Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsBeau's time to shine
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 November 2023
— 3.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
❝If we're struggling, we're still in motion, yeah? Heading somewhere better. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.❞
📖 | 432 pages
👤 | author Elsie Silver
🏢 | publisher Piatkus
📅 | release date 13 October 2023
What you can expect:
— First person-POV
— Dual POV
— Interconnected standalone
— Final instalment in a five-book series
— Age-gap
— Fake dating/engagement
— Forced proximity
— "Who hurt you" vibes
— Tortured hero (ex-military)
— Virgin heroine
— He falls first
— Small-town romance
Trigger and content warnings include: discussions of alcoholism, PTSD, skin grafting/burns, sexually explicit content, military service recounted.
Hopeless is the fifth and final instalment in the Chestnut Springs series by author Elsie Silver. Beau Eaton is a military hero with a tortured past who is beloved by all in Chestnut Springs. Known for his cheeky nature and devotion to his family, the man that has returned from his final tour is a stranger to his home. The version of Beau that has returned from war is determined to become a social recluse whilst trying to convince his family, and himself, that everything is alright. Bailey Jensen lives her life skirting around the residents of Chestnut Springs that shun her for her family name. The Jensen's are known for causing trouble around town which leaves Bailey with a bad reputation she can't seem to shed. In desperate need to find work that nobody in town is willing to give so that she can get out of Chestnut Springs and never look back, Bailey is desperate and at a loss for options. What she never expected for for "golden-boy" Beau Eaton to swagger into her bar and into her life with a need to prove that his surname doesn't provide him with additional advantage in small-town life. What starts as a bet with an end-date turns into something neither Beau or Bailey expected. Beau once told Bailey he'd never fall in-love. And yet here she is, head over heels for her fake fiancé.
Well, this is it. The end to a series I have loved and carried with me since it all began with Flawless. It's a bittersweet ending as I'm thrilled to have an entire series to binge-read, but it's always sad to know that it's the end of stories that you've anticipated and rooted for. Beau is a character that I have absolutely loved in previous instalments to the Chestnut Springs series as he served as a strong secondary character deserving his own story. I was thrilled with the official announcement that Hopeless would give us Beau as our epic conclusion to a much-anticipated end, and I have much to say now I'm at the end.
It hurts my heart and soul to say this... but I wanted more. So much more for the conclusion of a five-book series. The premise of the story and overall pacing of the writing started off as strong and engaging, but as we neared the conclusion I started to feel like I was being rushed towards the end. Like I'm just casually going about my day when suddenly somebody is shoving me forward so that they can get to where they need to be. There were several moments within this book that hinted to more and I cannot fathom why they weren't further explored. The biggest one for me was the alluded recognition and potential companionship between Beau and Winter. That one conversation they had at the beginning had me believing we were about to delve into and explore another beautifully complex familial relationship. Winter is exactly the kind of no-bullshit support-system that Beau would have benefitted from during his battle with PTSD and overall journey settling into civilian life. I was so disappointed when all we got was one brief conversation at the beginning of this book, and one other by the end. I truly feel that this was a missed opportunity by the writer to further involve Winter into the Eaton-family dynamics whilst providing Beau was a support-system that isn't too personal and directly tied to his biological family. I truly believe that Winter would have been an incredible asset to Beau's life, so that alluded beginning with no further development left me disappointed. I'd also been hoping for more from the Eaton family itself. To see so little of Willa and Cade's wedding, Luke and the family as a whole was really saddening as I had expected to see more with Hopeless being the conclusion to the series. I'd truly just hoped for a more-rounded and fulfilling conclusion to tie up the five couples into one for an epic and emotional ending.
Now onto what I truly enjoyed about Hopeless. I hate to begin my review with notes of disappointment however it's important to me to end this review on a good note as this is still one of my most beloved series that I will continue to love, support and recommend until the end of time. The Chestnut Springs series is one of those series that never truly leaves you. It's filled with the themes of importance of family, love, loss and fighting for what you truly want. This book carried on this legacy ten-fold and it was rewarding to read as the Eaton family tried their hardest to rally around Beau during his time of struggle. The Eaton family are there for one another through thick and thin, and the relationships and loyalty to be found within this environment is what sticks with me the most. Bailey was a hilariously head-strong female main character with absolutely zero filter, and is probably one of only few people that could fluster the likes of Beau Eaton. Her lack of sexual experience adds a naivety to her character, however her willingness to communicate and ask questions combined with Beau's patience and willingness to provide answers added a level of maturity to their dynamic. Her stubborn-nature tested Beau to his absolute limits, and her continued support towards Beau gave her a high-standing from me. Beau was exactly as I'd hoped with his filthy mouth and endearing nature. His willingness to stand up for Bailey against anybody that seeks to bad-mouth and judge her was thrilling to read. Beau really goes through it in this book, but as per the Eaton-men way... nobody insults an Eaton woman without consequence.
The cameos that we did get delivered as to be expected. Willa is an icon, no question there. Sloane's calming nature and Summer's constant support are a continued asset to an overall strong cast of characters. Disappointingly, there was less of Winter and Theo that I had hoped for however their book was one of the strongest in the series (for me) so I'm not left feeling like there was much to miss. One character's appearance that I was excited to see was Willa's older brother Ford. I was thrilled to see him finally make an appearance, and his jibes and playful banter regarding Willa were absolutely hilarious. I'm really excited that the next book from Elsie Silver will feature Ford as the male main character, and I’m eager to see who his love interest will be. I'm ready for more Ford/Willa text threads.
Overall, I enjoyed Hopeless. Was it my favourite of the series? Not by a long shot. There's definitely a sense of feeling incomplete for me as a reader, but the Chestnut Springs series remains one of my all-time-favourite Contemporary Romance series ever. There was a random third-act conflict flung in there that didn't feel like it was as big of a deal as it was made out to be, but overall I'm happy with the conclusion between Beau and Bailey. They're a well suited pair that deserve their happy ending, and if you're looking for a better sense of finality between the couple then I recommend finding their bonus epilogue which can be found on the author's website.