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A review by katemc7
Powerless by Elsie Silver
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I know a bajillion of you have already read this but this series is one where I would want to go back and read again for the first time to be able to experience them. They are just getting better and better and all of the tropes are so different and done perfectly. It is impressive to read how much Elsie's writing and storytelling has improved in each book. This one was just chef's kiss for me! I have only read a handful of friends to lovers but this one is making me want to read more of them. The angst is so different from others but yet so the same. The big hold up seems to be that they don't want to ruin what they already have by admitting their feelings. I loved both of these characters. I loved how kind of broken they were. I loved watching our "grump" that is Jasper come to the realization that he has feelings for Sloan. And Sloan realizing that he has feelings for her and holding her own. I kind of expected her to jump to him but she didn't. She ruminated. It made me admire her strength that much more.
Sloan doesn't recognize herself anymore. She has lost track of who she is and what she wants. She knows WHO she has always wanted, but that ship has sailed. So here she is on her wedding day getting ready to marry a man who she finds tolerable when she is handed a gift from the gods. Proof that she has lost her mind. And who ends up being her savior from the wedding from h*ll- Jasper Gervais. The love of her life who only sees her as a sister figure. Or so she thinks. He swoops in and gets her home. He talks her through her decision. He LISTENS to her. And now more bad news come ins about Beau. She can tell Jasper is spiraling and so she does what he did for her- she puts him first. She says yes to a road trip even though they will be in close proximity and she feels like she is losing her mind. Because Jasper is starting to look at her differently. She swears she has caught hints of desire in his eyes. But that can't be write. This is Jasper. The boy who has basically outright rejected her. But then the unthinkable happens. He admits he has feelings for her but he didn't know how to act on them. He admits he has had them for a while but then she got engaged. He admits she is who he wants. And that just pisses her off because WHAT?? This is what she has wanted to hear for almost 20 years and now he tells her. What has changed? Why is she overthinking this and not staking her claim? She finds out that Jasper has certain needs in the bedroom that he is worried will intimidate her- and of course they don't. Of course their chemistry is off the chain. So they are doing this. They are seeing where this goes. But what happens when her dad steps in? The same dad who did damage before without her knowledge. Will Jasper make a stand? Will he show her what she means to him?
Jasper feels dirty. He is realizing that his feelings have evolved for Sloan and he REALLY doesn't like who she is marrying. How has no one said anything to her? He almost doesn't recognize her. So he says what he thinks. Of course that's when he sees the fiery girls who so likes. But then it's her wedding day. He has missed his window because he is realizing that he really cares for her. He is attracted to her. But he never knew how to make a move. Then things change. She isn't getting married anymore. His career is in jeopardy. He is spiraling and who saves him- Sloan. She says yes to a road trip together. She says yes to eating greasy food and trying cheap beer. He decides to throw caution to the wind and tell her how he feels. And true to who she is- she gets mad at him. She fights it. She doesn't jump his bones like he thought. But he is a patient man. He can wait- but will she be ok with the needs he has? Has never been self-conscious of them but then again he has really never been in a relationship. But this is SLOAN he is talking about. She has already seen everything he is- one more thing won't scare her right? So now they are doing this. They are trying it. They are working and it is beautiful. He is happy. He is loving life. He is turning a corner. And then her dad steps in and he freezes. Will he be able to show Sloan all that she is to him?
The arcs for these characters was just epic in my opinion. They both grew and were stitched back together. Their spice was LEGIT OFF THE CHAIN! When he said crawl- I had to re-read it like 4 times to make sure I was seeing that right haha. They just made each other better which is all we want and hope for our MCs. The text banter was absolutely on point once again. And Harvey calling their babies tail babies was epic. His sense of humor is a thing that I love about these stories. I am looking forward to watching Winter and Theo!!
Quotes that hit hard for me:
"For too long, I was a soft, demure little dove. And then they burned me. Scorched me. Turns out I'm a dragon and I'm fed the F up with boys and their BS."
"I hate losing...and yet, to see him smile like that, I'd lose over and over again. Id' sit on a cold roof. I'd dance in the rain. I'd go on a road trip and drink s**** beer and eat greasy foods."
