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midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The story was really good and I absolutely loved Beau and Bailey. But, and there is a big but, there’s a couple of things I didn’t like and others that made me uncomfortable. Number one, the plot twist/conflict at the end felt very out of no where, rushed and useless. Second, I hated the age difference. I don’t love age gaps but the fact that he had know her since she was young and that she is 22 and he is 35 was weird. Added to that the fact that there was a big emphasis on the whole virgin thing made it even weirder. On the flip side, I did like the development of their relationship. I do wish Beau had been more upfront about how he was feeling to his family. I had high hopes cause I loved Beau in the other novel so I felt a bit let down. Still a good read overall (I imagined she was 25 and he was 30).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
xennial_reader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Torture and War
milesofkiles's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
nicolecurlsuptoread's review
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ • 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️½
📌 You’ll dig this if you like
» Fake dating
» Small town
» Age gap
» Touch her and 💀
» Slowest of burns (worth it, I promise!) 🔥 😮💨
The fifth and final instalment of Chestnut Springs gives us Beau: the super soldier, broody, and hot as hell middle Eaton brother.
Back from Afghanistan after a harrowing experience when he missed his ride out, he has a whole lot of trauma to unpack. His physical injuries have healed, but getting out of his head is another thing.
He feels like he lacks purpose, but then Bailey gives him one. The town has treated her like trash since forever and he's convinced that giving her his last name will turn things around for her.
He's 35 to Bailey's 22 and even though she knows better, she takes his bet.
What she doesn’t know is how long he’s been secretly pining for her, and the lengths he will go to ensure her happiness and safety. Yet.
→ Oh. My. God. I’ve had this on my shelf for a few months and have been procrastinating because I really didn’t want to come to the end of Chestnut Springs. Hopeless was worth the wait.
→ Elsie Silver has masterfully built a world and draws emotion from readers with such acuity that she cements herself as an auto-buy, favourite author for me 💯
📌 What stood out
» Beau has the protective/ possessive vibe on lock. Anyone who dares to look at Bailey the wrong way will immediately regret their decision.
» Bailey has been a social pariah her whole life, but the Eaton wives have her back and show her the love she deserves.
» We get a little bit of each of the other couples which felt like a hug and a comforting way to tie everything up.
📌 Moments
» Bailey’s spine comes out and she gives a verbal lashing to some folks who deserve it 👏
» Beau puts a ring on her finger at the bar in front of her favourite patron and IT IS EVERYTHING!! 💍❤️🥹
» I’ve never been a bath gal, but I’ve never wanted a soaker tub more in my life. 🛀
🚫 Contains bullying, alcohol(ism) and drug use, war trauma, severe injury, PTSD. Please check warnings.
📌 You’ll dig this if you like
» Fake dating
» Small town
» Age gap
» Touch her and 💀
» Slowest of burns (worth it, I promise!) 🔥 😮💨
The fifth and final instalment of Chestnut Springs gives us Beau: the super soldier, broody, and hot as hell middle Eaton brother.
Back from Afghanistan after a harrowing experience when he missed his ride out, he has a whole lot of trauma to unpack. His physical injuries have healed, but getting out of his head is another thing.
He feels like he lacks purpose, but then Bailey gives him one. The town has treated her like trash since forever and he's convinced that giving her his last name will turn things around for her.
He's 35 to Bailey's 22 and even though she knows better, she takes his bet.
What she doesn’t know is how long he’s been secretly pining for her, and the lengths he will go to ensure her happiness and safety. Yet.
→ Oh. My. God. I’ve had this on my shelf for a few months and have been procrastinating because I really didn’t want to come to the end of Chestnut Springs. Hopeless was worth the wait.
→ Elsie Silver has masterfully built a world and draws emotion from readers with such acuity that she cements herself as an auto-buy, favourite author for me 💯
📌 What stood out
» Beau has the protective/ possessive vibe on lock. Anyone who dares to look at Bailey the wrong way will immediately regret their decision.
» Bailey has been a social pariah her whole life, but the Eaton wives have her back and show her the love she deserves.
» We get a little bit of each of the other couples which felt like a hug and a comforting way to tie everything up.
