{"id":329164,"date":"2026-03-04T22:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/329164\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T22:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:30:14","slug":"what-to-expect-in-bridgerton-season-5-based-on-the-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/329164\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Expect in \u2018Bridgerton\u2019 Season 5, Based on the Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Books five and six in Julia Quinn\u2019s novel series are devoted to Eloise and Francesca, respectively, and the Netflix series has positioned both characters to follow that progression.
\n Photo: Liam Daniel\/Netflix\n <\/p>\n

Sure, we\u2019ve only just wrapped up Benedict and Sophie\u2019s Cinderella-esque romance on season four of Bridgerton<\/a> \u2014 that water from the sex-tub<\/a> spill isn\u2019t even dry \u2014 but you know you\u2019re already thinking about what (and who) is to come in season five. As of this writing, there has been no official announcement as to which Bridgerton sibling will get the main-character treatment next season, but showrunner Jess Brownell has narrowed it down to either our favorite feminist Eloise or her younger sister, the recently widowed Francesca.<\/p>\n

This makes sense since the Netflix series is based on the Julia Quinn Regency romance novels, and books five and six in her Bridgerton series are the Eloise-centric To Sir Phillip, With Love, and Francesca\u2019s story, When He Was Wicked. We\u2019ve also already met both of their soon-to-be love interests: Eloise\u2019s novel tells the story of her falling for Sir Phillip Crane, who made appearances in seasons one and two of Bridgerton (although the two haven\u2019t met yet), and in a gender-swap twist on When He Was Wicked, Francesca will begin to realize she has feelings for her late husband John\u2019s cousin, Michaela (in the books, John\u2019s cousin is Michael). So we\u2019re not totally in the dark as to what lies ahead thanks to the character development that has been brewing from the beginning in the series \u2014 but the novels provide even more information. Eager to know what might befall our dear Bridgertons next season (and knowing that the show definitely deviates from the novels), we\u2019re taking a closer look at the source material. Below, find some thoughts on what might go down in season five if the Bridgerton books have anything to say about it.<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

Bridgerton loves to play coy \u2014 foreplay, it\u2019s an art \u2014 but let\u2019s assume season five is Eloise\u2019s turn to get railed, I\u2019m sorry, married. By the end of season four, she does seem to be in the general mental space her book counterpart occupies. The page and screen versions of the character are perhaps the most different out of all the Bridgertons, but when we find Eloise at the start of her book, she\u2019s never been lonelier than she is following Penelope and Colin\u2019s wedding, and now that she\u2019s 28, she has decided it\u2019s time to ditch the dream of a love match and instead concluded a marriage based on mutual respect and companionship doesn\u2019t seem so bad. And doesn\u2019t that sound very much like TV Eloise? (Of course, Book Eloise is settling for a marriage of convenience; for TV El it\u2019s ideal.) It\u2019s this line of thinking that compels Eloise to take Sir Phillip Crane up on his offer to meet and decide if they are compatible enough for marriage after a year of being pen pals. If Bridgerton follows the framework of the book, that means we may be more or less starting the season with a surprising (and secret) proposal.<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re only familiar with the Bridgertons through the TV series, you might be reading about Eloise winding up with Sir Phillip Crane and thinking, Isn\u2019t that the dude who married Marina Thompson to save her from ruin (and do his late brother a solid) in season one? Well, yes, he is that dude. Eloise\u2019s novel begins on a somber note as Phillip recounts how Marina was severely depressed before she had twins Oliver and Amanda, and things got even worse after they were born. Marina attempts suicide by drowning, is saved by Phillip, be she dies not long after from a fever. The way the novel handles mental health is pretty appalling, so if the series does go that route, here\u2019s hoping it uses a little more sensitivity there. In the novel, Marina\u2019s kids are Phillip\u2019s, but in the series, they are biologically the late George Crane\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Regardless of that change, it means there will be children involved as Eloise and Phillip\u2019s story plays out. And that is \u2026 well, I guess it depends how much you like kids interfering with your romance \u2014 especially bratty ones. In the novel, Amanda and Oliver attempt to get Eloise to leave by way of some nasty pranks, but Book Eloise remains undeterred and, in fact, loves the challenge of trying to both one-up and win over the twins. The TV series has already given us some funny interactions between Eloise and children, so it could be fun to see Claudia Jessie go toe-to-toe with some 8-year-old terrors, and they certainly serve a purpose narratively as far as bringing Eloise and Phillip together, but less is definitely more when it comes to the book versions of these two.<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about the brothers, of course. In To Sir Phillip, after the first few days Eloise and Phillip have spent time together, and just when they are beginning to warm up to each other, the Brothers Bridgerton descend upon Romney Hall. No one knew where Eloise was! They thought she might have been kidnapped, which, to Anthony, is probably a better outcome than his sister being unchaperoned. So the four brothers are already pissed when they barge into the estate, and then they get one look at Eloise, who is bruised and battered from a fall she took courtesy of Phillip\u2019s bratty kids, and proceed to kick the shit out of Phillip. Don\u2019t worry, it all works out in the end: Anthony makes a deal with Eloise and Phillip, and Benedict, Colin, and Gregory get drunk with their soon-to-be brother-in-law. It is incredible. It is hilarious. It\u2019s honestly worth reading the book for this section alone, and I know in my heart the TV brothers will bring their A game to this scene. Do not mess this up, Bridgerton!<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

