brooke (hiatus)'s Reviews > Reckless

➸ 4.25 stars

“that night we were reckless.” his voice cracks. “but god, i’d be reckless with you over and over again if it means ending up here.”

➷ winter was first introduced in flawless as summer’s cold sister. their relationship has always been strained, and despite their mutual desire to reconnect, they haven't been able to repair it. when her marriage starts to fall apart after rhett exposes the family scandal and she learns the truth about her husband, winter decides to spend more time at the hospital in chestnut springs, hoping to rebuild her bond with summer. having finally freed herself from a toxic marriage, winter has sworn off men, until she unexpectedly encounters the compelling theo silva.

i was the most excited for theo and winter’s book and boy did they DELIVER. reverse grumpy x sunshine & black cat x golden retriever just always hits. i’m ngl i didn’t like winter much from her portrayal in flawless, but her redemption arc was honestly incredible. also, i am not the biggest fan of the surprise pregnancy/secret baby or the one night stand trope but i ATE IT UP in this book. the miscommunication was actually painful, but it’s a valuable element to the story. sorry cade, but theo has just single-handedly knocked you out of top spot 🤭

this story was heartwarming in every aspect. it was incredibly emotional, authentic, honest, and raw, with a profound focus on finding yourself, acceptance and love.

“it strikes me that perhaps i’m not an easy woman to love, but theo does it so effortlessly that i feel like i could be. like i deserve to be.”

➳ winter hamilton:
i was curious about winter’s redemption arc and how she would redeem herself. behind her harsh and icy facade lies a complex, vulnerable and distrustful woman who believes that love is unattainable—until she meets theo silva. winter is that misunderstood “villain” that we truly know nothing about until we got her own pov and got to see the true depth of her character, and it all starts to make sense why she is so emotionally closed off — i could really empathise with her at times. i loved watching winter peel back her layers, she has built walls to protect herself because everyone has done her wrong. it made me so happy that she finally got the attention she deserved, but was never given. i’m also glad kip FINALLY grew a backbone and rekindled his relationship with her. winter is unapologetically strong and takes no shit from anyone. seeing her character development from flawless to now was amazing. also watching winter grow as person and re-build her relationships was really pure. i loved her relationship with summer — watching them both heal and reconnect with one another had me in my feels, because you can just see how badly they needed each other. seeing winter’s relationship with her daughter vivi was so wholesome.

➳ theo silva:
theo, notorious for his playboy reputation on the circuit, aims to clean up his image to be deserving of winter. he doesn't just want a woman like her; he wants winter herself. theo is by far my favourite mmc lead in this series. he is the definition of “a man written by a woman.” the way he constantly protected winter and never gave up on her was literally everything to me. his determination to win her over and the way he made her feel so loved, something winter has never truly felt before had me feeling so giddy. theo is an incredible father, and gave it his all. the way he stepped up to be a fully present father was just so adorable. the way my heart hurt for him bc he truly didn’t know and bc of that he missed out on so many precious months with his daughter.. SOBBING, I WAS SERIOUSLY SO GUTTED FOR HIM!! geoff you mf, if i ever see you it’s on SIGHT. also theo telling rhett off was *chefs kiss.* “watch your fucking tone when you speak to the mother of my child.” HELLO I AM GOING FERAL RN 😩

꒰ winter + theo: ꒱
theo and winter being complete opposites is what really pulled me in, they just completed each other so well. and the banter was so good!! “call your dog off eaton.” […] “woof!” WHEN I TELL YOU THAT HAD ME GIGGLING. theo is the cocky and the confident jokester whereas winter is more grounded and isn’t afraid to call you out on your shit. they both loved so hard and deeply, they are the epitome of soulmates. their bond is undeniable and filled with passion. theo loves winter for who she is, he didn’t want to change winter, he just wanted to know her for who she was and embraces her imperfections and unique traits as essential parts of her identity. this is why i adore theo. both complement each other beautifully, coming alive in each other’s presence. their love just has my entire heart.

“te vivo.” it’s better than “i love you.”
it’s more accurate. it’s us.”

— overall, this is officially my fav book in this series. i don’t even like half of the tropes in this book and the pacing was off but i still really enjoyed it. one thing that did throw me off was winter co-sleeping with her 9 month old baby. like girl you’re a DOCTOR you should be aware of the potential risks 😭 also please give harvey eaton his own book, he is the star of this series. this man still has me hysterically laughing 😭

「 chestnut springs series 」
#1 Flawless — 2.5 stars
#2 Heartless — 3.75 stars
#3 Powerless — 3 stars
#4 Reckless — 4.25 stars
#5 Hopeless— 1.25 stars