okay wait, i freaking loved this!!! the letter
made me cry and my fav character was...the one who wrote it. that twist, though! 🤯🫣😭

I requested Something Bright and Burning based on a rave review in one of my book groups. I have to be honest, Everly's life is a huge hot mess, and this book is a bit of a mess along with it. The plot decisions are farcical, the dialogue reads like converted fanfiction, and it doesn't have a firm vibe to help you understand how seriously you are supposed to take the story. Is it camp? Is it supposed to be serious contemporary YA? Is it New Adult or maybe supposed to be dark romance? It didn't fit or even lean hard enough into any genre. I read it all in about an hour and a half so it's not unreadable, but it is a bit insane. Fingers crossed that it went back into editing since this ARC was released so perhaps the finished version is a bit tighter.
Thank you to Netgalley and Swan Pages Publishing for the ARC.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

What the hell was this? I have so many thoughts about it, but it boils down to the synopsis isn't exactly a good representation of the contents for this book. This story follows Everly and her the first month or so of her unsuspecting pregnancy and the possibility of her having two very different baby daddies while also dating someone else. Normally, I don't do pregnancy stories because they give me the ick, but this one seemed more messy and would have kept my interest. We'll it like mostly kept my interest (except for the journal entries and the poems) I loathe poetry so like I skipped all of those parts. The ending though. like what the fuck was that? I hated that ending. There were so many ways that it could have ended and incest/miscarriage/suicide wasn't where I thought it was going. The relationship between Nico and Everly was also not as spicy as the author wanted you to believe. They did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing on the passion and it wasn't super believable.

I was definitely not expecting that twist.

I actually wish that this were longer, so that some of the themes of loss, betrayal, etc. could've been more fleshed out. It felt like a lot of things were glossed over fairly quickly, and I think this book could benefit from a more in-depth exploration into that.

Some of the poems were a bit cringey, but there were a lot that I really liked.

All in all, it was a quick read and I was intrigued the whole time. I wanted to see what choices Everly was going to make and I wanted to see her stand up for herself and her happiness.

Definitely look up TWs if you need!

Something Bright And Burning
Whitney Amazeen

I had some time to sit with this review and I’m still lost at what ti rate it. The novel was fast paced and jammed with so many tropes it was ludicrous how Amazeen was able to tie it all together.
•poor girl/ rich guy
•single parent
•taboo relationship
•blackmail relationship
•white knight
And that just a few the list goes on.

With the quick pacing of this you don’t miss the little fluff that often takes over a novel and instead are thrusted from point A to B and off to C,D,E.

I don’t know if I enjoyed the book or if it just a was that fast paced that I finished it in less then 24hrs because I was on the verge of a break down from all the event that took place.

As for the characters they are enjoyable, even if some of them are only there for a scene or two. You do get enough of them to feel like their presence was necessary and they are solidly created.

So yeah that’s my review. And now I guess all that’s left to do it to rate it. So I’m going to go with 4 stars because that seems fair. I think it’s the ending that just felt could have used a bit more finessing.

Book 61 of 2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.
First and foremost, the cover is gorgeous and it’s the reason why I wanted to read this book. They say don’t judge a book by its cover and now I believe how right they are. While the characters seem realistic and flawed in the right way, the plot is too fast paced and I felt like the author added drama just for the sake of it. I almost DNF’d it but decided to finish it and boy I wish I haven’t. The plot twist was weird and made me want to turn back time and wish I haven’t picked this book. Also while some people might have appreciated the little poems, I found them too annoying because I do not need to read them in every single chapter.

This is a pure gem!

I fell in love with the book and the characters. Taking it all in and even had thoughts of it now and then from the time I finished it. The author had done a great job in making realistic characters and the experiences and thoughts going on inside the characters are chef's kiss. The pain and the power to move on and love another despite all the adversities one may face are so beautiful. The book made me cry and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay!
It had a really great start and I was sucked in but I wanted more for Everly than what we were given! I think Nic should’ve left her after she was pregnant I’m sorry but he was too good for her……
Ehhhh I would read this book if you want to but its nothing remarkable

It was a good book however I found some issues with it, mainly that the writing was flat and uninteresting to read. The story however was something many POC who go through money troubles and issues will be able to understand.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover. It is gorgeously designed, and the story keeps you going for all the drama that is unfolding between Everly and the 3 men that she has become entangled with.

The style of writing is also something that needs to be talked about.

Amazeen uses the characters journaling and love of poetry through out the book to show the reader exactly how she is feeling in any given moment, really showing us the turmoil she is experiencing with the impossible choice before her.

Everly is a very strong woman. Very mature-for-her-age vibes and she needs to be! She’s the grown child of a single mom with a much younger sibling. Those circumstances make you grow up quicker.

It was absolutely heart wrenching to watch this strong independent woman slowly loose herself and her independence while her world started to close in around her. As we follow her through the book we can sense the amount of stress that she is under to make the “right” decision. But what is the “right” decision. Is there one?

