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Still
Still is a captivating tale of friendship, love, and the power of second chances. Laila and De’Andre, once inseparable best friends, find their bond shattered by a shocking reveal that tears them apart. After 10 years, a life-changing event forces them to reunite. They are faced with the daunting can their friendship be salvaged, or is it too late? Still. Despite their once unbreakable connection, misunderstandings, and regrets drives a wedge between them, leaving wounds that have yet to heal. They are forced to face their shared past and concealed emotions that still exist. They must determine how to deal with the difficulties of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the possibility of a fresh start. Love has its obstacles but what happens when love finds its way back to each other? Will they always be there to make up, as long as they stick together? ‘Still'
128 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2024
61 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 22, 2024
“Maybe we should approach life like a Uno game—play boldly, adapt to the changes, and never forget to savor the moments of victory, no matter how small."
Sometimes we take things for granted assuming that we will have all the time in the world to right that wrong, take that trip, mend that relationship and it’s not until it’s too late that we live with regrets! If this book taught me nothing else it was to make a the most of each moment!
Now y’all know for the most part I’ve been really enjoying my NTMA choices during 2024 so when I saw Zee Renee (my new fav) plug this book, I was ready to dive head first into this book! The cover alone captured my attention before I even knew what the story was about.
This book took us on a journey with high school besties Laila and De’Andre and since the moment they met, they became thick as thieves. So much so that you couldn’t say one name without saying the other. Dre was always one to seize the moment so when he took a leap of faith to tell his friend how he felt about her, his ego was bruised when she didn’t return the sentiments. Over time, their bond formed cracks and things were never the same between them. Fast forward years later, Lai received a call from Dre’s mom looking to be a support to her son during a difficult time in his life and despite the time and distance that separated them, Lai jumped up no questions asked to come to his aid.
This story had the potential to really be something special and even loosely reminded me of one of my favorite books by a different author but the writing left a lot to be desired. I feel like the author relied on the emotional storyline to carry the book on its back and didn’t fully do the work to connect us to the characters in a way that we could relate when it came to the love and friendship they had for each other. Outside of their movie/taco/game night in the beginning, we didn’t really have specific moments to connect with them.
Readers want dialogue! Unless you’re setting the tone for a scene we can’t connect with characters that aren’t speaking to us nor each other. There were a lot of silent exchanges that we as the readers weren’t privy to so again we couldn’t connect with what these characters meant to each other. The book also did a lot of summarizing. In my opinion an author should never leave things up to interpretation for their readers because we don’t all think the same and may end up with a completely different understanding of what the author wanted us to take away from the book. The author also switch between first and third person throughout the book and this made for a confusing read.
There were a lot of generalized statements in the book. For example, statements like “the more time Laila and De’Andre spent together, the more their bond grew as the days went by” How?! What was happening during this time to strengthen their bond? “As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, their connection deepened.” How?! And this statement was used a lot in the book which brings up my next question to the author, how much time elapsed during this whole book? From the time Lai arrived in SC until the end, a lot of days turned to weeks and weeks to months but how much time really passed?
There was also the overuse of the same metaphors over and over again for example when describing the sun rise or silence blanketing the room. If the sun had painted the sky one more time I was going to scream 😵💫
The book talked about the “highs and lows, the triumphs and setbacks, they learned to lean on each other for support, finding strength in their shared vulnerability.” How do we know what these were? Are we supposed to plug and play as readers? And why did the conversation of being Dre’s caretaker only come up after Lai had been there for months? I know she was there as a friend but she also assumed caretaker duties during that time. 😬
I know from Social Media that this story is near and dear to the author and I truly appreciate the fact that she shared something so personal while also living out a lifelong dream but when you share your gift with the world there’s a certain expectation that us readers have. You can have a really compelling story but if the execution is lacking it affects the finished product. I wish this author much success during her writing career and hope that maybe test or beta readers are considered in the future!
Sometimes we take things for granted assuming that we will have all the time in the world to right that wrong, take that trip, mend that relationship and it’s not until it’s too late that we live with regrets! If this book taught me nothing else it was to make a the most of each moment!
