This book was so good! Caught my attention and felt realistic. There were so many ups and downs for Everly but she somehow managed to get out on top and figure things out. This book will definitely pull at your heart strings. You will cry along with the story and main character. This author's writing is so good. You can see the growth the main character goes through. I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read. Maybe check CW /TW before reading this book though.

This book tugged at my heartstrings. I felt so sorry for Everly. She had to take on grown up responsibilities at such an early age, and felt she did what she had to do for her family. Not only that, but this story shocked the mess out of me, to the point where I had to go back and make sure I read what I thought I had just read. If the author keeps writing amazing stories like this, she will have fan for life in me. I could not put this book down until I was finished. Great job

📖 book review 📖

Something Bright and Burning by @whitneyamazeen
Genre: Fiction/romance?
Pages: 310
ARC: yes
⭐️: 3.5/5
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Synopsis: Everly Martin is just eighteen years old when she finds out she is pregnant. This couldn’t come at a worse time knowing that her mother, being a single mother herself, can’t even afford to pay the electric bill or put food on the table. To make matters worse, Everly isn’t sure who the father could be.

💭 My thoughts 💭

This book was definitely interesting. I didn’t see the ending coming, which was shocking. I like the occasional peppering in of poetry that Everly writes in her journal, and most of the writing seems juvenile, which helps you believe the pov is from an eighteen year old. It was a quick read and I feel like it helped get me out of a slump in a way. Overall, solid 3.5 stars, although we can’t give 1/2 stars here on Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with this ARC. Views here are my own and in no way influenced by the publisher or author.
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Following Everly into her blindly becoming a mother you are sucked into her world where she is faced with so many challenges. Everly has always had to much responsibility for her age and just when she thinks she can focus on something for herself she ends up pregnant. Such a strong protagonist but with the perfect mix of darkness and helplessness in the book. If you want something to read that will rip your heart in shreds this is it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion of this book. All opinions are of my own formation.

Everly is in big trouble: she is working to keep her family afloat while going to college for a degree she hates. Then her eighteenth birthday comes along and things go from bad to worse: she sleep with two different men and six weeks later is looking at two pink lines. Now she has to figure out who the father is and in comes Nicolai, who throws her life and her dreams into a frenzy. Three men all wanting different things from Everly lead to a series of events that lead to a shocking finale: the death of the real father, the passing of the baby, and finally finding piece and love.

I really liked this book... I devoured the books and then cringed with the discovery of John being Everly's father as well as the father of her unborn child. I was already unsure how i felt about 18-year old Everly being with 30-year old John and then it got worse. I full on cringed and shrieked when Mariah told Everly that John was her father. I was expecting Everly not knowing the identity of her birth father to play a part in the plot, but... this was something else all together. I almost put the book down I definitely almost DNFed this book. Then I looked at how much was left in the book and knew I needed to figure out how this was going to all play out.

I did not like John was written out the story, but a lot came out of it. Everly finding her grandparents and finally being able to support her family and herself to finally make it through college and graduate. Did I find the ending realistic? No... too happily ever after after the huge mess that was the end of her pregnancy. I am trying to keep in mind the passing of five years between the end of the story and the epilogue, but it was a lot. I was also disappointed with ending when Everly wrote her final journal entry. It was symbolic with the message she had learned and the importance of her realization that letting others in means she does not have to rely only on her, but it left me sad. Life is a journey and while it appeared to only be linear after the discovery of John as her father and the miscarriage, it seemed super unrealistic to have her no longer journal. But then again, the last portion of the novel was quite unrealistic, so I guess it goes along with the flow of the story line.

I am sure that with the issues I have with the ending, you may be wondering why i have given this book 4 stars. And here is the reason. I LOVED this book until the last 15% or so. The first 75%+, I loved, I was excited and I was going on this journey and experiencing Everly's ups and downs with her. Everly as a character was written so well and was relatable in many ways. Then it became super unrealistic and cringy and i wanted to cry. I was talking to my roommate about this book before the cringe and I was excited: for Nicolai and Everly, for their journey, and for how Everly was going to handle everything. I talked this book UP. When I picked up the book next, Everly discovered who the father was and i was mad at her but understood her situation with choosing John over Nicolai and the freaking meeting Mariah! It ruined it for me in many ways, but I do have to give credit where credit is deserved: Whitney Amazeen is a master wordsmith and I was all in, and then the unthinkable was introduced and the last 15% of the book was meh... but that first 75%+ was *chef's kiss*. So I will stand by the 4 stars!

