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Candle In The Wind
Do you believe in destiny?
With no money and nowhere to go, Juliette Rhodes only had one single desire; to start over. In a secluded, gossipy town is where she finds her new life unwinding.
After secretly becoming a surrogate mother to the richest and youngest couple in town (the Oakes family) things were starting to finally kick off for Juliette. But just three months before her due date, a horrifying turn turn of event ruined all her plans. The Oakes got into a terrible accident and the back up plan the couple left behind was a house address, the next of kin, the other brother...
Callum Oakes.
Cal who is the towns most hottest bachelor, always keeps to himself, too busy juggling his own company and everything else his brother left behind. He is equally as scared as Juliette finding out about his brothers baby on the way. With much hope that Ardley and his comatose wife would soon get better, he decided to take on the tittle of being the baby's new guardian and taking care of Juliette. Spark flies between the two of them. They got a taste of a happy ever after they knew they could never have.
With no money and nowhere to go, Juliette Rhodes only had one single desire; to start over. In a secluded, gossipy town is where she finds her new life unwinding.
After secretly becoming a surrogate mother to the richest and youngest couple in town (the Oakes family) things were starting to finally kick off for Juliette. But just three months before her due date, a horrifying turn turn of event ruined all her plans. The Oakes got into a terrible accident and the back up plan the couple left behind was a house address, the next of kin, the other brother...
Callum Oakes.
Cal who is the towns most hottest bachelor, always keeps to himself, too busy juggling his own company and everything else his brother left behind. He is equally as scared as Juliette finding out about his brothers baby on the way. With much hope that Ardley and his comatose wife would soon get better, he decided to take on the tittle of being the baby's new guardian and taking care of Juliette. Spark flies between the two of them. They got a taste of a happy ever after they knew they could never have.
535 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2025
85 people are currently reading
770 people want to read
About the author
Tamisha Kuenee
4 books79 followersTamisha Kuenee was born in a small Caribbean island - a country called Haiti; she lived somewhere in port-au-prince for the first 11 years of her life. She currently resides somewhere in Florida complaining about the weather. She can be found planted in front of a TV consuming rom-coms, action movies, anime shows & k-dramas. Sometimes, she's stuck in a book. She loves cats, and laughs at her own jokes. She follows her imagination and doesn't confine herself to just one genre. Chasing A Starlight is her debut novel, living proof of her amazing imagination.
Find her on Instagram! @wordsonthemoonn
Find her on Instagram! @wordsonthemoonn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 6, 2025
This is MY OPINION AND I CAN EXPRESS IT
★☆☆☆☆ **Painful, Predictable, and Pointless**
I regret every second I spent reading this mess. The plot drags like a broken wagon wheel, the characters have the depth of a puddle, and the writing? Let’s just say I’ve seen grocery lists with more emotion.
The dialogue is unnatural, the pacing is all over the place, and the so-called "twists" are so predictable that I saw them coming chapters in advance. It’s as if the author thought throwing in trauma and angst would magically create depth—but all it did was make the story feel forced and exhausting.
And don’t get me started on the main character. If I had to read one more of her whining, self-pitying inner monologues, I would’ve DNF’d at lightning speed. Unfortunately, I was too stubborn to quit—and now I regret it.
If you enjoy frustratingly one-dimensional characters, plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, and writing that feels like it was cobbled together in a rush, then by all means, pick this up. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and read literally anything else. Not everyone was made to write.
If I could give this book negative stars, I would. It’s not just bad—it’s a complete waste of paper, ink, and MY time. The writing is clumsy, and As i said the plot? Nonexistent. Reading this felt like watching someone trip over their own feet for 400 pages straight.
The worst part? The author seems to have no grasp on reality. If she can write negative reviews about others without knowing the full truth, it’s clear that same ignorance is splattered all over these pages. Every interaction feels forced, every emotion fake, and every twist painfully predictable. It’s almost impressive how much she manages to misunderstand human nature.
IT'S JUST SO FUNNY I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!
THIS IS MY OPINION AND LIKE IT OR NOT SOMEONE THINKS IT LIKE I DO.
★☆☆☆☆ **Painful, Predictable, and Pointless**
I regret every second I spent reading this mess. The plot drags like a broken wagon wheel, the characters have the depth of a puddle, and the writing? Let’s just say I’ve seen grocery lists with more emotion.
The dialogue is unnatural, the pacing is all over the place, and the so-called "twists" are so predictable that I saw them coming chapters in advance. It’s as if the author thought throwing in trauma and angst would magically create depth—but all it did was make the story feel forced and exhausting.
And don’t get me started on the main character. If I had to read one more of her whining, self-pitying inner monologues, I would’ve DNF’d at lightning speed. Unfortunately, I was too stubborn to quit—and now I regret it.
If you enjoy frustratingly one-dimensional characters, plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, and writing that feels like it was cobbled together in a rush, then by all means, pick this up. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and read literally anything else. Not everyone was made to write.
If I could give this book negative stars, I would. It’s not just bad—it’s a complete waste of paper, ink, and MY time. The writing is clumsy, and As i said the plot? Nonexistent. Reading this felt like watching someone trip over their own feet for 400 pages straight.
The worst part? The author seems to have no grasp on reality. If she can write negative reviews about others without knowing the full truth, it’s clear that same ignorance is splattered all over these pages. Every interaction feels forced, every emotion fake, and every twist painfully predictable. It’s almost impressive how much she manages to misunderstand human nature.
IT'S JUST SO FUNNY I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!
THIS IS MY OPINION AND LIKE IT OR NOT SOMEONE THINKS IT LIKE I DO.
May 7, 2025
Never write again 🙂 rating: 0.5
I just want to start by saying this is probably my first ever hate review and I’m just angry at the moment so yeah.
-Spoiler warning-
I finally finished whatever this was, and I wish I could give it less than a star. It was filled with more holes than possible, and the author tried to fit 1000+ plot points in a book that was already too long for the NOTHING that happened in it.
I’ll say it now: Celeste deserved better than that family.
