AN AMAZON TOP 30 BESTSELLER 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 … 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.
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This is the second book I’ve read from this author, and after reading it, I now know why she’s such a huge hit with readers. I don’t know if it’s because the hero hit all of my buttons or if it’s because the heroine shares my name or if it’s because this story tackled body image, which I find underrepresented in romance fiction, but whatever it was, I most definitely liked it.
Natalie has just been dumped by her best friend/boyfriend and replaced with a tiny wisp of a mean girl. After having her image attacked, she finally realizes that it’s time to make a change. At first, it’s all in hopes of getting her boy back. But through her health journey, she starts finding herself and a new form of happiness. Rhodes has a lot to do with that. He was brooding and mysterious and hella sexy and he pushed her and made her question everything. He challenged her and, in my opinion, helped shape her into a better version of herself.
This story had all of the angst I expected, most of it coming from the push and pull act Rhodes had going on. Oh and his lifestyle. WTH was that??? So not okay!!! However, I loved the slow development of his relationship with Natalie. I would have loved getting his perspective on things, but I think the author did a great job of creating a well-developed character through Natalie’s eyes. I’m not a big fan of single POV stories, but this one worked for me. With one heck of a climax, something completely unexpected and I’m still trying to figure out why it was there, this book ended up being an entertaining read and I look forward to the next one.
I’ve been trying to write this review for a few days now and I still don’t really know how I feel 100%.
From what I have seen from the reviews a lot of people didn’t like the plot twist at the end up I actually enjoyed it. From the start I had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t figure it out.
Weightless was heartfelt & I was on the edge of my seat through a good portion of the book but there was still something missing.
Overall, 3.5-4 out of 5 stars. Yeah, that’s all I got on this one……
This is the second book in a row that I have read (listened) of Kandi’s. I’m beginning to really love her romance books. They are steamy without going overboard with it. I love these books but sometimes less is more. It just flows better with the story, especially this one.
I think it’s everyone’s fantasy when there is a break up that the heartbroken person improves themselves in order to make the other person jealous for breaking up with them. I loved that Natalie was able to do this by improving herself not only outwardly, but inwardly as well. Rhodes was a complicated character. He was moody as all get out and probably would have driven me crazy, but at the same time he had a sweetness about him. I am glad he was able to overcome his demons and be the person he needed to be for Natalie and himself.
Natalie was easy to root for and I loved it when she had the confidence to stand up to the bullies. That was one of the best scenes in the book. I feel like I’m a lot like Natalie, with the exception of being rich.
I did listen to this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrator. The only thing is I think there was something wrong with the recording because in between chapters you could hear a big buzzing sound that was distracting at times. Still, it was worth the credit.
When you read a blurb that is so hauntingly poetically beautiful, so emotive that your heart swells with emotion and tears mist your eyes, so intriguing that you’re left thinking about it days later, you know this is a book you need to read. This was my first Kandi Steiner read, but not my last- and has always been one of my favorites. For me, Weightless is a book that both hurts and heals, a story that feels incredibly intimate and invasive, because I see so much of myself in the story being told, so much of my own heart beat in the emotion and feelings inspired.
Natalie, our newly minted high school graduate, has just been dumped. Like so many newer adults, she’s lost- struggling with who she is, who others want her to be, and her own insecurities, her own feelings of self-worth, which are catalyzed based on her break-up, her ex’s new girlfriend, and the changing social world around her. Her confidence is shattered, and like so many women, myself included, we (unhealthily) tie our perceptions of ourselves in our physical appearance. So, Natalie decides to be proactive and make a change- joins a gym and gets some training. She ends up getting trained by Rhodes, who was a senior in her school when she was a freshman- and he was always an alluring, trouble making mystery to her.
