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amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
My summary:
Beau Eaton has always been the happy-go-lucky golden boy of Chestnut Springs and an elite special forces soldier. After going missing on his last mission and then returning home injured, Beau has struggled to find a purpose in life without his military career. That is, until he starts spending time around Bailey Jansen. Bailey has grown up in Chestnut Springs with the stigma of being the youngest daughter of the trashiest family in town. Her only goal is to save up enough money to get away from this town and never look back. But then Beau offers Bailey a fake engagement that seems too good to be true. And as Bailey helps Beau feel whole again, Beau makes her feel loved for the first time ever.
My thoughts:
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Chestnut Springs series and I was really excited to get to Beau’s story to wrap it up.
Beau is introduced early in the series as the fun brother and a badass special forces soldier. Then, we find out he is missing in action. And after he returns home from convalescing from his injuries, he is quiet and withdrawn. And now we get his story.
Bailey is adorable and I just want to scoop her up but also simultaneously knock out every jerk in town that is rude to her. I enjoy the banter and interactions between her and Beau. And Beau is complicated, yet sweet with Bailey. But all of the age gap references do get a little tiresome. I get it, I get it—she’s a lot younger than him.
I love that the other books in this series have sweet nicknames: Princess, Red, Sunny, Tink (as in, Tinkerbell), ….. and then we have Sugar Tits. Hilarious!
This series has been so good that I’ve even overlooked her use of the word “folds”. And it takes an excellent romance book to overcome that usage.
Overall, I adore this series and every book is so good! My favorite is Heartless, then Flawless, Powerless, Reckless and, lastly, Hopeless. My favorite girl is Willa and I’m going to have to go with Jasper as my favorite guy (followed closely by Harvey!). And I’ve found out that I really enjoy cowboy romances!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Classism, and Alcohol
Minor: War
nicolecurlsuptoread's review against another edition
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, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Cursing
Minor: Confinement, Abandonment, Drug abuse, and Sexual harassment
lemonsforyu's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
gretka'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, and Bullying
hapalyn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
marisabenn'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
5.0
What an amazing end for Chestnut Springs 💕 I'm not sure if I prefer this or Heartless, but they're definitely tied for my favorites.
I felt the end was a little abrupt (the extended scenes aren't in the version I read), but that is really my only complaint.
Beau and Bailey had an amazing relationship. I adored how rom-com this whole story was. I also loved the communication and no third act breakup. Our girl Elsie Silver knows how to write 'em!
I am so sad to leave this series, but cannot wait to see what comes next from this author.
I felt the end was a little abrupt (the extended scenes aren't in the version I read), but that is really my only complaint.
Beau and Bailey had an amazing relationship. I adored how rom-com this whole story was. I also loved the communication and no third act breakup. Our girl Elsie Silver knows how to write 'em!
I am so sad to leave this series, but cannot wait to see what comes next from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Fire/Fire injury
irisvdn's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcoholism
apolen's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, and War
kat7794's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
torilovesheas'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It kills me that this one was a bit of a miss for me. I sort of feared this one wouldn’t work for me and while I did really like some parts, it’s definitely my least favorite in the series.
The best part of this was Beau and Bailey as people and how they navigate a relationship when they don’t *really* know what they want to do with their lives. The time they spend with each other is sweet and I felt like that fit as a couple. Truly the best parts of the story are the intimate moments between Beau and Bailey where they’re just talking or making memories together. The age gap + virgin FMC worked for me in this one because Bailey’s reasons for remaining a virgin make sense and it never feels like her virginity is fetishized. (And she really doesn’t give a shit about it, tbh). Bailey is tougher than she seemed in earlier appearances and Beau is a bit softer than I was imagining which I loved! I love that we get to see the areas they compliment each other because it made their relationship believable in a set-up that was a bit non-sensical.
Which leads me to what didn’t work for me. There really was no reason why a fake relationship needed to be here and the reasons behind the fake engagement were very thin. In the grand scheme of things, this would have worked just fine as an age gap between a bartending town pariah and the big shot town hero without a buzzword trope thrown in. I need a trope like that to make sense and it didn’t here. There weren’t stakes high enough to warrant an entire engagement.
And as a final little grievance, if you’re going to have a character that very clearly needs therapy (in this case, due to PTSD from war), having them be totally anti-therapy isn’t going to work for me. And it’s probably largely personal because…living with and loving someone that suffers from PTSD isn’t going to be fixed by a happy relationship.
I am sad the series is at an end and I’m glad to know we’ll be Chestnut Springs adjacent in the next series! (Which I’m really excited for).
Thank you to Elsie for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
The best part of this was Beau and Bailey as people and how they navigate a relationship when they don’t *really* know what they want to do with their lives. The time they spend with each other is sweet and I felt like that fit as a couple. Truly the best parts of the story are the intimate moments between Beau and Bailey where they’re just talking or making memories together. The age gap + virgin FMC worked for me in this one because Bailey’s reasons for remaining a virgin make sense and it never feels like her virginity is fetishized. (And she really doesn’t give a shit about it, tbh). Bailey is tougher than she seemed in earlier appearances and Beau is a bit softer than I was imagining which I loved! I love that we get to see the areas they compliment each other because it made their relationship believable in a set-up that was a bit non-sensical.
Which leads me to what didn’t work for me. There really was no reason why a fake relationship needed to be here and the reasons behind the fake engagement were very thin. In the grand scheme of things, this would have worked just fine as an age gap between a bartending town pariah and the big shot town hero without a buzzword trope thrown in. I need a trope like that to make sense and it didn’t here. There weren’t stakes high enough to warrant an entire engagement.
And as a final little grievance, if you’re going to have a character that very clearly needs therapy (in this case, due to PTSD from war), having them be totally anti-therapy isn’t going to work for me. And it’s probably largely personal because…living with and loving someone that suffers from PTSD isn’t going to be fixed by a happy relationship.
I am sad the series is at an end and I’m glad to know we’ll be Chestnut Springs adjacent in the next series! (Which I’m really excited for).
Thank you to Elsie for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: War and Violence