📌 Moments
» Bailey’s spine comes out and she gives a verbal lashing to some folks who deserve it 👏
» Beau puts a ring on her finger at the bar in front of her favourite patron and IT IS EVERYTHING!! 💍❤️🥹
» I’ve never been a bath gal, but I’ve never wanted a soaker tub more in my life. 🛀
🚫 Contains bullying, alcohol(ism) and drug use, war trauma, severe injury, PTSD. Please check warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
one_more_chapter96's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the whole Chestnut Springs series and this was a great ending, breaking the mould a little of them all settling near the ranch which was nice. I loved the fire between Beau & Bailey and they were funny and real as characters. Overall they weren’t my favourite couple but I enjoyed reading about them and both of them getting a bit of a redemption arc / fresh start.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and War
hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
graceev's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Pregnancy
Nightmares, PTSD, Third degree burns, Skin graftsabidavisf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have blitzed through this series in 4 days so you know I enjoyed it!
Speaking on Hopeless itself, I enjoyed Beau and Bailey’s story and the camaraderie that they share, coming from traumatic pasts and both living with insecurities around the unknown parts of their lives. It makes sense that they would be drawn together, though, like Beau, I do find the age difference slightly awkward. That being said, Bailey is clearly a 22-year-old who has had to be wise before her years, and Beau’s years in the military probably mean that his 20s and early 30s were not as progressive socially as they could have been. Maybe they meet in the middle.
Hopeless did not grab me as much as the other books in the series did, which is why my rating is slightly lower. I felt myself gravitating more towards the snippets of the other characters’ lives and wished we’d had more of that.
That being said, I still found Beau-Bailey endearing, hilarious and, frankly, emotional. I giggled and blushed and cheered for them. I hope they’re happy together forever, and I hope those Jansen boys get far away from Chestnut Springs.
Speaking on Hopeless itself, I enjoyed Beau and Bailey’s story and the camaraderie that they share, coming from traumatic pasts and both living with insecurities around the unknown parts of their lives. It makes sense that they would be drawn together, though, like Beau, I do find the age difference slightly awkward. That being said, Bailey is clearly a 22-year-old who has had to be wise before her years, and Beau’s years in the military probably mean that his 20s and early 30s were not as progressive socially as they could have been. Maybe they meet in the middle.
Hopeless did not grab me as much as the other books in the series did, which is why my rating is slightly lower. I felt myself gravitating more towards the snippets of the other characters’ lives and wished we’d had more of that.
That being said, I still found Beau-Bailey endearing, hilarious and, frankly, emotional. I giggled and blushed and cheered for them. I hope they’re happy together forever, and I hope those Jansen boys get far away from Chestnut Springs.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Classism
tostita's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse
sami_leigh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🌶️🌶️.5/5
🌶️🌶️.5/5
“Trust your struggle, Beau…If we’re struggling, we’re still in motion, yeah? Heading somewhere better.”
We sit on the riverbank, side by side. Both of us practising being okay with not being okay — together.
“I’m scared of you becoming something I can’t live without.”
“Still not letting my guard down. Not when I’ve got you to keep safe.”
This girl has brought me back to life without even trying.
“You’re not used to anyone showing up for you, Bailey. This is what that looks like.”
“You asked me who I wanted to be once, and it’s this. Me. Right here. Right now. With you.”
☕️ First person dual POV
☕️ Series (can be read stand alone)
☕️ Age gap
☕️ Fake engagement; he wants his family off his back, she needs a new last name around town
☕️ Ex-military / bartender
☕️ His family are well known & loved around town, hers are the opposite
☕️ Protective MMC who is a cinnamon roll for her
☕️ He falls first
☕️ Well established secondary characters; Harvey & Cordelia, Cade & Willa (Book 2), Rhett & Summer (Book 1), Sloane & Jasper (Book 3), Winter & Theo (Book 4), Gary, Grant (hoping for a book 🤞🏻)
☕️ MC growth; communication, risking a relationship, military trauma & childhood trauma, self-worth/being worthy of love.
☕️ Epilogue
☕️ My comfort read series (and author) 😍
☕️ Elsie Silver is an instant must-read author for me
⚠️ Parental abandonment (past), toxic relationship (family), childhood trauma/verbal abuse (minor), fire injury/injury detail (explicit, revisit injury on page), war/military (past, revisited on page), medical trauma (past, revisited on page), PTSD (Moderate), death of a parent (past), pregnancy (not MC), sexism/sexual harassment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy