Welcome to Litsy!

At the beginning of the book, I assumed the narrator and her best friend would end up together and have some kind of happy ending. As the story went on though, I was honestly frustrated that the narrator continued to be friends with her despite the clear toxicity of their relationship. I also understood why she stayed for so long though, and that complexity is what made this story so captivating. In the end, she made the right choice to leave.

I think it was an interesting choice to tell this story in a non-linear way. Sometimes the timeline was a bit hard to follow along with, but I enjoyed the glimpses into the narrator's past (both individually and her past with her best friend) as the main plot progressed. It gave a lot of insight into her motivations and actions that eventually lead to the climax (the fire).

For my first choice YA book, I chose “Nothing Burns as Bright as You“ by Ashley Woodfolk. I didn't realize it was written in verse when I was considering it, but I figured I should step outside my comfort zone a little bit. So far, I'm really enjoying it. I love that it's written as if the narrator is speaking to the love interest, and I love the themes of conformity and the complex friendship/romance between the main characters.

Oh, I really felt for the narrator in this one. You know from the start that the relationship isn't gonna work out, but her struggle to accept that the way she and her girlfriend love each other isnt enough and isn't right is so raw and real. #yalit #novelsinverse

Sorry I‘ve been so absent, Litsy! I need to get back to posting all the time. I did create a #BookTok the other weekend, and I brought back my #SundaysInBedWith meme. This morning I‘m spending time with the tagged book because it‘s this month‘s Fountain of Youth book club pick, so l‘ll be leading a discussion on it later this morning. I liked it, even more after reading the author‘s note at the end.

Nothing Burns as Bright as You is a novel written in verse about an all- consuming, destructive teenage love between two queer girls. It is beautifully written and begs to be read aloud. I had some difficulty with being sure whose perspective I was reading from at times. The story was very relatable in the intensity of the adolescent fire and water relationship. I quite enjoyed it.

#JoysofJune #Readathon 1st book read @Andrew65

What I liked: the two girls not having names, being anonymous, the ending.

What I struggled with: it‘s told in verse (sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️), and at times I felt like it switched narrators, but that could just be me.

Highlighted text says, "Little girls bodies are war zones with no allies. And women are made of whatever survives."
Oof, Ashley Woodfolk is so great at describing the push pull of relationships that feel good even as they kick you off kilter and spiral in ways that may not be good. A novel in verse about a first love that makes you reckless in so many ways.

I loved this book. It‘s a novel in verse about 2 girls who are best friends that have turned into something a bit more. First loves, toxic relationships, and beautiful prose - I loved it all. This tarot spread appears within the story and I couldn‘t resist included it with the photo ❤️❤️❤️ this book comes out April 5th . If you preorder then you can get 6 art prints with quotes from the novel. Check the authors IG for details