The Boy Who Lit Up the Star

by Nik M.B.

A satirical Soviet coming-of-age book about an intimate friendship.



Sasha Gorky is a bitter, sexist ten-year-old Soviet boy who’s obsessed with becoming a ‘man.’ But to become a real man in the Soviet Union, you not only have to smoke, swear, shave your head, be nice to random chicks, and not kick other guys in the groin (even if it’s a classmate that really deserves it)—but you also have to...

Actually, what else is there that matters?

Nah, that’s pretty much it.

And Sasha follows these rules religiously, just like every other Soviet boy. So how is it possible that some goddamn American sissy like Luke can just show up one day, not having done any of those things, and still seem manlier than him? He needed to find out what the big deal was.

The Boy Who Lit Up the Star is a poignant, satirical coming-of-age tale where Sasha Gorky reminisces about that exact summer of 1986—now five years ago—when he formed his first and only intimate bond, only to spiral. Not because it was with an American boy, but because he realizes he’ll never be as happy as he was then.

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2025

About the author

Slow reader, slow writer, slow in general

Reviews

[Sen (Henry’s gloves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read:
Groan “just tell me” get me out of this car… let me out… I’m so scared for the sequel be kind to me Author Chan…

THANK YOU PRESSY FOR READING WITH ME ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


This is a sensitive subject for me… don’t talk to me I need space to think for a moment…

♬⋆.˚Purple Rain by Prince▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။⁠၊|• 0:10 𝄞


𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

Ok it’s done… Ive been pestering this author for ages

IT ENDS LIKE THAT?! Nvm I don’t regret saying hurry up and write that sequel because I NEED one. We all know Senny loves a historical fiction and I normally understand why people avoid the genre but I might give this the TCFD treatment. Y’all gonna find me annoying af. Sometimes I worry that books rely too heavily on the romance but this book doesnt it makes sure that we care about more than that and we don’t just see Luke and Sasha as a couple but as two individual characters. THAT LAST LETTER IS HAUNTING ME THO PLEASE AUTHOR WHISPER WHAT IT IS IN MY EAR…. I am literally in the TikTok dms it’s like a battlefield.

One thing I also hear about a lot with books that are self published is that when publishing houses like publish them they lose their original cover and I think I would actually cry if I didn’t have this cover I feel so maternal to it. It’s a perfect cover 💔💔💔💔

I was so scared during most of this book and I was hiding from the ending but now I’m foaming at the mouth with excitement (or maybe the rabies has progressed to that stage) for the sequel and when it releases y’all already know that ya girl is dropping EVERYTHING even buddy reads to sit down and lock in.

Cmere Sasha I’m gonna give you the biggest hug ever… he’s literally my baby and I love him so much /ref. I’m gonna need more books on this in general like one that continues Luke and Sasha’s story but also one on Nastia and Vi might cure me or just like more on Luke and his life during the time that him and Sasha were sending letters back in forth. I know we did get like an idea of what happened but to know more and the definite would make me really happy.

It also mentions The Lost Boys and I LOVE vampires so I was literally the target audience for this book.

I HOPE YALL ENJOYED WATCHING ME READ THIS AND MY FREAK OUTS 👅👅👅❤️❤️❤️❤️

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

The emojis make sense when you read it promise

[Readergirl]

ᯓ★𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
My reasons to read this book-
1. Sennypop majorly glazed this books and I'm the biggest Senny glazer so i jst had to have it when I saw it (🎶I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it🎶 - random Ariana ref cuz why not) ...senny, notice me.
2. doomed Yaoi 😩
3. Sad. no further explanation required as far as I am concerned

[pocapress 𝜗ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 FREAKING STARS. this was so worth sleepless nights. I just read it and I already want to read it again. I’m not kidding or even trying to glaze this book. But this is probably my favorite book I’ve read this year. I got so pissed off every time I was to busy to read. Because the only thing that was going through my mind was this book. While reading this book I cried, giggled, rocked back and forth, and almost shit my pants. Which is obviously ideal reactions to a good book.

I love the characters with my whole heart. Sasha and Luke are such cutie patooties and I want to put them both in my pocket. Also them being relatable makes me love them even more.

