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The Truth About Fireflies
Seventeen-year-old football player, Brayden Anderson, has his entire life planned out. He's going to work with his dad's construction business after graduation, support all the local sports teams, and maybe even go on to coach some of them.
What he never expected? To collide with peculiar, music savant, Laurel Bennett.
Laurel's everything he's not, and she's everything he needs. Over the course of their senior year, Brayden and Laurel discover opposites attract. As their relationship grows in unexpected ways, a secret Laurel has been harboring threatens to tear them apart.
They'll have to navigate their way through love, loss, and grief in order to conquer their feelings, or ultimately let go and lose everything.
What he never expected? To collide with peculiar, music savant, Laurel Bennett.
Laurel's everything he's not, and she's everything he needs. Over the course of their senior year, Brayden and Laurel discover opposites attract. As their relationship grows in unexpected ways, a secret Laurel has been harboring threatens to tear them apart.
They'll have to navigate their way through love, loss, and grief in order to conquer their feelings, or ultimately let go and lose everything.
203 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2025
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Sasha Hibbs
12 books188 followersBy age 5, Sasha Hibbs' favorite movie was Gone With the Wind. By age 12, she completed her 7th grade book report on the sequel, Scarlett. By 18, she met and married her very own Mr. Rhett Butler and as it turns out, she never had to worry about going back to Tara to win the love of her life back. Fortunately, he stuck with her.
With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband’s rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn’t long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.
When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.
Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters, Aeliza and Ava. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.
With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband’s rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn’t long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.
When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.
Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters, Aeliza and Ava. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 16, 2025
This book was truly inspiring. Laurel went through so much and her journey from start to finish was nice to read about. Laurel went through things that nobody her age should have to go through, and although it took a while she came out on top. To me Brayden was very lost and didn’t really know how to handle a lot of things, but his growth in the end really made me happy to read about. I do wish we got a playlist because they are fun, especially in books where music is so popular. I felt as though there were some slow parts and some parts that moved to fast. I wish we got an epilogue or just more in the ending because it was kind of sudden. Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to any young people struggling.
August 15, 2025
A beautiful, stirring YA romance I devoured in one sitting. Sasha knows how to pluck at all the heartstrings and leave the reader with a more than satisfied feeling in the end. Incredible!
July 9, 2025
The Truth About Fireflies by Sasha Hibbs is a moving YA romance that lingers long after the final page. Sasha Hibbs is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word—her writing is tender, honest, and brimming with emotion. The novel reads like a nostalgic 90s teen movie, and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s full of heart, small-town charm, and the kind of soul searching moments that define coming-of-age love stories.
At the heart of the novel are Brayden and Laurel—two opposites whose connection is as unlikely as it is immediate and magnetic. Brayden, the small-town football player with his life already mapped out, and Laurel, the mysterious music savant who seems to carry the weight of the world in her keening voice. Their story unfolds with vulnerability as they stumble through first love, loss, and the hard truths that come with growing up.
What makes this novel so impactful is that it’s not *just* about love—it's about *how* we love. It’s about how sometimes we fail the people we care about, not out of cruelty, but out of fear or misunderstanding. It’s about how we’re all a little broken, and how we often lack the emotional tools to make sense of each other’s pain. Hibbs doesn’t shy away from the messiness of human connection, and that’s exactly what makes this story glimmer like the fireflies in its title—fleeting, beautiful, and real.
If you love heartfelt YA stories with emotional depth, flawed characters you’ll root for, and a sweet romance that makes you feel every beat of the heart (even when it hurts), The Truth About Fireflies is a must-read.
At the heart of the novel are Brayden and Laurel—two opposites whose connection is as unlikely as it is immediate and magnetic. Brayden, the small-town football player with his life already mapped out, and Laurel, the mysterious music savant who seems to carry the weight of the world in her keening voice. Their story unfolds with vulnerability as they stumble through first love, loss, and the hard truths that come with growing up.
