Surviving Silas Thomas

Life With the Thomas Brothers #3

by M.J. Padgett

It was the best summer of her life… and then it ended.In high school, Ella Marshall lost her mother and her best friend on the same night. The little town of Coldstone Creek did its best to help her family move on, but Ella slipped deeper into depression with each passing day. At prom, Ella’s dreary existence was turned on its head by none other than the school's resident jokester. Silas Thomas knows a thing or two about being the outcast. He spent much of his youth making life difficult for his parents, but when a practical joke at prom went sideways, and Silas found himself on the run from the police, he fell head first into Ella’s lap…literally. She was the only thing between him and a stint in community service, so she covered for him. They instantly connected, and an epic summer romance ensued. The only problem? Just when Ella was ready to tell Silas she’d fallen in love with him, he disappeared without a word. Three long years pass until she sees him again, but when Silas strolls into the county library as her new tutoring pupil, those old feelings come to life again. When the truth of Silas’ departure comes to light, everything changes and Ella finds that forgiveness and patience are two things they both need. Surviving Silas Thomas is a second-chance, it was always you, sweet new adult romance with swoony kisses, everyday faith in action, and a side of comedy.

Genres: Romance, Christian Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2024

About the author

M. J. Padgett is first and foremost a mom. Her free-spirited daughter has quite the vivid imagination, and her antics sometimes find their way into her mommy’s work. She is a lover of all things chocolate, a Grimm and Dickens addict, a self-proclaimed smarty-pants, and an introvert to the core.

Writing is her true passion (after raising her daughter, of course), and she writes as often as possible. One of her favorite things about writing is creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while, maybe even walk away feeling hopeful about the real world around them. When it comes to reading, she loves a book that can make her forget where she is no matter the genre. If she can get lost and feel like the characters are her real friends, she’s a happy reader.

Reviews

[Allyson Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Silas and Ella experienced trust issues and miscommunication when they were in high school and had some growing up and maturing to do. Three years later they encountered each other and have to clear the air between them while Ella tutored Silas. This story also has loss, a parent experiencing early on -set dementia, second chances, and Silas figuring out what he wanted to do. Great read with awesome characters.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thomas brothers are back again! I’m really enjoying this series. I love a big family with lots of siblings for stories. This time it’s a romance for Silas. When their prom nights collided, it began a whirlwind summer romance for Silas and Ella. Both felt broken. Their feelings for each other ran deep but turned to heartbreak when Silas left with a word. Three years later they were both surprised when Ella was the tutor set to help struggling Silas. They had a lovely journey of forgiveness, support, and acceptance. Of course it didn’t come quite that easily. There was a lot of past hurt to overcome, plus current challenges and uncertain futures. The characters were great. I especially loved the interactions of the brothers. Silas and Ella were both engaging and layered. It was a lovely second chance romance. This book is part of a series focused on the Thomas brothers but it can be read as a standalone. Light faith elements are present. This story includes elements that involve ADHD, death, grief, driving under the influence of alcohol, early onset dementia. The romance in this book is clean/closed door with no harsh language.

[Anniebelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this 3rd book in the Thomas Brothers series! It's so sweet and had me hooked from the beginning. A second chance at Happily Ever After for Ella and Silas after a summer romance Silas ghosts Ella and leaves her wondering what went wrong. I love how the characters grow from being 18 and unsure of the future to having experiences and time to mature before trying again. Really loved seeing a little more of Jude in this book and excited for the hints of the books to come in the series. This clean sweet romance is the perfect book to read on a cozy day! I received an ARC from the author but my review is honest and my own opinion.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Life With the Thomas Brothers series. It’s really interesting the order the author wrote these books in because although there are 10 brothers, it’s been random to which brother has the next book in the series.

So far I have really liked all of the books. This one hit closer to home for me given Ella’s father’s early onset dementia/Alzheimers diagnosis. The part about him being missing and then his aggressive outburst was hard to read. Not traumatic or anything but it definitely hit right in the heart and hurt a bit.

