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A review by l888nightreader
Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk
4.0
this book…i mean i didn’t have many words other than “wow” and “oh my god” when i finished.
technically, this book is wonderfully written.
the author is greatly skilled at metaphors and adjectives for things we probably would never romanticize. she writes with such a way that it just pushes you back, you re-read the lines again and again because how could someone re-write metaphors we’ve all heard time and time again into something so fresh and new? she writes with such an appreciation for women and the female body that you just know she’s been here before, that we’re peeking into a part of her mind, maybe one she repressed. it’s that secret you held onto forever, but once aired, it feels vivid and lived-in. as a queer woman myself, i found myself in such awe, such amazement that someone could find the words to describe these characters, their interactions—sexual or not. it was so beautifully written and sexy and sweet and sad and heartbreaking and exciting and angering and everything all at once. what a talent it is to write like that. tens across the board for her writing, i cannot wait to read more of her work. she’s made a life long fan of me.
while i was reading, i found myself really not liking the main characters friend. i thought she was so pushy and off-putting and even mean at times. but after finishing the book, i realized she really wasn’t any of those things. she was probably just scared? she had someone willing to give her everything; purpose, endless love, protection, etc at such a young age (i’m assuming). that can be a lot for a young adult. it can feel suffocating (which she said) and it can push people apart. she wanted those things but not all at once, and maybe not all from one person. she’s very independent, but calls to her friend when she needs her emotionally or sexually. she knows the difference between those two things, whereas the main character did not.
the main character seemed to be the girl that wants it all, the one that grows up too fast on her own. she falls so fast, she puts everything into one thing, leaving her with nothing, which proved to be true in the end in how she reacted to their consequential break up. she has so much more to do, she has so much more life to live. i say this as a young 20 something, but looking back on my own hopeless romantics, i see myself in her a bit. i feel bad for her as i did myself when similar situations happened to me. you want to crawl into the book and hug her, tell her there’s so much to learn from this and there’s so much time left in the world. the world isn’t ending although it feels like it, right?
this book really felt like a back and forth between right person, wrong time or wrong person right time. were the two really meant for each other, just not right now, or was the timing perfect but the people mismatched?
technically, this book is wonderfully written.
the author is greatly skilled at metaphors and adjectives for things we probably would never romanticize. she writes with such a way that it just pushes you back, you re-read the lines again and again because how could someone re-write metaphors we’ve all heard time and time again into something so fresh and new? she writes with such an appreciation for women and the female body that you just know she’s been here before, that we’re peeking into a part of her mind, maybe one she repressed. it’s that secret you held onto forever, but once aired, it feels vivid and lived-in. as a queer woman myself, i found myself in such awe, such amazement that someone could find the words to describe these characters, their interactions—sexual or not. it was so beautifully written and sexy and sweet and sad and heartbreaking and exciting and angering and everything all at once. what a talent it is to write like that. tens across the board for her writing, i cannot wait to read more of her work. she’s made a life long fan of me.
while i was reading, i found myself really not liking the main characters friend. i thought she was so pushy and off-putting and even mean at times. but after finishing the book, i realized she really wasn’t any of those things. she was probably just scared? she had someone willing to give her everything; purpose, endless love, protection, etc at such a young age (i’m assuming). that can be a lot for a young adult. it can feel suffocating (which she said) and it can push people apart. she wanted those things but not all at once, and maybe not all from one person. she’s very independent, but calls to her friend when she needs her emotionally or sexually. she knows the difference between those two things, whereas the main character did not.
the main character seemed to be the girl that wants it all, the one that grows up too fast on her own. she falls so fast, she puts everything into one thing, leaving her with nothing, which proved to be true in the end in how she reacted to their consequential break up. she has so much more to do, she has so much more life to live. i say this as a young 20 something, but looking back on my own hopeless romantics, i see myself in her a bit. i feel bad for her as i did myself when similar situations happened to me. you want to crawl into the book and hug her, tell her there’s so much to learn from this and there’s so much time left in the world. the world isn’t ending although it feels like it, right?
this book really felt like a back and forth between right person, wrong time or wrong person right time. were the two really meant for each other, just not right now, or was the timing perfect but the people mismatched?