I related to Natalie so much, it felt like Kandi had stripped pieces of my own soul and put them into this character. The feelings of being trapped in your own body, the discomfort in your own skin, feeling judged based on the way you look and who you are friends with/dating, feeling like an outsider in your own world, all of it. And, as someone who also went through a body transformation, I know the kaleidoscope of emotions and existential crisis that is created by simply getting healthier- it only exacerbates your body issues, because the focus on your body is even MORE magnified than it was before. It’s emotionally exhausting, crippling, and confusing- and I felt every ounce of Natalie’s experience, every single emotionally high and low- because I felt such a kindred connection to her and her journey. But, Kandi has given me a gift- I loved and admired Natalie, which in turn means there are parts of me that I need to love and admire as well, because I am so much like Natalie. The way she decided to drive her own destiny, her tender heart, her floundering in her life direction, feeling unclear who she was or what she wanted- that struggle is so real, so familiar, and so tenderly told. The inner strength she found, her internal metamorphosis was so endearing.
Rhodes took a minute for me to understand and love- he’s so complicated, so brooding. He helps Natalie see herself in a different light, builds her up, but he’s incredibly hot and cold. He’s so dreamily mysterious, you just know when you crack him you will love him- he’s clearly got a lot of baggage impacting his actions. And even though I didn’t always understand him, I LOVED him with Natalie. They have a magnetic, soulful, visceral connection and a sizzling chemistry. The kind of connection that helps each of them heal their pain, helps each of them find the best in themselves. It is so beautiful, so endearing, and definitely hot. There’s a lot of push-pull here, but I love that they have a foundation of friendship and mutual care at the core- it makes their connection so palpable, so believable.
Kandi’s writing is phenomenal – she’s such a gifted master of prose. Her writing is at times poetic, always poignant- she gives us a lot of angst, a lot of emotion, and some beautiful developed characters with a masterfully woven chemistry between them. I felt so moved, so riveted, so enthralled in this story- a love story between two lost and hurt people in one beat, as well as a love story between a lost, insecure girl and herself.
Kandi Steiner is a master at making you feel all of the feels and I mean all of them! Weightless is the first book of Kandi’s that I have read outside of the Becker Brothers series and it was absolutely amazing. I could not put this book down. While reading Weightless, I felt every single emotion. It’s such a powerful coming of age story about learning to love yourself for exactly who you are. It’s about learning to love the body you are in and if you don’t, then you and only you hold the power to change that. It’s about the power of the love and all of its wonders. It’s about finding out who you are and rocking the hell out of it. Weightless is one of the best coming of age stories that tackles the very real issues of body image and body shaming so beautifully. It’s realistic and heartwarming. Every single person in the world struggles with loving their body, whether they are a size four or a size fourteen. This story addresses that and shows you that no one else’s opinion of your body matters but yours and that it’s okay to get help and guidance to learn how to love yourself full stop. This book is definitely a top read for me.
At the beginning of Weightless, Natalie Poxton just graduated high school and had an entire summer ahead of her before adulthood started. Well, her boyfriend decides to dump her a few days after graduation and start dating a much smaller and meaner girl. This new girlfriend makes it her life’s mission to make Natalie feel terrible about her body and how she looks. This pushes Natalie to evaluate how she sees herself, as well as how others see her. She didn’t like what she saw. She isn’t comfortable in her own body and she isn’t confident in herself. She hides behind larger clothes and brings herself down more times than I can count. Natalie decides to train that summer at a country club in order to lose weight and get fit. At first, it’s about getting her ex back, but as time progresses, it becomes about Natalie and how she sees herself. It’s not about getting a guy to like you more because you are thinner, but about liking yourself more. Natalie is such a fantastic character because she’s so relatable. She is every girl out there who doesn’t like her body and makes the choice to do something about it. I admire the hell out of Natalie. By the end of the book, she looks and feels her best. She still struggles with feeling confident in herself on a regular basis, but that just shows that she’s human. I loved reading her journey of self discovery and acceptance. It was so refreshing and inspiring.