Like, I could smell the plot points from a mile away and predicted every single detail. Her ex was the only one that caught me off guard. Another stupid plot point btw- the big bad wolf is the reason why she moved to that town, then he starts harassing her, and the author only dedicates a line to tell us he was given a restraining order chapters later. OH PLEASE, A THREE YEAR OLD COULD WRITE SOMETHING BETTER.
I found this book on Pinterest and was soooo excited to read it. Even told people about it because it started off amazing. Then the author switched bodies and produced nonsense.
The author couldn’t stick to one plot point and kept switching back and forth. They tried so hard to sound deep and meaningful, and all I could say was “TF are you yapping about now”
AGHHHH I’m so mad yall don’t even understand.
Callum did not have one interesting bone in his body and he was dumb af. Juliette too. No sense whatsoever. Only good thing about this book was the dead lady and the baby. Justice for the brother too- having to deal with that stupid ass family.
The minute they added that flashback about the sperm donation, I JUST KNEW. Oh yeah apparently amber was spying on Juliette for Christian, and it was never revealed how that even started! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE BETTER YET DELETE THE ENTIRE BOOK.
And the errors! At some point, I thought I was the one who didn’t know English. It was published, what do I know right? Nope! I even thought kindle unlimited was the problem because the sentences were all wrong.
I wasted multiples days of my life trying to finish it, and now I’m finally free. God forbid I ever touch something like this again. Tueh.
I just want to start by saying this is probably my first ever hate review and I’m just angry at the moment so yeah.
-Spoiler warning-
I finally finished whatever this was, and I wish I could give it less than a star. It was filled with more holes than possible, and the author tried to fit 1000+ plot points in a book that was already too long for the NOTHING that happened in it.
I’ll say it now: Celeste deserved better than that family.
Like, I could smell the plot points from a mile away and predicted every single detail. Her ex was the only one that caught me off guard. Another stupid plot point btw- the big bad wolf is the reason why she moved to that town, then he starts harassing her, and the author only dedicates a line to tell us he was given a restraining order chapters later. OH PLEASE, A THREE YEAR OLD COULD WRITE SOMETHING BETTER.
I found this book on Pinterest and was soooo excited to read it. Even told people about it because it started off amazing. Then the author switched bodies and produced nonsense.
The author couldn’t stick to one plot point and kept switching back and forth. They tried so hard to sound deep and meaningful, and all I could say was “TF are you yapping about now”
AGHHHH I’m so mad yall don’t even understand.
Callum did not have one interesting bone in his body and he was dumb af. Juliette too. No sense whatsoever. Only good thing about this book was the dead lady and the baby. Justice for the brother too- having to deal with that stupid ass family.
The minute they added that flashback about the sperm donation, I JUST KNEW. Oh yeah apparently amber was spying on Juliette for Christian, and it was never revealed how that even started! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE BETTER YET DELETE THE ENTIRE BOOK.
And the errors! At some point, I thought I was the one who didn’t know English. It was published, what do I know right? Nope! I even thought kindle unlimited was the problem because the sentences were all wrong.
I wasted multiples days of my life trying to finish it, and now I’m finally free. God forbid I ever touch something like this again. Tueh.
March 7, 2025
disappointing (contains spoilers)
The book could have been so much but it felt short. First of all, why make Juliette a black woman but not highlight her heritage in the book? Even Pinky’s Indian heritage was highlighted.
However the biggest disappointment was how simp-ish Callum was. I understand his love for Juliette and his need to be loved but it was too much. First off, how could he be ok with Juliette somehow remembering the time capsule, where it was but forgetting about him? Their start didn’t make sense. Why would he gift a shop worth thousands of dollars to a stranger, just because she’s his brother’s surrogate ? The idea that Ardley would ask his surrogate to keep the baby because his wife was sick didn’t make sense either. First off they had a contract and second it would have been cruel to let her bond with a child who wasn’t hers. He could have hired someone as well as his mother and Callum who was supposed to be the baby’s guardian. The fact that no one questioned that was weird.
Callum constantly pouring his heart out to Juliette and bending over backwards to make her happy felt too much too. Lying to him about his paternity on top of all the other lies that she told him along the way (Christian ?) wasn’t something he should just get over in 2 weeks.
The book could have been so much but it felt short. First of all, why make Juliette a black woman but not highlight her heritage in the book? Even Pinky’s Indian heritage was highlighted.
However the biggest disappointment was how simp-ish Callum was. I understand his love for Juliette and his need to be loved but it was too much. First off, how could he be ok with Juliette somehow remembering the time capsule, where it was but forgetting about him? Their start didn’t make sense. Why would he gift a shop worth thousands of dollars to a stranger, just because she’s his brother’s surrogate ? The idea that Ardley would ask his surrogate to keep the baby because his wife was sick didn’t make sense either. First off they had a contract and second it would have been cruel to let her bond with a child who wasn’t hers. He could have hired someone as well as his mother and Callum who was supposed to be the baby’s guardian. The fact that no one questioned that was weird.
Callum constantly pouring his heart out to Juliette and bending over backwards to make her happy felt too much too. Lying to him about his paternity on top of all the other lies that she told him along the way (Christian ?) wasn’t something he should just get over in 2 weeks.
April 16, 2025
this fucking sucked. i need to stop taking book recommendations from tik tok. this was all over the place but still so predictable i can’t even like describe ugh. 2 stars
February 14, 2025
4.5 🌟
Before I begin I want to thank the author, Tamisha Kuenee, for giving me this ARC.
I usually don't read books with the pregnancy or even surrogacy trope because I nine out of ten times hate it. I really liked how it was written here. It was, obviously, part of the story but it was not only the story. If you know what I mean.
I went in with zero expectations. I have a really bad memory, so when I started reading this, I had no idea what it was about. From the first chapter I was hooked. The storyline was so well thought out and the plot twist were definitely shocking. I could predict a few of them but maybe I'm too suspicious.
I loved the characters and the dynamics. Juliette and Callum are made for each other, and I'm so happy they get to have their "happily ever after." I really hope more books will come in this universe because I can't wait to read more about Ava and Pink. Also, I need to know if Jacks ended up okay.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this; it was funny, heartwarming, and emotional all in one. If you like small town romances with shocking plot twists, you should definitely read this!