A sequel? I NEED IT. preferably right now I am badly feining for a second book. Just so yall know the moment there is one. IM BUYING IT. I have my credit card ready. I honestly don’t care if I am busy I will be booking it to my room to lock in.

“Then tell me” YES PLEASE DO. tell US tell us NOW. I NEED TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY. WHAT DAFUQ DID HE WRITE IN THE LETTER. I AM GONNA RIP MY ORGANS OUT. I just need to know….please… PLEASE I CANT TAKE IT.

I feel like I’m two seconds away from dying and learning how to fly Idfk I think I’m tired and it’s getting to my brain


WHATS IN THE LETTER. (heh.. if anyone knows just uh hit me up )

Rips my hair out

Anywho, thank you so much Sen for recommending this book to me!! I will FOREVER be grateful 🥀

(I might redo this review cuz it kind of looks doo doo but to be fair I am tweaking while writing it so….)

[medlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is amazing, I can't even begin to describe it. Definitely one of my favorite reads ever!! The only bit of criticism I have is that there are a lot of grammatical/spelling related issues, especially after the 100 page mark. For example: Page 193, first line: "its bellow" instead of "it's below", and many others on different pages. I'd recommend getting these fixed by a professional who'd catch all the errors since this really breaks the immersion, which sucks since this book has such great imagery. With spelling errors fixed, this book is a 10/10 for sure! can't wait for the second book :)

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly powerful and beautiful novel depicting the life of Sasha through adolescence as he experiences life in ways both unique and universal. I finished this book in one sitting because I simply couldn’t put it down. I am beyond excited for the sequel!
My absolute favorite lines would have to be: “This. This is what it means to feel homesick.” (190) and “What would I even tell them? That the sun set before summer was over?” (197) I feel like it captures Sasha and Luke’s relationship beautifully in all of its complexity and innocence.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I have read in a while, it's something I have been looking for forever. Everything is just perfect. The storyline is easy to follow, all the characters have distinct personalities and ways of talking which makes everyone super easy to differentiate, and the plot is just amazing. The way this book was written made it very easy to get immersed in. I read it all in one sitting, and then a second time. Nik M.B, you truly did an amazing job. The end made me want to know what happens next immediately! I can't wait for book 2, and I believe it will be just as amazing as this book, maybe even better! This is a genuine 5/5 rating, if I could give it a 6 I would without a second thought! Take your time and make sure you're happy with what you create, Nik M.B, have an amazing journey in your career as an author, never give up and push through every challenge no matter how difficult it may seem. Good luck!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ll take five more books and that backrooms story. please and thank you

[Piper Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Planning to write a full review later, but this book is really good! I was following the author on tiktok for awhile and got the book as soon as it came out and i definitely don’t regret it.

Song on repeat while reading: Tired, Beabadoobee 🎵

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Was it possible the sun could offer something besides gentle, simmering rays of foolish summer? Because in reality, even the sun wasn’t just bright and warm—it was scorching hot, waiting to burn anyone who got close enough. The sun would cup its hands to whisper a secret, and you would sit there and take it as its fingers burned through your face, just hoping that what you might hear would make those scars worth it. “ (Pg. 90)

“At that moment, I would have chosen him to come with me over any gift in the world.” (Pg. 139)

“‘Jesus Christ you come from everywhere!’ ‘And from nowhere.’” (Pg. 154)

“But he said my name so softly that I didn’t even care if he meant it.” (Pg. 172)

“You know, I think if I’m still sad and lonely by the time I’m thirty, I’ll marry him.” (Pg. 200)

“I never told you this, but I began visiting Babushka’s dacha every possible moment, hoping it would feel the same when you were here.” (Pg. 208)

“I didn’t like summers anymore. I didn’t know if I liked you anymore either. I hated myself for even thinking of hating the idea of him.” (Pg. 209)

“God I missed you a lot. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it because I’ll say it every time just because I can. Even if we were back there, I’d send letters saying it, cassette tapes with songs saying it, if I knew it was possible I’d save every birthday money, every stupid penny I earned babysitting a stupid mean eight year old cunt and every payout from selling music, and use it to make calls to tell you I miss you.” (Pg. 351)