Now y’all know for the most part I’ve been really enjoying my NTMA choices during 2024 so when I saw Zee Renee (my new fav) plug this book, I was ready to dive head first into this book! The cover alone captured my attention before I even knew what the story was about.
This book took us on a journey with high school besties Laila and De’Andre and since the moment they met, they became thick as thieves. So much so that you couldn’t say one name without saying the other. Dre was always one to seize the moment so when he took a leap of faith to tell his friend how he felt about her, his ego was bruised when she didn’t return the sentiments. Over time, their bond formed cracks and things were never the same between them. Fast forward years later, Lai received a call from Dre’s mom looking to be a support to her son during a difficult time in his life and despite the time and distance that separated them, Lai jumped up no questions asked to come to his aid.
This story had the potential to really be something special and even loosely reminded me of one of my favorite books by a different author but the writing left a lot to be desired. I feel like the author relied on the emotional storyline to carry the book on its back and didn’t fully do the work to connect us to the characters in a way that we could relate when it came to the love and friendship they had for each other. Outside of their movie/taco/game night in the beginning, we didn’t really have specific moments to connect with them.
Readers want dialogue! Unless you’re setting the tone for a scene we can’t connect with characters that aren’t speaking to us nor each other. There were a lot of silent exchanges that we as the readers weren’t privy to so again we couldn’t connect with what these characters meant to each other. The book also did a lot of summarizing. In my opinion an author should never leave things up to interpretation for their readers because we don’t all think the same and may end up with a completely different understanding of what the author wanted us to take away from the book. The author also switch between first and third person throughout the book and this made for a confusing read.
There were a lot of generalized statements in the book. For example, statements like “the more time Laila and De’Andre spent together, the more their bond grew as the days went by” How?! What was happening during this time to strengthen their bond? “As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, their connection deepened.” How?! And this statement was used a lot in the book which brings up my next question to the author, how much time elapsed during this whole book? From the time Lai arrived in SC until the end, a lot of days turned to weeks and weeks to months but how much time really passed?
There was also the overuse of the same metaphors over and over again for example when describing the sun rise or silence blanketing the room. If the sun had painted the sky one more time I was going to scream 😵💫
The book talked about the “highs and lows, the triumphs and setbacks, they learned to lean on each other for support, finding strength in their shared vulnerability.” How do we know what these were? Are we supposed to plug and play as readers? And why did the conversation of being Dre’s caretaker only come up after Lai had been there for months? I know she was there as a friend but she also assumed caretaker duties during that time. 😬
I know from Social Media that this story is near and dear to the author and I truly appreciate the fact that she shared something so personal while also living out a lifelong dream but when you share your gift with the world there’s a certain expectation that us readers have. You can have a really compelling story but if the execution is lacking it affects the finished product. I wish this author much success during her writing career and hope that maybe test or beta readers are considered in the future!
April 8, 2024
Love LOVE this book! DeAndre & Laila’s story was written so beautifully. It will stay with me forever!
Thank you to the author for gifting me an ARC 🤎
Thank you to the author for gifting me an ARC 🤎
April 17, 2024
I received an ARC of "Still" for my honest review.
Laila and Dre were best friends and we met them in college as they're strolling through the grocery store in preparation for one of their many taco and UNO nights. I was a bit confused by the taco flash mob in the grocery store but it was cute. A confession during taco night leads Laila and Dre to a friendship break up and we jump five years into the future. Both are out of college and into their careers. I wish we would've known a little more about what they did during their time apart. What careers did they get into? Were they dating other people? Did they speak to each other at all during that time?
A very sad situation brings them back together and Laila is now taking care of Dre. I was a little confused as to why his mom called her to come take care of him. It was an illness and I didn't understand how/why Laila was qualified to be his caretaker. I found myself waiting for the sickness to be revealed as I kept reading, it was revealed at the halfway mark.
I'm not sure how much time has passed since Laila arrived in SC with Dre but there wasn't much dialogue between the two. I really wish we would've gotten more conversation between the characters. That would've really helped me in believing in not only their love, but their friendship as well. A lot of parts felt like awkward silence.
