The Best Candle to Buy When Reading Verity by Colleen Hoover
Book candle pairings have quietly become their own micro genre. Search any BookTok comment section under a psychological thriller video and someone is always asking what to burn while they read. Verity gets asked about more than almost any other Colleen Hoover title, and for good reason. It is a book about manipulation, obsession, and a narrator you should not trust, which means a soft vanilla candle is doing the story a disservice.
We looked at seven candles that actually fit the mood of Verity, from literal tie in products to dark, spicy options built for suspense. By the end you will know exactly which one to light before you open chapter one, including our top pick from our full beeswax candle collection.
Why Verity Needs a Specific Kind of Candle
Verity is not a cozy romance. It is a psychological thriller where intimacy gets tangled up with control, and the whole book runs on the question of whether the narrator is telling the truth. A light, fruity candle undercuts that tension. What the story actually calls for is something warmer and moodier, the kind of scent that feels like it is hiding something.
That is the filter we used to build this list. We skipped anything too clean or too floral and focused on candles with depth, spice, or a little bit of shadow to them.
The 7 Best Candles for Reading Verity
1. MBur Retail Therapy Candle
This is our top overall pick, and honestly the closest scent match to the book's tone. The description alone reads like a scene out of a thriller: dark berries, white flowers, something warm and secretive simmering in an old silver pot. It is rich without being sweet, which fits a story where every character is hiding something.
Best for: readers who want the scent itself to feel like a plot twist.
Wax: 100 percent beeswax. Wick: wooden, crackles softly while you read. Fragrance: phthalate free. Burn time: 20, 40, 55, or 80 hours depending on size. Dyes: none.
Price: starting at $32 for the 20 hour size, up to $60 for the 80 hour size. See the Retail Therapy candle.
2. Briarwick Candles Dark Romance
If you want something that leans fully into the leather jacket, dark cologne end of the spectrum, this one is built for it. Notes of black currant, tobacco, amber, black tea, pepper, patchouli, musk, teakwood, and leather make it one of the moodiest candles on the market right now, and it is marketed specifically for dark romance reading.
Best for: readers who want a smoky, almost gothic atmosphere.
Wax: soy. Wick: cotton. Fragrance: essential oil blend. Burn time: approximately 50 plus hours in the 8oz size. Dyes: unspecified.
Price: for the 8oz size.
3. Robynn Joy Company Verity Soy Candle
This is the literal tie in option, made specifically to pair with the book. It is described as light and airy with an after rain spice element, which is a gentler take than most of the other picks here. If you want the novelty of a candle that references the book by name, this is it.
Best for: readers who want the book reference more than the mood match.
Wax: soy. Wick: cotton. Fragrance: essential oil. Burn time: not listed. Dyes: unspecified.
Price: based on typical boutique candle pricing.
4. P.F. Candle Co. Cedar Soy Candle
This one is grounded and earthy rather than dark, with petitgrain, sandalwood, and rosemary giving it a slightly mysterious, outdoorsy feel. It is well known for strong scent throw, filling a room within minutes of being lit, which matters if you are reading for hours at a stretch.
Best for: readers who want something moody but not overtly spicy.
Wax: soy. Wick: cotton. Fragrance: essential oil blend. Burn time: standard soy burn range, not independently verified. Dyes: unspecified.
Price:.
5. MBur Wine Down Candle
Verity is a book you end up reading in one sitting more often than not, which means the right candle needs to hold up for a long night. Wine Down was built for exactly that kind of evening, the slow unwind after a long day where you finally sit down and do not move for three hours.
\"Absolutely loved the Wine Down candle! The scent is so light and clean, not overpowering at all, which is exactly what I look for. A lot of other candles tend to give me headaches, but this one was a total game changer. I was able to enjoy the calming aroma without any discomfort.\" Nicole D., verified buyer
Best for: readers settling in for a full evening reading session.
Wax: 100 percent beeswax. Wick: wooden. Fragrance: phthalate free. Burn time: 20 to 80 hours depending on size. Dyes: none.
Price: starting at $32 for the 20 hour size. See the Wine Down candle.
6. Yankee Candle Bayside Cedar
This is the budget and burn time pick. It will not give you anything close to a literary mood, but it is a reliable, widely available option if you just want a long burning candle nearby while you read and are not particular about a themed scent.
Best for: readers who prioritize burn time and price over mood.
Wax: soy wax blend. Wick: natural fiber. Fragrance: standard fragrance oil. Burn time: 110 to 150 hours across a pack of four votives. Dyes: unspecified.
Price: for a pack of four.
7. Diptyque
The splurge option. Diptyque is consistently recommended for a strong, reliably potent scent throw and a genuinely luxurious feel, but you are paying for the name as much as the wax. If budget is not a concern and you want the reading experience to feel like an event, this is the pick.
Best for: readers who want a luxury reading ritual, budget aside.
Wax: paraffin/soy blend, varies by scent. Wick: cotton. Fragrance: proprietary blend. Burn time: varies by size. Dyes: unspecified.
Price:.
How They Compare
| Candle | Wax | Wick | Burn Time | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MBur Retail Therapy | 100 percent beeswax | Wooden | 20 to 80 hours | From $20 | Dark, secretive mood match |
| Briarwick Dark Romance | Soy | Cotton | — | Smoky, gothic atmosphere | |
| Robynn Joy Verity Candle | Soy | Cotton | — | Literal book tie in | |
| P.F. Candle Co. Cedar Soy | Soy | Cotton | Standard soy range | Earthy, grounded mood | |
| MBur Wine Down | 100 percent beeswax | Wooden | 20 to 80 hours | From $20 | Long evening reading sessions |
| Yankee Candle Bayside Cedar | Soy blend | Natural fiber | 110 to 150 hours (4 pack) | Budget and burn time | |
| Diptyque | Paraffin/soy blend | Cotton | — | Luxury reading ritual |
Our Pick
If you want the scent to actually match the story, go with Retail Therapy. It has the dark, secretive, slightly excessive quality that Verity runs on, and beeswax means it will still be burning by the time you hit the twist you did not see coming. Wine Down is the better call if you are more focused on a long, relaxed reading night than a mood match.
MBur candles hold a 4.8 star average across dozens of reviews, and customers consistently mention scent throw and clean burn without the headaches they get from other brands. If you only make one change to your reading setup this week, make it this one.
Browse the full MBur candle collection and pick the one that matches your next read.
Related reading
Shop our candles
