Scan barcode
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
music_girl84's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Cursing
redheadbookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
It’s officially the end of the Chestnut Springs era❤️🩹 I actually read this series in order + have been so excited to read Beau’s story since we were first introduced to him.. this was the perfect book to end the perfect series.
Emotional + heartbreaking with a lot of emotional depth but also witty, steamy + fun, this was just book perfection🥹 Bailey + Beau… ugh🤌🏽 the way they just understood each other so perfectly. They both went through so much individually + it made my heart so happy that they found one another + that Bailey found the family she deserved. Bailey was so sweet + quirky + unapologetically unfiltered and she complimented charming, troubled, super protective Beau flawlessly. I adored their dynamic— the banter, the chemistry, the tension!
I love a fake dating/engagement trope + this one was so well done. I loved that the plot had the series’ trademark humour + spice but also explored some much deeper topics and struggles. I also loved, as always, seeing all the other incredibly curated characters from previous books— the family aspect + their dinners + group chats are one of my favourite part of this series.
I am genuinely so sad that this series is over (me🫱🏽🫲🏼cowboy small town romance thanks to elsie silver + chestnut springs) but I am super excited for the upcoming Rose Hill series + am definitely going to go back and read the Gold Rush Ranch series too!
Can’t recommend this book + this series enough! Go read— I promise you will NOT regret it!🫶🏽
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
Beau Eaton needs something to bring him back to life…and it might just be Bailey Jansen, beautiful local bartender and Beau’s…fake fiancée?
I feel like I’ve seen mixed reviews on this one, but I honestly loved it. Beau is such a sweetheart, and I adored his relationship with Bailey—the protectiveness, the we’ll-save-each-other vibes, the golden-retriever-but-a-little-bit-darker energy? All perfection, and I truly didn’t want to put this one down.
I know I haven’t shut up about this series lately, but I genuinely loved all of the books, and I’m so sad to see it come to an end—but so glad it got such a beautiful ending with this book! Also, if you have the Bloom editions, you know there are Harvey bonus chapters in each book—taken together, those make up what I consider the sixth love story of the series and I absolutely LOVE them. (If they ever get bound into their own novella I 10000% would buy, just saying.)
Final series ranking: Reckless > Heartless > Hopeless > Powerless > Flawless.
CW: Past child abuse/neglect; PTSD/military trauma; fire injury/burns
Beau Eaton needs something to bring him back to life…and it might just be Bailey Jansen, beautiful local bartender and Beau’s…fake fiancée?
I feel like I’ve seen mixed reviews on this one, but I honestly loved it. Beau is such a sweetheart, and I adored his relationship with Bailey—the protectiveness, the we’ll-save-each-other vibes, the golden-retriever-but-a-little-bit-darker energy? All perfection, and I truly didn’t want to put this one down.
I know I haven’t shut up about this series lately, but I genuinely loved all of the books, and I’m so sad to see it come to an end—but so glad it got such a beautiful ending with this book! Also, if you have the Bloom editions, you know there are Harvey bonus chapters in each book—taken together, those make up what I consider the sixth love story of the series and I absolutely LOVE them. (If they ever get bound into their own novella I 10000% would buy, just saying.)
Final series ranking: Reckless > Heartless > Hopeless > Powerless > Flawless.
CW: Past child abuse/neglect; PTSD/military trauma; fire injury/burns
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence and War
ambercunningham's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Violence
lexi_air's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
ms_brie3's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Great banter and relatable characters with a beautiful HEA. Als always, I appreciate the representation Elsie gives us of mental health struggles in relationships and the open-arm acceptance of partners and family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Grief
olaya1303's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
sdupont's review
emotional
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
5.0
Start to finish this series has been *chef’s kiss* Elsie Silver can do no wrong! I really enjoyed Beau and Bailey’s story. I just love when fake dating/engagement are never really that fake because at least one of the MCs has real feelings. Bailey and Beau are well matched- she calls him out and keeps him on his toes, and he provides her love and care that she never had had. They are a couple you will root for. Theirs is a bit of a slower build up than some of the other books but it suits them and their story. This book is great for someone looking for an emotional romance with some spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War
amanda_reads13's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Beau is an Eaton, Chestnut Springs royalty and a military hero with a tortured past. Bailey is an outcast, daughter of the most hated family in town. They strike a deal to fake an engagement to get his family off his back and to help restore her reputation.
I am not going to lie. I had high hopes for this one and I love Beau, but this just fell flat for me. It seemed to be rushed and quality that was present in the rest of this series, just wasn't there. I'm sad to say that this was my least favourite, but there was SO much potential!
I loved that all of the other characters were intertwined within this story and we got some of the dad's wild humour.
I appreciate how sensitive Silver was with the the discussion of PTSD and Beau's injuries. That said, the book barely goes into detail about what happened to him. Exploring his past would have given so much more depth to the story.
I don't understand the "bet" angle. There wasn't really a bet, it was more of a deal or a pact.
Beau gave me whiplash. I guess that was the point, since that is what Bailey is experiencing, but how does he switch to such extremes?
Bailey was hypersexualitized throughout the whole book. It was like her whole personality was an outcast virgin. There was SO much focus on the fact that she was a virgin by Beau and she was so hyperfocused on sex, that it became pretty much the entire plot!
Something that really annoyed me was this idea of love conquers or cures all. Both of these characters have serious mental health issues and PTSD that they don't deal with. There is the underlying theme that their relationship is going to cure all their issues, it's not. Both of these characters should be in therapy. I don't understand why there had to be an anti-therapy angle to this book.
Tropes: fake engagement, age gap, virgin FMC, tortured MMC, small town
I am not going to lie. I had high hopes for this one and I love Beau, but this just fell flat for me. It seemed to be rushed and quality that was present in the rest of this series, just wasn't there. I'm sad to say that this was my least favourite, but there was SO much potential!
I loved that all of the other characters were intertwined within this story and we got some of the dad's wild humour.
I appreciate how sensitive Silver was with the the discussion of PTSD and Beau's injuries. That said, the book barely goes into detail about what happened to him. Exploring his past would have given so much more depth to the story.
I don't understand the "bet" angle. There wasn't really a bet, it was more of a deal or a pact.
Beau gave me whiplash. I guess that was the point, since that is what Bailey is experiencing, but how does he switch to such extremes?
Bailey was hypersexualitized throughout the whole book. It was like her whole personality was an outcast virgin. There was SO much focus on the fact that she was a virgin by Beau and she was so hyperfocused on sex, that it became pretty much the entire plot!
Something that really annoyed me was this idea of love conquers or cures all. Both of these characters have serious mental health issues and PTSD that they don't deal with. There is the underlying theme that their relationship is going to cure all their issues, it's not. Both of these characters should be in therapy. I don't understand why there had to be an anti-therapy angle to this book.
Tropes: fake engagement, age gap, virgin FMC, tortured MMC, small town
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Sexual content