busyreadingwithASD⋆.ೃ࿔*:･'s Reviews > Hopeless

Can’t decide on a rating because I love these characters both so so much and love their love but didn’t like how fast this book was written, since these 2 deserved so so much. I like how much sitting-on-lap there was though, as well as long hand kisses🥰🫠 brb writing BeauxBailey friends-to-lovers age-gap fanfic now byeee💚

Original review:

Excuse me while I cry because I adored these characters and have thought about them since June but this was so not what this book should have been.

Canadian books are always special to me because it’s my country yeehaw🇨🇦 However, the pacing in the book was quite weak, which meant that it distracted me from just how much these two were falling deeper and deeper for each other. I’ve been wanting Beau and Bailey’s story since book 1, but I should have known to read this when I was a bit calmer and less stimulated cuz #autism because final books in the series are always a bit too much for me (especially in a week that has been very overstimulating).

So I’m kind of devastated about this book and have cried about it because it had a ton of potential but fell short of it probably due to the fact that it was written in the span of months.

Okay so Beau was my favourite brother. Full on adored him. Still do. Adore Bailey too. But this book had so much potential and fell short of that potential because of the fact that it was written in the months following the release of book 4, which means that this book was not written with a ton of time or shall we say, care . And in some parts that lack of time spent or care given definitely showed.

The excellent parts of this book are just that: excellent. They show the value of putting detail into work and the talent of Ms. Silver’s writing (tender moments, random acts of kindness and humour, etc). But the boring plot points of the book show just how unfortunate it is when a book is rushed and additionally, why it is important to not write for anyone else but yourself. Because while Summer and Rhett (book 1, for example) aren’t everyone’s favourites (love them so much omigod lol), there’s no denying that that is a SOLID book and extremely re-readable and that's because of the good pacing.

I also want to point out the lack of research on the super dynamic work of the JTF2 Unit. In a podcast, Ms. Silver said that they are the equivalent to the American Marines, but they’re actually way more qualified, intelligent, strong, and talented than the Marine Corps in the United States. The JTF2 is the only non-American division that is classified as being just as good/qualified as Navy SEALS. If the United States, for example, has a problem, they contact the JTF2. But the JTF2 in Canada is particularly interesting because they’re top secret and really don’t receive *any* media attention here in Canada. None. Basically, they are incredibly strong, smart, and crazy disciplined… which is why Beau’s character didn’t always make sense (from a research perspective).

Some people had an issue with the way therapy was discussed in the book, but I didn’t really care about that because as an autistic, I’m used to reading about different interpretations of therapy and disability and all that, so I just skim over that stuff and don’t really care. And like culturally, out in the country and all that, I recognize that that stuff is different. What I cared more about was the poor pacing of the book for 2 wonderful characters who deserved better pacing in their goddamn book! And characters who I've been rooting for since book 1 no less!!!

I am just so so so incredibly sad about this book because it has taken up brain space for the last 6 months, so.

For the most part, any time we were getting a bit deeper with these characters, it was like the author just snatched that tenderness away and replaced it with something else entirely. The connections to families? Gone. The connection to one's country and community? Gone. The nerves of falling for someone who both think is out of their league? Gone. The real discussions of PTSD and nobody wanting to help you out in a way that is suitable to you? Nonexistent. What it's like to be a poor girl who is young but mentally 10-15 years older than literally everyone around her? Not there. What it's like to be that same girl and have someone older want to take care of her and love her? None of that depth was written in this book, which is a shame because these characters would have been SO suitable for that.

Here are some things that I would have added to the story (that we did not get in this book) and what I’ll be writing in my notes app for calming purposes:
More Canadian culture!! I didn’t feel like I was reading a book from my country and I really missed that.
Bonding with Cole and Violet
All of the couples going to the fair and the girls watching Beau watch Bailey (and Luke) play a game at the fair
Toxic Jansen brothers (where were they)
Toxic Jansen father (where was he)
Bailey legit soothing Beau during a thunderstorm or something while having dinner at Harvey’s (that would have been great)
BAILEY giving Beau a haircut!! (His hair was a big deal to me) and it also could have expanded on his trauma
More siblings
More internal monologue
More description of their history (these 2 have known each other for years)
Less focus on age and more focus on how they’re literally the same person which is what makes them so compatible
I would have loved to have seen Beau take Bailey to a medal ceremony or something and her be his comfort
Discussion of mothers and death