Before I begin I want to thank the author, Tamisha Kuenee, for giving me this ARC.
I usually don't read books with the pregnancy or even surrogacy trope because I nine out of ten times hate it. I really liked how it was written here. It was, obviously, part of the story but it was not only the story. If you know what I mean.
I went in with zero expectations. I have a really bad memory, so when I started reading this, I had no idea what it was about. From the first chapter I was hooked. The storyline was so well thought out and the plot twist were definitely shocking. I could predict a few of them but maybe I'm too suspicious.
I loved the characters and the dynamics. Juliette and Callum are made for each other, and I'm so happy they get to have their "happily ever after." I really hope more books will come in this universe because I can't wait to read more about Ava and Pink. Also, I need to know if Jacks ended up okay.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this; it was funny, heartwarming, and emotional all in one. If you like small town romances with shocking plot twists, you should definitely read this!
March 19, 2025
*****DNF*******
this started SOOOO good but i had to let yall know that the 6 week thing after giving birth apparently doesn't mean ANYTHING also girly went from having really hard ppd to just doing the nasty and being fine??! like hellooooo??? what the actual skibidi yall.
this started SOOOO good but i had to let yall know that the 6 week thing after giving birth apparently doesn't mean ANYTHING also girly went from having really hard ppd to just doing the nasty and being fine??! like hellooooo??? what the actual skibidi yall.
March 31, 2025
This book is not what’s I expected it to be and I mean that in a good way . It had me feeling so many emotions : happiness , adoration , anger , sadness and that alone usually is a good thing when I read a book
Now cus this is an arc I will leave the review spoiler free . However I want to say you need to read this book. This is my first book by this author and I still feel honoured to have gotten this as an arc . I also want everyone to go into this book somewhat blind like I did (
So the twists of this book surprise you to some degree ) it did however feel like a romantic suspense book to some degree and because of that it made it extra fun.
I love Juliette and I love callum ( cal) so much . They are just aaaah !!!!
The fact he calls her sweetheart has me swooning so hard . The fact this man is like there for her and would do anything she asked him to do just because he adores her . That alone has me swooning too.
I want to say however you think the book will pan out because of the tropes ( you will be wrong ) SURE THIS IS A ROMANCE BOOK AND ITS SO CUTE BUT don’t go into it thinking it will be the kind where you won’t be thinking about everything that happens . This book has me on my toes - it had me questioning a lot and making guesses of what will happen next and for me that was exactly what I loved . It had me speaking to myself and shouting out loud and I absolutely loved it .
Maybe it’s because i recently have found out i like drama in some books - I like books that have me on my toes . - books that will make me feel so many emotions . God I’m so happy I read this book cus this book was everything I needed it to be .
There was a final Plot twist that I did predict and was right about .
The ending was so fucking perfect like so perfect. Ur was the sweetest thing ever - seeing Juliette and cal be in love and ( well I won’t spoil it for you hehe ) just know the ending was everything I wanted and more
There is a 3rd act conflict but no actual break up ( they are never actually broken up) I’m adding this cus I know some people look to see if there’s 3rd act breakups .- I do myself .
Things I can say cus it’s in the tropes:
- this is a pregnancy trope book but she is a surrogate . This is friends to lovers ( seeing these two go from friends to lovers is one of the sweetest things ever .
Hes obsessed with her in the best way this man will spoil her . If she says she wants something her will give it to her . This man literally omg he spoils her to death in the best way . This man has me swooning so hard . He’s also rich ( a multi millionaire ) so he has the funds to spoil her hehe) this man is absolutely husband material like aaahhh. This man also falls first and hard
This is a small Town romance ( everyone by now should know I love a small town romance . They are the best fr.
Hes an absolute dilf heheh like an absolute dilf . God this man takes the fatherhood Better than most dads do .
This man is a horse dad and he lives on a ranch ( so cowboy romance ) hehehe - not really but he seriously does live on a ranch and owns horses .
This book is filled with secrets so many secrets and each one that unravels will have you on the edge of your seat and for me I ate it up .
This book is a slowburn( to some degree )
- this is an interacial romance he’s white and she’s black .
Now cus this is an arc I will leave the review spoiler free . However I want to say you need to read this book. This is my first book by this author and I still feel honoured to have gotten this as an arc . I also want everyone to go into this book somewhat blind like I did (
So the twists of this book surprise you to some degree ) it did however feel like a romantic suspense book to some degree and because of that it made it extra fun.
I love Juliette and I love callum ( cal) so much . They are just aaaah !!!!
The fact he calls her sweetheart has me swooning so hard . The fact this man is like there for her and would do anything she asked him to do just because he adores her . That alone has me swooning too.
I want to say however you think the book will pan out because of the tropes ( you will be wrong ) SURE THIS IS A ROMANCE BOOK AND ITS SO CUTE BUT don’t go into it thinking it will be the kind where you won’t be thinking about everything that happens . This book has me on my toes - it had me questioning a lot and making guesses of what will happen next and for me that was exactly what I loved . It had me speaking to myself and shouting out loud and I absolutely loved it .
Maybe it’s because i recently have found out i like drama in some books - I like books that have me on my toes . - books that will make me feel so many emotions . God I’m so happy I read this book cus this book was everything I needed it to be .
There was a final Plot twist that I did predict and was right about .
The ending was so fucking perfect like so perfect. Ur was the sweetest thing ever - seeing Juliette and cal be in love and ( well I won’t spoil it for you hehe ) just know the ending was everything I wanted and more
There is a 3rd act conflict but no actual break up ( they are never actually broken up) I’m adding this cus I know some people look to see if there’s 3rd act breakups .- I do myself .
Things I can say cus it’s in the tropes:
- this is a pregnancy trope book but she is a surrogate . This is friends to lovers ( seeing these two go from friends to lovers is one of the sweetest things ever .
Hes obsessed with her in the best way this man will spoil her . If she says she wants something her will give it to her . This man literally omg he spoils her to death in the best way . This man has me swooning so hard . He’s also rich ( a multi millionaire ) so he has the funds to spoil her hehe) this man is absolutely husband material like aaahhh. This man also falls first and hard
This is a small Town romance ( everyone by now should know I love a small town romance . They are the best fr.
Hes an absolute dilf heheh like an absolute dilf . God this man takes the fatherhood Better than most dads do .
This man is a horse dad and he lives on a ranch ( so cowboy romance ) hehehe - not really but he seriously does live on a ranch and owns horses .
This book is filled with secrets so many secrets and each one that unravels will have you on the edge of your seat and for me I ate it up .
This book is a slowburn( to some degree )
- this is an interacial romance he’s white and she’s black .
February 7, 2025
Thank you Tamisha for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tamisha is a very talented writer but personally for me this book wasn’t it. I was a little confused in the beginning of the book but towards 50% of the book i started to enjoy the book a little bit. Wasn’t a fan of all the twists and secret, felt like I was reading a thriller not romance.
I love Juliette and Callum! 🤭🩷 I really loved their chemistry and everything about them!
Tamisha is a very talented writer but personally for me this book wasn’t it. I was a little confused in the beginning of the book but towards 50% of the book i started to enjoy the book a little bit. Wasn’t a fan of all the twists and secret, felt like I was reading a thriller not romance.
I love Juliette and Callum! 🤭🩷 I really loved their chemistry and everything about them!
February 15, 2025
This is a beautiful, heartwarming story about Callum and Juliette! I say it’s an EPIC love story because of their love for eachother come full circle.
This story will make you swoon, laugh, roll your eyes, gasp, cry, or you might even cry. I truly, truly hope anyone who’s read the book really enjoy the book because it’s my love letter to you!🫂🩷
This story will make you swoon, laugh, roll your eyes, gasp, cry, or you might even cry. I truly, truly hope anyone who’s read the book really enjoy the book because it’s my love letter to you!🫂🩷
March 9, 2025
2.5/5 ⭐️
I HATE that I have to say this but I DNF’d the book. The plot was all over the place, confusing and inconsistent. I was reading this as an ARC so maybe what we read was her thoughts thrown on the page before the final edit so, that could be a factor BUT I look forward to reading her finished works.
I HATE that I have to say this but I DNF’d the book. The plot was all over the place, confusing and inconsistent. I was reading this as an ARC so maybe what we read was her thoughts thrown on the page before the final edit so, that could be a factor BUT I look forward to reading her finished works.
March 15, 2025
it’s all my fault tbh because why did i read a book that has “pregnancy (surrogacy)” as a trope
February 10, 2025
This book left me speechless, I loved it!
at first I found it a little slow, confusing but it captured my attention with its flowing writing. The plot is super original and exceeded my expectations!
I loved Cal and Juliette, I really loved that it was fate that brought them together.
thank you for giving me this opportunity, I'm curious about the next book! 🩷
ps. at one point I wanted callum to call me "sweetheart" too
at first I found it a little slow, confusing but it captured my attention with its flowing writing. The plot is super original and exceeded my expectations!
I loved Cal and Juliette, I really loved that it was fate that brought them together.
thank you for giving me this opportunity, I'm curious about the next book! 🩷
ps. at one point I wanted callum to call me "sweetheart" too
January 22, 2025
i love and will forever be proud and grateful to have such genius and incredibly talented writers as friends!!!
incredible book coming out in less than a month!! full review soon!!
incredible book coming out in less than a month!! full review soon!!
March 7, 2025
Cute, only thing that bothered me was some editing. There were several instances where tenses were very confusing. (Not the toxic ex called Christian Bale chileee 😂😭😭😭)
March 4, 2025
first of all thank you so much Tamisha for the ARC 🥹🫶🏽 I loved this book so so much!!! i need callum oaks like actually (i wish he was real) Juliette and Callum’s love story was amazing and I love them so so much 💗
(im gonna add more to the review later 🤞🏽🤞🏽)
(im gonna add more to the review later 🤞🏽🤞🏽)
May 30, 2025
All I can say is that I am thankful to finally be finished with this book and proud of myself for not DNFing the 10+ times I considered it. Idk what or where this author was going with this but this was a tough read, just all over the place with a lot of loose ends and unexplained stories.
April 5, 2025
Felt like a telenovela
March 27, 2025
This was a painful read. The writing gave me a headache.
July 9, 2025
I don’t write reviews EVER but I really did try and love this book especially because it was a source of representation for WOC. The aesthetic was endearing, however, the multiple spelling errors, along with the multiple underdeveloped and overdone plot points. As well as the fact that every character felt rushed. Made it a struggle to get through this book.
This book tried too hard to check all the boxes of a romance, but failed to have any unique features of its own. I had a hard time immersing myself and connecting to any of the characters because every interesting aspect about them was introduced, rushed over and ended in a happily ever after formatting??? Like what happened with the crazy ex fiancé, why doesn’t Callum react more to this situation?!! Juliette has post partum depression but we never get to fully explore that?? Callum forgives ardley and Juliette for lying to him about the child being his???
This book is also really long for no reason 👴🏾
This book tried too hard to check all the boxes of a romance, but failed to have any unique features of its own. I had a hard time immersing myself and connecting to any of the characters because every interesting aspect about them was introduced, rushed over and ended in a happily ever after formatting??? Like what happened with the crazy ex fiancé, why doesn’t Callum react more to this situation?!! Juliette has post partum depression but we never get to fully explore that?? Callum forgives ardley and Juliette for lying to him about the child being his???
This book is also really long for no reason 👴🏾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2025
idk if it’s because I downloaded the book or what but there were a shit ton of grammatical errors
April 17, 2025
I wanted to try something different and branch out from the usual “TikTok-recommended KU authors”. & Let me start with what I DID like: the overall theme of the book was really cute. Small town, ~interracial romance, farm life, entrepreneur , pottery shop vibes… I was into it. In fact, it even inspired me to plan a girls’ date—we all went to a beginner pottery class, and honestly, that was such a fun experience!
Now… onto the things that didn’t quite work for me. May contain spoilers..
First off, the typos. They made the story super hard to follow and pulled me out of the moment constantly. On top of that, there were random underlined words that completely threw me off—turns out, those were supposed to indicate scene breaks? But I was ENTIRELY confused at first.
