Weightless is a beautifully written and sometimes heartbreaking love story about a girl who is struggling with her identity and her autonomy after graduating high school.
Her boyfriend has just dumped her for a ‘mean girl’, her parents still treat her like a child, and she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life.
Photography is the only thing that seems to make sense of the chaos and it’s the only thing she can seem to control.
After being belittled in front of her so-called friends, Natalie decides that it is time to take charge of her life and do something for herself. She starts going to the gym where she meets Rhodes.
He’s the town bad boy with a bad reputation, but Natalie begins to see more beneath the surface. As they get closer, they discover that they have more in common than they realized.
I really enjoyed Natalie’s transformation, both physically and emotionally.
Her self-doubts and criticisms are things that I think all of us have thought at one point or another about our bodies and our dreams. She’s very naïve, but since she is only 18, that makes her very realistic and relatable.
Rhodes, on the other hand, was a little hard to take at the beginning. His hot and cold demeanor was a little off-putting at first. Once we get to know him and understand him, though, the more endearing I found him.
I was surprised by the underlying mystery of the story. I had expected this book to just be a sweet romance between a good girl and a bad boy, but there is definitely more to the story.
I would have liked to have seen more of that part of the book played up earlier in the timeline since it felt like the conclusion was a little rushed. The epilogue more than made up for the rushed feeling, though.
Overall, Weightless is a sweet read with a little suspense thrown in. The writing itself was fantastic, with lots of wisdom and life lessons sprinkled throughout.
I will definitely be reading more works from this author.
I remember the lights.
I remember I wanted to photograph them, the way the red and blue splashed across his cold, emotionless face. But I knew even if my feet could move from the place where they had cemented themselves to the ground and I could run for my camera, I wouldn’t be able to capture that moment.
I had trusted him, I had loved him, and even though my body had changed that summer, he’d made sure to help me hold onto who I was inside, regardless of how the exterior altered.
But then everything changed.
He stole my innocence. He scarred my heart. He took everything I thought I knew about my life and fast-pitched it out the window, shattering the glass that held my world together in the process.
I remember the lights.
The passionate, desperate, hot strikes of red. The harsh, cruel, icy bolts of blue.
They symbolized everything I endured that summer.
And everything I would never face again.
Rhodes ran a hand through his still-damp hair as he watched me look around. “You want something to drink?”
My eyes found his but dropped a little to note the way his shirt was still sticking to his abdomen. “Just water is fine.”
He nodded, stepping into the kitchen long enough to grab a glass and fill it with ice and water from the fridge. Setting it down on the counter in front of me, he lifted a thumb and pointed to the room down the hall behind him. “I just need to shower real quick. You can too, if you want.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes practically bulging from my head. And for the first time — Rhodes laughed.
Well, he chuckled.
“I meant when I’m done, Natalie.”
“I know,” I said quickly. I totally didn’t know. “I will. When you’re done. I have extra clothes.” Why did I say that?
He quirked a brow. “Guess I won’t be seeing you naked tonight, then.” I thought he was joking, but couldn’t be sure because he left it at that without so much as another smile before turning and disappearing down the hall.
I quickly guzzled down the glass of water he’d given me and refilled it. I needed to cool down. Way down.
Thank you for the advanced copy of WEIGHTLESS by Kandi Steiner. All opinions are my own.
Want more? Check out these posts!
Kandi Steiner is a Creative Writing and Advertising/Public Relations graduate from the University of Central Florida living in Tampa with her husband. Kandi works full time as a social media specialist, but also works part time as a Zumba fitness instructor and blackjack dealer.
When Kandi isn’t working or writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys beach days, movie marathons, live music, craft beer and sweet wine – not necessarily in that order.
date published : June 16, 2016
pages : 400
audiobook narrator: Marie Mitchell
audiobook length: 9 hrs, 2 min
I remember the lights.
I remember I wanted to photograph them, the way the red and blue splashed across his cold, emotionless face. But I knew even if my feet could move from the place where they had cemented themselves to the ground and I could run for my camera, I wouldn’t be able to capture that moment.
I had trusted him, I had loved him, and even though my body had changed that summer, he’d made sure to help me hold on to who I was inside, regardless of how the exterior altered.
But then everything changed.
He stole my innocence. He scarred my heart. He took everything I thought I knew about my life and fast-pitched it out the window, shattering the glass that held my world together in the process.
I remember the lights.
The passionate, desperate, hot strikes of red. The harsh, cruel, icy bolts of blue.
They symbolized everything I endured that summer.
And everything I would never face again.
Buy this book
Note: Clicking links on this site will take you to the retailer’s purchase page.
Totally Bex is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.