Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk

10 reviews

midnightmarauder's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Nothing Burns As Bright As You follows an unnamed teenage narrator who the reader follows through her intense homoerotic friendship with another girl.

Fire is used as a symbol throughout the novel. It is mainly used to represent the intensity of the relationship between the protagonist and her best friend/girlfriend. They have a strong bond, so strong that they do everything together and are a bit codependent on one another. This intensity is shown to be both good and bad, but mostly the latter. The protagonist's girlfriend is shown to be withdrawn and standoffish to her for most of the book. She is unsure of what she wants out of their relationship and makes it known, much to the protagonist's dismay. But, as the protagonist falls back and tries to give her what she wants, it only angers the girlfriend and makes her jealous and possessive. Even though the girlfriend's fiery disposition attempts to push the protagonist away, the protagonist only comes closer and closer to her, causing her to get burned constantly.

Another way that fire is used as a symbol in the novel is in the literal sense. The girls start two different fires in the book: one behind their school, and one in an abandoned house. The fervency of these fires and the status of their relationship when they are set are also parallel to each other. The school's fire was set during the beginning of their relationship when the girls were their happiest, and burned for only a short amount of time before being extinguished. The fire in the abandoned building, however, burned for quite a long time and was much more intense, during a point of great tension between the two girls. 

Finally, preceding each chapter is a subchapter that lists "x Days Before the Fire", counting all the way down until "After the Fire". The "fire" mentioned in those subchapters are another word for

the girls' ultimate "break-up"

. Following the destruction of the abandoned house, the protagonist's girlfriend decides that she

wants to end things between them

. This devastates the protagonist and she describes her pain:

"The tears come as tempests, falling quick and heavy like a summer hailstorm. And it is still so dark that I want to start a fire. But what difference would it make? Nothing burns as bright as you."

This line signifies just how much the she meant to the protagonist, despite all of the toxicity that came with their relationship. 

I really liked this book. As a lesbian myself, it reminded me a lot of when I was younger and felt a strong codependency with my own best friend, with who I had a slight homoerotic friendship with as well. The pain that comes with such a relationship, especially one that was unrequited (like mine) is something so difficult to be able to express in words, let alone for someone else to understand. Ashley Woodfolk does an amazing job at capturing what it's like to be a young, same-sex attracted girl and how that can lead some into relationships that aren't always good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Grief, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content

booknerderika's review against another edition

4.0

The poetry was beautiful and the story was so raw and real. The deep and confusing struggle that the characters experience is something I think many teens can resonate with regardless of their sexual orientation/preference. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

"Little girls' bodies are war zones with no allies. And women are made of whatever survives." 

I highlited like half this book. Something about the queer joy but also the inner shame and confusion, feels very close to home. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Bullying, Pedophilia, and Toxic friendship

caseythereader's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Cursing

Moderate: Racism, Bullying, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

stardustandrockets's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Racism, and Bullying

Minor: Sexual content, Blood, Sexual harassment, Biphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

bash5617's review

adventurous emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

amandalorianxo's review

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

For those that are familiar with relationships that discuss toxic friendships/relationships when the characters are in high school, paired with poetic metaphors and similes, this is right up your alley. The way Woodfolk uses language in a pretty, atmospheric way isn't quite original but it does make the severity of the way one person is codependent on the other feel less severe than it actually is. I do think Woodfolk is one of the upcoming authors for this generation that can be compared to Ellen Hopkins and a few others that come to mind when writing about teens & their troubles but in verse form. I just wish there had been more solidifying descriptions or more of a plot instead of just... guessing the vibe? 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual content

betweentheshelves's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An emotional novel in verse about first love, friendship, and the possibility of losing that love. There are some absolutely gorgeous lines in this book. Woodfolk definitely gets to the core of the emotions of the main characters, and they are emotions that some teens will relate to. Love can feel so devastating at that age, and Woodfolk absolutley captures that.

At times, the jumping between timelines does get a little confusing, especially since none of the characters are named. Despite this, you still get fully developed characters, and even some of the side characters. Once you start it, it will be difficult to put down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, and Drug use

Minor: Biphobia, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders

changreads's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Drug use

Minor: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Biphobia

Drowning, Attempted Kidnapping referenced

foreverinastory's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rep: Black bisexual female MC, Black sapphic female love interest, Black male side character.

CWs: Alcohol consumption, drug use (marijuana), fire, toxic relationship. Moderate: racism, sexual content.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism and Sexual content