I wish we knew where they traveled to for the road trip on the bucket list. That would've been entertaining and opened the door for more dialogue between the characters. Also, how did his condition hold up during the road trip? How long were they on the road trip? What memories did they make?
I wanted to get to know the characters more so I could connect to them. Some things were explained very well, such as the disease and the pain he felt. And other topics I was left desiring more conversation or information. When they spoke to each other, it felt like a secret and I felt like I wasn't in on the conversation because I didn't know them.
I am glad Laila received such a special gift from Dre to remember him after such a heartbreaking ending.
Congratulations to Kiriah on her first book! This is an amazing accomplishment and thank you for the ARC.
Laila and Dre were best friends and we met them in college as they're strolling through the grocery store in preparation for one of their many taco and UNO nights. I was a bit confused by the taco flash mob in the grocery store but it was cute. A confession during taco night leads Laila and Dre to a friendship break up and we jump five years into the future. Both are out of college and into their careers. I wish we would've known a little more about what they did during their time apart. What careers did they get into? Were they dating other people? Did they speak to each other at all during that time?
A very sad situation brings them back together and Laila is now taking care of Dre. I was a little confused as to why his mom called her to come take care of him. It was an illness and I didn't understand how/why Laila was qualified to be his caretaker. I found myself waiting for the sickness to be revealed as I kept reading, it was revealed at the halfway mark.
I'm not sure how much time has passed since Laila arrived in SC with Dre but there wasn't much dialogue between the two. I really wish we would've gotten more conversation between the characters. That would've really helped me in believing in not only their love, but their friendship as well. A lot of parts felt like awkward silence.
I wish we knew where they traveled to for the road trip on the bucket list. That would've been entertaining and opened the door for more dialogue between the characters. Also, how did his condition hold up during the road trip? How long were they on the road trip? What memories did they make?
I wanted to get to know the characters more so I could connect to them. Some things were explained very well, such as the disease and the pain he felt. And other topics I was left desiring more conversation or information. When they spoke to each other, it felt like a secret and I felt like I wasn't in on the conversation because I didn't know them.
I am glad Laila received such a special gift from Dre to remember him after such a heartbreaking ending.
Congratulations to Kiriah on her first book! This is an amazing accomplishment and thank you for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2024
Ok read
There’s a lot to unpack here but I’ll try to be short… As a debut novella this was a ok read I can see where the story was going…
As a reader I felt like there was a lot of context left out. There was a lot of repetitive words/fillers and it all happened back to back. We didn’t know much about either of these two characters or how they grew over the time they were apart. Granted it’s fiction I just feel like it was skipped about. There were a lot of things left unspoken about he was in so much pain but made it through his bucket list trips? How was he feeling during the ride? How did they get closer? There wasn’t much dialogue between either of them nor the mother to be book honestly.
The book also was in third person but throughout the book it was I looked or he looked etc. so the book read in first and third person making it hard to keep up.
All in all the storyline was a good one but there was a lot left out in an effort to make this a novella. Saw it posted on booksta and was so excited to read and support.
There’s a lot to unpack here but I’ll try to be short… As a debut novella this was a ok read I can see where the story was going…
As a reader I felt like there was a lot of context left out. There was a lot of repetitive words/fillers and it all happened back to back. We didn’t know much about either of these two characters or how they grew over the time they were apart. Granted it’s fiction I just feel like it was skipped about. There were a lot of things left unspoken about he was in so much pain but made it through his bucket list trips? How was he feeling during the ride? How did they get closer? There wasn’t much dialogue between either of them nor the mother to be book honestly.
The book also was in third person but throughout the book it was I looked or he looked etc. so the book read in first and third person making it hard to keep up.
All in all the storyline was a good one but there was a lot left out in an effort to make this a novella. Saw it posted on booksta and was so excited to read and support.
April 7, 2024
This story is a beautiful display of reclaiming time by being present and choosing love over circumstances. Laila choosing to admit her feelings yet still selflessly stand by Andre in his time of need regardless of reciprocity was a beautiful display of love and loyalty. Andre and Laila display an unparalleled understanding of the saying “no time like the present” and truly take advantage of every second of their time together. I would have liked to see a little bit more of their relationship and conversations outside of Andre’s circumstances. Overall this is a beautiful emotion filled debut novel!
