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mwhitee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
maddyramirez08's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
3.75
llmdrll's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
hmarie8's review against another edition
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
ashlei99's review against another edition
5.0
SOOO GOOD. THESE BOOKS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!! ❤️
beatrice343's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.0
ailishni's review against another edition
1.0
I can't believe this was a nominee for best romance in 2023...
Powerless has to be the worst book in the Chestnut Springs series.
Problems:
❌ Lack of chemistry
❌ Bland MCs
❌ Dry spice
❌ Pacing issues
FYI - nothing really happens in the first 150 pages except for the runaway bride scene in the beginning.
I had a few issues with Powerless.
Friends to lovers is a tricky trope to execute well. But, when it is done right it can be such a satisfying read. This trope is usually filled to the brim with angst, suspense and lots of drama, but Powerless did not deliver.
I wasn't convinced of Sloane and Jasper's friendship - they are supposedly best friends and yet Sloane knows nothing about Jasper's personal life and they don't actually see each other that much. When they do, they act more like siblings than anything else.
I get the whole 'hidden love' trope, but why not actually invest in their friendship to make this a proper angst-y read? I think the 6 year age gap was too much - the guy was never going to see her as anything but a child who had a crush on him. To make Jasper all of a sudden realise that he had feelings for an 18 year old after her father scares him off made no sense to me.
The spice was not spicing for me. I was cringing so much that I had to skip it entirely. Jasper and Sloane had as much chemistry as oil and water.
Both MCs had no background developed for their characters - they were just sort of there, presented like a window in a clothes shop. Silver did a lot of telling and not much showing.
Sloane is a ballerina who must be of some notoriety if she performed in the Nutcracker for the Royal Alberta Ballet Co. and yet, the reader is given no information on Sloane's career as a ballerina.
Jasper is written much the same, in that he is a famous hockey player. His sister died when he was younger and his parents blamed him for it and left him homeless.
That is the extent of their characters and it does not go any deeper than those few lines.
The pacing was a problem for me. You had a very slow beginning and middle and then the ending started firing on all cylinders. Before I knew it, the story was over and I felt like the couple's problems were sorted out by saying I love you and getting married. It was just really disappointing to read.
And don't get me started on Harvey giving his ex sister-in-law the look!
Verdict: A terrible friends-lovers book, with no character or friendship development. Very surface level; tell and not show. A very fast ending, no wedding on page and no satisfying epilogue to round off this book. I think this will be my last Elsie Silver book.
Powerless has to be the worst book in the Chestnut Springs series.
Problems:
❌ Lack of chemistry
❌ Bland MCs
❌ Dry spice
❌ Pacing issues
FYI - nothing really happens in the first 150 pages except for the runaway bride scene in the beginning.
I had a few issues with Powerless.
Friends to lovers is a tricky trope to execute well. But, when it is done right it can be such a satisfying read. This trope is usually filled to the brim with angst, suspense and lots of drama, but Powerless did not deliver.
I wasn't convinced of Sloane and Jasper's friendship - they are supposedly best friends and yet Sloane knows nothing about Jasper's personal life and they don't actually see each other that much. When they do, they act more like siblings than anything else.
I get the whole 'hidden love' trope, but why not actually invest in their friendship to make this a proper angst-y read? I think the 6 year age gap was too much - the guy was never going to see her as anything but a child who had a crush on him. To make Jasper all of a sudden realise that he had feelings for an 18 year old after her father scares him off made no sense to me.
The spice was not spicing for me. I was cringing so much that I had to skip it entirely. Jasper and Sloane had as much chemistry as oil and water.
Both MCs had no background developed for their characters - they were just sort of there, presented like a window in a clothes shop. Silver did a lot of telling and not much showing.
Sloane is a ballerina who must be of some notoriety if she performed in the Nutcracker for the Royal Alberta Ballet Co. and yet, the reader is given no information on Sloane's career as a ballerina.
Jasper is written much the same, in that he is a famous hockey player. His sister died when he was younger and his parents blamed him for it and left him homeless.
That is the extent of their characters and it does not go any deeper than those few lines.
The pacing was a problem for me. You had a very slow beginning and middle and then the ending started firing on all cylinders. Before I knew it, the story was over and I felt like the couple's problems were sorted out by saying I love you and getting married. It was just really disappointing to read.
And don't get me started on Harvey giving his ex sister-in-law the look!
Verdict: A terrible friends-lovers book, with no character or friendship development. Very surface level; tell and not show. A very fast ending, no wedding on page and no satisfying epilogue to round off this book. I think this will be my last Elsie Silver book.
_alishaellis_'s review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
mp_gibeault's review against another edition
3.0
It started off good. But then it just went meh. And like the ending was rushed so it didn’t seem to have any focus? Like oh shoot… I’m already this many pages … here’s 5 pages to conclude all of this.
Also… I hate friends to lovers because it’s always miscommunication. Just fucking talk people. Ugh.
But wasn’t the worst book I’ve read.
Also.. barely a hockey romance
Also… I hate friends to lovers because it’s always miscommunication. Just fucking talk people. Ugh.
But wasn’t the worst book I’ve read.
Also.. barely a hockey romance