Review: Beard Necessities

Beard Necessities by Penny Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Where do I begin? I've waited for this book for years, as we all have. Billy and Scarlet captured my heart in Grin and Beard It and after that, it's been a long and winding road to get to this point and their book. The breadcrumbs that Penny so carefully left at each of the other books, the momentum she built upto the last book and the ultimate and happy resolution.
This book is everything I wanted, with some things I didn't expect and had me crying and laughing at the same time. It's the ending of a wonderful series and hopefully the beginning of new adventures for the rest of Green Valley.
But to me, at the heart of it all, it's Billy Winston, finally allowing himself to be happy, finally letting go of the past and reaching out to seize (and siege) his happily ever after with the only woman that he ever wanted.
10/10 rec, for sure
You can check my live tweet of the reading in .here text
and under the cut for a more spoilery review

spoiler: (view spoiler)[
I'm thankful that we didn't get to read first hand the story between Scarlet coming back and the present time and that it was a retell of events from her confessions to Sienna and Billy's comments. I don't think I could have stomached reading about Ben the groomer criminal first hand and I was cheering when Billy called it for what it was. I enjoyed that we were given that story but that we were allowed to focus more time in the *now* then in the *then*
Scarlet working her issues through therapy and her determination to be better, to let go of the guilt and really try this time was humbling and wonderful. Love doesn't conquer it all but it's a trigger that helps us be better and wanting to be better.
Billy's defeated attitude in the beginning broke my heart, but it also made so much sense. He was so fucking done. But I'm glad they worked it through and that he finally let go of the phantoms of the past. Him and Dani bonding over broken hears is the brotp I never knew I needed in my life.

But also, as usual, my heart soared with Jet and Billy. Them finally, FINALLY, forgiving each other and reaching out to each other was everything. Billy would never have been truly happy unless he was able to move past his first heartbreak with Jet and I'm so thankful that they got to work through that and talked it through and recognize the value in each other. Jet coming full terms with his tainted vision of the past and working towards help the living moving on was a thing of beauty. I loved how they all worked to get them together and how you can see their personalities coming through: Duane's surliness and yet fierce protection of Scarlet, Beau's good humor, Jenn's kindness, Shelly's perception, Jess' sass... all of their little moments were such a wonderful gift.

And Scarlet finding herself at the end, facing her demons and taking a stand to chose who she wants to be and how she wants her life to be... feelings so many feelings

I just... I could rave on and one and one... but that is why I have 224 highlights to comment on.
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