Lest you think our time at My Cottage, or with Benedict and Sophie, is over, I have great news: My Cottage plays a significant role in Eloise\u2019s story. It\u2019s not far from Phillip\u2019s home, Romney Hall, which means it becomes a staging point for the Bridgertons as they figure out what the hell to do about Eloise sneaking off to meet a man. This also means that Eloise is around when Benedict and Sophie\u2019s oldest child falls seriously ill. They actually get an absolutely gutting scene in the novel, which, honestly, haven\u2019t these two been through enough? Regardless, it\u2019s Phillip\u2019s intervention in this troubling time that really adds to Eloise\u2019s fondness (and the reader\u2019s) toward her husband. And let\u2019s be honest, Book Phillip needs all the help he can get. That\u2019s the power of My Cottage.<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

We have officially caught up with the first section of Francesca\u2019s book, When He Was Wicked. Just as we saw at the end of season four, part one of the novel ends with John dying, Francesca producing no heir (in the novel, she has a miscarriage), and John\u2019s cousin, who is grappling with feelings for Francesca, fleeing without saying a word. Part two picks up four years later, when Michael (who, again, is now Michaela Stirling) finally returns from India to perform his duties as the new Earl of Kilmartin and deal with the fact that his feelings for Fran haven\u2019t changed even one bit. Meanwhile, four years after John\u2019s death, Francesca desperately wants a child and decides to go back on the ol\u2019 marriage-mart circuit to find a husband who can give her that.<\/p>\n

So, if Eloise\u2019s story is indeed next and Bridgerton is going to keep pulling from Fran\u2019s novel, they could use season five to let Fran deal with her grief over John and the guilt she feels over being uncertain if she even wants to be a mother. (She thinks this is what led to her fertility issues, that she cursed herself.) We\u2019ll probably also get some info on Scottish peerages and title inheritance \u2014 which, it seems, could pass to women as long as the proper documents indicated the titles passed to \u201cheirs general\u201d and not just male heirs \u2014 since in the novel a lot of Michael\u2019s hang-ups have to do with him seemingly taking over John\u2019s life both in regard to the earldom and the feelings brewing between him and Francesca. There\u2019s got to be some reason Michaela makes her big return, you know.<\/p>\n

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Photo: LIAM DANIEL\/NETFLIX\n <\/p>\n

Listen, Bridgerton is not lacking for story lines at the moment, and in addition to Eloise\u2019s and Francesca\u2019s romances, we\u2019ve got the Violet renaissance, the new Lady Whistledown mystery<\/a>, and Lady Danbury leaving England to explore. But if there is room, the fact that Hyacinth got a real bump in screen time in season four could point to Bridgerton laying the groundwork for her eventual season in the spotlight. Her story comes in the seventh novel of the series, It\u2019s in His Kiss, and the Hyacinth we find at the end of season four, one determined to figure out who she is before getting involved in that whole marriage business, certainly tracks with her novel counterpart. Book Hyacinth is unafraid to share her opinions and unashamed to be the smartest person in every room, even if that does mean that three social seasons in, she has yet to find a suitable match. If Bridgerton is slowly gearing up Hyacinth, some other hints to look out for might include the youngest Bridgerton beginning to spend more time with Lady Danbury or having a new interest in learning Italian. Or, hey, maybe when Lady D makes her return to the ton, she brings along her favorite grandson, Gareth. Hyacinth Hive, you\u2019ve been warned!<\/p>\n

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