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hannah_farnsworth_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Final rating: 4/5
Spice rating: 3/5
Out of the whole Chestnut Springs series, this one was by far my favorite.
I liked seeing a new side of Beau we hadn’t seen before and getting to know him better.
Bailey….she was hilarious. The fact she had NO FILTER, especially regarding sexual questions was hilarious and made me lol more than once.
My rating for the whole series, favorite to least:
#1 Hopeless
#2 Heartless
#3 Flawless
#4 Reckless
#5 Powerless
Would recommend for this who enjoy:
- grumpy x sunshine
- Dual POV
- finding yourself
- fake engagement/dating
- forced proximity
- contemporary western romance
Spice rating: 3/5
Out of the whole Chestnut Springs series, this one was by far my favorite.
I liked seeing a new side of Beau we hadn’t seen before and getting to know him better.
Bailey….she was hilarious. The fact she had NO FILTER, especially regarding sexual questions was hilarious and made me lol more than once.
My rating for the whole series, favorite to least:
#1 Hopeless
#2 Heartless
#3 Flawless
#4 Reckless
#5 Powerless
Would recommend for this who enjoy:
- grumpy x sunshine
- Dual POV
- finding yourself
- fake engagement/dating
- forced proximity
- contemporary western romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism
bsteel29's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The final installment in the Chestnut Springs series. Beau has returned from his final deployment after suffering from burns and as a result, PTSD. He is struggling to find his place in the world and adjust to civilian life. That is, until he befriends Bailey, an outcast trying to hide away from the shame, missed opportunities and prejudice that her last name brings. Bailey instills a sense of purpose within Beau and he bets that he can win the town over and change their minds about Bailey if they they get engaged.
I enjoyed getting to know Beau more as he has been a mystery throughout this series. I thought that the way Elsie portrayed his PTSD was done well, it was realistic while still being sensitive to those that may suffer. I loved how strong Bailey was and how she supported Beau. This book wrapped the series up well and I felt emotional reading the last few chapters. I just felt like this book lacked something for me. Perhaps, it was the build up to finding out about Beau as it had been hinted at throughout the series. So, this book felt a little anticlimactic. There was also repetition of some similar themes. For example, I felt that the age gap was similar to the second book and not an element that was necessary and it was also mentioned a lot. I think it could have just focused on the fake dating element. It was still an enjoyable read and one that I'll read again. Harvey's jokes were on point, as per 👌🏻.
I enjoyed getting to know Beau more as he has been a mystery throughout this series. I thought that the way Elsie portrayed his PTSD was done well, it was realistic while still being sensitive to those that may suffer. I loved how strong Bailey was and how she supported Beau. This book wrapped the series up well and I felt emotional reading the last few chapters. I just felt like this book lacked something for me. Perhaps, it was the build up to finding out about Beau as it had been hinted at throughout the series. So, this book felt a little anticlimactic. There was also repetition of some similar themes. For example, I felt that the age gap was similar to the second book and not an element that was necessary and it was also mentioned a lot. I think it could have just focused on the fake dating element. It was still an enjoyable read and one that I'll read again. Harvey's jokes were on point, as per 👌🏻.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Fire/Fire injury
dlsmk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
smartcookiesca's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Mental illness, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Death of parent and War
shansbookishcorner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical trauma and War
mj_86's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying and War
cortanasreadingnook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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 frankly did not expect to like Beau and Bailey because I’ve seen other readers say this is the weakest book/ship from Chestnut Springs, but it definitely wasn’t so bad! I was discouraged to read this even before I started Powerless because of the “pubes shaving” joke, but I was proven wrong like in Jasper and Sloane’s book. The fake dating/engagement trope was new to read in small town romance, so I didn’t find it boring at all. They undoubtedly had that charming, intense chemistry. I was also very much ready to say goodbye to these characters like Elsie herself, and Hopeless was a good story to end it with. The cameos were worth my time and the smut was exceptional. The way Beau’s character eventually deals with his saviour complex and trauma were fairly handled, in my opinion. He and Bailey just fit so perfectly with each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
yaren_98's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail
unboundbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
theraccoonqueen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a beautiful conclusion to this series. 🥹 I really grew to love this town and these characters and felt like I was really there with them during parts of these stories.
Beau and Bailey were everything and more. I think I knew from the start they were going to end up together, from Bailey’s first appearance in Flawless. The age gap was done so so so well, usually age gaps like theirs kinda icks me out if it isn’t done properly but this was flawless. Seeing Beau work through his trauma and find his purpose in civilian life was so empowering and following Bailey through her internal struggle to command respect and ultimately getting that was very satisfying.
Small towns are no joke when it comes to last names so how this was handled was spot on. I can’t wait to jump into Elsie’s other stories. 🫶🏻
Beau and Bailey were everything and more. I think I knew from the start they were going to end up together, from Bailey’s first appearance in Flawless. The age gap was done so so so well, usually age gaps like theirs kinda icks me out if it isn’t done properly but this was flawless. Seeing Beau work through his trauma and find his purpose in civilian life was so empowering and following Bailey through her internal struggle to command respect and ultimately getting that was very satisfying.
Small towns are no joke when it comes to last names so how this was handled was spot on. I can’t wait to jump into Elsie’s other stories. 🫶🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Fire/Fire injury