DNF 40%
I tend to force myself to at least read 50% of each book I start before dnfing it but when the characters are that big of a hurdle I just don't .
I've don't even want to write a proper review . I wrote some of my thought down so I'm going to put them here but this review is not good. Really don't even bother reading it.

- Trent and Ophelia are a shitty ass couple but I guess it's what high school romance feels like . When she started beating him I didn't understood what she was doing .
Winter is insufferable . What do you mean "What Trent and Ophelia had was better than my nothing" ? It is wayyy better to be single than be with someone you don't want do be and end up betting the shit out of one another for "fun" or as a foreplay type of shit. She is sad and pathetic but even at your lowest you can see that they're fucked.
At least she added "but nothing like what I dreamed" , at least she acknowledge that at some point they might just killing each other.

- Winter being "a bitch" ? Like what do you mean? She is one of the flattest character I've ever read about . She not a bitch she just have no personality whatsoever.
"Damn. I forgot everyone existed. I am such a bitch. I wish I could forget I existed sometimes" forgetting someone from school is not being a bitch It is the much "normal" thing she has done so far. And also calling yourself a bitch is not

I was going to finish it because of how short it is but I can't . I didn't even meet the love interest.
Winter is again insufferable. "that meant even August, the reclusive art kid whose name I couldn't remember five seconds ago, wasn't interested in me." I have no ideas who does she think she is to have those thought . I understand when your are insecure, sad and maybe depressed you can have this kind of reflexion . And reflecting on it Winter is the cliché of what a depressed teenager would look like but I didn't get far enough to see if her behaviour have been addressed but her lack of personality is genuinely exhausting.

The Candy Cane Saga is split into nine episodes, that you would in theory binge watch. I don't know if each episode is the same length as I only had access to episode one: Winter and the Drug of love. This book/episode was only eighty-five pages long. Just enough to introduce us to key players, set up a cliffhanger and then end.

The book is told through Winter's point of view, sometimes the writing looks more poetic almost like we are reading her diary or thoughts. We also meet August who Winter describes as a new kid she thinks looks like an elf. Considering the episodes go back and forth between Winter and August, until the last one, I think it's safe to say that although August played a small role in the first book, we will most likely be seeing him more in the series.

Thank you to b.t. gottfred and bold soul books for providing NetGalley with this book. I received it in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I'm honestly not too sure how I feel about this part since I'm guessing it's supposed to be like TV show episodes but in novel format. This honestly reads like someone who is high as a kite and is tripping badly. It's an interesting thought but not very well played out. I feel like if all the parts were published at the same time then maybe it would flow better.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Candy Csne: Winter and the Drug of Love is the first episode in a new series that is set out to read like a TV series in book format.
We follow Winter in this short episode. Winter is a teenager who struggles to socialise with others and has one friend and has a huge crush on Zach to the point of sounding obsessive and stalkerish about him.
I forced my way through this book as the plot seemed to jump around a lot and didn't gel well for me. The writing did pick up towards the end of the book, but unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me. I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with my daughter reading this book when she becomes a teenager either.
I don't know if the series will become more insightful and immersive as it gets further into it and maybe if the first few books were released at the same time so you could continue them and see if they pick up as you read it may help but to be honest I think the book would be best released as one book broken into episodes.

It actually was a decent plot, I just of course wish it wasn't so short. I would have also liked to get to know the characters a little more before the end of the "episode" but I do appreciate that in such a short amount of pages, the author had so much going on to actually get me interested. I don't think it was the best idea to write the series as a saga because chances are, a lot of people aren't going to spend their time waiting for the next installment to come out because they're so short and it should have all just been written into one book but I appreciate the concept either way. I don't usually like characters who feel bad for themselves and in time, I'm sure Winter would have started to get on my nerves but for the small amount of time I spent with her, I was interested in getting to know her and the others more. I'd recommend reading, as long as you're aware that it is VERY short and you'll have to wait for the others to come out to get any kind of satisfaction or, of course, ending.

Reading this, I couldn’t help but to think that it felt very.. Immature. Juvenile, even. It was almost like stepping into the head of a younger teen more so than a 17 year old. It read like a diary in some instances and I perceived the writing as a bit messy and chaotic, the plot a little bit all over the place and too fast paced. Granted, I imagine that it might have been done so on purpose.

That being said, this episode was a 80-something pages short novella and read in one sitting. I think the author would have benefited more in making this first episode a bit longer, with more details and backstory to properly catch the reader’s attention.

Look, the concept sounds amazing. I was absolutely hooked and excited to read. Even the episodes sort of structure sounded cool.

