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The Confidence of Wildflowers (Wildflower Duet Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13,676 ratings

My future is a big ‘what if’ at the moment and I’m fine with that.
For the most part.
When Thayer Holmes moves in next door, the grumpy landscaper both fascinates and amuses me.
When he asks me to nanny his kid, it’s a great way to make some extra money.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with Thayer and his adorable son.
There’s a big problem though.
I’m eighteen. He’s thirty-one.
Falling for someone almost fifteen years older than me wasn’t part of my plans, but sometimes things happen when you least expect them.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Everyone deserves to have someone who’s there for them. I want to be your someone.”

________________

Abusers don’t deserve tears. When the last flower was placed on the casket, and it was all over, I didn’t cry. I smiled.

________________

“Love is like wildflowers; It’s often found in the most unlikely places.”

________________

“But that’s life. It’s fluid, always moving, always changing. You either flow with it or you drown.”
“Everyone deserves to have someone who’s there for them. I want to be your someone.”

About the Author

Micalea Smeltzer is an author from Northern Virginia. Her two dogs, Ollie and Remy, are her constant companions. As a kidney transplant recipient she's dedicated to raising awareness around the effects of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant as well as educating people on living donation. When she's not writing you can catch her with her nose buried in a book.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09Q4FJ1Z6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 23, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 23, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13,676 ratings

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Micalea Smeltzer
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Micalea Smeltzer is an author from Northern Virginia. Her three dogs, Ollie, Remy, and Roo are her constant companions. As a kidney transplant recipient she's dedicated to raising awareness around the effects of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant as well as educating people on living donation. When she's not writing you can catch her with her nose buried in a book.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
13,676 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book has an emotional content with plenty of sadness, hope, and love. They describe the romance as exquisite and great. The writing style is well-written and believable. The story keeps readers engaged and hooked with exciting events. Readers love the characters and feel like they are part of the story. They appreciate the age gap and how mature for their age the characters are. Overall, customers find the book enjoyable and relatable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

107 customers mention "Emotional content"76 positive31 negative

Customers find the book's emotional content engaging. They mention it has heart-wrenching highs and lows, with natural emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, and gentleness. The story deals with sensitive topics and is tenderly supported by Thayer.

"...But their story is full of such sorrow, hope, and love. I cannot wait to read book 2!" Read more

"...Without including spoilers, this is an emotional book with a big gut punch so consider yourself warned!..." Read more

"...It brought you through so many emotions so perfectly. I absolutely loved it and book 2 put everything back together again in such a realistic way.😭🥹💕..." Read more

"...Minus a star for absolutely breaking my heart." Read more

65 customers mention "Romance"65 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's romance. They find the dialogue, love story, and storytelling engaging. The characters, banter, and connections are also appreciated. Readers describe the book as a good age gap romance with heartache and pain.

"...But their story is full of such sorrow, hope, and love. I cannot wait to read book 2!" Read more

"...It was obvious there was a strong connection between Salem and Thayer and the ending made it obvious their story was going to continue in the second..." Read more

"Easy wonderful read. Beautiful tragic love story that pulls on the heart strings. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series." Read more

"The romance between Thayer and Salem was great and got even better as the book went along. I wasn’t all that interested in the side characters...." Read more

41 customers mention "Writing style"35 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style. They find it well-written and easy to read. The characters are believable, natural, and realistic. Readers love the story's details and find it heartbreaking yet realistic.

"This was my first Micaela Smeltzer book and I really liked her writing style...." Read more

"This book was so well written and I read it in a day because I couldn’t stop. It brought you through so many emotions so perfectly...." Read more

"Easy wonderful read. Beautiful tragic love story that pulls on the heart strings. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series." Read more

"...The way the author wrote the tragedy at the end of the book was very realistic and brought tears to my eyes...." Read more

31 customers mention "Story length"24 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story. They find the writing captivating and the fast pace exciting, keeping them hooked and wanting more. The plot twists keep readers hooked and turning the pages.