"I've never known a soul more truly present. The way he is? It speaks to me. It always has. He's like a warm blanket that I want to wrap myself up in. And when his eyes are bright and his smile is soft like right now? Forget it. He's breathtaking."
"No one was ever up to par for me. They were all just okay. Fine. Passable. And I had started to think I was too picky. The dating scene had turned into my own real-life version of one of those Wish.com memes. I kept placing an order for Jasper Gervais and the universe kept sending me these laughable cheap-A knockoffs."
Sloan doesn't recognize herself anymore. She has lost track of who she is and what she wants. She knows WHO she has always wanted, but that ship has sailed. So here she is on her wedding day getting ready to marry a man who she finds tolerable when she is handed a gift from the gods. Proof that she has lost her mind. And who ends up being her savior from the wedding from h*ll- Jasper Gervais. The love of her life who only sees her as a sister figure. Or so she thinks. He swoops in and gets her home. He talks her through her decision. He LISTENS to her. And now more bad news come ins about Beau. She can tell Jasper is spiraling and so she does what he did for her- she puts him first. She says yes to a road trip even though they will be in close proximity and she feels like she is losing her mind. Because Jasper is starting to look at her differently. She swears she has caught hints of desire in his eyes. But that can't be write. This is Jasper. The boy who has basically outright rejected her. But then the unthinkable happens. He admits he has feelings for her but he didn't know how to act on them. He admits he has had them for a while but then she got engaged. He admits she is who he wants. And that just pisses her off because WHAT?? This is what she has wanted to hear for almost 20 years and now he tells her. What has changed? Why is she overthinking this and not staking her claim? She finds out that Jasper has certain needs in the bedroom that he is worried will intimidate her- and of course they don't. Of course their chemistry is off the chain. So they are doing this. They are seeing where this goes. But what happens when her dad steps in? The same dad who did damage before without her knowledge. Will Jasper make a stand? Will he show her what she means to him?
Jasper feels dirty. He is realizing that his feelings have evolved for Sloan and he REALLY doesn't like who she is marrying. How has no one said anything to her? He almost doesn't recognize her. So he says what he thinks. Of course that's when he sees the fiery girls who so likes. But then it's her wedding day. He has missed his window because he is realizing that he really cares for her. He is attracted to her. But he never knew how to make a move. Then things change. She isn't getting married anymore. His career is in jeopardy. He is spiraling and who saves him- Sloan. She says yes to a road trip together. She says yes to eating greasy food and trying cheap beer. He decides to throw caution to the wind and tell her how he feels. And true to who she is- she gets mad at him. She fights it. She doesn't jump his bones like he thought. But he is a patient man. He can wait- but will she be ok with the needs he has? Has never been self-conscious of them but then again he has really never been in a relationship. But this is SLOAN he is talking about. She has already seen everything he is- one more thing won't scare her right? So now they are doing this. They are trying it. They are working and it is beautiful. He is happy. He is loving life. He is turning a corner. And then her dad steps in and he freezes. Will he be able to show Sloan all that she is to him?
The arcs for these characters was just epic in my opinion. They both grew and were stitched back together. Their spice was LEGIT OFF THE CHAIN! When he said crawl- I had to re-read it like 4 times to make sure I was seeing that right haha. They just made each other better which is all we want and hope for our MCs. The text banter was absolutely on point once again. And Harvey calling their babies tail babies was epic. His sense of humor is a thing that I love about these stories. I am looking forward to watching Winter and Theo!!
Quotes that hit hard for me:
"For too long, I was a soft, demure little dove. And then they burned me. Scorched me. Turns out I'm a dragon and I'm fed the F up with boys and their BS."
"I hate losing...and yet, to see him smile like that, I'd lose over and over again. Id' sit on a cold roof. I'd dance in the rain. I'd go on a road trip and drink s**** beer and eat greasy foods."
"I've never known a soul more truly present. The way he is? It speaks to me. It always has. He's like a warm blanket that I want to wrap myself up in. And when his eyes are bright and his smile is soft like right now? Forget it. He's breathtaking."
"No one was ever up to par for me. They were all just okay. Fine. Passable. And I had started to think I was too picky. The dating scene had turned into my own real-life version of one of those Wish.com memes. I kept placing an order for Jasper Gervais and the universe kept sending me these laughable cheap-A knockoffs."