April 15, 2024
a cute story about…
Very cute and heartbreaking.
A beautiful story exploring growth, resilience and most importantly love while navigating the waters of loss and grief.
An extremely moving novella!
Very cute and heartbreaking.
A beautiful story exploring growth, resilience and most importantly love while navigating the waters of loss and grief.
An extremely moving novella!
April 20, 2024
This was a cute story. I wish I would have gotten a little more from Laila and De’Andre, more on their dynamic and a little more insight into their relationship in general. There were some parts I wanted more details and other parts I wanted less but overall the book flowed well. I would have loved to see more of what Dre was thinking tho, how he felt about Laila coming back, why he did what he did in the end etc.
Kiriah did really well for her first book and I would definitely read whatever she writes next.
Kiriah did really well for her first book and I would definitely read whatever she writes next.
April 21, 2024
I am not sure what I was expecting when I went into this book. I finished this book all the way through but it didn't fulfill me. I loved the concept of the story and I loved the relationship of the characters. It just didn't give me anything. There was a lot of word play and honestly to me it was saying the same thing. I ended up having to take a break for like a day or two and coming back to it. There wasn't anything that kept me really turning the page. I felt like there was so much missing.
April 20, 2024
Beautifully written debut novella. Friends to lovers trope explored in a unique way. My Goodreads friend turned published author 💕
November 6, 2025
4.5 🌟
It started off slow and filled with uncertainty. Laila wasn’t sure how she was going to be perceived when seeing her childhood best friend, would he feel the same? Is there any type of friendship still here? This is where love outlasts the individual. This speaks on love in ordinary, the smiles, touches, nonverbal, the quiet type of love that lives with you and in your soul. Beautiful read & beautiful second chance romance
It started off slow and filled with uncertainty. Laila wasn’t sure how she was going to be perceived when seeing her childhood best friend, would he feel the same? Is there any type of friendship still here? This is where love outlasts the individual. This speaks on love in ordinary, the smiles, touches, nonverbal, the quiet type of love that lives with you and in your soul. Beautiful read & beautiful second chance romance
April 16, 2024
This short story was a good read for me. I enjoy reading novellas & romance as of recently. I did have a shocking moment at the end. Don’t worry NO SPOILERS from me ever!! I hope this author continues to write books, I can tell how passionate she is from bookstagram & this story.
April 12, 2024
Beautifully written story about love, sacrifice, and rekindling an old flame.
December 11, 2024
This story had so much potential. It was a bit confusing trying to follow the timeline and grasp when things are happening. Also, the dialogue between the characters wasn’t always clear. And ma’am please relax with the word “complexities”.
April 16, 2025
Ok
I found the cover to be cute. The story fell short for me especially with the medical condition. The time jumps got a little confusing after awhile.
I found the cover to be cute. The story fell short for me especially with the medical condition. The time jumps got a little confusing after awhile.
December 3, 2025
I wasn’t expecting this
This was really a heart felt novella. I wasn’t expecting the story to go this way but love can’t always be sunshine and rainbows. I enjoyed it.
This was really a heart felt novella. I wasn’t expecting the story to go this way but love can’t always be sunshine and rainbows. I enjoyed it.
April 16, 2025
This is another one of the books that I will say just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for someone else. I found the whole premise of the book to be unnecessary. In the beginning, the MMC confesses his love to his best friend who tells him that she doesn’t feel the same. She tells him that she only sees him as a friend.
Fast forward five years and apparently the FMC lied. She has actually been in love with the MMC since the start of their friendship. Her reasoning for rejection was that “she was scared it would change their friendship.” That made no sense to me because their friendship was changed anyway. She rejected him and they ended up falling out of touch because his confession changed the friendship. 😒
We find out that the MMC is terminally ill with sickle cell disease and she has decided this is the opportune time to confess her love and forge a relationship with the MMC while volunteering to be his caretaker. 😐 That was kind of odd. There was no mention of how she, of all people, ended up being his caretaker. Especially since it seemed like his mother was already doing that job.
