I can see that this novel is meant to be confusing and hard to understand, mirroring the events of the study, but in my opinion the author was a little too confusing. I found it difficult to understand or identify with any of the characters and I'm still not sure if this is set in a near future time, and that's why everything seemed so unknowable, or if I just missed something. The descriptoins were written in such a way as to make the reader feel what the characters feel, and while that worked to a degree, I did not work to describe anything realistically.

What a unique format! I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever read anything laid out as this is. Between our MC, young ‘Wayne with a silent D, local news, texts, and social experiments, we’re getting ‘Wayne’s story from all angles.

He’s your average teen but experiencing a very out of the ordinary program he’s committed to along with the characters and conversations that follow each meeting.

I struggled a bit following both the teen dialogue paired with the progression of the story. The dialogue itself was great but going back and forth from the kids’ conversations to the program didn’t flow as well for me.

I do love how different this format was and I’d read again to get better acquainted with the story!

Health Study or top-secret CIA experiment?

This Moth Saw Brightness is the debut novel by author A.A Vacharat and is a quirky coming of age tale following ‘Wayne, his best friend Kermit and ‘Wayne’s high school crush Jane as the trio navigate the ins and outs of a mysterious John’s Hopkins health study. With participation being on an “invitation only” basis, ‘Wayne is pleased and a little terrified to find out that his secret crush is also a participant. As the duo compare notes they begin to wonder if there isn’t something more sinister afoot than what is being presented as “daily assignments” and occasional office visits. This speculation reaches a sinister high upon seeing a fellow classmate and participant in the study removed from the school. With their continuing speculations regarding the validity and legality of study growing more with each day, they devise a plan to get answers. But, they must be careful, at best they’ll make themselves look paranoid and steeped in conspiracies and at worst, they could open a pandora’s box that they are not ready to deal with.

I really enjoyed this book, even thought there was a lot going in and a ton to try to keep straight. There is so much more to ‘Wayne than meets the eye. He seems to be under the constant pressure of his dad to do better, and he lives under the shadow of his mother who, after leaving the family years before is now slowly making her way back into their life one email and state at a time. I really loved Vacharat’s use of footnotes through this entire book as a neat way to add small snippets of backstory or commentary without running down a complete rabbit hole, and ‘Wayne’s abbreviations are really amusing. The dynamic Wayne has with Kermit and his family was also refreshing to see as well as ‘Wayne’s relationship with his cousin Olive. A few of the minor characters were just way over the top and completely campy that every time one appeared on scene you knew they were going to do or say something so ridiculous that it would be funny.

I feel that if I say much more I will be giving away more of this book than I want to. If you are looking for a quirky, sometimes funny, sometimes serious coming of age type story where all walks of life are represented A.A. Vacharat’s This Moth Saw Brightness is a great read. After spending so much time with ‘Wayne, Kermit, Jane and the rest of the characters I wonder if a follow up is in store? It could be interesting to see the awkwardness of ‘Wayne and his mother coming face to face again after all these years as well as the developing connection and friendship between him and Jane. Of course, the Hopkins study, while complete for them continues on a grander scale and I’m sure there are many unanswered questions. Time will only tell if Vacharat returns to the Baltimore area to catch up with ‘Wayne and friends, but if she does I’ll be sure to read.
Full disclosure: I was provided a Netgalley copy of this title by the author or their authorized agent, however, have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn in from the start! I have never seen a book written this way and that’s what drew me in! If you are looking for a book that will have you hooked from the begining…this is it!!!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

This was an interesting read, the book was written like Ive never seen before. I was drawn in to the story by wanting to know what was going to happen next. I feel like the characters thoughts were really felt through the reading. A couple chapter I got confused but it didn't stop me from finishing the book and wanting to read a sequel ! I over all enjoyed the book and would read others by the author. I enjoyed how the texts were displayed and the page showed what he would see on the computer screen. It made me feel like I was in the study trial as well. Thank you for letting me ARC read your book!