Except that the first wasn’t even a hundred pages long, and the writing of the teenagers and the formatting in a few places was just more annoying than anything else. If candy cane is supposed to make you madly in love/lust for someone, it should be deeper than yelling at each other about how much you love them. That and the weird moments where a sentence was spread across half a page were just weird.

Also, by the end, it’s more annoying than anything that the books are split into episodes. Combine a couple so at least the page count hits three digits and then you got me.


Rating: 2.3/5

Recommend? Probably not.

"Candy Cane" felt like a bit of a whirlwind! It was over almost as soon as I started reading, but it's worth mentioning it's an episodic series of stories so each may be a little like this. This fit the overall vibe of the story too, as it's told from the perspective of a teenage girl who constantly overthinks. The author certainly made the story feel organic overall, really capturing Winter's inner voice, even while the rest of the setting captured the outrageous and unrealistic parties akin to teen movies from the early 2000's. I'm interested to see where the story goes and look forward to the next installment, especially as there's something "extra" natural going on.

I give this one 3 because I was interested in reading more, but there's so much story missing as it's a small piece of the bigger puzzle.

I was really hoping this book was going to be as good as the description but unfortunately it just didn't. I also don't see were the other episodes will be released/written.

A new drug is spreading through Veramor High School.
The pill is red and white, Some call it the Drug of Love but most call it CANDY CANE.
There’s some instructions and warnings that come along with taking the drug, so be careful to follow the instructions and be prepared for the after effects.
The concept of this book is totally new for me and I don’t think another author has done this before. This book is split into 9 parts for it to be read like episodes in the hopes that it is consumed and contemplated as one might a television season. I really admire the author for trying something new, I feel like this concept could go one of two ways. It will keep the readers hooked and waiting for the next ‘episode’ to come out or it will put readers off and they won’t read at all. I think the main problem with this is we don’t know how long between each ‘episode’ there will be.

Is the writing amazing? No, but I liked the mystery aspect of this book to try to read the next part. There were many characters to try to keep up with for the start of a story and with a lot going on it was quite hard to keep up with who’s who. I’m not sure at which age this is aimed at but I found the writing very YA but not sure on the topic for YA.

Love a short, episodic novella series! This one, about a love drug called Candy Cane, is wild and fun. Winter is relatable as the yearning, self-conscious, white-haired heroine. The vibe is young love and twisted humor, told with novelty text. Witty banter and dark themes hold promise, and I can't wait to read the next in the series!

The more I read, the better it became. Just wish I could read all the episodes. I found myself relating to Winter in some ways, but really don't like her 'best friend.'

Writing was really bad & hard to understand/ get into. I fear the authro was trying too hard to be differnet and it didn't work out in their favor.

I couldn’t get into this book . The writing was horrible. I hate saying that . I only got through the first pages and had to stop .

DNF — the writing inthis was super strange and after seeing multiple other bad reviews I’ve decided it’s not worth finishing.

I like how the books are broken up into episodes, and I think the story line is interesting. However, I had a hard time following along with the way it was written. I did not like the characters, and I could not relate to the way they talked.


I received an e-arc from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

This is a great read if you're looking for a quick read! I enjoyed reading it and I'm curious to see how it all turn out in the next episodes!

Thank you Netgalley and bold soul books for this arc.

Candy cane by but gottfred
The premise of the book has a unique quality to it.
I liked the episode like story telling, but I did not enjoy the main character. Her narration sounded so much younger she was 16 but sounded like a preteen also disliked how she went back and forth on her opinion and actions. Positive was that it was a quick and easy read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book!

I enjoyed this! I liked the writing style and it moves at a quick pace which I liked! I'm excited for the next episode (book) in the series! Special Thank You to B.T. Gottfred, bold soul books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

This book has such an interesting concept, but it needs a deep edit to get it where it should be.

I understand the idea behind the episodes and, in fact, I really like that. However, the parts need to be bigger and they should read as a television show. The reader should be able to watch it all unfold as if they're truly watching it on a screen. As it stands, the book is missing far too much detail and is written far to juvenile to gain that sort of response.

The writing is, like I said, too young sounding. And even then, I have never met a child who talks like this. When I first started the book, I was under the impression the main character was already on the drugs. Hence the drawn out words and short, quick, almost manic sentences. Then, I discovered that this was just the way the character talked. It doesn't read well, and the character is lacking ways for the reader to connect to them and take them seriously.

There are also several things in this book that just aren't dealt with properly as a few people have already mentioned before.

I hope that the author has a chance to go back and change things before this book is published. I truly believe it could be interesting, but right now...it just doesn't work.