"..."The Confidence of Wildflowers" is a page turner with a lot of twists and turns. I honestly do not know how I feel about Salem and Thayer...." Read more

"...She gives you just that. I like that there wasn’t instant attraction/bone-jumping feelings. Things moved very slowly...." Read more

"...was the perfect pace for all the things that happened, I never felt bored or strung along...." Read more

"...as Salem’s voice (the narrators voice) just seemed very contrived in the first few chapters which threw me off...." Read more

23 customers mention "Character development"19 positive4 negative

Customers find the characters believable and easy to connect with. They feel like they are part of the story and can relate to the characters' emotions.

"...My emotions were all over the place with this one. I enjoyed all the characters, the banter, the connections personally and in the story...." Read more

"...Forrest is the cutest, and he is so smart! I absolutely loved his interactions with Salem...." Read more

"...Lots of spice and a good plot with well developed characters. Will definitely be reading more books in this series." Read more

"...the mood to get into something else than a Stand alone but the characters are amazing!!!..." Read more

14 customers mention "Age gap"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the age gap intriguing. They describe Salem as young but mature for her age. The book explores a coming-of-age love story with a small-town girl falling for an older man.

"...I love a good age gap story, but I think the 18 year old fact had me cringing a bit. But their story is full of such sorrow, hope, and love...." Read more

"...She was young, but also mature for her age and I liked that she didn’t feel the need to do the norm and go off to college and immediately figure out..." Read more

"...I thought the age gap was incredibly well done, and I really appreciate the development of the love and bond between the FMC and the MMC...." Read more

"...saying Thayer was a certain number of years older but it never matched up with their ages...." Read more

12 customers mention "Likability"12 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's likability. They find the characters endearing and relatable. The story is described as sweet and slow-burning, with a lovable young woman and grumpy older man.

"...She is such a sweet and gentle soul, and when the grumpy next door neighbor moves in she wasn't expecting that tether she feels towards him...." Read more

"...It was sweet, airy, with touches of heartbreak that left you feeling sad for the characters...." Read more

"...I laughed with them, I cried with them, I loved with them. The MFC Salem is so lovable and has such a beautiful soul...." Read more

"...A slow burn between a sweet bubbly younger woman and a grumpy older man. This book is paced so well...." Read more

19 customers mention "Pace"12 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pace. Some find it fast and engaging, with short chapters that keep them hooked. Others feel the story drags a bit after about 200 pages.

"...Things moved very slowly...." Read more

"...I was a little unsure about this after the first couple chapters. They were slow and I was on the fence about Salem...." Read more

"...It was the perfect pace for all the things that happened, I never felt bored or strung along...." Read more

"Pretty fast read. All the big part in the book are definite at the last 10-15% of the book. It’s a bit quirky and emotional. But a good book." Read more

Incredible, definitely in my top five for this year!
5 out of 5 stars
Incredible, definitely in my top five for this year!
I cannot adequately express the ways in which this book broke me. I’m an emotional wreck for so many reasons.Thayer is the MMC and he is your typical grumpy neighbor until you dig deeper. His character is intense, but so unbelievably kind and caring. He is absolutely everything. Then there’s Salem, the FMC. She’s 18/19 and young, but also mature and has a real knowledge of herself. One that I definitely didn’t have at that age. She has not had an easy go in life, but she owns herself and doesn’t let it bring her down. Her and Thayer together absolutely give me life.The plot is what really grabbed me; I couldn’t put this down. I was consumed by the story and couldn’t think of anything else. It was the perfect pace for all the things that happened, I never felt bored or strung along.I honestly would not have made it if I read this before the next book was out. I said I was a wreck, and I am not kidding. It’s a grumpy/ sunshine, age gap, intensely emotional read. I highly recommend, check trigger warnings. This will definitely be a top 2022 read, I know it.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2025
    Wow just wow! "The Confidence of Wildflowers" is a page turner with a lot of twists and turns. I honestly do not know how I feel about Salem and Thayer. I love a good age gap story, but I think the 18 year old fact had me cringing a bit. But their story is full of such sorrow, hope, and love. I cannot wait to read book 2!
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2024
    This was my first Micaela Smeltzer book and I really liked her writing style. I know there is mention of the age gap in the official summary, but I found myself being bothered throughout the book by her being only 18. Not the author’s fault since it’s known from the beginning, but I only gave this book 4 stars because of this. Ignoring the age gap, I still loved Salem (sunshine) and Thayer (grump) as individuals. She was young, but also mature for her age and I liked that she didn’t feel the need to do the norm and go off to college and immediately figure out what she wanted to do with her life. He was the broody, grumpy single dad that was brought to life by her sunshine spirit and cookie dough cupcakes 😊. Without including spoilers, this is an emotional book with a big gut punch so consider yourself warned!

    It was obvious there was a strong connection between Salem and Thayer and the ending made it obvious their story was going to continue in the second book. I’ve already started the next book to see what happens with them!

    Tropes:
    Age Gap
    Single Dad
    Grump/Sunshine

    Favorite quotes:
    “Wildflowers are strong. Resilient. They can grow under most conditions. I want to be like that.” I let my hair down, his eyes watching my movements. “I want to have the confidence of wildflowers—to never give up, to flourish, and thrive.” - Salem

    “Mostly, I just don’t like the idea of you by yourself after a nightmare like that. You deserve to know you’re not alone, that someone’s beside you to fight your battles with you.” - Thayer
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2025
    This book was so well written and I read it in a day because I couldn’t stop. It brought you through so many emotions so perfectly. I absolutely loved it and book 2 put everything back together again in such a realistic way.😭🥹💕
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2024
    Easy wonderful read. Beautiful tragic love story that pulls on the heart strings. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022
    The romance between Thayer and Salem was great and got even better as the book went along. I wasn’t all that interested in the side characters. They honestly just seemed like filler and I skipped over some pages when it felt like not much was happening. I really was just reading for the romance between T and S. Pros for this book were it was angsty, which I like. This book also had a significant turning point toward the end of the novel. One of my major complaints with romances (and why I DNF a lot of them is because after the characters get together, there is not anything significant happening after, and the last half of the book feels like a very long, albeit boring happily ever after. Although I feel that the time between when the characters got together and the catalyzing event that shifted the story were a little to far apart, at least there was one that kept me reading until the end. At first, I didn’t know if I would finish this book as Salem’s voice (the narrators voice) just seemed very contrived in the first few chapters which threw me off. Her voice in the beginning felt like the opening pages of a rom-com yet this was a girl who survived sexual abuse and then had a string of other tragedies befall her in the course of the novel. I didn’t even have a clear picture of what she looked like until maybe 40 percent in when it was mentioned she was blonde. Other than that, we didn’t really get much description about Salem’s appearance but a lot about her cat and movie preferences. I also just thought the molestation was glossed over in general, making it like she received therapy but was otherwise okay (aside from occasional nightmares), which I found strange, but I get that wasn’t the story the author was telling. I just wondered why it was part of Salem’s history at all since that’s such a significant event to not be a major part of the plot. It could be edited out of the story completely, and the story could have been told just the same so I just wondered why it was there in the first place but not made significant to the plot or her characterization other than the trouble sleeping. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book, especially the last few chapters because that was the real meat of the plot. The way the author wrote the tragedy at the end of the book was very realistic and brought tears to my eyes. But I did feel like it was hinted at a little to blatantly. I definitely knew it was coming probably 20% into the book. So overall, it was pretty good, but I’m still on the fence about whether I’ll read the second one.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2025
    This was beautifully written, but I just spent the last 25 minutes bawling. Minus a star for absolutely breaking my heart.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025
    I just finished reading this book in one day. I love it so much that I'm rereading it right now...lol
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022
    Micalea Smeltzer has touched on so many emotional triggers not to mention some taboo tropes and tops it off at the end with a surprise twist that will devastate your heart and soul. One thing I do know is that I don't believe Micalea intends to leave us in this sad state. Part two of this duet is do out the following month. As she uses Wildflowers in her titles, I know that she will return us to the beauty of romance and enduring love.
    In part one you find eighteen year old Salem on the cusp of her life. Recent high school graduate with all the choices/paths in front of her. Unlike most her age, she is content to spend her days in the town she grew up in. This summer brings something new and wonderful to her life - a new neighbor. His name is Thayer and he is a grumpy landscaper. He is also a dad of an adorable little boy and he is thirteen years Salem's senior. As we all know, no matter what the brain tries to reason, the heart has a mind of it's own. Salem is drawn to Thayer despite the age difference and that he is also her "boss" when she agrees to watch his son for him.
    As I mentioned in my opening, there is quite a bit of angst in this story of awakenings. Despite all the tears, this story is going to grab you and hold you, tying it to your heart. I will be sitting here, rocking and sobbing for the concluding half of the duet that is coming soon. Come read along with me and we will hold each other up.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Diem
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book destroyed me, I loved it
    Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2023
    Single dad, Nanny, grumpy neighbour next door, age gap. 4.5 stars
    This book was everything, and it completely destroyed me. It made me laugh, made me swoon, made me absolute sob and want to throw the book across the room... Micalea made me feel every single emotion possible. This story is absolutely stunning and made me fall in love with Salem and Thayer. I highly recommend, but be sure to have book 2 and tissues on hand.
  • Samya
    3.0 out of 5 stars Salem e Thayer
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 18, 2023
    Eu realmente achei que eu iria amar esse livro, até os 30% eu tava super curiosa e amando toda a leitura e o problema por eu não ter gostado tanto assim não foi o Age Gap pois eu amo livros assim mas foi como a autora se perdeu no desenvolvimento de sentimentos dos personagens e na escrita que decaiu ao passar os acontecimentos entre os dois protagonistas.

    Salem tem um trauma com seu próprio pai e a autora não soube desenvolver muito bem isso, apenas uns momentos fofos com o mocinho não foi o bastante para me convencer e por muitas vezes ela colocou hot sem pé nem cabeça, ela tinha um namorado muito bom para ela que ficou com ela até o fim, mesmo depois dela ter traído ele, achei Caleb o mais sensato, fofo e interessante e no fim achei a Salem egoísta.

    A maior parte de como a Salem vê o Thayer é apenas por desejos sexuais e a autora enfatiza muito isso, o que me incomodou.

    Eu queria ter me apaixonado tanto assim pelo Thayer mas a autora não diz nada sobre quem ele é por trás nesse livro, talvez isso esteja para os outros 2 livros porém aqui você tem apenas a visão de que tanto a mocinha e o mocinho tem apenas sentimento sexual um pelo o outro, pelo menos eu me senti assim e achei que a autora se perdeu no romance em si, tanto que ela solta uma bomba no final DO NADA e ainda coloca um plot de gravidez.

    Eu não sei se irei continuar a história deles dois pois aqui não foi um bom começo, ainda mais com esse plot de gravidez. Enfim, eu esperava muito mais.
  • Cliente de Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sin palabras
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 23, 2022
    Acabo de terminar el libro y no se por donde empezar… Micaela definitivamente se ha convertido en una de mis autoras favoritas.

    No voy a darte spoilers pero te dire que te hagas un favor y comienza a leer ya.
  • mrr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 1, 2023
    Lots of romance and pain
  • Amy Falcone
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read
    Reviewed in Spain on April 18, 2022
    𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: age gap, forbidden romance, forced proximity, single dad, cheating, small town, angst and hot steam

    *TW for s*xual abuse, death of a loved one, cancer*

    💭

    First time reading anything by the author and it has been quite a good surprise. Do I think it's mind-blowing as everyone claims? Not really! But was it a good read? DEFINITELY!!!

    At first I didn't have that much expectation because I'm not someone who loves cheating in books, but in this case I think it was well done.

    As for the characters, I did love both of them. Salem is this young girl who had the worst childhood ever, but she is quite a strong woman. I love how slowly she accepted her flaws and fought for them, but towards the end, she became quite a confusing character. Instead of being there for the hero, she kept going to her ex to find a shoulder to cry on, which I didn't like because the hero was there for her everytime.

    As for the hero, aka Thayer, I did love him since he was introduced. I knew he was in love with her since almost the beginning and he proved his love slowly doing all these things for Salem to protect and make her happy. I was so sad he had to lose someone who didn't deserve it, so I do understand his change and actions. I hope he gets his HEA on book two or im suing Micalea 😫😫

    As for the plot twists, I saw them all coming so it was no surprise to me. I understand why people said this book is emotional, but personally I didn't cry because as I said, I saw all the twists coming.

    Now im hoping into book two praying that the plot and twists are more unexpected. Wish me luck!!

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