William Rhodes comes into play as Natalie’s fitness trainer at the club (at first). He’s about three years older than her and they went to the same high school (he was a senior when she was a freshman). He’s moody, grouchy, and distant. I absolutely loved him! Rhodes never left Poxton Beach because his sister went missing when he was a senior in high school and she was never found. He hasn’t been able to leave because he doesn’t know what happened to her. He doesn’t know if she was killed or if she could still be alive. He’s lost, confused, and hurt. He stays in a town that treats him like trash because he’s hoping to find the answers he so desperately needs. He needs to know what happened to his sister. So, he lets himself be used, he lets himself be told he is worthless, he lets himself be told he’s only purpose is for a good time, he lets himself believe that he doesn’t deserve more in his life, and he lets himself believe he doesn’t deserve to be happy. This man broke my heart. He deserved so much more than what he was allowing himself to have. He deserved to be happy, to find his passion in life, and to find someone who loves him passionately and unconditionally. This man deserved so much more than what Poxton Beach gave him. Now, that doesn’t mean he didn’t behave like a total jerk at times and make stupid decisions because he definitely did. He was just so broken that it was understandable why he lashed out and made the decisions he did.
Natalie and Rhodes together is fire! And I mean FIRE! These two fought their attraction for so long. Rhodes tried to say that Natalie was just his client but he knew what a lie that was. These two were so much more than that. They were friends and confidants. Natalie understand Rhodes in a way no one else did. She got him to open up about his life. She learned about his hopes and dreams and encouraged him to pursue them. She showed him that his life is worth so much more than what Poxton Beach had to offer him. He is worth so much more than he ever gave himself credit for. Natalie taught him that he is worthy of love. He is worth and deserves everything! And Rhodes did exactly the same for Natalie. He showed her that she is beautiful, inside and out. It doesn’t matter how others view her, but how she views herself. He encouraged Natalie to be true to herself and what she wants. God, these two were so perfect for one another. They always built each other up and encouraged one another to be the best possible versions of themselves. Natalie and Rhodes are #relationshipgoals! I love everything about this these two. They made my heart so happy, even when I wanted to smack them both! They deserved their happy ending.
Overall, I rate this story a 5/5! This is a truly amazing coming of age story about learning to accept and love yourself as you are. No one else can do that for you. Natalie and Rhodes showed us that love comes in the most unlikely places and that we should never give up on the ones we love. We should build each other up and encourage one another to be our best possible selves. Kandi Steiner did such an amazing job with this story. I felt everything the characters felt. I wanted to laugh when they laughed, I wanted to cry when they cried, and I wanted to shout for joy when they found their happiness. This story will always own a special place in my heart and I have a feeling I’ll be rereading it for years to come.
“Rhodes was an unanticipated thunderstorm. And I danced in his rain.”
I enjoyed this one so much!! Natalie’s transformation was staggering, she really came into her own from beginning to end, and made me cheer for her. Rhodes, the bad boy with a heart of gold, with demons galore really melted me to my chair. The underlying mystery and events that transpired while they each fell made me inhale this book in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!!
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Weightless left me breathless.
Natalie Poxton is at a crossroads in her life. As a newly high school graduate, she should be excited for college and pursuing her dreams. Her stepfather could probably afford to send her anywhere she wanted to go, but Natalie didn’t know where to go or what to do. Her boyfriend of two years shattered her heart on graduation night – and her confidence broke right along with it. On top of that, Willow, her best friend, was leaving for college in just a few short weeks. Watching Lost and eating ungodly amounts of junk food sounded better to Natalie than dealing with reality. #relatable
Mrs. Poxton, who is all about status and appearance, tries to get Natalie to start working out with a fitness guru at the country club. She wants Natalie to get Mason back and fight for him.
Mason is a great kid. He’s from a good family, and he’s going places. Don’t give him up so easily.”
You see, Natalie has always been a bigger gal. A curvy size fourteen to be exact. Her weight or size has never bothered her before, but with people starting to point it out, maybe she should worry about it. Her mother seems to think that when Natalie leaves their town that people will judge her because no one will know that she is Dale Poxton’s stepdaughter.
