Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - A Photo Finish

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver

33 reviews

mmiria's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

I know I can fix him isn't the best mentality but I too would cave and want to fix him

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amateur_bookworm's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My summary:

Violet Eaton left home to get out from under the thumb of her loving but overbearing dad and brothers. Working as a groom at Gold Rush Ranch, she was quickly promoted to jockey and already has some big wins under her belt as she forges ahead in making her own way in the world. Her only problem is Cole Harding, half owner of the ranch. The standoffish Cole has been beaten down by a tragic series of life events. As it becomes more difficult for Cole and Violet to avoid each other on the ranch, they have to face their history and attraction to each other.

My thoughts:

Cole Harding is without a doubt my favorite male main character that Elsie Silver has written. I know I haven’t read all of her books yet, but I’m confident it won’t change. My heart breaks for Cole. His past, his brokenness, all of it just really got to me throughout the whole book. I was rooting for him so hard as I read.

I love Elsie’s female characters. They are all so strong and such spitfires. And little Violet Eaton is no different. I also love that she’s the jockey, because I feel like that’s a great nod to women in a male dominated career. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks of the old internet chats at the start of chapters.

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hjb_128's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

5.0

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

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savvyrosereads's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

Violet and Cole had an online relationship before she ghosted him—but when they’re thrust back together at the ranch, sparks will fly.

This is a bold statement given how much I loved Chestnut Springs, but this might be in my top three favorite Elsie Silver books so far. I absolutely LOVED Cole—my love language is acts of service and this man DELIVERS with gestures big and small. His journey was also so sweet and tender and made me tear up. The way he talked about Violet and her sunshine???? Chef’s kiss.

Violet was also everything I wanted to be—sunshiney and soft but still tough as nails underneath. The way she handled the third act conflict was so real and honestly so healthy and I am so here for it.

Finally, I am the first to say I can be picky about horse books because I grew up around horses, but Elsie really nailed it here and I have no particular complaints—in particular, Cole’s issues around horses and coming to terms with the events of his past were incredibly realistic and relatable.

CW: PTSD/panic attacks; death of parent; body image issues

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