Some of the paragraphs were painfully repetitive. Like, I almost tapped out during the "creepy elf" chapter. If you’ve read it to that point you’ll know probably know *exactly* what I’m talking about. My goodness….
Then there was Amber—what even *was* that storyline? And the ex-boyfriend?! situation felt super rushed. I couldn’t emotionally connect with any of that at all! It all just didn’t feel developed, and I was left wondering what the point of it even was?? It’s like the side stories didn’t truly add to it.
Which brings me to the pacing and flow. Certain scenes felt so disconnected. Compared to other books where I feel like I’m part of the story, this one almost read like a thriller at times. Like, why did we find out Julie knew about the hairpins *so late*? I seriously thought homegirl had amnesia or that I had missed a whole chapter of important information. Why was she lying to us and him? Why are you acting crazy and making me think you’re crazy? Those kind of “shocking reveal” just didn’t work for me—
“Oh I just got it because I saw him dig it out, but and just put it all back and didn’t bother to tell you”——what?!?!?
There were so many chapters that repeated the same ideas when THAT time could’ve been used to actually *build* the backstory. That would’ve made other scenes hit harder instead of feeling random or out of place.
Lastly—the FMC. was she supposed to be dark chocolate Black? but sometimes the descriptions had me raising an eyebrow. I couldn’t tell if she was meant to be dark-skinned with 4C hair or lighter-skinned with looser curls. As a dark-skinned girl with kinky hair myself, i was excited for some representation on the soft girl farm life but I felt sort let down. Because in some parts I just couldn’t relate to how one moment her hair’s in a flowy, curly messy bun, and the next minute he can’t run his fingers through her hair because it’s her kitchen kinky . And then their *mixed* child has a kinky afro? It just didn’t add up for me. Cause baby ain’t nobody able to run no fingers through this nappy 4C Hair on my head ..
Overall, Her Soft girl - farm-crafty pottery life after what she had to go through was cute. the book had its cute moments for sure, but for over 500 pages? Yeah.. nah… it could’ve EASILY been wrapped up in 350- 400, *max*.
2.5-3?
Now… onto the things that didn’t quite work for me. May contain spoilers..
First off, the typos. They made the story super hard to follow and pulled me out of the moment constantly. On top of that, there were random underlined words that completely threw me off—turns out, those were supposed to indicate scene breaks? But I was ENTIRELY confused at first.
Some of the paragraphs were painfully repetitive. Like, I almost tapped out during the "creepy elf" chapter. If you’ve read it to that point you’ll know probably know *exactly* what I’m talking about. My goodness….
Then there was Amber—what even *was* that storyline? And the ex-boyfriend?! situation felt super rushed. I couldn’t emotionally connect with any of that at all! It all just didn’t feel developed, and I was left wondering what the point of it even was?? It’s like the side stories didn’t truly add to it.
Which brings me to the pacing and flow. Certain scenes felt so disconnected. Compared to other books where I feel like I’m part of the story, this one almost read like a thriller at times. Like, why did we find out Julie knew about the hairpins *so late*? I seriously thought homegirl had amnesia or that I had missed a whole chapter of important information. Why was she lying to us and him? Why are you acting crazy and making me think you’re crazy? Those kind of “shocking reveal” just didn’t work for me—
“Oh I just got it because I saw him dig it out, but and just put it all back and didn’t bother to tell you”——what?!?!?
There were so many chapters that repeated the same ideas when THAT time could’ve been used to actually *build* the backstory. That would’ve made other scenes hit harder instead of feeling random or out of place.
Lastly—the FMC. was she supposed to be dark chocolate Black? but sometimes the descriptions had me raising an eyebrow. I couldn’t tell if she was meant to be dark-skinned with 4C hair or lighter-skinned with looser curls. As a dark-skinned girl with kinky hair myself, i was excited for some representation on the soft girl farm life but I felt sort let down. Because in some parts I just couldn’t relate to how one moment her hair’s in a flowy, curly messy bun, and the next minute he can’t run his fingers through her hair because it’s her kitchen kinky . And then their *mixed* child has a kinky afro? It just didn’t add up for me. Cause baby ain’t nobody able to run no fingers through this nappy 4C Hair on my head ..
Overall, Her Soft girl - farm-crafty pottery life after what she had to go through was cute. the book had its cute moments for sure, but for over 500 pages? Yeah.. nah… it could’ve EASILY been wrapped up in 350- 400, *max*.
2.5-3?
March 1, 2025
*2.75
I have conflicting feelings about this book, I think it had potential the first half was very sweet, the FMC being the surrogate to the MMC'S brother wasn't weird and everything seemed to be going well. Up till part 3.
One thing that I dislike in books is throwing in "random plot twists" that don't make sense nor add anything to the book.
Originally, we're told that these MC's don't know each other but part 2 throws in the fact that actually the MMC had a childhood friend with the same exact name as the FMC. And this just leads us down a rabbit hole of origin material that in my opinion didn't add up.
My overall conflict with this book was the pregnancy itself, at first we're told that the father of the baby is the MMC's brother Ardley. Part 3 reveals that the MC was randomly forced to donate his sperm years ago as a "joke" and BAM! The baby is actually the MMC'S baby.
My issue with this is the lack of consent regarding the pregnancy, first of all, Ardley lies to his wife and says that she's infertile therefore they're going to try a surrogate pregnancy. When in fact, he is the infertile one.
Secondly, Ardley in his head goes "oh my brother donated his sperm so I'm gonna use it WITHOUT his consent and lie to my wife and the surrogate about whose sperm it is." HELLO?!?!? This is a literal crime.
Not only did he steal his brothers sperm but he got the FMC pregnant without disclosing anything to her. So the entire time, she thinks she's carrying Ardley's baby when in reality that's not even true. I'm pretty sure that is a literal form of assault.
The FMC is black as well, which in my opinion simply makes it so much worse, because a white man took advantage of her circumstances, lied, and manipulated her.
Ardley THEN tells the FMC the truth at his wife's funeral and is like, "don't tell my brother" and so therefore she doesn't say anything. and when she finally shares the truth, obviously the mmc is in disbelief and angry. WITHIN REASON.