Later that night, Willow drags Nat to hang out with some friends – including Mason and his new girlfriend, Shay. Nat ends up feeling overwhelmed being put between Mason and Shay, so she flees – and ends up knocking into a smaller girl, when it happened. Shay and some of her friends laughed and called Nat a “fat klutz.” And I could have smacked them hoes! She tells her mom she wants train that same night.
However, Nat didn’t know that Rhodes was going to be her trainer. He was a senior at Poxton High when she was a freshman. Natalie didn’t know much about him, but she knew that he was trouble and troubled. Oh, and flipping gorgeous.
He was beautiful. Crazy? Maybe. Intimidating? Definitely. But, beautiful nonetheless. And beautiful guys like him didn’t befriend girls who looked like me.
It turns out that Rhodes helps Natalie – physically and mentally. But now that she could fight for Mason, did she really want to? She now wants the broken man that has saved her in more ways than one…
And for Rhodes, he had already lost someone very important in his life – his twin sister. He has put his all into trying to solve her disappearance. He was trash and he had nothing to offer. He wasn’t going to bring Natalie into all of it. But sometimes life doesn’t always go the way you want it too….
I loved this story. It’s beautifully written and will make you want to reevaluate your life. Should I go back to school? Write that book? Learn ASL? Reading this has made me realize that it is never too late to fight for something you want. Thank you, Kandi Steiner.
Oh, and that epilogue.
Now, if you will excuse me, I must go call my local gym…. *winks*
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Wow, Wow, and more WOW! What an incredible and indescribable read!
Weightless by Kandi Steiner is completely relate-able and in my opinion,and absolute must read for women everywhere! I keep asking myself, how am I just now reading this book?! I absolutely love Kandi Steiner’s books, and have been kicking myself that I’ve not enjoyed Weightless sooner. She absolutely excels at writing a book that grabs you right by the heartstrings and doesn’t let go. Her books just stay with you, engraved on your heart, and Weightless is certainly no exception.
This book is packed with angst through the roof, and emotion and heat for days! It was completely and utterly addicting, so much so, I already want to read it again! Enjoy xo
This book left my jaw on the floor. I don’t know how Kandi Steiner writes the way she does, but damn, is she ever good at it. It was the CRAFT behind this book that really got to me. It’s flawlessly executed to keep readers on the edge of their seats, wanting to flip pages as fast as possible even as they pause to consider all the beauty and wisdom to be found inside this story. I was in total awe of the plot and character development, as well as the uniqueness of the book in a genre where repetition is often inevitable. This is not a novel to be missed!
So many feels Natalie is young and her boyfriend has broken up with her. she agrees to start working on her weight and getting fit with a personal trainer she finds out is sought out by all the rich women in town. This was an intense ride.
A beautiful and inspiring story of believing and learning to love yourself.
I really loved Natalie and Rhodes’ characters and how they healed each other in different ways. A great amount of angst in a book which I love! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
You know that feeling when you are reading a book and you get totally swept away by it? This is exactly what Weightless did to me. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. This book had everything! Natalie was always a bigger girl and finally decided to do something about her weight. She starts seeing a physical trainer to accomplish her goal. Rhodes is a delicious, tortured man with secrets that are revealed as the book progresses. They work together to fight both of their demons. The angst and tension between them is so real you can taste it. Their passion and love is everything that is good in a romance book! I absolutely loved this book by Kandi Steiner!
Um, wow! I literally read this book in two days. This was the first book I’ve ever read (signed by the author – purchased through the Bookworm Box) by this author. It won’t be my last. The story line pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down. We all love the bad boy, don’t we?
Rhodes is the ultimate bad boy in Poxton town that no one really knows. He turns out to be Natalie’s trainer at the country club after a breakup with her boyfriend. I enjoyed this story line a lot simply because the main female character was not categorized as a tall model like figure. She was a real “bigger” woman and more easily able to relate to her. I put bigger in quotation marks because it’s all really in what one thinks is “big”. I loved how Rhodes made her feel beautiful when she didn’t think so. It was inspiring and enlightened.