This book really surprised me! I requested it because I liked the cover and title. Everly is eighteen years old, and the book starts with her discovering she is pregnant, unsure of who the father is, and about to go on a date with a new guy that she feels too guilty to cancel. I was intrigued from the very beginning, and couldn't wait to dive into Everly's story. The book is full of twists and turns, and it's sure to evoke a strong emotional reaction. It may be triggering to some. But even though some parts were hard to read, I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. It was a well-written and really enjoyable read. Thank you to Swan Pages Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!

Wow! Just... wow! The cover and synopsis of this book piqued my interest, but it turned out to be so much more than I imagined. This story starts out as a typical young adult work of fiction with a young FMC that discovers she is pregnant just moments before meeting what could potentially be "the one." The story dives quickly into much deeper issues than I could have anticipated. I absolutely loved that the author completely resolves all the issues that the FMC incurs and let me tell you...it is a LOT of heavy issues. This book literally had my jaw on the floor. So good!

I am having a complicated reaction to this book. I was really pulled in by the synopsis and the cover but it definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. The first thing I will say is that the poetry in the book and the journal entries are the strongest part of the writing of this book. Overall I found this book to be very rush and the pacing felt too fast. It was just hit after hit after hit. I will say the twist is not my cup of tea. It made me feel too uncomfortable though I can appreciate what the author was trying to do. This book will not be for everyone and people should check the trigger and content warnings before reading. The rating for me is between 2 and 3 stars but I wanted to try and be fair even though I struggled with some of the content.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

im going to be completely honest… I did not have high hopes for this book at all. I’m not normally a fan of pregnancy in books, but this year I wanted to step outside of my reading comfort zone and dive into tropes that I wouldn’t not normally read. And let me tell you this… I was NOT expecting this book at all.

It started off with Everly, an eighteen year old girl who has found herself in quite a predicament. I honestly loved the character of Everly and through the narration I was able to see into her head and her thoughts in this stressful situation. I also really enjoyed the letters and poems she would write within the story. She had a lot of room for growth within the book, but that wasn’t entirely there, but I think I understand why - she’s a child, she’s not going to be perfect in this situation and is completely thrown out of her depth. Now…. Vaughn. I HATE HIM. every time I saw his name I wanted to scream and throw the book because he drove me insane.

This book was paced in a way where you could easily follow the story and the events that happened. I also loved how there weren’t too many characters involved because I always struggle when it comes to remembering them ahahaha. ALSO THAT TWIST AT THE END, OMG??? I had to stop reading for a little while just to take that in,

Now the only thing that stopped this book from getting five stars (which I thought it would get) was the fact that a little bit tooooo much happened at the end. It was one thing after the other, so I do think the events of the story could have took place in other sections of the novel. It was absolutely perfect until that very, VERY rushed ending.

Overall this is a brilliant book and I recommend it! However, be mindful of the TWs before you get started which are: sex, teen pregnancy, sexual assault, abuse, suicide, loss, abortion and blackmail. Whitney’s writing style is very easy to read and I will definitely be picking up more of her work. I also NEED a physical copy of this book,

Thank you to NetGalley, Swan Pages Publishing and Whitney Amazeen for letting me read this book!!

This book reminded me of the time I got into a car accident. One moment you're chilling and the next you've crashed into a tree. Like me, this book took the biggest left turn and eventually crashed. I was enjoying this book until the last 30%. Honestly, I should've seen it coming ever since Oedipus was mentioned. Seriously, I was not prepared. I think the twist ruined it for me since I was enjoying it until then. Some things I did appreciate were the different attitudes toward Everly's situation. Most people were accepting and willing to help her which was nice. Her relationship with religion also added a unique perspective on the whole unplanned pregnancy thing which was cool to read. Still in shock over the ending though.

Love it so much,the plot, the story and characters i really enjoy it a lot. I highly recommend it if you like these kinds of stories. It's totally worth it.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

A wild ride, this book is. I love Everly, I think she deserved way better than the situation she was in the book. I enjoyed the premise, that sense of dread when they're about to announce the baby's father, that twist in the end. I also did enjoy Everly's letters to herself, it's something I've never read before. I fucking hate vaughn and what he did to Everly (and continued to!), but I kinda hoped she reported him earlier. The whole John fiasco was so fucked up, like that's such a disturbing plotline and ending (I mean, I did feel sorry for him, and then at the end I just felt empty). Nicolai is such a golden retriever of a man (and equally as horny LMAO) ALSO!! I love simone so much and I'm so happy for her in the epilogue!