“And you still do that thing where you stop writing and search the dictionary for hours for a stupidly over the top word, hoping it’s finally the one that can explain, even if just a little, of what you mean because you don’t want to go into detail about it yourself.” (Pg. 437) *oof this one hurts*

“Because of you, I think I became pretty good at reading between the lines.” “You don’t deserve to read in between lines.” (Pg. 437)

“I wrote because it was the only option, you wrote because it’s the easier one.” (Pg. 439)

[mcstermindzs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarebbe belli non aver MAI imparato a leggere… Comunque ho TANTE cose di cui parlare. Prima di tutti we all miss Luke pre-lobotomy e se nel sequel non torna querelo qualcuno. GRAZIE A DIO ESISTE ANCORA GENTE CHE SCRIVE I VERI SLOWBURN!! “You were my starry eyed lover” e mi fermo qui. Yulia io ti amo e NON PENSAVO CHE L’AVREI MAI DETTO, ma actually (per la prima volta) preferisco il grumpy che fa scelte di merda al sunshine (sorry luke🙏🏼🙏🏼)

[Dhita · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I’m writing this, I haven’t finished reading the book. So far I have found it very engaging, but there are some major flaws. I’m aware the author is only 18 and the book was self published, but I’m 17 so I feel like I’m allowed to criticize. The most apparent issue is that book starts with letters addressed to Luke from Sasha. In every single letter, Luke is referred to as “He” and “Luke” instead of “you”. I have been able to ignore it for the most part. The second issue is that the tense of the story is inconsistent. I think this book has so much potential, but if you can’t ignore grammatical mistakes this probably won’t be for you.

[Citlalli Vargas Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

​4.5 stars

​i need the sequel immediately.

this book and ilya rozanov have officially pushed me to start learning russian.

​a beautiful coming-of-age story that explores the weight of friendship and fraternity, but more than that, it’s a delicate mapping of self-discovery, how we define ourselves through our fears and the people who orbit our lives.

[LegallyDead · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 34%

There were just too many typos and incomprehensible sentences to force myself to push through the slow pace of the story (maybe I will continue it one day). Additionally, it confused me why the first part of the book is formulated as if it is a chronological collection of letters, when in reality, the "letters" are worded like diary entries.

I overall think it lacked any type of proofreading. The typos and grammar mistakes were way too prevalent after the 100 page mark.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

God finding this book was like breeding two axolotls in Minecraft and they make a blue one and in this case the two parents where catcher in the rye and Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the Universe. I've spent my whole life searching for a book like this and I finally found it. There's no point in reading any other book after reading this masterpiece because you'll compare everything to it and it'll never be even remotely close.

[linos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dnf it near the beginning of part 2, so I don’t know if I can say much.
It was a great book, beautiful for a debut book, but every book has its flaws.
(this is half personal bias, half feedback, again I love this author and the concept so this is not hate!)

firstly, I found the letters in the first part extremely hard to get through. in my opinion they sort of dragged and left me kind of bored, and I was unsure of what was happening a few times.

Again, I dnf it so this may pay off in the end, but I wasn’t entirely sure about the repetition of Sasha’s age, like if it had a meaning of sorts.

This may be a personal thing for me because I’m just not a huge fan of letter-based books (for example, I also found the perks of being a wallflower a bit boring to read as well.)

Lastly, this definitely needs an editor. I noticed a lot of grammatical inconsistencies and run on sentences which also turned me to dnf it.

No hate to the author of course! I never bash someone’s writing, it just has some work to do. Everything else aside it’s an interesting concept with so much creative room, so I’ll be waiting to read the sequel and I’d love to see some improvement :-)

[Bryce Hanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly think you got the world these characters are in and Sasha’s arc set up so well by the end of “A Boy”, and then hit the ground running immediately afterwards letting everything play out in a way that just felt natural. I just finished reading this and I genuinely can’t wait to see what you have planned for these boys in the future. (And read what Luke wrote in that letter) The dream scene and Sasha finally getting some closure from his conversation with Luke towards the end had me in tears, It was so bittersweet to finally see Sasha let go for a moment and be happy again. This was so beautifully written and easily the best book I’ve read in a long time and I would highly recommend it!

[Nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite book

[Mori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be one of the of not the best book I've ever read. The absolutely love the characters and the character development. Definitely a must read.