I got this book from NetGalley and will be posting this review there as well

The synopsis of this book had me intrigued right off the bat. Then the format added to it. I haven't seen a fiction book use footnotes like this before (I'm curious to see how it's integrated in the print version). There's a part of the format that I cannot mention because of spoilers but I loved the uniqueness of the format. I do plan to suggest this book to adult friends who are interested in similar books.

Once I started reading, it took longer than I would have liked to for the plot to get going but once I was done, I wanted more! Wanting more would be my biggest complaint about the book. The very real social commentary woven into the book should be accessible to YA readers.

The portrayal of Jane's autism was well done. She felt very relatable to me as a result. The other teens also felt relatable. The character development was integrated into the plot effectively as well.

If you are looking for something a little different, and out of your ordinary genre/tropes; this book would hit that mark. This is considered a YA book. This book is about a bi-racial teen. Who is struggling with the world around him. There is a health study, dwayne's mom is missing, and overinvolved/ enabling father, and teenage love interest. His biggest support is his best friend Kermit. This dives into mental health, adolescent struggles, and some conspiracies. This book wasn't what I was expecting, but also not bad. it definitely got me out of my reading slump.

I first wanna thank the author, publishers, and Netgally for the chance to read my first ever ebook ARC.

That being said, I finished the whole book but found it really hard to get through. The summery sounded really interesting and that is what drew me to it in the first place. I mean who wouldn’t want to read a book about teens taking part of a study with no clear indications on what the study is for and have to figure it out? As I read more and more of it I started to dread picking it back up. It took me over a month to finish reading it (Started 4/1 and finished 5/12).

I love a book with any kind of neurodivergent representation in it, but I feel like it was mentioned constantly in every single chapter one way or another. Like it was mentioned so many times that I was getting annoyed at the reminder. For me it can be mentioned maybe once or twice and that would be enough. But using it to describe some of the actions and thoughts was kinda unnecessary.

Not only that but I feel like the story line got lost a bit. I felt like there was way too much back and forth between teen problems and trying to figure out the study. It flipped way too much in my opinion. I love having some teen drama mixed in. The teen drama would go on for a few chapters then quickly switch with not much context on to what was happening to something else completely.

I also found the change between chapters written like a novel and other written like a screenplay was kinda weird. I couldn’t find the reason for a few of the conversations between dad and son to be written that way. And having some of the dad’s facial expressions written as abbreviations was also pretty confusing. I had to keep going back to the start of the book to remember what the abbreviations stood for.

There was also a random author’s note towards the end that threw me off. I had to start that chapter over since I didn’t fully understand why it was put there. Even one of the chapters switched to a different chapter’s view and it wasn’t noted in the chapter title. That threw me off as well since most of the book was read from Wayne’s point of view.

I felt like this was almost like the first rough draft that need a lot of editing to get the story line smooth. Cut some of the repetitiveness from it and work on the flow between chapter would help.

This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat
Ebook copy-Dnf at page 38 😢
I really wanted to enjoy this but I must be honest. I kept powering through this but I couldn’t do it anymore. I know it’s supposed to be weird and quirky but it legit stressed me out. I found myself speed reading just to finish a chapter. I felt like the obsessive compulsive constant streaming thoughts was exhausting and not in a way that I felt sympathy for the fmc. Like the amount of detail is beyond redundant and drawn out. It was not engaging so I didn’t continue.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity of an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A.A. Vacharat’s debut novel “This Moth Saw Brightness” is a bold, inventive, and often hilarious dive into the mind of a teenage boy caught between the all-too-real pressures of adolescence and the surreal pull of conspiracy. If you’re looking for a YA novel that breaks the mold—both in style and content—this one will catch you off guard in the best ways.

The story follows ’Wayne Le (the "D" is invisible—trust, it's a whole thing) as he muddles through bad grades, a quietly judgmental father, unrequited crushes, and a complicated home life. When ’Wayne is recruited into a mysterious health study at Johns Hopkins, the novel quickly shifts from everyday teenage struggles into darker territory involving mind control, medical ethics, and possible government conspiracies. As reality splinters around him, ’Wayne—and the reader—must question what’s real and what’s manipulated.