I was so hooked, which I really didn't expect from a book about teenage pregnancy (TWs below btw) and yeah, I quite liked reading this book. I've never been so emotionally turmoiled before HAHAHA I love the writing! I love the real life issues in this book! I love the sense of dread while reading! but for me, the pacing and rushed ending brought down my rating to 3.5.

TWs: sex, teenage pregnancy, abuse, sexual assault and blackmailing, suicide

This book was really something else! The writing felt at times a little juvenile but that fit well with the genre and audience. Was absolutely NOT expecting that twist and I really have to admit that it freaked me out at first! I feel like the trauma just kept coming and coming, and I'm not really looking for that in a book, but I feel like others who are will definitely like it.

This one had an intriguing premise, but kinda failed to deliver on it’s promise for me.

Thank you to Swan Pages Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

Special thanks to the author, publisher, & @netgalley for my advanced readers copy.

This one left me a little speechless for a bunch of different reasons. Mainly the ending cause that was definitely a twist I wasn’t expecting!!! When I started reading the book I was already skeptical but it got kind of juicy.

We have 18-year-old Everly Martin who ends up pregnant and is unsure of who the father might be. This is when things got interesting to me. What lead up to the pregnancy was carelessness on her part. However, the fact Vaughn who was one of the potential baby daddies took advantage of her in a vulnerable situation pissed me off. I would’ve just lost my job that day!!! He was coming off as aggressive, abusive, and disrespectful.

Then there was John a one night stand after sneaking into a club turned him into potential babydaddy #2. Only thing was John actually wanted the baby and was willing to take care of them both. Until a dark secret was revealed and ruined EVERYTHING literally!!!!!

Poor Nicholai was just caught in the middle of her little triangle. All in love with Everly tryna be Superman. Although she was dealing with A LOT he stuck beside her even when she pushed him away.

Her mother Mariah was the prime example of why keeping secrets from your children can do more harm than good.

The ending was a bit rushed which is why I gave it this rating. Overall it wasn’t that bad very fast paced and a quick read. It was just that dark secret being revealed that really got me. I still don’t know how I feel about that part.

Do I recommend? Eh, all I can say is read at your own will . . .

Thank you to Swan Pages Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

I've read this book a while ago and was disappointed by it. I love the cover, the title and the synopsis. I really felt for Everly and what she was going through, it was a fast read for me, I really wanted to know more. I despised Vaughn, didn't feel much for her and Nicolai, and was meh about her with John. But the twist and the ending, is a big nope to me and that's what made me so disappointed in this book.

This book is a good start for those wanting to read a mix of popular writing styles and stories that everyone has been talking about. This book finds a good mixture of a plot and some dark vibes that most other books leave you waiting for. Everly is extremely mature and is constantly trying to break her moms cycles. Between the story plot and the strong main character this book is worth the read if you have time. I give this book 4 stars. There are some trigger warnings that one needs to know before they start reading such as abuse, teenage pregnancy, and grief.

FLEW through this excellent, incredible book. Tightly written, earnest, sob out loud at several parts—one of the best YA books I've read in ages. So emotional and tender and romantic. A real page turner for sure!

Something Bright and Burning definitely took me by surprise. I'll try to keep my review without spoilers, as this book came with amazing twists and turns.
While reading the synopsis gives some information of what to expect, this book is way more unique than what you'd think at first. It has strong female main characters (which I always love). This book does something that alwasy makes me incredibly intrigued and that's actually making me feel helpless and frustrated, as if I want to help the characters but there's nothing I can do about it. I love books like that.
My big issue with this book was how fast-paced it was, but that's more of a personal issue. I also woul'd've liked more scenes between Everly and her sister, as I love their relationship.
Nicolai though, he won me over. He's the sweetest character ever and while at times I felt bad due to the full back and forth with Everly (all made sense though, as her situation was very chaotic) but overall I'm happy with how their story ended. Only thing that made me drop my rating was the disturbing plot-twist ending and the poems. While I liked the ending, it was a little icky. The poems, though, are also a personal issue, because I'm not fan of poetry in prose!
This book revolves around very important topics that have to do with teen-pregnancy, abuse, love, grief and the magnitude secrets can hold.