You have no idea how reading certain stuff hit and got me thinking about things in my past. Anyway, Thank you for your faithfulness. Crazy, yet only God.

Greetings Sis Candice Japhta you are an unusual trophy of Grace & Favour. You were born to defy the Odds. PS. 139:16 & Jeremiah 29:11. Remember: You are standing on the shoulders of a supportive husband & children. So proud of you as a family.

I found the read personal, as I could relate to certain paragraphs and incidents. The author bore her soul, her darkest secrets and challenges, while keeping on bended knee, trusting God's purpose. It was raw, pure and selfless. Well done Candice, this book will hit home, where God intends it to go!

I also read your book on Sunday. I read the book like a reader and not like one who worked on your file—and what an extraordinary story of grace, deliverance into an emergence of purposed state. So Good!

I'm busy with your book and just the first passage, oh my—you are a testimony, Candice. 

It's God's grace and mercy each day. As I read the book, I'm so blessed and thankful for God, as he was all the way in your and Craig's life. May he continue blessing you.

Morning, Ms Japhta. After a week of school holidays, I finally sat down with your book yesterday afternoon and finished reading it last night. You asked me to give some feedback, so here goes. I thought the title for your book was fitting as you document your trials and tribulations and still come out on top. I loved the analogy of the olives that are crushed towards the end of the novel.

As an English educator, vocabulary organisation of details in logical order is something that I always look out for. I thought your story was beautifully written, your vocabulary was excellent, and you have a way of describing events that makes the story seem relatable. Many day-to-day events you refer to are common in many coloured households, and I could only chuckle at many anecdotes you refer to, which remind me of how things happened in my own family and community. Too many to mention.

I liked how you started off your journey from childhood to where you are now. Your easy vocabulary created images in my mind as I read, which I could easily relate to as I've gone through similar experiences.

I admire your courage for exposing your soul and personal experiences, especially the traumatic ones like the sexual abuse, your husband's drug use and infidelity. It couldn't have been easy to reveal them to a public audience. I hope that you haven't been shamed or ridiculed for doing so. It takes real guts to do what you have done.

Another thing I liked was how you describe a difficult situation; the reader is then led to expect a positive outcome, only for another spanner to be thrown into the spokes. A case of it doesn't rain, but it pours. I refer ESP to your relationship with your husband in the beginning stages after your children were born. Other highlights for me were how you integrated those lovely Bible verses at the end of the novel into your writing to make your points stronger. I thought the idea of having your husband and children write their own little side notes and tributes to you at the end of the novel was a lovely idea because it gives the reader an idea of how much you are loved and respected. In conclusion, I loved the fact that you never once gave up on any of the challenges that life threw at you, and you came out a winner. Especially admirable is your forgiving heart towards your dad and your husband after the infidelity and drug use, where the easier option would have been to give up and move on. You come across as a positive person who has learned harsh lessons and tries to live life to the fullest. I look forward to your next novel. I think you said it will detail your mommy issues. I wish you well in your career as a novelist. BTW, thanks again for signing my book and putting it in a lovely package. I was taken aback by the request for the photo, but in hindsight, I'm glad I agreed to it.