This "plot twist" steered me far away from the book, I simply was able to finish this because all of this was revealed 80% into the book. I honestly recommend everyone in this book go to therapy. Arrests need to be taken place as well.
No way did I think this book would have ended up the way it did.
I have conflicting feelings about this book, I think it had potential the first half was very sweet, the FMC being the surrogate to the MMC'S brother wasn't weird and everything seemed to be going well. Up till part 3.
One thing that I dislike in books is throwing in "random plot twists" that don't make sense nor add anything to the book.
Originally, we're told that these MC's don't know each other but part 2 throws in the fact that actually the MMC had a childhood friend with the same exact name as the FMC. And this just leads us down a rabbit hole of origin material that in my opinion didn't add up.
My overall conflict with this book was the pregnancy itself, at first we're told that the father of the baby is the MMC's brother Ardley. Part 3 reveals that the MC was randomly forced to donate his sperm years ago as a "joke" and BAM! The baby is actually the MMC'S baby.
My issue with this is the lack of consent regarding the pregnancy, first of all, Ardley lies to his wife and says that she's infertile therefore they're going to try a surrogate pregnancy. When in fact, he is the infertile one.
Secondly, Ardley in his head goes "oh my brother donated his sperm so I'm gonna use it WITHOUT his consent and lie to my wife and the surrogate about whose sperm it is." HELLO?!?!? This is a literal crime.
Not only did he steal his brothers sperm but he got the FMC pregnant without disclosing anything to her. So the entire time, she thinks she's carrying Ardley's baby when in reality that's not even true. I'm pretty sure that is a literal form of assault.
The FMC is black as well, which in my opinion simply makes it so much worse, because a white man took advantage of her circumstances, lied, and manipulated her.
Ardley THEN tells the FMC the truth at his wife's funeral and is like, "don't tell my brother" and so therefore she doesn't say anything. and when she finally shares the truth, obviously the mmc is in disbelief and angry. WITHIN REASON.
This "plot twist" steered me far away from the book, I simply was able to finish this because all of this was revealed 80% into the book. I honestly recommend everyone in this book go to therapy. Arrests need to be taken place as well.
No way did I think this book would have ended up the way it did.
May 25, 2025
i can't even get this crap a zero plot was all over the place to many tropes, Juliete is annoying can't take accountability Cal has no backbone
dnf 78 %
“It’s all my fault,” I muttered as I leaned in towards her and ate all the
space between us. My legs brushed hers. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Did you even need the space?” she asked with a half chuckle, “because if
anything, you’ve gotten more gentle with me.” She shook her head as she
looked down, “nothing changed, Cal. Space was supposed to help you find
a way to forgive me, and you’re just confusing me.”
I cupped her face as I released a deep breath. “I’ve already forgiven you,
Juliette,” I whispered softly. She was still looking down. I pulled my brows
together. “Juliette look at me.”
pissed me offfff stopped reading at thatlike wtf truly don't read this crap she did 2 horrible things that was brushed under the rug and he jus so in love with he that he doesn't see it they deff won't me make it
and this omg don't piss me off
I was expecting a beautiful smile out of her, not a smack on the shoulder.
“Why didn’t you address that with me?” She sounded even more frustrated
with me than before. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out because I
was stunned with another smack on the shoulder. “How was I supposed to
know? Huh?” She pulled back and glared at me.
“Ow.” I squinted as I placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed myself
back on the bed. “I was going to tell you at the beach tomorrow,” I said as I
turned my head to look at her.
She rolled her eyes as she scoffed, “I can’t believe you!”
I smiled.
She looked at me annoyed. “Why are you smiling? You were going to
sleep next to me without telling me we were getting back together.”
My smile dropped instantly, and I pulled myself on my shoulder. “Baby,
we were always together.”
Her brows furrowed, “Cal you said you needed space.”
I nodded, “yeah space, not a breakup.”
She laughed sarcastically. “How was I supposed to know that?”
like girl stfu he should have broke up with you, shes selfish and stupid and hes dumb an inlove
dnf 78 %
“It’s all my fault,” I muttered as I leaned in towards her and ate all the
space between us. My legs brushed hers. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Did you even need the space?” she asked with a half chuckle, “because if
anything, you’ve gotten more gentle with me.” She shook her head as she
looked down, “nothing changed, Cal. Space was supposed to help you find
a way to forgive me, and you’re just confusing me.”
I cupped her face as I released a deep breath. “I’ve already forgiven you,
Juliette,” I whispered softly. She was still looking down. I pulled my brows
together. “Juliette look at me.”
pissed me offfff stopped reading at thatlike wtf truly don't read this crap she did 2 horrible things that was brushed under the rug and he jus so in love with he that he doesn't see it they deff won't me make it
and this omg don't piss me off
I was expecting a beautiful smile out of her, not a smack on the shoulder.
“Why didn’t you address that with me?” She sounded even more frustrated
with me than before. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out because I
was stunned with another smack on the shoulder. “How was I supposed to
know? Huh?” She pulled back and glared at me.
“Ow.” I squinted as I placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed myself
back on the bed. “I was going to tell you at the beach tomorrow,” I said as I
turned my head to look at her.
She rolled her eyes as she scoffed, “I can’t believe you!”
I smiled.
She looked at me annoyed. “Why are you smiling? You were going to
sleep next to me without telling me we were getting back together.”
My smile dropped instantly, and I pulled myself on my shoulder. “Baby,
we were always together.”
Her brows furrowed, “Cal you said you needed space.”
I nodded, “yeah space, not a breakup.”
She laughed sarcastically. “How was I supposed to know that?”
like girl stfu he should have broke up with you, shes selfish and stupid and hes dumb an inlove
July 4, 2025
*⭐️⭐️.75
As I begin this review, I just want to start off by saying that I enjoyed the overall idea for this book and I think that it had potential to be better, although there were just a few too many things that caused it to have a lower rating.
First off, I feel as though this book had way too many tropes entangled together and it almost made it hard to follow along with the main trope or conflict of the story. I think that some of the tropes could have been removed and the book would have seemed to stay more on track, instead of branching off to address these side plots that really didn’t affect the situation.
Another thing that was somewhat small but still addressable was the mass amount of spelling and grammatical errors that was evident throughout the book. I felt like at most times, I was confused because of the spelling errors and while I figured out what she was meaning to say, I still took some time.
Also, I think that the way in which the story was lined up, it was almost predictable. One of the flashbacks was placed pretty early in the book and kind of gives away the big “surprise” that was found out towards the end of the book by the characters. So I’m not saying that it shouldn’t have been there, in fact the flashbacks were a great addition, although I think they should have been more strategically placed throughout the book.
One last thing, adding on to the flashbacks I wish there were more and I wished she used those more to really explain the past of the main character so that we could connect with her better and understand on a deeper level how she came to be in this small town.
Overall I don’t actually hate this book l, I see that this author has a lot of potential for her future books and storylines and I think that she can just learn from the little mistakes in this one to make her next novel even better.
P.S (I also will definitely be reading her other books because I definitely sense good storylines and growth in the narratives so I’m excited to embark on her next novels!!)
As I begin this review, I just want to start off by saying that I enjoyed the overall idea for this book and I think that it had potential to be better, although there were just a few too many things that caused it to have a lower rating.
First off, I feel as though this book had way too many tropes entangled together and it almost made it hard to follow along with the main trope or conflict of the story. I think that some of the tropes could have been removed and the book would have seemed to stay more on track, instead of branching off to address these side plots that really didn’t affect the situation.
Another thing that was somewhat small but still addressable was the mass amount of spelling and grammatical errors that was evident throughout the book. I felt like at most times, I was confused because of the spelling errors and while I figured out what she was meaning to say, I still took some time.
Also, I think that the way in which the story was lined up, it was almost predictable. One of the flashbacks was placed pretty early in the book and kind of gives away the big “surprise” that was found out towards the end of the book by the characters. So I’m not saying that it shouldn’t have been there, in fact the flashbacks were a great addition, although I think they should have been more strategically placed throughout the book.
One last thing, adding on to the flashbacks I wish there were more and I wished she used those more to really explain the past of the main character so that we could connect with her better and understand on a deeper level how she came to be in this small town.
Overall I don’t actually hate this book l, I see that this author has a lot of potential for her future books and storylines and I think that she can just learn from the little mistakes in this one to make her next novel even better.
P.S (I also will definitely be reading her other books because I definitely sense good storylines and growth in the narratives so I’m excited to embark on her next novels!!)
April 16, 2025
I enjoyed many aspects of Candle In The Wind by Tamisha Kuenee; I loved the MMC, he was so hopeful and kind in all portions of his life. The MFC was amusing and some of her dialog was funny. However, the story was needlessly long without actually bringing closure and clarity to some of the plot lines. Because it was a fun if long read😊 I gave it a 3.75 and rounded it to 4.
Juliette Rhodes had contracted with a couple to be their surrogate when the couple had a terrible accident, putting their entire arrangement in jeopardy. When his brother and sister-in-law are injured Callum Oakes steps in to handle their affairs, including their oddly familiar surrogate, Juliette. Could Juliette be his lost best friend from childhood and first love?
Things I liked: sweet MMC, funny MFC, found family, small town vibe, sweet epilog (I will forgive much if the epilog is satisfying)
Things that made me smh: No real closure for her horrible ex, Christian, Stalking Amber kept showing up aggressively with no consequences and the reprimand she received from Callum the readers are not able to “hear”, who hires a heavily pregnant woman to be a delivery driver and how does the same heavily pregnant woman open a brisk business in her last trimester? And Callum and his father never had another conversation after the fireworks at Thanksgiving…
But even with these reservations, I did enjoy the story and at the end of the day that is the most important thing, right?
https://theretiredreader.com/f/candle...
Juliette Rhodes had contracted with a couple to be their surrogate when the couple had a terrible accident, putting their entire arrangement in jeopardy. When his brother and sister-in-law are injured Callum Oakes steps in to handle their affairs, including their oddly familiar surrogate, Juliette. Could Juliette be his lost best friend from childhood and first love?
Things I liked: sweet MMC, funny MFC, found family, small town vibe, sweet epilog (I will forgive much if the epilog is satisfying)
Things that made me smh: No real closure for her horrible ex, Christian, Stalking Amber kept showing up aggressively with no consequences and the reprimand she received from Callum the readers are not able to “hear”, who hires a heavily pregnant woman to be a delivery driver and how does the same heavily pregnant woman open a brisk business in her last trimester? And Callum and his father never had another conversation after the fireworks at Thanksgiving…
But even with these reservations, I did enjoy the story and at the end of the day that is the most important thing, right?
https://theretiredreader.com/f/candle...
May 22, 2025
Not the worst thing I’ve ever read. However, if your like me and you enjoy a book more based off of characters, you’ll hate it. I’m a person that if the fmc doesn’t interest me (and most books they do) I don’t enjoy it.
Spoliers****
The main character was just there, which is a shame because she was a woc, and there’s so few books with representation. I really wanted to love her, but she didn’t feel completely fleshed out. Also, the mmc fell in love with her too quick in my opinion. I’m not saying they needed 20 chapters of a slow burn, but she had literally never opened up to him at the point where he thinks to himself “I’m in love with her”. He didn’t know yet about her toxic ex, which we as readers didn’t even know either (another part of the book that didn’t feel fleshed out), didn’t know who she was when she was younger, and didn’t know the extent to which she was lying to him.
Then there’s the entire, his brother used his sperm to have a kid, part. The fact that he still spoke to his brother, and honestly even Juliette (albeit, she didn’t know till later) is insane. Even though she found out at the funeral, telling him it’s his kid is kinda important?? And then to say it at a dinner party with his whole family? Nobody but Callum was redeemable in my eyes.
I gave it 3 stars to be nice, but it was honestly a waste of my time. The only thing I liked about the book is Callum and I typically don’t like the mmc more than the fmc.
Spoliers****
The main character was just there, which is a shame because she was a woc, and there’s so few books with representation. I really wanted to love her, but she didn’t feel completely fleshed out. Also, the mmc fell in love with her too quick in my opinion. I’m not saying they needed 20 chapters of a slow burn, but she had literally never opened up to him at the point where he thinks to himself “I’m in love with her”. He didn’t know yet about her toxic ex, which we as readers didn’t even know either (another part of the book that didn’t feel fleshed out), didn’t know who she was when she was younger, and didn’t know the extent to which she was lying to him.