So, the MCs are together for all of about five minutes before he passes away. It is also mentioned that she tried dating but didn’t want to get hurt again…so, she was ready to pursue a relationship with a man she knew wasn’t going to live very long but is too distraught to attempt a relationship with a potential partner who doesn’t have any health complications?
This book left me so confused. It’s not one that I would personally recommend to friends.
Fast forward five years and apparently the FMC lied. She has actually been in love with the MMC since the start of their friendship. Her reasoning for rejection was that “she was scared it would change their friendship.” That made no sense to me because their friendship was changed anyway. She rejected him and they ended up falling out of touch because his confession changed the friendship. 😒
We find out that the MMC is terminally ill with sickle cell disease and she has decided this is the opportune time to confess her love and forge a relationship with the MMC while volunteering to be his caretaker. 😐 That was kind of odd. There was no mention of how she, of all people, ended up being his caretaker. Especially since it seemed like his mother was already doing that job.
So, the MCs are together for all of about five minutes before he passes away. It is also mentioned that she tried dating but didn’t want to get hurt again…so, she was ready to pursue a relationship with a man she knew wasn’t going to live very long but is too distraught to attempt a relationship with a potential partner who doesn’t have any health complications?
This book left me so confused. It’s not one that I would personally recommend to friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
This book was good but wasn’t 5 star worthy. It had some potential but the lack of getting to know the characters in the story more deeply just didn’t put it at 5 stars.
At some points when the characters were talking about how their love deepened I was looking for reasons & the book never explained why. I kinda felt like Laila had some regret for why she didn’t tell him I love you too so she took care of him while he battled sickle cell. But again I only felt that way because the book didn’t go in depth about their personal lives
The story was really good & the meaning behind it was very poignant. I felt for De’Andre & Laila while reading.
Still by Kirah Kade is a quiet, emotional read that really leans into feelings rather than fast-paced drama. I loved the friends-to-lovers, second chance angle. The history between the characters felt real and layered, and you can tell there’s a lot of unspoken hurt and love there. The story moves slowly, but in a thoughtful way, focusing on growth, healing, and whether love can survive time and mistakes. It’s the kind of book that makes you sit with your emotions, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy introspective romance and character driven stories.
At some points when the characters were talking about how their love deepened I was looking for reasons & the book never explained why. I kinda felt like Laila had some regret for why she didn’t tell him I love you too so she took care of him while he battled sickle cell. But again I only felt that way because the book didn’t go in depth about their personal lives
The story was really good & the meaning behind it was very poignant. I felt for De’Andre & Laila while reading.
Still by Kirah Kade is a quiet, emotional read that really leans into feelings rather than fast-paced drama. I loved the friends-to-lovers, second chance angle. The history between the characters felt real and layered, and you can tell there’s a lot of unspoken hurt and love there. The story moves slowly, but in a thoughtful way, focusing on growth, healing, and whether love can survive time and mistakes. It’s the kind of book that makes you sit with your emotions, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy introspective romance and character driven stories.
November 23, 2025
I DONT THINK I'VE READ A NOVELLA THAT WRECKED ME WITH EMOTIONS LIKE THIS ONE DID!
WOW, this is a beautiful story, when I picked this book all I saw was a beautiful cover and I went into it blind. The moment I saw chronic illness and the FMC becoming the caregiver, I realize what was happening and had to take my time with this story.
This story follows Laila & De'Andre; they were high school friends but when Andre admitted his love to Laila, she pushed him away. Now it's a few years later and Andre is battling a chronic illness. When Laila is called, she quickly volunteers to become his caretaker. Not only does she have the face her best friend who she hasn't seen in years, deal with the emotions of how their friendship fell apart, but she also has to deal with the delicacy and reality of his current situation.
This was a story of reconciliation, friendship and love. I love that the author didnt shy away from the tough conversations and topic.
