted for him the whole entire time. Lucy was also an amazing character who was cemented in her morals and her beliefs. It made me feel as if we had that in common because I often feel that I need to do what’s right no matter the cost. Luckily for Lucy, though, it all worked out in the end for her. The reason On the Way to the Wedding isn’t higher on the list in terms of greatness has more to do with the slow pace than anything else. The characters were great, there just wasn’t much else going on in this novel until the end.
#4 - It's in His Kiss
Hyacinth was one of my favorite girl Bridgertons, but I had two who out-ranked her below. It’s in His Kiss comes in at number four on my list. While I loved her feisty attitude and her can-do nature, she did get a bit annoying at times. However, Gareth was a dream. I loved reading about Hyacinth and him and how they interacted so playfully. I also absolutely adored the treasure hunt that they went on in this novel. My suggestion to you? Read the second epilogue. It was so worth it. Especially since you get to see Hyacinth as a mother, and you learn that her daughter is just as feisty and strong-willed as she is. Not to mention the treasure is finally found, which is a HUGE plus 😉
#3 - When He Was Wicked
Okay… so, this was the steamiest of all the Bridgerton novels by FAR. When He Was Wicked follows Francesca as she navigates her life after her husband dies. Not only that, but her husband’s best friend, Michael, has been in love with her for as long as he can remember. This combination of steamy and forbidden love makes for the perfect Bridgerton book and I honestly enjoyed this one so much. Michael and Francesca has so much chemistry and their relationship was actually built on something rather than having a love-at-first-sight scenario.
#2 - An Offer from a Gentleman
Ranking the last two Bridgerton books had to be the hardest. I was torn between An Offer from a Gentleman and the number one spot for the longest time. The reason this book took the number two place instead of number one, though, came down to its beginning. I honestly couldn’t get over the fact that it was a Cinderella-esque novel and it really bugged me. Especially since it was mainly just the beginning that followed that plot line, promptly dropping the retelling of Cinderella after that. I loved Sophie’s character, which is why I’m so torn up about this book taking number two, but I couldn’t justify it having the number one spot because, like I said, the beginning aggravated me to no end. Not to mention, Benedict’s actions throughout the novel did not warrant him a happily ever after. He treated Sophie so poorly at times, and I get that at the time that this novel takes place in, people in lower class statuses were obviously not seen as marriage material, but jeez he didn’t have to ask her to be his mistress.
#1 - To Sir Philip, With Love
The number on Bridgerton book, in my opinion, is To Sir Philip, With Love. Eloise is definitely my favorite Bridgerton girl and she added so much life to this novel. Philip’s backstory with losing his wife to depression, and then having to raise twins on his own made him out to be a wonderful man. The love that developed between him and Eloise (and Eloise with the twins), made this novel earn the top spot. Not to mention, Eloise’s willingness to keep up with the men and her constant quips about the inferiority of men made this novel an escape from reality that was so light and fun. While it may not be the steamiest of Bridgerton books, I do believe that it earns this top spot because of its characters, plot, and overall fun.
(P.S. You can read some of these books for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)
YASSSSS I am so glad someone else absolutely loved Eloise’s story!!!! And Benedicts!!! I just finished the entire series and started looking at rankings, and I can’t believe how underrated both of those are. And yes yes yes to Colin’s story being last; I completely agree it was so boring and anti-climactic.
I think the biggest problem overall in most of the Bridgerton books is a pacing issue. Many of the books have their most climactic action in the middle (Anthony and Kate get caught, Francesca and Michael give in to each other, Daphne and Simon wed) so the book completely loses its energy for the second half. I think the author’s intention was to shake up a typical romance formula of meet-fall in love-marriage which I understand, but the follow-through was poor. Part of the reason books 3, 5, and 8 were my favorites is because the plot was more consistent in all of them.
My ranking would be:
8. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
7. It’s in His Kiss
6. The Duke & I
5. The Viscount Who Loved Me
4. When He Was Wicked
3. On the Way to the Wedding
2. To Sir Phillip, with Love
1. An Offer From a Gentleman
I know!! I feel like I can’t find anyone else who liked Eloise and Benedict’s stories as much as I did! I was so in between those two for first place.I definitely think you’re right, though, that a lot of the other’s were just so anti-climactic…. I’m super upset that they’re skipping Benedict’s story to do Colin’s first on Netflix 🙁
Omg i have been reading all over about reviews from others on the book and i agree with you so much, i STRUGGLED to rank them fairly from 4-1 bc i really loved all of the 4 books differently. I also got so shocked how high ranked the most boring ones were because seriously to be honest for me it was (english is not my native language so they have a different title where i come from so it was easier to just rank them from the numbers haha)
8 – 2 book (i was so bored reading this i had to fight myself to not just skip it)
7 – 4 book
6 – 1 book
5 – 8 book
4 – 7 book
3 – 5 book
2 – 6 book
1 – 3 book (idk i might be biased because it was the 3 book that made me want to read all of it and made me fall in love with the series)
Honestly book three was soooo good though!! Even if you’re biased haha. I also got bored with Anthony’s book. It felt like the plot just wasn’t there and neither was the chemistry, but that’s just me.
I would agree with to sir philip being the best, but what bugged me in the book was when Eloise was (don’t know whats the word) uncomfortable with how much time they spent sleeping together and his response was that he hadn’t slept in years with a woman. It felt kind of guilt tripping, and from reading the other books all the characters have flaws but they get their happy endings. The best character that was the most charming (and most developed) was Simon. Everyone else was just meh.
You are so right!! Simon really was the most developed out of all the characters. He definitely deserved a better plot line in his book in my opinion.