3.5 Stars Ever since we first met Beau Eaton in Flawless, we’ve been eagerly awaiting his book in the Chestnut Springs series. So of course Elsie Silver made his book the very last in the series. While I really enjoyed Beau’s story, it was probably my least favorite in the series, but only because all of the other ones were so good. It felt like there was some untapped potential with this story and it just didn’t get there. I still loved the characters, especially the cameos from the other Eatons, especially Harvey.

I binged this book! Beau did not disappoint! I absolutely loved the “acts of service” love language. I just love this entire series so much and I highly recommend this series. I may have to reread this entire series next year because it’s just too good.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc of this book.

What you can expect to find in Hopeless
-fake dating
-playful banter
-slow burn
-age gap (she's 22 and he's 35)

Beau is back from deployment and isn't having the easiest time. His family means well but they are tip-toeing around him. Careful not to say the wrong thing, careful to always include him in the ranching lifestyle. Everyone in Chestnut Springs treats him as a hero and he's not sure how to feel about it.

Bailey's life has never been easy. Growing up everyone knew the Jansen's and what trouble makers they were. Bailey tries to separate herself from her brothers, but they insist on making life a challenge for her.

Beau has always been kind to Bailey and Bailey isn't afraid to tell him when he's wrong or overstepped unlike the rest of the community. When Beau proposes a challenge for Bailey she's not sure what to make of it - Beau proposes (ha!) that Bailey and him pretend to be engaged. That way maybe she'll get better opportunities in town with his name attached to hers and he gets his family off his back. When the fake engagement starts to feel all too real - there will be some hard decisions for both of them to make, especially since Bailey wants out of the town that seems to make her life miserable.

Okay first of all if there's a fake dating ploy involved I am going to eat it up! Second of all, this is an Elsie Silver novel so when I think "umm...I'm not sure I'm gonna like an age gap/virgin heroine" she proves me wrong. I loved loved loved Bailey and Beau. They were funny and sweet and I loved the sass that they gave each other. Their slooooooow burn romance was burning up the pages while I was reading Hopeless.

For a book that tackles some sensitive subjects like PTSD, trauma from war, parental abuse and neglect, I feel like Elsie did a good job including them in the book without making the book overtly heavy. I have to admit, I was a bit worried that this would be a heavier book, but it was actually the opposite. Beau was such a golden retriever and I love it!

I am super sad that the Chestnut Springs series has come to an end - but what a series it was!!

Chestnut Springs ranking (they are all five star reads).
1. Flawless
2. Hopeless
3. Heartless
4. Reckless
5. Powerless

Ugh I just love these characters so much beau and bailey are adorable and I really enjoyed their story. There is a huge age gap in this book, 13 years, which I was a little like ehh about, like I would've felt better if she was just a couple years older😂 additionally I really wished the plot with her brothers would've got drawn out a little more so we could see Beau in super protective mode, but alas
Overall though I really enjoyed this book and I really just wanna find myself an Eaton boy is that too much to ask😭

Elsie Silver's Hopeless is about a captivating tale around the unconventional engagement between Beau Eaton, the town's military hero, and a shy bartender from the wrong side of the tracks. The story, born from a bet, evolves into a complex dance of emotions as they navigate the challenges of a fake relationship. The story is a compelling romance that delves into the complexities of love, identity, and the unpredictability of the heart.

I very much enjoyed the final installment of the Chestnut Springs series from Elsie Silver. We've gotten glimpses of Beau in all the other books, and I was excited to see him get his happy ending. Hopeless is an age gap, small town romance with the fake dating trope so it definitely checked some of my favorite boxes.

Beau and Bailey had great chemistry together but I wish we could have seen their relationship develop into a deeper friendship. It felt like obsession on both of their parts that never really grew out of that phase after the fake engagement agreement. I wanted to see a few more loose ends tied up, but overall this was an easy and quick read just like the others in the series.

Content flags: discussion of military service and Beau's time as a hostage; skin burns; attempted break in

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Chestnut Spring series is ending. :( Beau is terrific. He's the golden boy. Bailey comes from a bad family but is really a terrific person.

Love the small town setting. The characters are terrific. Love the banter and the chemistry. A fun book.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

5/5 stars! I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. Hopeless is book #5 in the Chestnut Springs series. This book follows Beau and Bailey and features a fake engagement, which is one of my favourite tropes. This is the last book in the series and I don’t want it to end, I absolutely loved this book series. Thank you to NetGalley, Elsie Silver and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
BRING ON BEAU! I cannot say enough about Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series. I absolutely adore every character she writes, even her villains. She really gives each and every character their own spark, personality, and arc. And this was the one I was truly waiting for. The ever elusive Beau. We don't learn too much about about in the previous books, just the cursory on the surface details: he's an Eaton brother, he's Jesper's best friend, he's the middle Eaton, and he's a military guy who was injured in the line of duty and honorably discharged. So for Silver to give him his very own book was a long time coming!
I love this friends to lovers, close proximity, age gap story the author created. The way she slowly builds the relationship. How she reveals the quirks of each character and incorporates that into their personalities and their interactions with each other. The emotionally charged interactions that keep you on the edge of your seat. It all comes together for a perfect story.
Beau, oh Beau. What can I say. He's definitely got a ton of PTSD. Which Silver writes well. You get the glimpse of what his life was like on the front lines and what he was willing to do for those he was ordered to protect. This flows over into his family and others that surround him. But he holds secrets. Secrets he doesn't tell anyone and keeps close to his heart. He's not one to open up and let people know what is bothering him, what he's gone through, what he's going through.
And Bailey she is one tough cookie. Kept down all her life because of her family name. Treated like she's less than because of it. She's just biding her time, trying her hardest to make the best of her situation until she can get the heck out of doge. She's strong and no nonsense. She doesn't take anything from anyone: her family, the townies, Beau. She's not afraid to speak her mind but she also keeps a lot close to the heart because she doesn't want to cause any trouble, or seem like she's causing trouble.
Put these two together and BOOM chemistry and so much fun. The banter between Beau and Bailey is classic Silver. She really knows how to write humor into situations. But also knows how to put that slow burn chemistry into things. The way she has Bailey caring for Beau and Beau protecting Bailey. Even in ways she knows nothing about. And the sexual tension between these two is amazing. Of course your cheering for them to finally see they are so good for each other and belong together.
Silver absolutely knows how to build a story. The world building , which I already know because of the previous books but could be understood easily if you haven't read those, as well. The character development is on point. I love a good slow reveal. And the pacing keeps you reading. I didn't want to put this one down.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I am hoping for a spin off that will include Willa's brother because he really needs a story!

5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️
5/5 🎧

I'm not ready for this series to end. This has been one of my absolute favorites this year and Powerless is one of my favorite books within it. These two were so beautifully broken and how they healed each other and brought each other the peace they so deserved warmed my heart in ways I never expected.

These stories have been hilarious throughout the series, and while Harvey's tail jokes were amazing, I'm not sure Bailee's utter lack of a filter around Beau doesn't take the cake for laugh out loud moments. She had me rollin' time and time again.

The audio was amazing as always, I'm not sure how Elsie locked down this incredible cast for this series, but Jason Clarke is a favorite of mine and Angelina Rocca was perfect as Bailee. I'll be listening to Chestnut Springs on repeat for years to come.

Guys it’s the end of an era. Chestnut Spring series is over and I’m sad. One of my most anticipated books of the year. Beau is a beautiful tortured hero. Bailey has a bad rep because of her awful family, but she’s a spitfire. I love their love for each other. I love Baileys stubbornness. I love her not so innocence. The text banter at the start of the chapters is perfection in true Elsie fashion. And these covers 😍

Thank you Bloom books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beau is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past. Bailey is the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds her last name against her. So he offers her his to prove a point. This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date. And yet here she is, head over heels for her fake fiancé.
This age gap, fake dating, sorta marriage of convenience, virgin, small town romance is book 5 in the Chestnut Springs series. I loved Bailey's no-nonsense attitude. I loved to see more of the Eaton family and all of their interactions together. They are such an amazing and supportive group! I also loved Beau's vulnerability. I did wish that neither of them would pay so much attention about what the other people in town thinks about them. However, if they didn't, they wouldn't have struck that bet in the first place so I guess it was somewhat a good thing. And although I hated that the third act drama was based on a lie, I loved that it was not actually a break up, but it was more of a fight, and it was resolved with communication and very maturely. If I were to nitpick about it, I would have to say that I would have liked Beau to consider therapy more seriously, because everytime the subject was brought up, e just brushed it under the table and dismissed it, and it was almost presented it as if it was a bad thing when he clearly needed it. And now being with Bailey suddenly makes his PTSD better? I don't buy it. But that is literally my only complaint. The rest of the book was perfect, with all of the characters Elsie is so good at writing. I am sad to see this series end.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.