WOW, this is a beautiful story, when I picked this book all I saw was a beautiful cover and I went into it blind. The moment I saw chronic illness and the FMC becoming the caregiver, I realize what was happening and had to take my time with this story.
This story follows Laila & De'Andre; they were high school friends but when Andre admitted his love to Laila, she pushed him away. Now it's a few years later and Andre is battling a chronic illness. When Laila is called, she quickly volunteers to become his caretaker. Not only does she have the face her best friend who she hasn't seen in years, deal with the emotions of how their friendship fell apart, but she also has to deal with the delicacy and reality of his current situation.
This was a story of reconciliation, friendship and love. I love that the author didnt shy away from the tough conversations and topic.
May 5, 2024
Friends to lovers trope
Dre is battling sickle cells disease and that’s reunite him with his childhood bestie laila . Lalia needs to be truthful to him about her feelings. She has always been in love with Dre but lied about her feeling when Dre confessed his love for her 5 years ago . Now that she is back in South Carolina to support him through his sickness , she also wants to Salvage the pain she cause him by rejecting his love. Will he accept her , how long will they have together and will their love for each other transcend sickness and health?
Find out in this Slow burn love story
Dre is battling sickle cells disease and that’s reunite him with his childhood bestie laila . Lalia needs to be truthful to him about her feelings. She has always been in love with Dre but lied about her feeling when Dre confessed his love for her 5 years ago . Now that she is back in South Carolina to support him through his sickness , she also wants to Salvage the pain she cause him by rejecting his love. Will he accept her , how long will they have together and will their love for each other transcend sickness and health?
Find out in this Slow burn love story
November 15, 2025
Beautiful, Emotional, and Absolutely Heart-Gripping
Still pulled me in from the very first page, but that ending? I cried real tears. The story delivers a powerful, heartbreaking loss that stayed with me long after I closed the book. It’s a reminder to hold on tightly to the ones you love, because some moments can never be replaced.
The love, the tenderness, the emotional depth—everything was unforgettable. This book lingers in the heart in the best and saddest way. A truly beautiful read.
Still pulled me in from the very first page, but that ending? I cried real tears. The story delivers a powerful, heartbreaking loss that stayed with me long after I closed the book. It’s a reminder to hold on tightly to the ones you love, because some moments can never be replaced.
The love, the tenderness, the emotional depth—everything was unforgettable. This book lingers in the heart in the best and saddest way. A truly beautiful read.
November 18, 2025
Okay Read
I think this was an okay read! Following two best friends where they were secretly in love with each other. I really wished this story was a bit longer to get more details on their relationship and the relationship with some of the family. I wanted to see what lead to the decision of Laila going to help. Like some of the decisions that Andre made too. Idk I feel like adding just a few more chapters would have helped connect some of the dots. Just my opinion.
I think this was an okay read! Following two best friends where they were secretly in love with each other. I really wished this story was a bit longer to get more details on their relationship and the relationship with some of the family. I wanted to see what lead to the decision of Laila going to help. Like some of the decisions that Andre made too. Idk I feel like adding just a few more chapters would have helped connect some of the dots. Just my opinion.
June 7, 2024
Heartwrenching
This was such a heart wrenching story of love transcending time. I loved getting to know Dre and Lai. I did not realize the effects sickle cell had on the body. Keep writing! I look forward to reading more from you.
This was such a heart wrenching story of love transcending time. I loved getting to know Dre and Lai. I did not realize the effects sickle cell had on the body. Keep writing! I look forward to reading more from you.
December 27, 2025
Not this book got me crying my eyes out at 4am in the morning omg . This was a blind read , I judged the book from its cover .. the more I read the more I’m like aw man I can see where this is going but I couldn’t stop whew lol
November 27, 2025
This story was absolutely beautiful. I’m glad that Laila and Dre were able to rekindle their love for each other and live life
November 28, 2025
c'était beau, puissant !
un livre que j'ai beau aimé et qui m'a beaucoup émue '"
🥹🥹❤️❤️
sensibilisation : drépanocytose
un livre que j'ai beau aimé et qui m'a beaucoup émue '"
🥹🥹❤️❤️
sensibilisation : drépanocytose
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews