I ended up not finishing this book yet because I struggled with the idea that the female is 18. Generally I guess I’m okay with age gaps but I feel like that is still quite young. For now I’m leaving 2 stars. I don’t know, maybe later on I’ll pick this book up and see where it goes!

"Who we used to be doesn't matter, it's who we are now. What's in our hearts matters most. You're sunshine, Salem, but even the sun doesn't always shine."

The cliffhanger... I am just speechless, still in tears and shock by the emotional turmoil the ending put me through.

From the moment I picked up this brilliant novel, I couldn’t put it down. At the same time, I never wanted it to end. I savored every line, wishing the story could last forever. After wanting to read this book for so long, I’m so glad I finally did. I smiled so much my cheeks hurt.

Salem the main character was so nice, friendly and relatable. She'd been through so much and she still remained being the sunshine she is.

And Thayer, where do I even begin? He was the sweetest, always doing the most thoughtful things purely to make Salem happy. Their dynamic was perfection, every moment between them was an absolute delight. I also have a soft spot for nicknames, and the way he called her “Sunshine” was just the cutest. His words and actions melted my heart, proving time and time again that he was the best. On top of all that, he was an amazing dad. His son, Forrest, was such a sweetheart so smart and kind. Their relationship added another layer of warmth to the story.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend picking it up but be aware that the ending will emotionally destroy you.

Tropes:
Age Gap
Small Town
Grumpy x Sunshine
Single Dad
Slow Burn
One Bed

I went into The Confidence of Wildflowers expecting a bittersweet love story with emotional depth, and for the most part, it delivered. The small-town atmosphere and the slow-burn romance were beautifully written, and I enjoyed following Salem and Thayer’s journey as they navigated their complicated relationship. There’s also a rawness to the writing that made the story feel deeply personal at times.

That being said, there were moments where the pacing dragged, and some of the heavier themes felt like they could have been explored more thoughtfully. It leaned a bit too heavily into drama at times, which pulled me out of the story instead of drawing me in deeper. The ending left me conflicted…it’s impactful, sure, but it might not work for everyone, depending on what you look for in a romance.

Overall, this was an emotional and sometimes heartbreaking read, but it wasn’t quite as balanced as I’d hoped. If you’re into angsty romances with lots of ups and downs, The Confidence of Wildflowers might be a great pick for you. It’s not perfect, but it definitely left an impression.

HOLY FUCK WHAT DID I JUST READ.
thank you to grey's promotions and Micalea Smeltzer for this ARC in exchange for a review!
i'm honestly so stunned. i didn't expect this book to end the way it did. the last 10% was absolutely painful, i don't think i ever want to go through reading that again because my heart hurt so bad.
Salem and Thayers story was absolutely heartbreaking to say the least. what i thought was going to be a cute small town age gap single dad romance turned out to be a very deep forbidden love story. Salem deserves the world, she's been through so much and is continuing to still go through hardships, and she is so strong which is something i admire. Thayer was absolutely charming, and yes i am hurt by the turn of events but you can honestly not blame him. he went through the biggest heartbreak a person can go through.
let me just say i need the second book right now. give it to me. how can i just sit here not knowing what's going to happen. i feel empty and cut off.
i will read whatever micalea smeltzer writes but this was SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN ITS INSANE. the wording and everything about the writing was breathtaking.

I saw how many people loved this book so I was so happy to finally get the chance to read it. And wow it did not disappoint. There are so many layers in this one that if I listed tropes, there would be too many spoilers. This being an age gap, spicy romance I knew I would enjoy it. I didn’t know I would fall in love with the characters or be so emotional by the end. And man did it end on a cliffhanger. So I’m jumping right into the second book in this duet because I need resolution. Simply put, just read it.

The Confidence Of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

My rating:
5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Salem, 18 and a recent high school graduate is staying in her small town while her boyfriend Caleb, goes off to college in Boston. Salem meets the grumpy neighbor named Thayer and is instantly attracted to him, the only problems are that she has a boyfriend and that he’s 30 years old.

I went into this one blind, I have really enjoyed that lately! I had no idea what to expect and I absolutely loved this one.

There were lots of triggering elements to this one, which are mentioned in the beginning of the book, so check those out before you read.

I really loved the characters in this book and instantly grew attached to them. There were a few elements that showed Salem’s maturity level, but overall I think she had a lot of growing up to do in a short amount of time.

The ending of this book wrecked me and I was not ready, but even with that, I have to give this one a 5 because I just loved it!

I am off to read book 2 as this ended with a major cliffhanger. Without spoiling it, get your tissues ready 🤧!

Thank you netgalley and Victory Editing Co-Op for this ARC! You can read this now on kindle unlimited!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. what a stunningly deep and beautifully written book. i can’t wait for the sequel (although i dont see how it could do this book justice. the confidence of wildflowers was one i was terrified to read for a while because of the age difference, but far be it from me to not give a book a chance and boy am i glad i picked this one up when i did. without giving too much away, i highly encourage yall to get this off your tbr’s asap rocky, i promise you won’t regret it!

The cover of the book and the synopsis intrigued me. This is a spicy drama filled with trauma. If you want a book that will smash your heart, this is it. I stayed up way too late finishing this book and when I finished I thought "WTF, did I just read?" I won't be reading the next books in the series.