I’m really looking forward to Ezra’s book given the huge surprise from him at the end!

[AndieRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: sweet, new adult.
Troublemaker and Cinderella. There was a little more back story/intrigue in this book, as opposed to the first two in this series. Seriously, I just want to know what the step-mother’s name was because it was one name and then it would change, hence the reason for 4 stars. Anyway, good book. This series follows closely with each consecutive book. Set in a small town. Notable tropes: flashbacks, second chance, holiday season, first loves.

[Katherine Applegate · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute second chance

I really enjoyed this low angst second chance love story. My favorite was that they didn’t just stay hurt the entire book. Sometimes people hurt you while also trying to do the best thing. It isn’t always logical but we rarely are as teenagers.

I also really liked how they ended Silas’ story with a way that was true to him even if it’s not the expected route.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes life doesn’t work out like we plan, but sometimes it works out for the better! Silas and Ella couldn’t be more opposites, but still fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. The Thomas brother’s saga continues to be wonderfully written with real-life scenarios and characters. A must read in the series or as a stand-alone.

[Callie Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was pretty good but not my favorite. I really like M.J Padgett’s books though because she is a Christian author and I love clean kisses only Christian books. Also side note: it is a little sus that three-four brothers from one family are getting engaged in less than two months.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

drama drama

I’m enjoying this series but docked a star for manufactured drama on this one.
Silas grows a lot in the short time span of this story. Ella forgives him pretty easily for past hurts.
Clean, contemporary romance.

[Nethasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im obsessed with these books, someone pls send help.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, swoony, and I enjoyed this a lot.

[Stephanie Burch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Chances

When you have a summer fling, can you go hack and feel the same? Silas knows what it is like to do just that.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story.

Content: clean

[Lissa Ruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Silas & Ella's troublesome, heartbreaking, caring, loving, forgiving, sweet n swoony happily ever after!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Coldstone Creek, the Thomas family is known for their love and rowdiness, most likely due to the overload of testosterone with ten boys and their neverending stories. Silas and Levi are identical twins, but that's where the similarities end. Where Levi is the voice of reason, Silas is the one in search of meaning in his life. As seniors in high school, Silas and Ella Marshall had an hilarious and sweet prom night and it was the beginnning of what would become their love story, until it wasn't. What he couldn't tell her is that he was struggling with his life and he ghosted her without warning. He wasn't able to tell her that he had gone on a mission trip to Romania to try to figure out what he should be doing with his life, but he made the mistake of not sharing his plans with her. Three years later, he's back from his mission and realizes just how much he hurt Ella when their first interaction feels like a fight. He's going to have to work to get back to a friendship, much less a love story. Ella is a strong character who isn't going to make things easy for Silas, even though her love for him has never died. When Ella is tasked with tutoring him over winter break, they begin to talk through everything that happened when Silas "ran away." It was painful to hear of his self-doubts and insecurities. His self-deprecating feelings are not without reason. In a family of ten brothers, he believes that he doesn't measure up and his antics that made him popular in high school hide that he's a dumb guy with nothing going for him. He has expectations of studying to be an accountant and to join his father in practice, but he has no interest in numbers and is afraid to disappoint his father. When Silas is finally able to share what made him leave and stay away from Coldstone Creek for three years, Ella believes what he says and her fractured heart is mended. There's something about an M J Padgett story that leaves you feeling copious amounts of warmth and satisfaction. The Thomas brothers and their significant others provide an experience that I highly recommend.

[Faith | The Wholesome Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these books in a somewhat unconventional order, following my interest in the plots rather than their sequence, and it made for an engaging experience. Out of all the installments, I found this particular one to be the most captivating. The storyline involving Elle's father and his early-onset dementia was both poignant and thought-provoking.

The issue was handled beautifully, showcasing the characters' growth and their commitment to open communication upon reunion. Additionally, the theme of forgiveness was skillfully woven throughout the narrative, adding depth to the characters' journeys. Overall, it was a heartwarming and lovely story.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

[Crystal Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so much!!! Absolutely delightful!