06 March 2025

Coming into Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy without having read the first two books but being familiar with the movies, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it still capture that same chaotic charm and humour that made Bridget an iconic character? The answer: Yes… but with a bittersweet twist.

This instalment finds Bridget in an entirely new phase of life—widowed (yes, shockingly, Mark Darcy is gone), in her 50s, navigating single motherhood, online dating, and the relentless march of time. While the previous stories focused on her bumbling journey toward love and self-acceptance, this one leans into themes of loss, ageing, and starting over. Yet, in true Bridget fashion, it does so with a mix of self-deprecating humour and heartfelt vulnerability.

The book is packed with laugh-out-loud moments—her struggles with Twitter (why do her followers keep decreasing?), her online dating disasters, and her attempts to balance Botox with dignity. But beneath the humour is a more reflective, sometimes melancholic Bridget. Losing Mark Darcy has left her navigating a new world alone, and that emotional weight adds depth to the story.

Bridget’s romance with a much younger man, Roxster, is both hilarious and sweet. It’s refreshing to see a woman in her 50s embracing her sexuality and proving that life doesn’t end after a certain age. However, some of the usual Bridget mishaps—like being completely clueless about technology—felt a bit exaggerated. At times, she borders on caricature, which might frustrate readers who want to see her evolve a bit more.

As someone who hasn’t read the first two books, I didn’t feel lost, though I imagine longtime fans might find the absence of Mark Darcy devastating. However, Fielding does a great job of making this book stand on its own. It’s a Bridget for a new era—one who’s older, wiser (kind of), and still as endearingly messy as ever.