⚠️ Death and abuse

I’m kind of split on this. On one hand I really enjoyed the characters and the overall story. I liked the romance and found it cute. On the other hand, I did struggle with the 18 and 31 age gap. Not as much the gap but the 18 part. That’s SO YOUNG. I also felt like a lot of trauma got thrown in the story that didn’t come back later. Like Salem’s past with her dad for example.

I know there’s a sequel for this. Goodreads warned me to stay away from it and let the series end here but I’m not convinced I can ignore THAT CLIFFHANGER. I don’t love pregnancy trope but I am curious about what happens, so I’ll probably go on and buy the next book *sigh*

Overall this was a good book. I would recommend it, especially for slow burn, age gap romance lovers

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Couldn’t put it down, and it’s been ages since I found a book that made me cry so hard and had to stay up late reading! Just finished second book, less tears thankfully

I am honestly so torn on this review.

On one hand - I read this and the sequel in one day.

On the other hand - I felt that a lot of the trauma introduced didn’t serve a point to further the plot and was haphazardly thrown in.

Also - is it forbidden romance or is it time to call Olivia Benson? *insert “dun dun” noise. While the FMC is 18 and the MMC is 30, the FMC acts more realistically like a 15/16 year old.

I also feel that the TW page is irresponsibly vague. It reads “ There are mentions of sexual abuse, cancer, and death.” What it fails to clarify is that it is CSA (flashbacks and discussion) and death of a child (on page - graphic).

Thank you Page & Vine for the gifted copy.

The Confidence of Wildflowers absolutely destroyed me. The flow of the book was nice and easy, which made it easy to devour it quickly. Thayer is a grumpy dad, but he definitely softened around Salem, which of course made me love him. There was a lot of drama in this book (in the series in general), and it was messy, but it kept me enthralled the whole time. This book was a rollercoaster full of emotional events (please check out the trigger warnings). I cried a lot, and I laughed a lot.

This series in whole, it ripped my heart out and put it back together again. These books were unputdownable. I really recommend them!

This was my first book by Micalea Smeltzer and let me tell you if you need a book where you need to feel some low lows this will do it. I couldn’t stop reading waiting to find out what was going to happen next. I would have given the book 5 stars if it wasn’t for the child loss. I felt like there was enough drama in the book that it felt unnecessary. I also thinking having dual POV would have worked really well for this book.

🩷age gap
🩷 single dad x babysitter
🩷 slow burn
🩷 grumpy meets sunshine
🩷love triangle

Trigger warnings:
❌cancer
❌death including child loss and parent
❌cheating
❌grief
❌abuse

Where to start? The positives. I've been in a bit of a slump and hadn't found anything to keep my attention for more than a few chapters. This definitely drew me in and held my attention. I liked the small town setting. I like the single dad trope.
Now for the downsides. & sadly there were plenty.
Age gap is a trope I am willing to read but for Thayer & Salem it just didn't work for me. Salem seemed so extremely young and immature.
"I’m trying to figure out if it’s the battery, or the ignition, or—” I hold up a hand. “Car speak is a foreign language to me. Speak English.” Are we seriously going to act like a 19 year old licensed driver doesn't know what a battery or ignition are?
Grump Vs. sunshine is another trope I enjoy reading. Again, this one just didn't work in my opinion. And triggers. Alllllll the triggers.
Rape. Cheating. Death. Cancer. It felt like the author tried to squeeze in as many traumatic moments as possible. There were so many times the book didn't flow and just felt very novice. The potential was there but it came up short. Also, the cliffhanger ending did leave me wondering what happens next but not enough to read two more books worth of Salem & Thayer's story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 2 stars.

Thank you so much NetGalley and to the publisher / author for accepting my request to read and review this book!

I heard a lot of hype about this one and was really keen to give it a go! The age gap is something I quite like in romance (I mean, who doenst love an older man)!

However, the protagonists inner monologue was so painfully young and also such a pick me girl. Between subtly shading women who wear revealing clothes, to the “all natural” look of lip balm, to the cats name (and her name) and the constant “I flipped my hair” etc etc.

It was giving Wattpad.

Mixed in with the fact that I thought this was a romance book, maybe a little Colleen Hoover esque drama and yet I find out from a friend that the book as a really tragic and triggering ending? Ew no. I thought the trigger warnings were for the backstory.

Overall, this will work for some people but I am not that person.

Incredibly emotional, and heartbreaking. I loved the relationship between these two, although the ending wasn’t where I had expected it to go. It took some days to come to terms with it, but overall I enjoyed this.

Ok, NGL, this has been on my TBR forever! This was really good! Like, loved it up until a big plot thingie happened at like 70%! I nearly had threw my phone across the damn room, lol! Anyway, now that I'm invested, I gotta read the second book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Page & Vine, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

THIS BOOK. Oh my goodness. I am at a loss for words. I have been emeaning to read it for so long and now that I have, I'm beating myself up at how long I put it off. Too good to wait. READ IT ASAP.

I found the plot of this story quite engaging and it certainly kept me hooked. I loved the writing style and thoroughly enjoyed this read. The only thing that didn't quite sit as well with me was the age gap. Salem just seemed very young. Other than that, I loved it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!