When I tell you that the twist had me running around my house screaming variations of “OH MY GOD!” and “NOOOOO!” over and over again, I am not exaggerating!

Overall, though it did lose that one star for me mostly for the pacing. The development of these relationships is almost unbelievably fast and takes you out of the story. Something else that took me out of the story was often the writer lets the characters speak about what is happening and say it rather than letting the descriptions speak for themselves. Similar to Show don’t tell. The characters shouldn't be telling me what is happening; I should be watching it like a tv in my head.

Besides that I love this story and I can not wait for it to be widely available in September!

One of the best book i have read in recent times.. Our maine protagonist everly is so brave and ambitious.. The book really has a good romance. I literally cried while reading the book

Thank you to the author and publisher for the E-arc copy. In Something Bright & Burning we read the story of eighteen year old Everyly who finds out she is pregnant just a few weeks after starting community college. She is unsure of who the father is because it could either be John, an older gentleman she hooks up with the night of her birthday, or Vaughn, a guy who abuses her at work and ends up blackmailing her throughout the story.

There are many heavy themes in this story and not enough time to fully flesh them out or give the characters the space and time to evolve. I enjoyed the portrayal of a young woman struggling with major life altering decisions and enjoyed the poetry shared from her journal throughout the story. However, the writing was very face-paced and due to the sensitive nature of the material there just wasn't enough resolution for me as a reader. Additionally, there is a very toxic plot twist at the end that took the story off course for me. TW: rape, suicide

WOW! This was simply sensational and a whirlwind. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. Yeah, not great. The writing was stilted, the characters not fleshed out. There was no real story arc, just a lot of drama dumped into one place. And the “twist” was disgusting.

I got this ARC solely based on the cover, didn’t read the description, now I wish I had because it not for me.

Thank you Net galley for the arc!!
Something bright and burning begins with Everly finding out that she’s pregnant 7 weeks after her 18th birthday.. She’s too young to have a baby and she isn’t in a financially good place and is struggling with her situation . To make matters worse, she isn’t sure who the baby’s father is because it could be Vaughn her coworker (who is the worst human being ever) or John who is an older, gentle kind man she met at a bar while out celebrating her birthday.. Everly is struggling with figuring out what to do about the pregnancy when her best friend sets her up on an online date with Nicolai, they hit it off almost instantly and form a connection, but Everly knows she can’t be in a relationship as she’s balancing her job, her education, taking care of her sister, and now being pregnant with another man’s child.
I really enjoyed this book and the way it was written was so beautiful.. Everly has been through so much at such a young age it was really sad.. I also really enjoyed her poetry and her relationship with God. Now, Nicolai was the sweetest guy and I did feel bad for him because of the constant back and forth with Everly (which I understood but still frustrated me)..
The book though was really fast- paced especially at the ending which wasn’t very developed and just happened so fast.. The plot twist was insane and I don’t know how I feel about it.. It’s probably what dropped my rating from 5 to 4 because it was uncomfortable.. the letter made me cry though 😭
The poems were definitely my favorite, and I would definitely recommend reading the book!

The cover and synopsis of this book really grabbed my attention. Something Bright and Burning was a fast-paced new adult romance. I really enjoyed Whitney's writing style and thought the story was very easy to read. My heart went out to Everly but I didn't fully connect with her. Also, the romance/relationship with Nicolai developed a bit too quickly. There was a connection right away but it didn't feel organic to me. I enjoyed Everly's relationship with her sister, and wanted more of that. I also wanted Everly to spend time with her mother so their relationship could grow.

The story was sometimes a bit too fast-paced and things happened too quickly. Especially, towards the end, there was so much going on. The last quarter of this book was a roller coaster and just so unbelievable and shocking. It just ruined the book for me to be honest. Also, I wanted Everly to grow as a person. She's really young and had to go through some major messed-up stuff, but I wanted her to make better decisions. Furthermore, I really felt bad for Nicolai and didn't think Everly deserved him. He should've gone his own way the moment he found out she was pregnant.

Something Bright and Burning takes the reader inside the life of Everly Martin after finding out she is pregnant and doesn't know which man is the father. She begins to catch feelings for a man she meets on a dating app, who also plays another role in her life. I enjoyed this book because it tackles multiple challenges in life and I really liked Everly. She is mature, strong, and just so real. The only thing that I would change about this novel is that I thought the ending was interesting but I wish it could have been developed a bit more because it seemed to come so quickly toward the end.

holyshit, thank you netgalley for the copy, but again, holy shit. I mean???? At first i was sad because sad Everly deserved the world she did so much work, then vaughn or whatever 🤢🤢🤢 awful piece of trash but then john? And like okay but anyway the second he entered that house i just knew
But? I wasn't expecting this in the beginning honestly.
Great writing. I loved the portrayal of emotions (lack thereof sometimes), would totally recommend.