Infinite stars. How do you follow one of the best debuts of 2025? With an even better book for 2026.

Anyone concerned that Sarah Damoff’s sophomore novel would not measure up to her stunning debut need not have worried. With THE BURNING SIDE she delivers another powerful, evocative book that showcases the truths of the human condition. Where The Bright Years is a trauma heavy, gut punch after gut punch, ugly sobbing experience; THE BURNING SIDE evokes a quieter kind of heartbreak that leaves tears streaming down your face. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s relatable.

This is a family drama of a marriage in crisis. Young parents, April and Leo, are headed toward divorce when a fire destroys their house. They move in temporarily with April’s parents who seem to have a rock solid relationship; but they are also facing challenges. April’s dad, Billy, has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and her mom, Deb, is faced with the loss of their dreams.

Damoff writes as one who understands the ebb and flow of relationships, the secrets we bury, and the stories we create to justify our own behaviors. So much of this book spoke to me and laid my heart bare. About one-third through I recognized that I was reading with a vulnerable heart. A single tear leaked from my eye and I felt every word. By the two-thirds point the single tear was followed by more. At the end of the book I sat in stunned silence marveling at the connection I felt to this story and these characters.

Books like this are why I read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Sarah Damoff for the absolute honor of receiving an early copy of this utterly brilliant book. All opinions are my own.

With her sophomore novel, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 ℬ𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝒾𝒹𝑒, Sarah Damoff has solidified herself as one of my all-time favorite authors.

This is a family saga centered around April and Leo, who are already struggling with their marriage when their house burns in the middle of the night. Slowly, the reader is drawn into the tapestry of their life, through flashbacks and multiple POVs primarily from April, Leo and April's mom who is struggling with her own loss, her husband (April's dad) being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

There is a quietness to the story - a contemplation. There is humor, heartbreak, mistakes made and forgiven, true loss and love. There are so many themes explored in detail. There is a chapter when April recalls her postpartum period that is so raw, honest, and real. There are musings on childhood traumas that can't quite stay buried. And all throughout, a constant refrain about the pain, humanity, longing, cycles, forgiveness, and determination that is necessary for an enduring marriage. At its core, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 ℬ𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝒾𝒹𝑒 explores what it means to be human - how pain and joy are often intertwined and impossible to separate.

Damoff has so much heart and wisdom in her writing. This is a novel to savor, to examine and internalize, to revel in, to learn from.

Thank you SO much to Sarah Damoff and @simonbooks for access to this eARC. I cannot recommend enough.