Then there’s the entire, his brother used his sperm to have a kid, part. The fact that he still spoke to his brother, and honestly even Juliette (albeit, she didn’t know till later) is insane. Even though she found out at the funeral, telling him it’s his kid is kinda important?? And then to say it at a dinner party with his whole family? Nobody but Callum was redeemable in my eyes.
I gave it 3 stars to be nice, but it was honestly a waste of my time. The only thing I liked about the book is Callum and I typically don’t like the mmc more than the fmc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2025
far too many plots in one, the characters didn’t have enough urgency for certain moments that revealed big things (those reveals were also predictable) but when there were times where the characters needed to have urgency or look more into whatever they found out, they did NOTHING to show that it bothered them or that they were worried about it. basically what i’m saying is that the fmc and mmc just brushed past every reveal then in the next chapter always continued like nothing happened. then on top of that, they added an extra character a couple of chapters before the book could end. (TINY SPOILER AHEAD) the character name was pinky and we found out that she was running away from an arranged marriage, basically being a run away bride, and the fmc juliette had also been a runaway bride but not once did juliette tell her that she could relate, to talk to pinky about it with a one on one conversation. but on the last chapter pinky was going back home regardless??? i was so confused to why introducing pinky even mattered if she didn’t make any personal connections with the fmc nor did she even runaway for good. she basically just had a two week vacation just to go back to her arranged marriage..
February 7, 2025
4.5 stars!! (arc review)
omg!! this book was filled with so much emotion it is truly a one of a kind book. the writing is so immersive and the story is even better. all the characters are funny and wonderful and truly the epitome of a found family (bailey and jacks ily) i cried multiple times reading this and even after that i legitimately couldn't stop reading! the love callum and juliette have is the type of love i strive to one day have, someone who will be there for me through ups and downs, and really cherishes and appreciates me for who i am deep down. and can we talk about callum?? please that man is absolutely PERFECT everything he did for juliette literally brings tears to my eyes, despite everything he always loved her and stayed a constant in her life. the ending was beautiful i loved reading how much they love clay, that love not only impacted them but impacted me reading about it.
omg!! this book was filled with so much emotion it is truly a one of a kind book. the writing is so immersive and the story is even better. all the characters are funny and wonderful and truly the epitome of a found family (bailey and jacks ily) i cried multiple times reading this and even after that i legitimately couldn't stop reading! the love callum and juliette have is the type of love i strive to one day have, someone who will be there for me through ups and downs, and really cherishes and appreciates me for who i am deep down. and can we talk about callum?? please that man is absolutely PERFECT everything he did for juliette literally brings tears to my eyes, despite everything he always loved her and stayed a constant in her life. the ending was beautiful i loved reading how much they love clay, that love not only impacted them but impacted me reading about it.
February 17, 2025
I was immediately hooked when I saw the teasers and artwork going around for this book sue me but I love to see a black woman in love especially in different setting then I may be used to reading about.
I would also say around the 20% mark is when I really got engrossed in this book we went through lots of twists and turns and for a small town but this had lots of drama which I guess makes sense but still ya girl was gasping at certain scenes and don’t get me started on Callum omg that man loved our main girl down I’m like 10000% sure he loved her in the first second of meeting her but don’t get it twisted that slow burn absolutely ate I swear the first kiss had me squealing and cheesing like it was me.
And yall this is a hefty book but there were so many times when I didn’t want it to end and just keep going so I could see more of our main couple because they were everything to me .I was so sad in that epilogue to let these two go because their love was absolutely everything and it wasn’t easy but they made it through just making their love so raw and authentic and most importantly believable
I would also say around the 20% mark is when I really got engrossed in this book we went through lots of twists and turns and for a small town but this had lots of drama which I guess makes sense but still ya girl was gasping at certain scenes and don’t get me started on Callum omg that man loved our main girl down I’m like 10000% sure he loved her in the first second of meeting her but don’t get it twisted that slow burn absolutely ate I swear the first kiss had me squealing and cheesing like it was me.
And yall this is a hefty book but there were so many times when I didn’t want it to end and just keep going so I could see more of our main couple because they were everything to me .I was so sad in that epilogue to let these two go because their love was absolutely everything and it wasn’t easy but they made it through just making their love so raw and authentic and most importantly believable
April 25, 2025
2.5⭐️
We started real good, and there were still parts of the book I enjoyed. But at the half way point, it just wasn’t going anywhere.
First of all, 500+ pages and we had no real backstory about Juliette and her ex or Cal’s past, no backstory on Pink or Ava, no backstory on Cal and his dad, none on Juli’s parents, just nothing. Stuff would randomly happen and we were supposed to be follow along??
Also, the writing was just not it I’m sorry. And then there’s Ardley, Amber and her ex somehow ironically named CHRISTIAN BALE????! It’s wrong to group Ardley with them but mygod, you create a contract and ditch your child because your wife died and you manipulated both Juli and Cam by not fessing up that it was his child all along?!!! And then Amber, where tf do I even start. We barely know anything about her, and neither did Juli apparently.
This was cute, aesthetics were cute, but it was just so…bleh. Like yes girl, give us nothing
We started real good, and there were still parts of the book I enjoyed. But at the half way point, it just wasn’t going anywhere.
First of all, 500+ pages and we had no real backstory about Juliette and her ex or Cal’s past, no backstory on Pink or Ava, no backstory on Cal and his dad, none on Juli’s parents, just nothing. Stuff would randomly happen and we were supposed to be follow along??
Also, the writing was just not it I’m sorry. And then there’s Ardley, Amber and her ex somehow ironically named CHRISTIAN BALE????! It’s wrong to group Ardley with them but mygod, you create a contract and ditch your child because your wife died and you manipulated both Juli and Cam by not fessing up that it was his child all along?!!! And then Amber, where tf do I even start. We barely know anything about her, and neither did Juli apparently.
This was cute, aesthetics were cute, but it was just so…bleh. Like yes girl, give us nothing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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