If you like a romance with a tiny dusting of mystery thrown in, pick this one up! *this is what I would consider young adult*
OH my goodness this story has given me so many feels. I don’t read a lot of Young Adult romance since I can’t relate to them as I am older. Yet this one had me in tears and captivated the whole time. As I read Natalie and Rhodes story this is more than a love story, this is about someone finding that they are beautiful inside and out.
Natalie is trying to get over her high school sweetheart and the one thing she feels that will make her better is to get into shape. She starts to go to the country club to see a trainer, Rhodes. As she learns more about her internally she starts to see the world a little different and Rhodes is right in front of her. Rhodes to some is a bad boy, but he really is just a misunderstood young man. While working with Natalie he starts to break his walls down and allow something good in.
To see more of my review click on the link on my YouTube Channel- A Day With Ethel.
https://youtu.be/raYywK8QMCM
I loved this book. These are not typical bars tees. Kandi’s writing pulled me in at page 1 and kept me wanting to turn the page to see what happened next.
I really liked this story. It had feels and a great meaning. Loved Natalie! I love the cover too!
Where do I begin?? How can I begin to write a review worthy enough? This book touched my soul as I struggled with weight issues my whole life. I could totally relate to Natalie and her insecurities about being the “big girl”. After her boyfriend, Mason leaves her for Shay, a “smaller” girl she decided enough is enough. Natalie starts at the gym and has a personal trainer named Rhodes. Rhodes was def dealing with his own demons and it showed in the way he treated Natalie. They had a very up and down “relationship” but Rhodes always seem to be there when Natalie needed him and that’s all that matters. There’s a lot more to the story but I don’t want to give anything away. So I will say that this story was full of heartbreak, struggles, anguish, betrayals, self discovery and acceptance. This book had my emotions all over the place. My heart literally ached while reading this book. I also had happy tears while reading. Kandi Steiner blew me away with this book, her writing and most importantly the message. This book will definitely stay with me and is one of my favorites for 2016.
This book will connect with a lot of people. The issues that Natalie faces are unfortunately a familiar set for many.
Natalie has just be unceremoniously dumped by her 2 year boyfriend and very good friend. Not only did he kick her to the curb, but he has a much skinnier version as his new sidekick. Skinnier and bitchier.
At a very low point in her life Natalie makes a rash decision that becomes one of the greatest of her life. Now she just needs to follow through and go to the gym.
When she does she meets her trainer who will have a very large impact on her waistline, her confidence, and her future.
It’s a struggle for confidence. It’s hard to fight the mean girls. Nat is learning more and more about herself and those she calls friends. Too bad what she’s learning about them isn’t exactly confidence boosting.
Rhodes, her trainer, is teaching her to value herself. She is getting there but she’s falling faster for the gorgeous, brooding man. His life is no picnic and they live on opposite sides of the tracks. He can’t let her in, she won’t stop pushing.
It can only end in disaster…but for who?
The idea behind the title gave me goose bumps. I’m not being corny or dramatic, it honestly made me uncomfortable and happy at the same time. It wasn’t the only time either. It’s an incredible story and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.
I had given up reading books with college aged girls in them because they drive me crazy with the drama and the giving up and not fighting for their lurv. For some reason, I downloaded this book despite my dislike of this particular ingénue. And I am so glad I did! This book was really, really good!It started off a little wishy washy, but it got a whole lot better the more I read. The main character is totally wrecked after her boyfriend of 2 years breaks up with her and starts dating the new girl who is skinny and sexy and mean. Girl decides to go to the trainer at the country club. Meets our hero with the shady past and shadier present. What started out as a “I’m going to get my man back” plot turned into something so much more. A coming of age and discovering one’s own self worth kind of story. I would recommend it. The girl starts out a tad whiny, but she gets better throughout the story. And the guy? Hotness!! Baby!
My favorite book by Kandi. A must read by Romance lovers.