The book’s structure is wildly experimental. Instead of traditional prose, Vacharat builds the story through an assortment of journal entries, text messages, blackout poetry, study surveys, emails, lists, footnotes, and quirky asides. For some, this collage of formats will feel thrillingly fresh and immersive; for others, it may feel distracting or disjointed. The extremely short chapters keep the pace brisk, but they can also make it hard to fully sink into scenes or connect deeply with characters.

That said, “This Moth Saw Brightness” succeeds where it matters most: voice. ’Wayne is an unforgettable protagonist—funny, vulnerable, and painfully real. His friendships, especially with his tech-genius best friend Kermit and his complicated relationship with his crush Jane (who is autistic and refreshingly nuanced), feel authentic and layered. Even the recurring riffs about mundane things like mall culture or Wayne’s frustrating attempts at origami add texture and humor to the story.

Thematically, the book bravely tackles issues like racial identity, mental health, ethical concerns about medical research, and how systems of power exploit the vulnerable. Despite the occasional storytelling chaos, Vacharat anchors everything to real adolescent fears—being overlooked, being misunderstood, being manipulated—all while keeping a sharp wit.

Overall, “This Moth Saw Brightness” is a gem: sharp, heartfelt, and genuinely different from anything else in YA right now. If you like your coming-of-age stories served with a hefty dose of weirdness, social commentary, and offbeat humor, then “This Moth Saw Brightness” belongs on your TBR. A challenging but deeply rewarding debut that leaves you thinking long after you close the book.

This novel sounded like it was right up my alley (the dark side of university research studies, a close-knit diverse friend group, teen sleuths), but it ended up being such a disjointed read that I quickly lost interest and wanted to be done with the book.

I feel like I'm missing the underlying theme of the story because the plot points felt like they were unrelated to each other. In addition, the extremely short chapters, coupled with random asides like Wayne's mom's articles, lists, quizzes from Kermit, numerous directions from the Hopkins study app, and even quirky interjections from the author/narrator near the end, distracted me from the main plotline and the heart of the story.

Because of all that, it was difficult to get to know Wayne (I still don't understand the invisible "D" thing unless he's just trying to be ~different), Wayne's family, or Jane. I wanted to like each character, but they all read like stereotypes and stock characters. Kermit's the tech nerd. Jane's the not-manic pixie dream girl that Wayne likes. Etc.

I think this might be a cool way for teens to learn about the history of university research studies, especially its sordid past when it comes to lack of consent and focus on eugenics.

But other than that, this read like a rough draft that seriously needed polishing. The prose chapters needed to be longer with a lot less of the other stuff. The amount of quizzes, articles, etc. felt unnecessary and read like it was a way for the author to skip out on writing prose.

Thank you to Dutton Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

I’m always glad to see more representation of neurodivergent characters in fiction, and This Moth Saw Brightness is a strong addition to that positive trend. A.A. Vacharat brings a fresh voice with an inventive debut that experiments boldly with literary structure and typography.

On one level, I appreciated the creative choices—the shifting typefaces, footnotes, and metafictional elements. It’s exciting to see authors take risks. But the variety of techniques, combined with extremely short chapters, made the book feel too disjointed for me. I struggled to connect with the story or feel invested in the characters.

That said, I really appreciated the book’s commentary on social issues—both big and small. From the sobering idea of what people might be willing to do for healthcare in the near future, to the quiet observation of the death and restructuring of the common shopping mall—these moments were some of the strongest in the novel.

Overall, a creative and ambitious debut. It didn’t quite land for me personally, but I’m interested to see what Vacharat writes next.

Thank you to the Author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the AEC in exchange for an honest review.

A very well written story of YA mental health issues, and overcoming their self worth deficiencies you have a story about a YA Wayne who is struggling with everything, life. School, family. His mother is never around, his father who he wants to make proud but is failing to do so.

Wayne has a best friend name Kermit who is funny and very smart. They have a great relationship and a lot of laughs and shenanigans.

One day they receive in the mail that he has been chosen to be in a research study with the government. He doesn't want to do it, however his father and best friend convince him to, and he does want to make his dad proud, but at what costs will this be to him. The suspense will hold you to the end.