What makes this novel so impactful is that it’s not *just* about love—it's about *how* we love. It’s about how sometimes we fail the people we care about, not out of cruelty, but out of fear or misunderstanding. It’s about how we’re all a little broken, and how we often lack the emotional tools to make sense of each other’s pain. Hibbs doesn’t shy away from the messiness of human connection, and that’s exactly what makes this story glimmer like the fireflies in its title—fleeting, beautiful, and real.
If you love heartfelt YA stories with emotional depth, flawed characters you’ll root for, and a sweet romance that makes you feel every beat of the heart (even when it hurts), The Truth About Fireflies is a must-read.
August 12, 2025
Laurel and Brayden’s story was a great reflection of how to love someone that is not only different than you in social status or interests but also in how they see the world. I loved the alternating povs throughout this story and how Laurel and Brayden grew to love each other.
The ending was a bit expected but fitting for the style of story that was written. Laurel is trying to fit in after being homeschooled for much of her life while Brayden is trying to figure out what his dreams are after high school. Brayden makes a mistake and is left reeling on how to speak to Laurel and earn her forgiveness while Laurel is desperately trying to hold herself together and figure out where Brayden’s headspace is at. Overall this was a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me!
The ending was a bit expected but fitting for the style of story that was written. Laurel is trying to fit in after being homeschooled for much of her life while Brayden is trying to figure out what his dreams are after high school. Brayden makes a mistake and is left reeling on how to speak to Laurel and earn her forgiveness while Laurel is desperately trying to hold herself together and figure out where Brayden’s headspace is at. Overall this was a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me!
September 16, 2025
Let me start this review with these simple words...This book will break you.
There is so much tragedy and pain but hope and love mixed in this beautiful story, I am not sure if I am warning you or encouraging you.
This is definitely YA and has the hope and feel of first time love, new love but also our main character Laurel experiences things in life that just shouldn't happen. Brayden, the high school boy who sweeps her off her feet is lost and looking for purpose and meaning to life. He thinks he finds it in Laurel but as adults we all know, you can't find your purpose in someone else.
Thank you to Sasha Hibbs and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There is so much tragedy and pain but hope and love mixed in this beautiful story, I am not sure if I am warning you or encouraging you.
This is definitely YA and has the hope and feel of first time love, new love but also our main character Laurel experiences things in life that just shouldn't happen. Brayden, the high school boy who sweeps her off her feet is lost and looking for purpose and meaning to life. He thinks he finds it in Laurel but as adults we all know, you can't find your purpose in someone else.
Thank you to Sasha Hibbs and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 5, 2025
Wow! Just...wow!!! I read it SO fast, I couldn't put it down. I cried, quite a bit actually. This story brought up so many emotions and feelings for me; some things more so than others. Knowing the writer, and her family, and living in the same area of WV, I think I connected a little more than the average reader to the setting, the plot, and the story. What a great read!!! Yes, it's a romance and a coming of age tale, but also SO much more. 💜 (I'm pretty sure you'll need some tissues before you reach the end...)
July 31, 2025
It was nice to read a book that was set in my hometown in West Virginia, as that’s not a typical place for a book to be set. In my opinion, the author could have spent a little more time on Laurel reflecting back on the relationship. I think that Laurel’s perspective would have made it better read. Just a warning there are some sad parts. but if it still sounds interesting to you I’d say give it a try.
July 9, 2025
I love this book! Young love in a small town with all the challenges. Two seniors trying to figure out what comes next. Insecurities erupt, but will they last? It brings me back to my own first love.
July 9, 2025
‘The Truth about Fireflies’ by Sasha Hibbs is deeply moving. Such an unputdownable read!
This YA novel is a tribute to young love, trust, second chances, and hope.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC of this unforgettable novel.
This YA novel is a tribute to young love, trust, second chances, and hope.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC of this unforgettable novel.
July 7, 2025
Sasha has crafted the perfect YA plot, masterfully weaving a captivating narrative around two high school seniors as they navigate the complexities of first love, loss, trust, and relationships.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews