A review by katthekittkat
A False Start by Elsie Silver

2.5

I want to give it 1⭐️ just because she left him and he still had to be the one to make the big grand gesture/grovel. Yet imma still be fair. Can only take the “strong, independent” heroine trope so far before you alienate the FMC. Not a great sign that I was lowkey rooting for her to still say no at the end bc he fixed himself and she treated herself which are two very very different objectives for “needing to do it on your own” and deserving of different responses. He deserved more. She deserved a reality check. Felt this way about most of the women in this series. All the FMCs are perfect, all the MMCs are “assholes” even though the opposite seems to be true? Since when is seeking therapy for PTSD, removing yourself from toxicity and getting sober yourself, looking to protect your family’s stability and reputation bad characteristics? I was excited to explore the Elsie silver and I liked the Chestnut Ridge books a lot. These fell flat in infuriating ways and I will likely be moving on to other authors.