A review by bribreez
The Confidence of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

*Trigger warning ⚠️: Childhood sexual abuse, cancer & death

When I came across this book, all I heard was Grumpy/Sunshine, Age Gap, Single Dad, and the potential to leave me in tears and in a emotional wreck… I was ready to dive into this book. I would say Grumpy/Sunshine is my top favorite trope of all, and Thayer Holmes lived up to it, and it felt like a unique take on the beloved trope. While Thayer was a man of few words, he was genuinely kind and thoughtful when it came to Salem. Some grumpy characters tend to be more angry with their female leads and eventually work towards admitting their feelings, but with Thayer it was a combination of being slightly grumpy, but not too much that Salem found him un likable. 

From the beginning of the prologue, it was set up in a way that hinted at the dark topics that were going to be mentioned in the story, but also revealed a little about Salem and her family’s past. It was safe to say that in the present where Salem, her mom, and sister were living their lives was peacefully and without fear hanging over them.

 I found Salem to be a sweet, curious, and wise character. Salem wasn’t your typical eighteen year old teenager. Yes she still hung out with her friend, boyfriend, and maintained her own life, but the things she said such as, feeling older than her age or even younger than her age really spoke to me. At times, I’ve found myself feeling the exact same way of feeling like I’m older or younger than I really am, so in a way I could understand what Salem meant by that. Salem was content with life, but at the same time was trying to find her own path as opposed to the traditional route that most people would take like her boyfriend, Caleb going off to college in Boston. I admired Salem’s independent nature, and how she refused to follow Caleb to Boston just for the sake of being with him, she wanted to make her own choices, and figure out what she truly wanted (albeit it wasn’t always easy to figure out what she wanted to do). 

I loved seeing Salem bring out a more happier, lighter side to Thayer. Yes Thayer was already a happy man when his son, Forrest, but the way Thayer was so carefree and smiling around Salem made me smile so much. I also enjoyed the build up between Salem and Thayer especially because before, both of them were kind of at a blurry edge where they were both clearly attracted to one another, but didn’t want to cross that line. Cut to Salem and Thayer having an impromptu movie night and suddenly all the tension went out the window, and Salem and Thayer could no longer deny their desires for one another. Seeing how they craved one another, and just the pure passion came across the pages had me blushing and gasping. I realize for some people the age gap could be a little bit concerning, but I personally found out it ok because, one, Salem was eighteen and legally an adult, two, Thayer was always respectful and making sure to ask Salem if she was sure about moving forward (whether it was them being intimate or talking about her struggles,etc.)  I always say I’m a hopeless romantic and Thayer and Salem’s blossoming relationship made me giddy and having the biggest smile. For example, the little things Thayer did for Salem spoke so much of how much he deeply cared for her, and come on, a total gentleman *me swooning! In addition, the slight bit of spice was *chef’s kiss, I just loved reading how Salem could make such a strong man like Thayer absolutely lose his control, and give his everything to her! Of course, while the spice was fantastic, I also loved the underlying feeling of Salem and Thayer clearly falling in love with each other the more time they spent together *cue the AWWW sound.

This story was a rollercoaster of emotions. Towards the end, just when I thought everything was going to end on a happy note… things took a turn for the worse. I wasn’t expecting the story to go in the direction that it did, and not to mention the cliffhanger?! Phew Micalea Smeltzer truly put me in the ringer, and had me gasping and I was in pure shock of it all. Overall, this was such a compelling story, and now more than ever I need the second as soon as possible! I have so many questions that I need answered!


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